6 Days Lhasa Gyantse Shigatse Group Tour
Tibet's Golden Triangle Cities
Join our 6-day group tour, limited to a maximum of 12 people, to explore Tibet's golden triangle cities in the most affordable way! Starting from Lhasa, known for its spiritual atmosphere and architectural marvels, you will journey to Shigatse, home of the Panchan Lama. Along the way, we will visit breathtaking spots such as Yamdrok Lake, Karuola Glacier, and Palcho Monastery. The tour has been designed to allow you to gradually acclimate to the altitude, ensuring a comfortable journey. It's a perfect opportunity to indulge in stunning scenery, rejuvenate your soul, and make new friends. Suitable for all ages, including kids and seniors.
Best time: available all year around, but May to October is the best time.
Highlights of this tour:
- A visit to Lhasa's iconic landmarks, where you will wind your way up through the majestic Potala Palace and join the murmuring pilgrims around the sacred Jokhang Temple;
- A breathtaking visit to the Holy Lake Yamdrok, known as one of the most beautiful lakes on the Tibet plateau;
- Explore the historical towns of Gyantse and Shigatse, where you will immerse yourself in an authentic Buddhist cultural experience.
Basic Trip Information
- Price:
- from
$686
- 1. This price is for one person, based on 2 adults sharing one double-bed room;
- 2. This price is subject to change according to your traveling season, hotel class and possible fluctuation of currency exchange rate.
- Travel Route:
- Lhasa / Gyantse / Shigatse
- Travel Length:
- 6 Days and 5 Nights
- Tour Code:
- CD-TGT-06
- Group Size:
- ≤ 12 PAX
- Experience:
-
- Departure:
- Fixed Departure
Your tour - at a glance
Full Itinerary Day by Day
Day 1 Lhasa Arrival
Welcome to Tibet! Your local guide will pick you up upon your arrival at Gonggar airport or Lhasa Train Station, then escort you to your hotel in Lhasa. Enjoy the heart-stopping views along the road.
After arrival at your hotel, the rest of the day is free for you to explore the local area and acclimatize yourself to this high altitude city.
High altitude acclimatization tips: 1) Keep taking medicine for preventing high altitude sickness 2 days before going to Tibet; 2) Go for some walking to acclimate but avoid strenuous activity after arrival in Lhasa; 3) You’d better not have bath; 4) Drink more water.
Day 2 Lhasa City Tour (B, D)
After breakfast, your tour guide will pick you up in your hotel. Then drive about 30 minutes to visit the Drepung Monastery. This Gelug monastery has a history of more than 500 years. It used to be the largest monastery in the world with totally 10,000 monks there. Many precious stupas, sculptures, paintings, Thangka...are displayed in the hundreds of chapels. And the annual Shoton Festival is organized here.
In the afternoon, start your journey to the Tibet Museum featuring two floors with distinct perspectives. On the first floor, you can delve into the vibrant tapestry of daily life in Tibet exhibits (including traditional dietary practices, indigenous clothing, architectural wonders, transportation), the panorama of production customs from agricultural and pastoral traditions to intricate handcraft techniques, as well as the joyous celebrations of Tibetan culture. The second floor exhibition hall comprehensively covers the region's history from prehistoric times to contemporary urban development. This insightful exploration promises to unveil the unique and enigmatic customs of Tibet, making your visit a captivating cultural experience.
Following this, your adventure continues to Norbulingka, once a quintessential Tibetan royal garden and the summer retreat for Dalai Lamas. Transformed into a public park, it now boasts a stunning array of precious flowers and plants, inviting visitors to explore the tranquil beauty that once served as a haven for Tibetan royalty.
Stay overnight in Lhasa.
This evening, a welcoming dinner will be held to welcome all the members in your group tour.
Tips of today: 1) Feel free to ask tour guide questions about Buddhism or else; 2) If you have no idea where to have dinner, ask your guide for suggestions. Restaurant in your hotel is one of the choices.
