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8-Day Tibet Tour including Tsedang, Shigatse, and Lhasa

Discover Tibet's Cultural Origins

8-Day Tibet Tour including Tsedang, Shigatse, and Lhasa

This 8-day tour including Tsedang, Shigatse, and Lhasa will bring you to the birthplaces of Tibetan culture to find out where all that is now seen as "Tibetan" is from and how Tibetan Buddhism come into being.

Starting from Tibet's four firsts: king, palace, temple, and farmland, you'll then travel to a holy lake, a beautiful glacier, and the world's deepest canyon — Tibet's awesome landscape is another facet of its culture. Visit four monasteries representing four main sects of Tibetan Buddhism. Then you'll be ready to read the most splendid chapters of Tibetan history and culture in the Potala Palace.

During this tour, you will experience Tibet with Buddhism's six sense bases: eye, ear, tongue, nose, body, and mind.

Tsedang, Shigatse and Lhasa Tour Map

Tibet including Tsedang, Shigatse and Lhasa Tour Map

Tour 'Wow' Points

Eye : See Tibet's First Palace and Greatest Palace

Discover the origins of Tibetan history in Yumbulakang Palace, and unlock stories of the mysterious Dalai Lamas in the Potala Palace.

Yumbulakang Palace
Potala Palace

Ear : Hear the Chants or Debates of the Monks

Admire the architectural beauty of Tashilunpo monastery: its golden roof, red walls, and white pagodas. Get to know the relationship between Dalai and Panchen lamas and witness a monks' class in the late afternoon, which is usually missed by tourists.

Tibetan monks with red dress
monks with yellow dress for afternoon class

Tongue : Taste a Cup of Tibetan Sweet Tea to Experience Daily Life in Lhasa

Step into Tibetan life in the less-touristy corners of Barkhor Street. Explore a local market where the local people do the daily shopping, and sit in a peaceful nunnery for a cup of the sweet tea that's loved by locals.

Tibetan sweet tea
local market

Nose : Smell the Fragrance of the Tibetan Incense

Visit a small village that is famous for Tibetan Incense. Experience incense stick making and let the fragrance brings you a peaceful moment.

prayers at Jokhang Temple
Tibetan incense

Body : Experience a Local Tibetan Family's House and Farming Work

Discover Tibetan folk customs when you walk into the living room of a local family's house. Listen to the hosts talking about their daily life. Help Tibetan people with their farming work, such as seeding, cutting barley, or hanging barley on racks.

Tibetan family's house
people working in barley fields

Mind : Experience a Meditation in a Hermitage of the Oldest Tibetan School

Visit a monastery hidden on a cliff with amazing scenery around it. Discover the caves where the Buddhist masters meditated, and let your mind tune in to their legacy.

monks' debate
thangka on rocks

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Itinerary Quick Look

Here is a suggested itinerary. We are happy to customize a tour according to your interests.

DAY 1 Arrive in Tsedang (elevation 3,700 m)

Your private driver and guide will meet you at the airport. Sit back in a comfortable vehicle and enjoy a trouble-free transfer to your hotel.

DAY 2 Tsedang | The Birthplace of Tibetan Culture

Visit the first palace of Tibet: Yumbulakang Palace and listen to stories of the first king of Tibet in context. The barley field at foot of the palace's hill is the first piece of farmland that fed the local Tibetans, and it has been used generation after generation since.

Visit Samye Monastery in the afternoon. It is the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery that had a Buddha, dharma, and monks. It's establishment was the most important milestone in the development of Buddhism in Tibet. Its four pagodas in different colors are a unique feature.

Explore the Chimpu Meditation Centers where the Buddhist masters meditated. Experience a meditation there yourself if you would like to.

DAY 3 Tsedang to Shigatse | Plateau Scenery and Tibetan Life

Drive from Tsedang to Shigatse. Along the way you will visit holy Lake Yamdrok and enjoy the beautiful Kanola Glacier. Visit a local Tibetan farmer's house and be treated to Tibetan butter tea. Experience their farming work, such as cutting highland barley.

DAY 4 Shigatse | The Essence of "Back Tibet" (Tibet's Hinterland)

Explore the most mysterious monastery — Sakya Monastery (seat of the Sakya "Multi-colored" School) — in the morning. The murals on its yellow walls, the woman ghost statue tied by iron chains, and the mysterious sutra wall are the highlights you should not miss.

Visit splendid Tashilhunpo Monastery (base of the Gelug "Yellow Hat" School) in the afternoon. Figure out the relationship between Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas. Catch the chants and debates of the monks in the late afternoon if you are interested in them.

DAY 5 Shigatse to Lhasa | Return to "Front Tibet"

Drive along the Yarlung Zangbo Canyon to Lhasa. Enjoy the marvelous scenery on the way. See plateau lakes, rivers, snowy mountains, and traditional Tibetan villages. Stop at a small village that is famous for Tibetan incense making. Experience producing hand-made Tibetan incense.

DAY 6 Lhasa | The Holy City and Its People

Pilgrimage to the Potala Palace. Prepare to enjoy the resplendent chambers, exquisite wall paintings, and the stories about the most famous king of the Tubo Kingdom and the Dalai Lamas.

Have a walking tour in the afternoon. Visit Jokhang Temple and explore Barkhor Street including its local market, admire traditional Tibetan architecture, and take afternoon tea in peaceful Ani Tsangkhung Nunnery.

DAY 7 Lhasa | The Hidden Monasteries

You will visit two less touristy monasteries today. Talk with a monk in Tsurphu Monastery (seat of the Kagyu "Black Hat" School) to get to know how the "living Buddha" reincarnation is believed to work.

And finally explore a small and quiet hermitage of the Nyingma "Red Hat" School, Drak Yerpa Monastery, which is located on a cliff with great scenery.

Note: If you are not interested in covering the monasteries of all four schools, you can replace Tsurphu Monastery with Sera Monastery, which is closer to Lhasa city and famous for its monk debates, or Ganden Monastery, which has a magnificent building group.

DAY 8 Lhasa Departure

Your guide and driver will take you to Lhasa's airport or train station on time for your departure.

Hotel Selection

—the Icing on the Cake

Boutique hotels are recommended to enrich your travel experience.

lhasa shangri-la hotel
the hotel room with Potala Palace view
FromCNY14,800/ USD2,055p/p Based on a private tour for 2 people. Price varies depending on program, travel date, number of people and chosen hotel

Price includes:

  • Tibet Travel Permits
  • Private air-conditioned business car with big windows and ample space
  • English speaking local guide
  • Activities, hotels, and meals listed in the itinerary
  • 24/7 helpline for while you are traveling

Tour code: xz-5

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