Apart from 2 full days to explore Lhasa, this tour will also take you to the Nagchu and spend two happy days on Nagchu Horse Racing Festival, which is the most exciting festival in northern Tibet. When the day comes, thousands of herdsmen dressed in traditional outfits will gather at the grassland outside Nagchu city on a vast grassland. After a grand opening ceremony, various activities will take place, such as horse races, yak-races, tug of war, stone lifting and performance of Tibetan operas.
Highlights of this tour:
- Ascend Potala Palace in pursuit of its featured architecture and beautiful murals, Buddhist Statutes and other collections;
- Be immersed in the joyful festival atmosphere of Nagchu Horse Racing Festival and enjoy wonderful activities;
- Make a personal pilgrimage around Jokhang Temple or Barkhor Street with the devoted pilgrims.
Tour Brief Information
- Tour price: from
- Tour code: TD-FT-06B
- Tour Type: Private Customizable Tour Package
- Destination: Lhasa / Nakchu / Lhasa
- Duration: 6
- Departure: Flexible
- Travel Theme:
- Best Time:
- Physical Level
- Tour Pace
- Max Altitude
4,500m
- Itinerary Details
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Your tour - at a glance
Day 1 Lhasa Arrival
Day 2 Lhasa City Tour
Day 3~4 Lhasa - Nagchu - Lhasa
Day 5~6 Lhasa City Tour and Departure
Itinerary Details - Day by Day
Day 1 Lhasa Arrival
Welcome to the roof of the world! You will be picked up by local tour guide at the airport hall or train station, and then be escorted to your hotel in Lhasa city in a private vehicle.
After arrival at your hotel, the rest of the day is free for you to explore the local areas and acclimatize yourself to the air, temperature and high altitude of Lhasa.
High Altitude Acclimation Tips: 1) go for some leisure walking to acclimate the high altitude but avoid strenuous activity after arrival; 2) you’d better not have bath, in case of catching a cold; 3) drink more water, and have some fruit; 4) have a good rest.
Day 2 Lhasa ( B )
Start today’s Lhasa exploration with an exciting visit to the landmark - Potala Palace which is regarded as one of the most beautiful architectural building in the world. You will climb up the palace along the zigzag stone paths with white-and-red walls to the top of the palace where you can not only appreciate the exotic Tibetan-style architecture, but also get a great view of Lhasa’s urban areas, then walk into the inner space of Potala Palace to explore the stately chapels and learn about the history of the palace.
Continuing your exploration, you will then get to Jokhang Temple which is considered as the spiritual heart of Tibetan Buddhism. Each day, there are thousands of pilgrims coming from different places in Tibet to the temple to worship to the Buddha. This temple is also known as the “house of Buddha” because it keeps the precious Jowo Rinpoche, the life-sized (5 foot/1.5m) image of the Shakyamuni at the age of 12. The last site for today’s exploration is the famous Barkhor Street. It is a circular and wide street encircling the Jokhang Temple. The local people like to walk on the street for several circles usually in the late afternoon as a daily tradition of pilgrimage. The street also has many shops selling a wide variety of traditional Tibetan goods, religious items and handcrafts.
Tips of Today: 1) there are 1,080 steps up to climb to the top of Potala Palace, so don’t walk in a rush, which may cause high altitude sickness; 2) taking photos is not allowed inside the palace; 3) today you will be mainly outside, please bring some water, a hat, sun cream, and sun glasses with you.
- Admire the amazing appearance of Potala Palace
- Golden Roof of Jokhang Temple
- Barkhor Street
Day 3 Lhasa - Nakchu ( B )
You will be driven to Nakchu (about 6 to 7 hours). Along the way, you will have a chance to visit the Yangpachen Hot Spring and see the breathtaking north Tibetan Landscape.
Tips: Be sure to prepare for a long drive by bringing snacks along. Remember, if you want to get out to stretch your legs or take pictures of the beautiful scenery, feel free! When visiting the Yangpachen Hot Spring
- Yangpachen presents much to explore
- There many indoor and outdoor spring in Yangpachen
Day 4 Nakchu ( B )
On this day you will experience the Nakchu Horse Racing Festival and you will enjoy many interesting games such as horse, yak racing, wrestling, stone lifting, and arrow shooting on horseback with local Tibetans until transferred back to Lhasa.
Tips: Be sure to bring water, suncream, and sun glasses as you will stay outside all day long. The festival is held in the summer, so it will be quite hot and sunny.
- The horse racing participant is picking up hada
Day 5 Lhasa ( B )
After breakfast, you are driven to visit the Norbulingka Park, the former summer palace of Dalai Lama. Explore the beautiful gardens and experience one of the most holy sites in Tibetan Buddhism while soaking up the rich history. Next, come to Drepung Monastery, which was once the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery housing 10,000 monks in its heyday. Learn about the lives of Tibetan monks.
