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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Why Choose Us
Your Wellbeing is Our Priority.
- 1-to-1 travel expert
- Vaccinated guides
- Private Rides
Your Trip is Perfectly Planned.
- Less crowded
- Exclusive Exciting Experiences
Your Booking is Risk-Free.
- No cancellation fee (up to 22 days before departure)
- Free changes
Finish Your Booking in as Quick as 1 Day
1. Tell us your dream travel idea
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98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+
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Tibet - culture and nature
This time I decided to go on a small group trip to Tibet. All formalities were completed in due time, and the proposed route met my expectations. Immersing yourself in the Tibetan culture with local guide Phurbu was a real pleasure. The views of Mount Everest and Tibetan nature were breathtaking. more
May 2023,
Joanna i Piotr Kuzebscy
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No matter where we wish do go…
No matter where we wish do go, my lovley Alisa from China Global Highlights helps every type of travel. Not only find the trip that’s right for us, but also gets the best value every time. I appriciate so much your pofessional service. Looking forward our next trip to Tibet. more
Apr 2023,
Lina
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Lhasa Tibet Adventure
Coco helped us plan our ideal trip to recent trip Tibet. She was informative, patient, and helped us tailor the trip to our own needs. She made excellent suggestions and supported us with the permits, travel itinerary, and even flights. She is an incredible asset to the China Highlights Team! Our local guide Tenzin was also excellent and flexible with us each day. I was hit with some altitude sickness and Tenzin helped me get oxygen and medicine needed. He worked with us each day to help us eat local foods and recommended ideal times to visit sites to minimize wait times. We were able to see everything on our list and eat excellent food. Thank you Coco and Tenzin! more
Oct 2021,
Samantha Jane
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Spiritual connection brought me back to Potala
Potala Palace mesmerizes me with its charm since 1997 when I first laid eyes on a photograph hung onto a wall at a monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal. From then on, I dreamt of visiting this place before I leave this world. The only thing that held me back choosing from my other favorite travel destinations that I travelled to in the past, is the fear of high altitude sickness and breathing difficulty. Once I step foot onto it, I felt a spiritual connection to this place. I climbed up to the top at the peak without any issue and gazed at Lhasa city from the top. It was a rare and wonderful experience. more
Jul 2020,
paulinelyepohlinl
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Lhasa - what a special place
Lhasa welcomed us with sunshine, but Sonem with an even brighter smile. It was a great pleasure to have him as guide - an exceedingly kind person. With his profound knowledge and experience, he gave us deep insights in the daily life of a Tibetan. The highlight of our stay was, of course, the visit of the Potala Palace, but we also wouldn’t have missed the discussion of the monks or the Yoghurt Festival. Thank you, Sonem, for the perfect organization. more
Sep 2019,
S-T-Travelling
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Top of the World!
From our welcome at the airport with the traditional Tibetan scarves to our departure 3 days later, out time in Lhasa was nothing short of fabulous! Our guide, Tenzin was exceptionally energetic, knowledgeable and friendly. He made sure our time was spent experiencing the many wonderful sites as well as learning about the history and culture of this exciting place. Potala palace is magnificent inside and out. Be sure to return to the nightly fountain show... the icing on the cake! The monasteries were very interesting and the location of many is breathtaking. We enjoyed Barkhor Street, especially at night when the lights create a serene atmosphere, a great contrast to the hustle and bustle during daylight. Outside the city, the drive to Yomdrok Lake is beautiful and the lake itself amazing. Stopping along the way to see the prayer flags flying in the wind left no doubt that you are in a special place. Thank you to China Highlights and their local partners, in particular our fabulous guide Tenzin for organizing and executing a most wonderful trip! more
Aug 2019,
anaI39VU
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Great time with the Best Guide Norbu
I can’t say enough good things about China Highlights as they organized everything for us - the visa, guide and itinerary. When I asked for changes to make sure we saw the debates (none on sundays) they made the change. When my daughter was suffering from altitude sickness itinerary was adjusted to give her more time to recover. We had a fantastic guide - Norbu. His background was as interesting as Lhasa. While all of the guides we have had so far have had good English command, some are harder to understand than others making it hard work at times. Norbu’s English is embarrassingly good (as I have no capability in any other languages and am dependent on others learning English). He was very kind to my daughter while she was struggling. I highly recommend you ask for him as he will add to the enjoyment of your trip more
Jul 2019,
913WorldTraveler
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LHASA - TIBET WITH KELSANG FROM CHINA HIGHLIGHTS
KELSANG was our Guide Tour in LHASA - TIBET. His English was great and he was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Since he picked us up from the airport till we left LHASA, KELSANG had always a smile, showed us his heart and soul and accommodate all our needs. We had a great time with KELSANG! All places mentioned above are unique and very special! Our experience in Tibet was stunning and we will not forget it for the rest of our lives! We will highly recommend KELSANG as your local guide tour in TIBET and ask for ALISA when contacting China Highlights as she will organize your tours as no one else will! Believe me! more
Jun 2019,
Fabian D
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china highlights is well organized(Tibet and Beijing)
I could say so many wonderful things about China Highlights; they have great qualified, knowledgeable guides and drivers, they understand the flight in and out and work around it beautifully, the prices are good, and the correspondence is top notch. Bit tops I would say, is they are efficient and organized. It can be a little worrisome planning a trip to the other side of the world. My agent through the whole process was Coco and she couldn't have done better. She answered every question, before and during the trip. more
May 2019,
Tim S
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Itinerary Quick Look
Here is a suggested itinerary. We are happy to customize a tour according to your interests.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Start planning your tailor-made tour now. Your 1:1 travel consultant will reply within 1 working day.
