Travel with Kelly: A 13-Day Once-in-a-lifetime Solo Tour Experience to Tibet (Part 1)

Tibet, regarded as the Roof of the World, has captivated travelers with its breathtaking landscapes and mystical pilgrimage allure. Travel to Tibet is always a dream for me and going to Tibet alone may be the biggest decision I have ever made. At first, I was worried about whether I can take the solo journey. But after starting it, I realized there are many like-minded people along the way. During my tour, I met many different people, admired beautiful sceneries and got life inspiration from them. Can’t wait to share my amazing travel story in Tibet with you!

5 Days Lhasa & Namtso Private Tour

Itinerary: Lhasa / Namtso
Highlights: Potala Palace,Jokhang Temple,Namtso Lake

Day 1: Scenic Qinghai Tibet Railway Journey from Xining to Lhasa

I will never forget the day when I took the train Z8991 from Xining to Lhasa, departing at 21:50 of Dec 7th, 2023. It is the Qinghai Tibet Railway which connects Xining of Qinghai Province and Lhasa in Tibet. The spectacular landscape along the rail is always a drawcard appealing to tourists. I visited Tibet during the off-season (Nov. to Apr.), so not many people were on this train. There was only me on one of the six hard sleepers. It was a big surprise that it began to snow on that night in Lhasa. So, when I woke up on the train in the morning, I was greeted with shimmering blanket of snowy mountains. I can't help admiring and shooting the spectacular scenery.

Note: to take a better look at the scenery, I would recommend you to take a train that departs from Xining relatively late in the evening because most of the beauty appears after arriving at Geermu, only when you leave in the night, can you arrive at Geermu during the day time, and that’s how you can see the scenery clearly.

>> Check more about Tibet Travel Tips

Beautiful Snowy Scenery on the Way to Lhasa

Day 2: Lhasa Arrival & Acclimazation to High Altitude

After about 20 hours of travelling by train, I arrived in Lhasa at 17:39, and went to my hotel for a rest just in case I get high altitude sickness. I had been to Western Sichuan twice and Shangri-La once, so I didn’t feel any discomfort.

Kelly Enjoyed Train Journey to Lhasa

4 Days Lhasa Essence Private Tour

Itinerary: Lhasa City & Suburb
Highlights: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Drepung Monastery

Day 3: Grandiose Potala Palace Exploration

I first went to the landmark - Potala Palace. The whole palace is divided into two parts: the White Palace - living quarters and office to deal with political and Buddhist affairs for Dalai Lamas, and the Red Palace which houses several stupas of previous Dalai Lamas, many historical relics, and precious arts. If you go there during peak season, basically you could only choose one palace to go to, but I went to two palaces because of the off-season.

Potala Palace

After Potala Palace visit, I enjoyed a leisure stroll in Zongjiao Lukang Park, a lovely park with pleasant scenery built around the lake behind Potala Palace. I saw many local people gathering and chatting, feeding wild birds and ducks, and dancing. There were also some tourists following them and dancing. I was totally touched by what I saw like there was some kind of magic.

Lovely Ducks in Zongjiao Lukang Park

Stepping out of the park, I went to the Themed Post Office. I wrote three postcards for my friends, and one for myself. This was my way of making memories.

Themed Post Office

After that, I went to Yaowang Mountain viewing platform to get a panoramic picture of the Potala Palace which is the iconic scene on the back of the Chinese 50-yuan banknote.

Potala Palace Photo taken from Yaowang Mountain Viewing Platform

5 Days Tibet Real Life Experience Private Tour

Itinerary: Lhasa
Highlights: Potala Palace,Norbulingka Park,Tibetan Family

Day 4: A Day off

I had a day off because I wanted to make a clearer and more comprehensive itinerary.

Day 5: Buddhist Culture Discovery & Cuisine - Jokhang Temple & Barkhor Street

I continued my exploration to Jokhang Temple, the spiritual center of Lhasa and the most revered religious architecture of Tibet. In front of Jokhang Temple, I saw crowds of pilgrims with a pot of ghee tea, doing their daily events to this place. I was so touched by the scene I saw. I also followed a local tour guide. Her commentary on the tourist attraction made me know more about this temple.

Jokhang Temple

Then I went out and found a local teahouse in Barkhor Street. I had cold noodles and sweat tea, which were both worth eating. A feeling of peace came with me as I wandered there and watched people just passing by or on a pilgrimage.

Passerbys and Pilgrims in Barkhor Street

After that, I went back to Potala Palace Square, having an internet-famous check-in photo with Potala Palace. Several mirrors are placed on the ground, just for tourists to take such a photo.

Kelly Took an Internet-famous Check-in Photo with Potala Palace

4 Days Lhasa Essence Private Tour

Itinerary: Lhasa City & Suburb
Highlights: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Drepung Monastery

Day 6: Namtso - One of the Three Holy Lakes

Today, I took an exciting trip to one of the three holy lakes Namtso. It took about 3.5 hours to drive to Namtso Lake. We hopped onto a sightseeing bus to go to the central tourist scenic spot. Namtso was stretching to the horizon. The lake was partially frozen at that time. I couldn’t stop marveling at the snowy mountains, crystal-clear dazzling water, and azure blue sky. Sometimes roads will be too icy to navigate under severe winter weather. I’m very lucky that the road was clear when I visited there.

I also had a good view of Mt. Nyenchen Thangla Ranges on the way, it was very windy there, so do not forget to take some gloves or masks.

Lastly, I was driven back to Lhasa.

>> Check more about Tibet Weather & Seasons

Namtso Lake

5 Days Lhasa & Namtso Private Tour

Itinerary: Lhasa / Namtso
Highlights: Potala Palace,Jokhang Temple,Namtso Lake

Day 7: Two Unique Religious Sites - Zhaji Temple & Sera Monastery

In the morning, I went to Zhaji Temple which is the only God of Wealth temple in Tibet. It is said that this temple is especially efficacious in praying for wealth on Wednesday. People also ask for a blessing of safety and peace on Monday, and good health on Friday. Hence, on that Wednesday, there were so many local people doing their daily events, and many tourists like me praying for wealth.

People prayed for wealth in Zhaji Temple

In the afternoon, I went to Sera Monastery to witness the spectacular Buddhism Debating. It started at 15:00. The monks gathered in a courtyard and debated the Buddhist doctrines with supplemented gestures. Even though I didn’t understand what they were saying, I could tell that they enjoyed a lot doing this activity.

Buddhism Debating in Sera Monastery

This was what I did in my first week in Tibet, I stayed there for another week. To be continued in my next travel blog…

5 Days Tibet Real Life Experience Private Tour

Itinerary: Lhasa
Highlights: Potala Palace,Norbulingka Park,Tibetan Family

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