16-Day In-Depth Exploration of Tibet

Since we have just made a sudden ascent from lowland to an altitude of over 3,700 meters (12,139 ft), today’s itinerary is not so tight. Visit Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery, and Norbulingka. Drepung is about 8 km west of central Lhasa, once the world’s largest monastery with about 10,000 monks. This day’s sightseeing begins with these white monastic buildings piled up on the hillside. Walking up to the hill is a pleasant thing, an easy break from the solemn ambiance inside the halls and chapels. You can have very good views of the whole Lhasa city and the distant mountains.

Sera Monastery sits at the foot of the mountains. One of the three main Gelupka monasteries in Lhasa, Sera is an important spiritual center for Buddhist monks. If we are lucky enough, we could watch the Lamas in their traditional theological exercise of lively debating. It is recognized as ‘the summer palace of Dalai Lamas”.’ ‘Norbu Linka’ means beautiful gardens. This garden covers an area of 36 hectares and it is the annual vacation home for the 7th to the 14th Dalai Lama, who would move here from the Potala Palace to this summer palace and spend most of their summer here.

Stay at Ganggyan hotel

We will visit the Potala Palace, landmark of Lhasa and spiritual symbol of Tibet. You will join many pilgrims on your way to the top of a hill where this 13-storey architectural wonder is perched upon. The approach to the Potala is not easy, and requires climbing many steep steps, so we take it slowly and allow ourselves to leisurely enjoy the Palace and its surroundings. We enjoy strolling through its winding corridors and peaking in some of its thousand rooms, and can only imagine what life here was once like.

In the afternoon, we visit the Jokhang Temple, the spiritual center of Lhasa. As we make the inner circuit around the courtyard, spinning numerous prayer wheels as we go, we are swept up in the energy of the devout. From the roof top, we get stunning views of the Potala and the snow capped peaks off in the distance. Around the Temple runs the Barkhor, a holy circuit which pilgrims undertake and a bustling commercial market. The rest of the time is left free for you to venture around Bakhor market, where you will feel you are right at the heart of Tibet.

Stay at Lhasa hotel

Morning drive up to Kampala Pass (5,030m), you will have a glimpse of Yamdrok Tso Lake on the way and spectacular views of Holy Mount Nyenchen Tanglha in the distance, which are wonders of the day. Lying at the south foot of the uninterrupted snow-capped Himalayas, the turquoise colored Lake Yamdrok Tso appears like a holy sapphire and evokes solemnity. In clear weather, the reflection of sunshine in different depths lends the lake gorgeous and mysterious colors. Tibetans here believe that it is a dwelling place of the spirits that protect the people. Every year, many devotional followers would come here for pilgrimage. Then along the highway drive to Gyangtse, visit the famous Gyantse Kumbum. Gyangtse is very famous for its giant architectural stupa in Tibet.

Stay at Yeti hotel

At Gyantse, in the morning, go to visit the Pelkor Monastery and Tashilhunpo Monastery. Pelkor Monastery was built when different religious sectors conflicted neck and neck in Tibet so it occupies a stunning position in the history of Tibetan Buddhism and features a mixture of pagoda and monastery. The most symbolic architecture in the monastery is the Kumbum Stupa, which is composed of nine layers of nearly 77 temple halls with numerous Buddha statues in halls and murals. The mural paintings are the wonders of the stupa that mostly date back to its original time, there are around 108 cells all around the stupa and every cell has different paintings and statues inside.

Tashilhunpo Monastery, built in 1447 and the seat of the Panchen Lama, the monastery houses a giant statue of the Maitreya Buddha and a tomb of the 4th Panchen Lama, which contains masses of jewels and gold. Just close Tashilhunpo is the Old Town of Shigatse, a great place to wander around: nicely decorated Tibetan houses and interesting market and bazaar give you a vivid picture of local people’s life. At the end of visit, drive 1.5 hrs to Shigatse.

Stay at Sakya Hotel in Tashi Choetar

Tibet has a serious rule about speed-limit. From Shigatse to Sakya it’s only about 150 km or so, but the no-more-than-40km/hr regulation, and the many road checks dotted on the way, really slow us down. So today, you will take nearly 3 hrs drive to Sakya. And you will also visit Sakya Monastery and see Mt. Everest far away. Located in Sakya County southwest of Shigatse, the Sakya Monastery is the principal monastery of the Sakyapa Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Tingri or rather Lao Tingri is the last stop before Everest Base Camp Tour.

Stay at Sakya Hotel in Tingri

This day can make you tired as you basically spend the whole day on the road driving (about 7 hours on the way). Pass by Lhatse which is located in the valley of the Yarlung Tsangpo River. From Lhatse onwards, we will be driving on rugged roads. Saga, meaning ‘Happy Land’, is a town situated along the Tsangpo River in a region crisscrossed by the upper Brahmaputra and its tributaries. The land becomes rugged, the air thinner and the sky endless and impossibly blue. Tonight, we will stay at Saga in a tent or a local guest house.

Stay at Xibu Hotel

From Saga it is 145 km to Zhongba. The road is good and the trip can be completed in 3 hours. There is also a small monastery at the western end of town on a hill. From Zhongba onwards the southern road deteriorates. There is also danger of vehicles getting stuck. But this section of the road has the typical plateau scenery and landscape – you can enjoy the panoramic views of the snow covered mountain peaks on either side of the road.

The sightseeing today will focus on another famous holy lake of Tibet, the Manasarovara Lake. From Zhongba to Lake Mansorovar is a long drive of 4.5 hours or more. There will be several river crossings and when drive past the Mayum La Pass (4,600m), the scenery is stunningly beautiful with panoramic views of the Himalayas. Then drive to the hotel in Darchen, the main gateway and the village, where you stay overnight there, located at the foot of the majestic sacred Mt. Kailash.

Stay at Himalaya hotel

It’s a hard driving day on the road, with Gobi and broken road most of the time. Pass by Tangri Yumco. Lake Tangra Yumco is considered as a holy lake in Bon Religion followers, which was a place where the most respected Goddess Gangzhuoma of the Bon stayed according to a legend. It lies in the deep lake basin bottom, with 4,530 meters above sea level. It is said that water of the lake may change into three different colors a day.

Stay at local guesthouse 

Take a 4-hour drive from Wenbu to Nyima.

Stay at Nyima Hotel

Today we will take a 5-hour drive to Banga by pass the Serling Tso which is the second largest saltwater lake in Tibet, the lake is 4,530 meters above sea level, 72 kilometers long from east to west, 22.8 kilometers wide from south to north and 40 kilometers wide at its widest point in the east. With an area of 1,640 square kilometers and a depth of more than 33 meters, Serling Tso is the largest inland lake system in Tibet. Here you will also have a chance to see Tibetan antelope.

Stay at local guesthouse

Today will be a long driving day, it’s highlight is Namtso Lake. In Tibetan, Namtso means ‘Heavenly Lake.’ It’s considered one of the three holy lakes in Tibet, is the second-largest saltwater lake in China and the highest lake in the world. As the sun rises, cloud lifts from the mountains and the scene is bathed in golden sunshine. When the weather is clear, the water is a stunning shade of turquoise and we will be surrounded by magnificent views of the nearby Mount Nyenchen Tanglha range with peaks of more than 7,000m. The wide open spaces, dotted with tents of local nomads, are breathtaking. We may also walk along the lake or climb up the hill near the lake to explore the area. After visiting the lake, we will drive back to Lhasa.