9 Days Central Tibet Winter Tour with Premium Cultural Destinations
(TTCW003) Lhasa - Tsedang - Gyantse - Shigatse - Lhasa
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Tour Type:
Escorted by private guide and vehicle; leave 365 days a year!
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Trip Level:
Easy - suitable for all levels of fitness, family with kids and senior groups.
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Trip Level Guide:
- Easy - suitable for all level of fitness, family with kids and senior groups.
- Moderate - suitable for ones with average level fitness, family with kids bigger than 12 yrs.
- Moderate to Strenous - suitable for ones physically fit; have experiences of high altitude trek.
- Strenuous: suitable for adventures and individual with physically fit and healthy.
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Season:春
Spring夏
Summer秋
Autumn冬
Winter
Overview
This classic tour takes you to three cultural destinations of Tibetan plateau, Tsedang, Gyantse and Shigatse, which really makes you have a better knowledge of Tibet’s history, culture, tradition, religion. In Lhasa, you will visit the Potala Palace, holy Jokhang Temple, busy Barkhor street, magnificent Sera monastery and Drepung monastery.
Then drive to the birth place of Tibetan civilization in the Yarlung valley of Tsedang. Tsetang has the first imperial palace in Tibet—Yombulakhang Palace, the first village and the first farmland in Tibet, and Samye monastery--the first monastery in Tibetan history. Gyantse and Shigatse, the two most important cities after Lhasa and other scenic vistas like the Yamdroktso Lake, karo la glacier and the snowy summit of Nojin khangsar (7252m). You can see turqoise Yamdroktso lying in the arms of the surrounding snow-capped mountains and spectacular snowscape in winter Tibet.
At a Glance
Day 1Arrive in Lhasa(3650m)
Day 2Lhasa Tour -Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street (B)
Day 3Lhasa Tour - Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery (B)
Day 4Lhasa (3650m) to Tsedang (3100m) and Visit Samye Monastery(B)
Day 5Tsedang Tour (3100m) - Yombulakhang Palace and Trundruk Monastery (B)
Day 6Tsedang (3100m) to Gyantse (3950m) via Yamdrok Lake and Karo Glacier (B)
Day 7Gyantse (3950m) to Shigatse (3900m) (B)
Day 8Shigatse (3900m) to Lhasa (3650m)(B)
Day 9Depart from Lhasa (B)
Day to Day Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Lhasa(3650m)
When you arrive in Lhasa either by train or flight, your guide will greet you and take you to your hotel .An route to viewing the Yarlung Tsangpo River/ Bhamaputra river (the Longest and largest river in Tibet) and Lhasa river.
After arrive in lhasa, you can take rest and acclimatize. If you feel to go out, then you can go to the Potala square, where you will enjoy the fountain with different colour and get amazing photos of the Potala and around.
Stay overnight in Lhasa.
Day 2: Lhasa Tour -Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street (B)
Today's tour will first bring you to the Potala Palace, the winter palace of the Dalai Lama. It has been used since the 7th Century by the 33rd great king of Tibet. The most valuable collection is the gilded burial stupas of past Dalai Lamas and meditation Cave of the 33rd great king of Tibet.
After you take lunch and then head to Jokhang temple which was founded by the 33rd great king of Tibet in the 7th century, in order to promote the Buddhist religion. Inside you can see the statue of Buddha Sakyamuni at the age of twelve, perhaps the single most venerated object in Tibet Buddhism. Around the temple Barkhor street where you can do kora (circling the Barkhor street) with pilgrims and locals and buy the souvenirs.
Stay overnight in Lhasa.
Day 3: Lhasa Tour - Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery (B)
In the morning, you are going to visit Drepung monastery which was one of the “three greet” Gelug monasteries of Tibet and was founded in 1416 by Jamyang choge, one of the Tsongkhapa’s main disciples. Ganden palace is used as Dalai lama’s palace in the Drepung before moving to the Potala palace.
Afternoon, Sera Monastery---It was one of the “three great” Gelug monasteries of Tibet and was founded in 1419 by Jamchen Chojey, one of the Tsongkhapa’s main disciples. The Most attraction is the Monks debate at around 3 - 5 in the afternoon.
Stay overnight in Lhasa.
Day 4: Lhasa (3650m) to Tsedang (3100m) and Visit Samye Monastery(B)
Today, you will have a 290 km driving along the Yarlung Tsang (Brahmaputra River), the Sand Mountain, the high mountain meadow, and the wide rivers accompany you heading to Samye Monastery. The Samye Monastery is the Tibet’s first Buddhist monastery, built in 8 century in Tibet and it is the first monastery of its kind which houses three Buddhist jewels of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
Then we drive to Tsedang, the capital of Shannan Prefecture, located in Yarlung Valley.
