The Classic Tibet tour begins in iconic Lhasa city, located in the center of the Tibetan Plateau in a valley of the Kyi River, a tributary of the Yarlang Zangbo (Brahmaputra). Lhasa is the center of Tibetan commercial and spiritual life, luring merchants and pilgrims from all over Asia to participate in trade or religious festivals. The most important cultural sites in Lhasa are the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, the Barkhor market, and the monasteries of Sera and Drepung.
The13-story Potala Palace is located in the center of the city on Red Hill, 300 meters above the Lhasa Valley. It was built by the 5th Dalai Lama in the 17th century, and is named for Mt. Potalaka, the heavenly home of Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion. It served as the traditional home of the Dalai Lama and the seat of Tibetan government.
Jokhang Temple, considered the most sacred temple in Tibetan Buddhism, was constructed by Songtsan Gampo in the 7th century. The temple houses the most important holy relics in Tibet, and hosts an endless stream of scholars, pilgrims, and tourists. The area around the temple has been a thriving trade market since the end of the 17th century, called Barkhor street. A series of streets and a square around the Temple form the Barkhor circuit, a circumambulation route for pilgrims.
Sera and Drepung monasteries, located on the outskirts of Lhasa, are two of the three most important religious and scholastic institutions of the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Drepung was once the world’s largest monastery, and housed more than 10,000 monks. The Sera monastery, located just north of Lhasa, was built in the 15th century. It is renowned in the Buddhist world for the lively philosophical debates that still occur on a daily basis.
From Lhasa travelers on the Classic Tibet journey will travel to Gyaltse, a town famous for horse-racing and a beautiful hilltop stupa. On the way to the town travelers will stop at Yamdrok Lake, one of the four most sacred lakes of Tibet. Tibetans believe that the lake holds protective spirits; therefore many people make spiritual pilgrimages to the lake. The pristine natural environment and deep turquoise color of the water also makes the lake a popular trekking destination.
The final stop on the Classic Tibet tour is the city of Shigatse, the second largest in Tibet. It’s located about 260 kilometers southwest of Lhasa at the confluence of the Brahmaputra and Nyang Rivers. The heart of Shigatse is the Tashilhunpo Monastery, established in 1447 by the first Dalai Lama. The monastery is the traditional home of the Panchen Lama, considered to be the most important spiritual leader in Tibet after the Dalai Lama himself. |
Sample Itinerary
Day 1: Chendu to Lhasa: Our local guide will pick you up at Lhasa airport and transfer you to a Lhasa Hotel within half an hour.
Day 2: Potala palace, Jokhang temple Bakhor and Norbulingka Park: Your first day tour will start from Lhasa by visiting Potala palace, the magnificent palace of successive Dalai Lamas, Jokhang temple, the historical spiritual center of Tibet and Barkhor street, the oldest street of the traditional city.
Day 3: Drepung and Sera Monastery: Drepung is located on the hillside about 8KM away from Lhasa. Built in 15th Century it used to be one of the biggest monasteries in Tibet with about 10,000 monks. From the top of hillside you can enjoy the beautiful views of Lhasa city and surrounding mountains. Once we finished visiting Drepung monastery our guide will lead you Sera monastery, which is about 5KM from Lhasa. As a center of Buddhist studies, scriptures Debating in Sera monastery is so famous.
Day 4: Gyaltse: Gyaltse is famous for it’s beautiful stupa and horse racing. Today we will drive about 300 KM to Gyaltse. You can enjoy the crystal Yamdog Yutso l ake which is one of the four holy lakes of Tibet. You will arrive in Gyaltse in the afternoon and you will enjoy lunch there. After lunch you will go for tour of Gyaltse Palkhor stupa which was built in the 15th century.
Day 5: Gyaltse to Shigatse: You will drive from Gyaltse to Shigatse about 90KM, the second largest city of Tibet. You will visit Tashilhumpo monastery, the seat of successive Panchen Lhama, in the afternoon. You will find the tallest bronze Buddha statue in the world in the monastery.
Day 6: Shigatse to Lhasa: Today we are going back to Lhasa via Yangpachen, which is 87KM away from Lhasa. In Yangpachen you can enjoy hot spring and the beautiful grassland.
Day 7: Lhasa to Chengdu: It is time for you to leave for Chengdu and our guide will drive you to the airport for safe journey to Chengdu.
Customize Trip: Above is a sample itinerary. We will be happy to customize any of the trips we offer, based on your interests and needs. Whether you are interested in a particular area of Tibet such as Mount Kailash; Everest Base Camp and Kham; particular experiences such as trekking, festivals, horseracing or service learning, or simply would like to have a privately guided trip, please contact us.
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For more information about trip specifics and cost, send us an email with your travel interests, number of people in your party, length of your trip, time of year you plan to travel, and main interests (homestay, trekking, horse trekking, etc.). We will then develop a more specific itinerary with an estimated budget.
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