Outline: 

Tour Length: 8 Days & 7 Nights

Best Time for Tibet trekking: Mid-May to Mid-October

Physical Demands:  Moderate to Strenuous - suitable for ones physically fit; Do not recommend family with kids and senior groups

Main activities: Sightseeing 

Trip Overview

The route connects two of Tibet’s greatest monasteries: the Ganden monastery and the Samye Monastery, it is known as one of the most popular routes of trekking in Tibet. Through it is famous and has a lot to experience, tourists should not underestimate the difficulty of doing this trek as this trek is at high-elevation wildernesses, it would be better for those with high elevation trek experience. The best time for this trek is from Mid-May to Mid-October, summer can be wet but the mountains are at their greenest and you can see wildflowers. 

At a Glance

Day 1  Arrival-Lhasa(3650m)

Day 2  Lhasa Sightseeing - Potala Palace and Johkang Temple 

Day 3  Lhasa sightseeing-Sera Monastery and Drepung Monastery

Day 5  Trek to Tsotup Chu Valley (4 to 5hours). 

Day 6  Trek to Herder's Camp (5 hours) 

Day 7  Trek to Samye (6 hours):Changtang village,Yamalung Hermitage

Day 8  Explore the Yarlung Valley and Samye Monastery, back to Lhasa

Day 9  Drive to Airport, leave Lhasa to your next destination.

Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Lhasa.  

After arriving in Lhasa, tourist can take a rest and get acclimatized to high altitude or feel free to go to Potala Square, enjoy the fountain with different colors and get amazing photos of the Potala and around.  

Day 2: Lhasa City, Potala Place and Barkhor Street (B, D)

The tour will begin from UNESCO World Heritage site - Potala Palace, which is also the winter palace of Dalai Lama. It's situated at 12,139 feet above sea level. It's a 13-story high building that contains over 1,000 rooms, various statues, stupas, murals and artifacts.

Then continue to Jokhang Temple, another UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s a spiritual center for Buddhists in Tibet. Next to the temple there is Bakhor Street, filled with pilgrims and street vendors, selling traditional Tibetan items such as prayer wheels and jewelry.

Buddists prostrated themselves at the gate of Johkang Temple

Day 3: Monasteries in Lhasa (Drepung and Sera) (B)

In the morning, tourists are going to visit Drepung monastery which was one of the “three greet” Gelug monasteries of Tibet and was founded in 1416. Ganden palace is used as Dalai Lama’s palace in the Drepung before moving to the Potala palace.

Afternoon, Sera Monastery---It was one of the “three great” Gelug monasteries of Tibet and was founded in 1419. The highlight is the Monks debate at around 3 - 5 in the afternoon. Drive to Ganden Monastery in late afternoon to prepare the trek (1.5 hours). 

Day 4: Trek to Tsotup Chu Valley (4 to 5hours)

In the morning, leave the valley floor through a steep gully rising form the stream bank. Then, climb the Shug La and begin our climb down through treacherous boulder fields. Later, cross Tsotup Chu, a large stream winding through the valley floor. A comfortable camp will be set up in one of the herder fields.

Day 5: Trek to Herder's Camp (5 hours) 

Follow the Tsotup Chu down through its tributary and head towards the Chitu La pass. After ascending this rocky pass, tourists will quickly descend down and find a beautiful place to camp in one of the fields surrounding the stream.

Day 6: Trek to Samye (6 hours):Changtang village,Yamalung Hermitage 

The trail gets wider and easier as tourists follow through scrub forests in the main valley. Beautiful streams and lush forests surround. However, the desert is close by. The next few hours are arguably the most beautiful part of trek. More than 15 types of scrub trees, blooming rhododendrons, and vast meadow will amaze every step of the way! After passing through this wondrous landscape, tourists will trek through the Changtang village. Less than an hour away, participants can choose to make the one-hour hike to the Yamalung Hermitage. Yamalung is an ancient and holy Buddhist meditation site. Later join the Samye valley along the babbling tributary stream. The night will be spent at another comfortable campsite, not far from Samye.

Day 7: Explore the Yarlung Valley and Samye Monastery, back to Lhasa

The Samye Monastery is the first temple built in Tibet and the first contains the three Buddhist jewels of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. With these unique features, this splendid temple has become an attraction for visitors from near and far. After visiting Samye, tourists will finish the trek and go back to Lhasa.

 
Samye Monastery

Day 8: Drive to Airport

Transfer clients to Lhasa airport.