4-Day Lhasa Highlights, with Shangri-La Hotel Upgrade

Hotel: Shangri-La Hotel Lhasa

Morning flights to Lhasa are reliable and likely to be on time. We suggest you take a morning flight as then you can rest more in the afternoon.

Your local private driver and guide will be ready and waiting for you at Lhasa's airport/train station. You will be transferred directly to the Shangri-La hotel in a comfortable, no-smoking car. Sit back and enjoy a trouble-free transfer, and your guide will assist you with hotel check-in.

Good to know:

• To preempt altitude sickness, we suggest you have a good rest and do not get too excited. We haven't arranged any activity for this first day of your trip, in order to give you time to acclimatize.
• Shangri-La's Restaurant: This is a good, comfortable and traditional Tibetan restaurant, serving Tibetan, Nepalese, and Chinese food. There are shows every evening, featuring Tibetan song and dance.

Meals: breakfast & lunch

Hotel: Shangri-La Hotel Hotel

Start your Lhasa tour at Norbulingka, which used to be the summer palace for Dalai Lamas. Nowadays it's a public park, where many local people come to camp and picnic in summer. Here you can appreciate the beautiful gardens and see some local people going about their daily lives.

Enjoy a visit to Drepung Monastery, the living quarters of the Dalai Lamas before the reconstruction of Potala. The huge Shoton Festival is held here at the beginning of August every year.

In the afternoon, visit Sera Monastery, comprising a great sutra-chanting hall, a college and 32 sections. Watch the monks' daily debate, held at 15:00 (except Sundays); a way for the monks to learn sutras and scriptures.

Meals: breakfast & lunch

Hotel: Shangri-La Hotel Hotel

After breakfast at the hotel, your guide and driver will be waiting at your hotel lobby. You will visit Jokhang Temple, the spiritual heart of Tibetan Buddhism. Watch religious pilgrims prostrating themselves near the front gate. Take part in clockwise circuit-walking round the temple, with prayer wheels. Stroll around Barkhor Street, then visit a small Thangka workshop, and view some local art works.

Explore Ani Tsankhung Nunnery — a quiet but active convent, where females study Buddhism. Have a chat with the nuns to find out more about their lives.

Have lunch at a local restaurant, which is famous for its Tibetan and Nepalese food.

In the afternoon, you will journey up to Tibet's most famous landmark — Potala Palace. Enter the palace and see exquisite murals, decorated statues, and antiques. The red and white palace buildings under the pure blue sky constitute the most iconic picture of Tibet

General rules for visiting temples in Tibet:

• Cameras are not allowed in the temples or in the debate field, but taking photos with a cell phone is ok.
• When visiting a temple, your shoulders should be covered, and you should not wear shorts. Walk clockwise when visiting Barkhor Street.

Good to know:

• We arrange the Potala Palace visit on the 3rd day because of the many steps to climb, to give you maximum time for acclimatization.
• There are 1,080 steps up to the entrance of the palace. Climbing these steps on the plateau is not easy, and typically takes about an hour. Your tour guide will adapt to your pace, and introduce local history on the way.

Meals: breakfast

As your Lhasa trip comes to end, your tour guide, driver and car will pick you up from your hotel and transfer you to the airport/train station for departure. Your guide will assist you with luggage and check-in , and see you off at the security check-point.