Stay overnight in Tsedang.
Day 5: Tsedang Tour (3100m) - Yombulakhang Palace and Trundruk Monastery (B)
Tsedang is reputed to be "the cradle of Tibetan Civilization"". In the morning, tourists can visit Yumbu Lhakhang, the first imperial palace built on the rocky hill for the first Tibetan king and you could have a nice view of the whole valley from there.
Then tourists head to visit Trandruk which has a history of 1,300 years, one of the oldest monasteries one couldn’t afford to miss.
Stay overnight in Tsedang.
Day 6: Tsedang (3100m) to Gyantse (3950m) via Yamdrok Lake and Karo Glacier (B)
Today, we have to drive to Gyantse. On the way, the group will pass over the Gampala pass (4790 m), and tourists will have a glimpse of Yamdrok-tso (4400m) . The Lake is surrounded by many snow-capped mountain and in the distance you have spectacular views of Holy Mount Nojin Khangsar, (7191m) the highest mountain near Lhasa.
We head westward along the lake and drive towards Gyantse. Gyantse was historically Tibet's third largest city (after Lhasa and Shigatse). .
Stay overnight in Gyantse.
Day 7: Gyantse (3950m) to Shigatse (3900m) (B)
In Gyantse, we will visit the famous Pelkor Monastery(also known as Gyantse Kumbum). The Kumbum has nine floors and each tier has unique chapels. It is considered the largest stupa in Tibet.
In the afternoon we drive to Shigatse, which is the second largest city in Tibet. You can go to see Local Tibetan Market.
Stay the night in Shigatse.
Day 8: Shigatse (3900m) to Lhasa (3650m)(B)
In the morning, tourists will visit Tashilunpo monastery of Gelug Sect, the seat of the Panchen Lama built in 1447. The monastery houses a giant statue of the Maitreya Buddha, the biggest gilded statue of Maitreya (Buddha of the future) in world and a tomb of all the Panchen Lama containing masses of jewels and gold.
In the afternoon, we will drive back to Lhasa on the friendship Highway. The distance between these two places is almost 280 km and it takes 6 hours along the Yarlung Tsangpo River / Bhamaputra River (the Longest and largest river in Tibet).
Stay overnight in Lhasa.
Day 9: Depart from Lhasa (B)
You will be accompanied with tour guide to airport/train station by private car, see good-bye and end the trip.
Service Guide
Service Included:
- Tibet travel permit and all other necessary permits to Tibet;
- All entrance ticket fees for all tourist sites listed in the itinerary;
- Personal knowledgeable English-speaking Tibetan local tour guide;
- Personal comfortable, clean and safe vehicle with reliable Tibetan local driver; vehicle ranging from 4WD land cruiser to minibus depending on your group size;
- All lodging listed in the itinerary; it’s your decision about the accommodation class: luxury 5-star international hotel, comfortable 4-star hotel, economic 3-star hotel or budget hostel, guesthouse or tent. Please tell us your accommodation preference when submitting the enquiry; we will arrange the best-value hotels for you.
- Domestic flight/train tickets listed in the itinerary;
- All meals listed in the above itinerary;
- Tourist accident/casualty insurance;
- First aid kit;
Service Excluded:
- International flight to and out of China;
- Chinese visa (Note: we could help you with the Chinese visa application, like providing the invitation letter, presenting the hotel or domestic flight reservation copies, etc that you may need. )
- Domestic flight/train not listed in the itinerary. (We can provide you the domestic flight/train ticket booking service at the BEST discount price; please contact us our travel experts for the details.)
- Meals not specified in the itinerary; usually it costs about USD3-15 per person for one meal in TAR (Tibet Autonomous Region).
- Tips and gratitude to tour guide and driver;
- Personal expenses, like laundry, phone call, snacks, soft drinks (please do the best to avoid the alcoholic beverages during your Tibet trip), optional tour activities, etc.
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Most Frequently Asked Questions from our Clients
This itinerary covers the prosperity and development of Tibetan culture and history via visiting major cities and towns. Not only can tourists enjoy the unique Tibetan culture and religion, but also inconceivable natural beauty. This tour also centers around Tibetan culture with the key emphasis on Tibetan Buddhism and its actual entity--monasteries of all kinds.Thus this loop features the major influential religious sites so as to present the pervasive impact of Tibetan Buddhism on virtually every aspect of Tibetans’ life.
Tibetan Travel Guru,Keldor
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