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Neubert from Germany visited Norbulingka, Lhasa in June 2022
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Neubert from Germany visited Drepung Monastery, Lhasa in June 2022
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A Traditonal Tibetan Kitchen Exhibted in Tibet Museum
Day 3 Lhasa City Tour (B)
After breakfast, go to visit the No.1 attraction in Tibet - Potala Palace. It is known as the highest palace in the world and one of the most famous architectural works in the world. Standing on the Red Hill of Lhasa, the Potala Palace is a treasure house of Tibetan history, religion, culture, and art. The palace is well worth visiting for its artistic value, historic purposes, and cultural awareness. Importantly Potala Palace is the winter palace of Dalai Lama. You will see many chapels in which Dalai Lama used to study, meditate, work and rest. Many famous past Dalai Lama's stupa are also housed here and decorated with golds, jades and jewels.
There are two attractions for you to visit in the afternoon. First, you’ll visit the Jokhang Temple. As the house of the Buddha, Jokhang is the holiest destination for all Tibetan pilgrims; as the spiritual center of Tibet, Jokhang Temple is the perfect place for you to experience the devotion of Tibetans. Last activity is wandering around the bustling Barkhor Street. Whether you are there to visit the religious site, to do a bit of souvenir shopping, to taste some Tibetan or Chinese food or just for simple sightseeing, the Barkhor Street area is the right place to go.
Tips of today: Wear hat and sunglasses to prevent ultraviolet radiation, but remember to take off when visiting in the monasteries.
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Potala Palace
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Jokhang Temple
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Meet with Tibet locals at Barkhor Street
Day 4 Lhasa - Gyantse - Shigatse (B) (360 km, about 7 hours' drive)
Today, you will start your lifetime journey to Mount Everest. After breakfast, drive about 1.5 hours via Nyangchu Valley to visit the first attraction of today - Yamdrok Lake. It is known as one of "Three Holy Lakes" but featured in clearest lake views. The water is as clean as crystal, and the glimmering water will shock you in sunshine. With it being branded as the crystal holy lake, one will always carry a sense of worship when standing beside the lake. Leaving Yamdrok Lake, drive ahead to Gyantse, you will see the imposing Karola Glacier. At 5,560 m (18,241 ft) above sea level, and with an area of 9.4 sq km (3.6 sq mi), this imposing glacier is visible from the window.
Keep driving forward, you will arrive at Gyantse city and have lunch there. Then visit the characteristic Palcho Monastery which is located in northern corner of Gyantse city. Found in 1436, this monastery is famous for its Kumbum, a magnificent stupa and symbol of the monastery. It consists of hundreds of chapels arranged in layers, housing some 100,000 images of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, vajras, dharma kings, arhats and disciples of the different schools from throughout Tibetan Buddhist history with 3,000 statues in total. After visiting at Palcho Monastery, drive about 2 hours heading to Shigatse.
Have a good sleep in Shigatse city.
Tips of today: 1) Wear warm clothes to prevent from cold and wild; 2) Prepare some food and drinks in advance because you will spend much time on the road.
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Holy Yamdrok Lake
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Palcho Monastery with Kumbum Stupa, Picture Shared by Megan in July 2023
Day 5 Shigatse - Lhasa (B) (280 km about 5 hours' drive)
Today, before driving back to Lhasa, you will firstly go to visit the most important monastery in Tsang Tibet region -Tashilunpo Monastery which is located in northwestern corner of Shigatse City. Tashilunpo Monastery is famous as the seat of successive Panchen Lama who is another leader of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery is an interesting sprawling amalgam of traditional Tibetan monastic style halls, chapels and other structures connected by precipitous steps and narrow cobblestone alleys.
After the visit, drive about 280km (6~7hrs) back to Lhasa. You'll take a slightly different route this morning back to Lhasa. So, sit back and enjoy amazing scenery of Tibetan villages, snow mountains, farm fields, etc.
Tip of today: You may get back to Lhasa in the early afternoon, you can just go for a walk around Barkhor Street, or Potala Square, or do some shopping of souvenirs.
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Tibetan Style Architectures of Tashilhunpo Monastery
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Silva's group visited Tashilhunpo Monastery with China Discovery in August, 2016
Day 6 Lhasa Departure (B)
Today is free for you until your driver transfer you to catch your flight (or train) leaving Tibet. Please check your luggage and make sure everything is packed, and then check out from your hotel before 12pm.
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