Your tour ends at Sera Monastery, where you will get the chance to experience “Buddhism Scriptures Debating”. These debates are unique to Sera and are quite famous. Enjoy the debates!
Tips: Today, you will be driven to the outskirt of Lhasa City. The drive is not long, all within half hour. The road condition is good. A little walking or climbing is involved. Please pack plenty of water with you. Don't forget about your sun glasses and sun-cream.
- Building in Sera Monastery
- Norbulingka Park is a good summer resort in Lhasa
- Drepung Monastery Roof
Day 6 Lhasa Departure ( B )
Today is free for you until your tour guide transfer you to the airport in time for your flight or drop you off at Lhasa train station.
Tips of Today: 1) please pack your luggage carefully, especially for small things like camera charger, power adaptor, mobile phone, phone charger, wallet and towel; 2) If your flight is arranged in the afternoon, please make sure you check out the hotel before 12pm.
Useful Trip Notes
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- 1. Tibet Permits Guaranteed
To travel in Tibet, all Non-Chinese passport holders need to have a Tibet Travel Permit which is issued by Tibet Tourism Bureau in Lhasa. And only Chinese travel agencies like Tibet Discovery can apply for the permit on behalf of tourists. You must obtain it before your tour starting because the permit will be checked when you board your flight/train to Tibet. Traveling with Tibet Discovery, you don't have to worry about the complicated procedures of Tibet Travel Permit application. All you have to do is to confirm a tour package with us and send us your passport and Chinese visa copies at least 15~20 days in advance before your tour, then we will take care of all the rest things. Once the permit is issued, we will deliver to your address in China, such as your hotel, local travel agency, etc.
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- 2. Available Months to Visit Tibet
Generally speaking, April to October is the best time. July and August are the peak season and rainy season. It is usually snowy and cold in winter, which is not suitable for visit Mount Everest, Namtso and Mount Kailash regions. While other places such as Lhasa, Gyantse and Shigatse are suitable for travel all year around. The temperatures in daytime and night differs a lot, usually 5~15℃ in the daytime and -5~0℃ in the night, so please wear accordingly.
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- 3. High Altitude Sickness
The average altitude of Tibet is about 4000 meters above the sea level (Lhasa: 3700m; EBC: 5200m; Namtso: 4718m). You may suffer a bit from High Altitude Sickness in the beginning days of your Tibet trip if you haven’t had rich high plateau travel experience. But don’t worry too much, the high altitude can be acclimatized usually in 2~3 days. Our suggestion is to take a physical examination and get suggestions from your doctor, and also bring some medicines to prevent from High Altitude Sickness before your trip. While in Tibet, you should keep warm all the time, avoid strenuous activities, drink more water and eat more vegetables and carbohydrates. You’d better not take showers during the first two days after your arrival in Tibet. If you don’t feel well, get help from your tour guide or go to the hospital without any delay.
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- 4. How to Go to Tibet
Basically you have two options – flight and train. Currently, you can take a flight to Lhasa from Beijing(4.5hrs), Xian(3.7hrs), Chengdu(2.5hrs), Chongqing(3hrs), Kunming(3hrs), Kathmandu (1.5hrs), etc. Among all these cities, Chengdu and Xian have more frequent flights to Lhasa.
If you prefer a train travel, you can take a train to Tibet from Beijing(40.5hrs), Xian(32hrs), Chengdu(43hrs), Shanghai(47hrs), Chongqing(42hrs), Lanzhou(25hrs), Xining(22hrs), Guangzhou(54hrs). -
- 5. Packing and Wearing Ideas
Firstly you can’t forget your passport and Chinese Visa. A large backpack and a smaller one are recommended (the smaller one can be used for daily activities). Also bring necessary medicine you need. Other stuffs like sunglasses, snow glasses, hats, lip balm, sun block are recommended.
As for wearing, you are suggested to dress in layers (both thin and thick jackets). Down jacket is necessary in Spring and Autumn. A pair of durable and comfortable shoes is necessary.
Recommended Tibet Group Tour Packages
Escorted by a skilled driver and companied by a professional local tour guide to organize all the activities, all you have to do is to enjoy your fantastic Tibet journey.Following are some other recommended Tibet group tour packages that you may be interested in. You can also contact us to customize a trip if you want..
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Tsetang / Lhasa
6 Days Shannan Highlights Tour
Highlights: Potala Palace, Yumbulakang, Samye Monastery
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Lhasa / Shigatse / Gyantse
7 Days Tibetan New Year Festival Tour
Highlights: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Yamdrok Lake
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Lhasa / Namtso / Lhasa
6 Days Tibet Shoton Festival Tour
Highlights: Potala Palace, Barkhor Street, Buddha Exhibition, Tibetan Opera