If you are wondering how you can turn your Tibet trip from a regular cookie-cutter holiday to an intrepid and immersive travel experience, well, we have the right recipe for you. And no, it is not an adrenaline-pumping escapade where you scale Mt. Everest or wrestle a wild yak! Yes, chuck those aside, and browse through these eight dares you can try when you visit the 'Roof of the World.' From risking high altitude sickness with a simple stair climb to posing with giant furballs, we have rounded up challenges to turn your Tibet tour into an adventure of a lifetime.

Are you up for the challenge? Get ready to dare and conquer!

1. Count the Steps in the Potala Palace

For a dollop of excitement and a dash of cardio, counting the steps to the pinnacle of Potala Palace will be the first dare for you. Situated at a mighty height of 3700 meters, it is the highest palace in the world. Our advice goes that don’t climb it on your first day in Lhasa as the steep stairs can easily give you high altitude sickness.

One of the initial challenges is to climb over 300 steps to reach the top of the Potala Palace.

And the number of steps doesn’t make it easy either. You will have to conquer a whopping 365 steps in total! We suggest you take plenty of rest in between and feast your eyes upon the breathtaking view of the holy city of Lhasa sprawled below or gaze upon the great white wall of the Potala Palace.

Sure, the journey might test your fitness level, but remember this – the best views always come after the hardest climb.

4 Days Lhasa Impression Small Group Tour

Tour Route: Lhasa

Price from USD509 p.p

2. Get Re-Fuelled at Barkhor Street

With a circumference of 1000 meters and 35 backstreets and alleys shooting off in all directions, navigating Barkhor Street around the Jokhang Temple is already an exhilarating dare!

But just to spice things up, let us throw a foodie challenge at you. Let your nose be the guide as you unravel local treats tucked away in the various nooks and crannies of this labyrinthine maze.

Explore the Barkor Street

While the Tibetan pilgrims seek spiritual solace circumambulating this important kora route, you embrace the full throttle of Tibetan experience with its bustling bazaars, ancient architectures and local tastes.

Find out traditional Tibetan delicacies like Tsampa ball or Ginseng fruit salad at legendary Makye Ame or chomp on some yak meat at crazy Yak Restaurant. Discover the local teahouses, restaurants, and snack stores and your taste buds will thank you later.

3. Take a different Way to See Lhasa City - Travel by Rickshaw

Nothing gives an intimate glimpse into local life than a local ride. So, buckle up, as we are about to introduce a thrilling challenge that will add the ‘authentic’ to your Tibet adventure – the Rickshaw Ride Dare!

Travel by Rickshaw in Lhasa

Here, you can try riding the tricycle rickshaws that take people around town at an affordable rate. Also known as pedicabs, one rickshaw can accommodate two people. Ask your guide to arrange a tricycle experience in Lhasa for you.

As your ride pedals through 1400 years of history and culture, you will see Linkhor Road, the longest Kora in Lhasa, and residential areas where locals still live a traditional lifestyle. Are you ready to immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of local life?

4. Wake at the Base Camp of Mount Everest

You might know already that accessing Everest Base Camp from Tibet is easy as you can reach it by road. But don’t think this makes the challenge any more comfortable.

Do you know why? Because of its extreme elevation! Situated at 5200m, travelers here can get high altitude sickness. But it can be mitigated too by resting amply at each location on the 650km drive from Lhasa. The gradual altitudinal gain will keep you healthy, and you have to be, as this is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Waking up to the mesmerizing sunlit Mt. Everest or savoring a beautiful sunset when the peaks around emanate a gilded glow is seen to be believed.

Stay at the guesthouse of the world’s highest monastery, Rongbuk Monastery, or pitch a comfy tent. An Everest Base Camp tour offers the most expansive and unobstructed view of Mt. Everest.

8 Days Lhasa to Everest Base Camp Small Group Tour

Tour Route: Lhasa - Gyantse - Shigatse - Everest Base Camp - Shigatse - Lhasa

Price from USD939 p.p

5. Step back in Time at Guge Kingdom

If you find reaching Tibet a task, our next challenge will throw a bigger one at you! You have to venture into the remote reaches of western Tibet, even further than the world-renowned Mount Kailash.

