Duration : 5 Days
Places to Visit: Lhasa
Activities:
Transport: Private Vehicle
Tibet Fly in Fly out trip is ideal for those wanting to see the highlights of Tibet and Lhasa. You fly or drive across the Himalaya to Lhasa, where you have plenty of time to visit the main sights in and around the town including the Potala Palace, the Norbulingka (the Dalai Lama’s summer palace) and the Jorkhang Temple which contains Jowo Shakyamuni, the most holy statue to all Tibetan Buddhists.
Tibet Tour is an adventurous tour to one of the magical places on earth- Tibet. You will start off with a trans Himalayan flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet with spectacular views of amazing Tibetan landscape and Himalayan ranges including Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Makalu and Kanchanjunga. Then enjoy two full days of sightseeing in Lhasa by visiting an impressive list of landmarks from Potala Palace, Yumbu Lokhang, Sera Monastery and Norbulingka to Drepung Monastery, Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street. The tour allows you to observe and learn about Tibetan culture and history up close and personal, interacting with locals, visiting monasteries and spending time in local markets. This short tour also includes one day sightseeing of Kathmandu Valley in Nepal.
You also visit the major monasteries in the Lhasa Valley including Samye, Drepung and Sera. You then drive along the Friendship Highway to Nepal, one of the most spectacular road journeys in the world. You visit the towns and monasteries in both Gyantse and Shigatse and then have a spectacular drive across the Tibetan Plateau with great views of Everest from the north side and Shishmapangma, the only 8,000m mountain situated totally in Tibet.
Early morning you are transferred to the airport to board the plane for the flight over the Himalaya to Lhasa. If the weather is clear there are wonderful views of Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Makalu, Kanchenjunga and other peaks en route. On arrival at Gonggar airport (which is 90 km. from Lhasa), you meet your vehicle and drive east along the broad Yarlung Tsangpo valley to Tsedang (3400m.).
After checking in to your hotel, you drive south to see the reputed oldest building in Tibet, the Yumbu Lakhang, a beautiful castle-like dwelling and monastery, dramatically perched on a spur looking out over the fertile valley below. If time permits you may be able to visit a small monastery close to Tsedang, or an interesting carpet factory where you can see the whole process of carpet making.
Stay overnight at hotel.
One of the highlights is the visit to the symbol of Tibet; the Potala Palace set high on Red Hill, the winter home of the Dalai Lama until 1959. The most sacred temple in Lhasa is the Lokhang, where people come from all over Tibet to visit and pray in this spiritual heart of the country. It was used as a military kitchen during the Cultural Revolution but has now been beautifully restored, with many priceless thangkas and statues adorning the chapels, and magnificent gilded roofs.
Another great treasure is the Norbulingka – the old summer palace of the Dalai Lama, which his is alleged to have preferred to the Potala as the rat population was less!
Now you visit Jorkhang temple, the center of the Tibetan Buddhism and the sacred land of Buddhist followers where innumerable pilgrims come for worship every day. The temple, built in 647, is the earliest wood-and-masonry structure still existing in Tibet. Surrounding the Jorkhang Temple is the bustling Barkhor Street which is the religious and social focus of Lhasa. Around the Barkhor there are numerous stalls selling all sorts of handicrafts: brightly coloured boots and fur-lined hats, silver and turquoise jewellery, rosaries, prayer flags and charms, as well as beautiful Tibetan carpets and all manner of ordinary household ware.
Next you visit Sera monastery, which was created in 1419, has always been an important Buddhist seminary. As rose are planted everywhere in the monastery, it is also called “the court of wild rose”. Today still 200 lamas live in there. On the other hand, Drepung monastery, is the world’s largest monastery with about 10,000 monks.
Stay overnight at hotel.
The flight from Lhasa to Kathmandu takes one hour and during your flight, you can see Yarlung Tsangpo River, Yamdrok Tso (Lake), Mount Kanchanjungha (8,586m.), Mount Makalu (8,463m.) and Mount Everest (8,848m.). But the visibility depends on the weather condition. Your Tibet Tour ends on your arrival at Kathmandu Airport.