6-Day Lhasa Yamdrok Tour in Shoton Festival: A Journey Through Tibet’s Culture and Nature

Arrival to Lhasa airport or train station where you will be picked up by our local guide and driver then transfer you to hotel. Main highlights on the way to Lhasa, you will see the biggest river in Tibet called Yarlung Tsangpo or Barmaputra in Indian language, the unique architectural village houses of Tibetan farmers and the first glance of Potala Palace.

Free sightseeing or take rest in your room in late afternoon to acclimatize. Your guide will give you more detail advice on acclimatization.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Note: If your Arrival is by train, then you don’t have the chance to see the river view and Tibetan village houses because the train station is next to the city.

In the morning your guide and driver will meet you at hotel lobby and drive you to the Potala this majestic palace, the land mark of Tibet, the first construction ever built in Lhasa by the most well known and outstanding Tibetan king Tsongtsen Gambo in seventh century as his residence and central government official.

And in seventeenth century the fifth Dalailama began to extend it into current style. It is listed into the UNESCO’s World Heritage in December 1994. More than three hours visiting outside and inside the palace, you will learn all detail history about the palace by your guide.

After marvelous visiting and climbing hundreds of stairs there, your driver will pick you up at the exit of Potala and transfer you to local restaurant near by Jokhang, you will feel bit exhausted and tired but no matter you can have good relax during the lunch time and ask for your guide to order a glass of Ginger Lemon Tea+honey that will give you more energy and feel fresh again.

After lunch break, your guide will lead you to Jokhang Temple and Barkor by walking to explore the culture center of Tibet, the heart of Tibetan Buddhism and the main destination of the pilgrims coming from all over the Tibetan territories and the Barkor Ancient Street with local bazaar and art workshops.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

• Potala Palace is always the No.1 attraction for travelers visiting Tibet.
• Holy Jokhang Temple

Today you have a great opportunity to visit the beginning ceremony of the most important annual festival in Lhasa called “Shoton” means Yogurt Banquet. The opening ceremony begins from Drepung and Sera the two largest monasteries in Lhasa.

In the very early morning your guide and driver will pick you up and drive to Drepung Monastery to attend the ceremony. With thousands of local pilgrims and tourists, you will luckily see one of the largest embroidered Thangka/scroll painting of Buddha in Tibet.

Hundreds of monks and volunteers transfer it to a hillside not far from the monastery and display on a huge wall then the monks perform a special religious ritual to open the ceremony, the pilgrims from nomadic area offer fresh Yak Yogurt to the monks and everyone receives blessings from main master of monastery.

In the afternoon you will be driven to Sera the second largest monastery to visit another beautiful Grand Thangka and religious ceremony. It’s a very busy day for you but very worth.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

• Drepung Monastery, one of the Great Three Gelug monasteries of Tibet
• Monk debate in Sera monastery

Today you will spend whole day in Norbulinka to see how peopleare enjoying their festival, you will have a great chance to watch the performance of traditional Tibetan opera, join with very friendly local people, their hospitality towards you makes you feel like very close friends, they will serve you free cookies, Yak meat or yogurt sometimes and plenty of their homemade barley beer if you like it.

You will also visit the main residence of the successive Dalailamas’personal residences, guest interview room, meeting rooms, the wall of paintings that tells the general history of Tibet and ancient civilization as well as its unique architectural design and wooden carves.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

• Norbulingka - the Summer Palace of Dalai Lama
• Enjoy Traditional Tibetan Opera in Norbulingka during Shoton Festival

After breakfast, you’ll take a scenic 100-kilometer drive from Lhasa to Yamdrok Lake, a turquoise gem surrounded by snow-capped mountains. Here, you’ll experience a different side of Tibet - the peace and tranquility outside the bustling Lhasa city. The Yamdrok Lake reflects various colors in different lights. You can also see local nomads grazing their yaks on the lakeshore.

Start your Yamdrok Lake tour from Lurila Platform, where the turquoise waters and the imposing Gulha Kangri Snow Mountain unfold before your eyes.

Then, you will visit the Rutog Monastery and the lonely monk residing on the small island in the center of Yamdrok Lake. From Rutog Island, you can enjoy a broader view of Yamdrok Lake and the surrounding islands.

For lunch, you will visit a local family restaurant and enjoy the local dishes by the lakeside. On the platform, you can also savor a cup of coffee and relish leisure time while indulging in the stunning view of Yamdrok Lake from the southeast corner.

Afterward, you will return to Lhasa via the famous Gampala Pass (4900m). From the Gampala Pass platform, you can see Yamdrok Lake stretching for tens of kilometers like a wide blue ribbon to the foot of Noijin Kangsang Peak (7191m).

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

• Yamdrok Lake at Gampala Pass, where you can get a marvelous bird's-eye view of the lake.
• Enjoy the fascinating scenery of the holy Yamdrok Lake

Departure to your next destination, your guide and driver will transfer you back to airport or railway station and help you to get the boarding pass. Say good bye Tibet!