Off the beaten path, only a handful of tourists have dared to explore the remnants of the Guge Kingdom, once a prosperous empire that vanished into history's depths, after a Mount Kailash tour. Scale the magnificent Zanda Clay Forest, where ascending the dizzying heights of its stairs will confront you with an ultimate altitude test.

With 879 caves, 445 houses, and 28 pagodas, this labyrinthine marvel is where history meets imagination. If you are a shutterbug, enjoy clicking away at dusk when the sun's golden rays bathe the mud-colored palace and hills with an ethereal glow.

17 Days Kailash Manasarovar Full Moon Tour & Guge Kingdom Exploration

Tour Route: Lhasa - Gyantse - Shigatse - EBC - Saga - Darchen - Zanda - Kailash Trek - Darchen - Saga - Gyirong - Tingri - Lhasa

Price from USD2290 p.p

6. Sample the Homemade Traditional Tibetan Barley Wine

This challenge will leave you a little intoxicated and buzzing alright! Tibetan Barley Wine is a homemade alcoholic drink prepared from fermenting highland barley or tsampa. Popularly called “Chang” by Tibetans, making it is an art that you can watch firsthand at a local’s home.

Toast with homemade Tibetan barley wine

The process sounds dubiously simple though: wash, cook, add wine cubes, seal, and ferment, add water, seal again. In a day or two, your elixir is ready.

If the host offers you the drink, don’t forget to follow their quirky drinking custom 'three nips and a whole cup,' where the host replenishes after each of the first three sips, then bottoms up!

This orange-hued drink is a tantalizing blend of sour and sweet tastes that is quite addictive and might tempt you to reach for continuous refills. So, are you ready to sip from the cup of daring? Cheers!

7. Take a Photo with the Giant Tibetan Mastiff

Giant. Majestic. Formidable. Capturing a photograph with a Tibetan Mastiff is an experience that combines awe-inspiring beauty, unique cultural significance, and a touch of daring adventure. And nothing keeps it more real than getting clicked with one during your Tibet tour.

Take a photo with the Tibetan Mastiff.

Imagine composing a frame of this imposing beast highlighting its magnificent stature against the backdrop of the tranquil Yamdrok Lake and the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas.

Hailed as a hardy herding dog, Tibetan Mastiffs are revered as guardians and protectors by the locals. So practice caution and respect their boundaries. Though they might appear docile, don’t underestimate their immense strength and approach one only when its owner is nearby.

5 Days Lhasa and Yamdrok Lake Small Group Tour

Tour Route: Lhasa - Yamdrok Lake - Lhasa

Price from USD689 p.p

8. Ride the world's Highest Train to Lhasa

Prepare to be swept off your feet by our final dare, a heart-pounding blend of natural grandeur and groundbreaking engineering. Come onboard for an electrifying ride aboard the world's highest train, the legendary Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

Plying between the vibrant capitals of Qinghai Province, Xining, and the mystical capital of Tibet, Lhasa, the Tibet train ride challenge takes you on a thrilling 1956 km journey, out of which a staggering 960 km sits at the breathtaking altitude of 4000 meters.

Get to Lhasa by train through the Qinghai-Tibet railway.

To combat high altitude sickness, it comes fitted with an oxygen supply system, air pressure control, and specially designed anti-ultraviolet ray glass windows. As the train gallops through diverse landscapes – untamed wilderness, vast deserts, and grasslands teeming with yaks and sheep – you get a bite-sized taste of Tibet’s extraordinary locales.

Equipped with dining and onboard oxygen supply systems, rest assured, you will have a thrilling train ride to remember.

15 Days Kailash and Manasarova Tour

Tour Route: Lhasa - Gyantse - Shigatse - E.B.C - Saga - Kailash Trek - Darchen - Lake Manasarovar - Saga - Gyirong - Tingri - Lhasa

Price from USD2059 p.p

Conclusion

So, there goes our magic recipe to transform your insipid Tibet travel into an intrepid Tibet tour. From counting the steps in the Potala Palace to sampling homemade Tibetan Barley Wine, we have experienced the cultural contours of Tibet. Riding the world's highest train to Lhasa pushed our limits while visiting the Guge Kingdom and waking at the base camp of Mount Everest left us in awe. If you want to get the true essence of adventure on your next Tibet trip like this, send us your inquiry. As we bid farewell, let these images inspire you to seek new challenges and embrace the unknown.