Our clients at the Norbulingka Park, Lhasa

Day 01Arrival in Lhasa

Our guide will meet you outside the baggage claim area at Lhasa Airport where the altitude is 3,650 meters above sea level. Dinner will be at your hotel.(D)

Tips: Tibet is a strict religious region. To protect the precious historical heritages there, there are some taboos and special regulations needed to know while visiting. For example, the Tibet Travel Permit is essential to enter Tibet; there is only one hour limited to visit the Potala Palace; you also need to accept the security check before enter the palace; taking photos is not allowed in the Potala Palace, while in some other temples, it can be done, but with paying much money; In Tibet, it is considered to be rude to drive or yell at the dogs in the streets or in the temples. Any attempt to embrace or touch the head of the monk is also thought to be disrespectful.

Day 02Lhasa

Visit the Tibet Museum and the Carpet Factory. After having a western-style lunch, go head to visit the Sera Monastery and the Norbulingka Park.An a la carte dinner will be arranged for you at a local restaurant featuring excellect Sichuan cuisine.(B+L+D)

Descriptions:
Tibet Museum - The Tibet Museum is an integrated cultural relics department combining exhibition, collection, protection and research. It is an important window to introduce the glorious culture of Tibetan people and the achievements Tibet has made since it implemented the reform and opening up policy.
 
Sera Monastery - The Sera Monastery, a notable monastery in Lhasa, was built along the mountain contours. It is like a religious city, famous for the stone inscriptions and the debates on Buddhist doctrines. The stone inscriptions are distributed over the cliffs behind the monastery. The Buddhist sculpture is the main subject. The activities of debating on Buddhist doctrines are held every afternoon. It is a way for Tibetan Buddhists to learn Buddhist doctrines. The hot atmosphere is infectious, attracting many visitors to come and watch.
 
Norbulingka Park - Situated in the western suburb of Lhasa, the Norbulingka Park is one of the national cultural relic protection units of China. Being the biggest and the most beautiful artificial garden in Tibet, the park was built in the 1740s during the ruling of the Seventh Dalai Lama. It occupies an area of about 89 acres, through over 200 years' extension. Mainly, it consists of three parts, the section of palaces, the section in front of the palaces and the woods.

Day 03Lhasa

Visit the magnificent Potala Palace. Then enjoy a western-style lunch, afterwards we will visit the Jokhang Temple, the thriving bazaar on Barkhor Street and the Tibetan Traditional Medicine Hospital.  Dinner will be at your hotel.(B+L+D)

Descriptions:
Potala Palace - It is said that the Potala Palace was built in the seventh century. At that time, the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo built a nine-story palace on Mount. Hongshan and named it “Potala Palace”, in order to marry the Princess Wencheng from Tang Dynasty. Later, most part of the palace was destroyed in war fire after the collapse of Tubo Dynasty built by Songtsen Gampo. In seventeenth century, the Fifth Dalai Lama began to rebuild Potala Palace when he was formally crowned the leader of religion and politics in Tibet by Qing Government. In the following years, every Dalai Lama successively enlarged it till made it to today's size.
 
Jokhang Temple - It is said that the Jokhang Temple was built after the Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty and the Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal married with King of Tibet, Songtsem Gampo. Currently, the temple houses a statue of Sakyamuni, which was brought to Tibet by the Princess Bhrikuti.
 
Barkhor Street - If you like to go shopping, you would be dazzled at the hundreds of handicraft stores and stalls along the Barkhor Street in Lhasa. Most of them sell the prayer wheels, Tibetan traditional clothes, Tibetan knives, Thangka and some other Tibetan specialties and religious articles.

Yambu Lakang, Tibet

Day 04Lhasa - Tsetang

Transfer to Tsetang. En route, take the ferry across Yarlung Tsangpo River to visit the Samye Monastery, the Yumbu Lakang and the Trandruk Monastery. Dinner will be at your hotel.(B+L+D)

Descriptions: Yumbu Lakang - in Tibetan, Yumbu means female deer, Lakang means holy palace, so Yumbu Lakang means the palace on the back legs of the doe in Tibetan. It is regarded as the first palace established in Tibet. Sitting on the crest of a hill, the palace has three sections: the chapels, the monks' quarters and the tower.

Day 05Tsetang - Gyangtse

Transfer to Gyangtse and visit the Yamdrok Yumtso Lake and Karola Glacier on the way. Upon arrival in Gyangtse, check in at your hotel and visit the Palkhor Monastery and Gyangtse Old Street. Return to your hotel for dinner.(B+L+D)

Tips: It is an interesting phenomenon in Tibet that the cattle dung can be seen stored in piles in the yard or adhibiting on the wall in each house. Tibetan people are so clever and find that the cattle dung is a kind of clean and economical fuel, because the cattle only eat grass so that they are far from being polluted. The amount of cattle dung stocked is regarded as the token of wealth of each family. Namely, the more dung you pile, the more cattle you have, then the richer you are. You will have a deep sight when you take the family visit in Lhasa or roam around the Gyangtse old street.

Descriptions:
Palkhor Monastery - As a notable Tibetan monastery, it is different from others in structural style. It is the one that blends three sects of Tibetan Buddhism: the Sakyapa Sect, the Kadampa Sect and the Gelugpa Sect. It is reputed as the best of the stupas in Tibet on the grounds that it is in the complete preservation since its establishment.

Continue

B-- Breakfast     L-- Lunch     D-- Dinner