Tibet Monastery Tour - 9 Days

Upon your arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, a representative from Himalayan Trekkers will meet you and escort you to the designated hotel in the Thamel area. After your check-in formalities, you can rest and freshen up before we sit for a short discussion session regarding your Tibet Monastery Tour. 

Your passports and other required documents will also be collected and submitted to the Chinese Embassy if your arrival is early, i.e., before the closing of the day’s office hour. However, if your arrival is late, those papers will be submitted the next day. Please keep in mind that it normally takes 3 working days to obtain the Chinese Group Visa. 

Then, in the evening, we will walk around the Thamel streets where you can get a glimpse of the lifestyle here. Thamel is the commercial neighborhood in the city that has been serving visitors for more than 40 years with its nightlife environment, cozy eateries, nice hotels, best trekking equipment shops, authentic handicrafts, and small monuments and temples on the corner. You can also experience the rickshaw ride here in Thamel. 

After breakfast, we will proceed for your full day of guided sightseeing of Kathmandu Valley where we will visit some of the most important sites that are also included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. 

Our first sightseeing site will be Boudhanath Stupa, the largest stupa in Kathmandu and one of Nepal's most impressive sights. Due to its significance to Buddhist pilgrims and the community, thousands of Buddhists visit this stupa each year, which is home to a 36-meter-tall Buddha statue. Boudhanath Stupa area is also referred to as Little Tibet as the surrounding is similar to Tibet and Boudhanath Stupa represents Tibetan Buddhism. 

After exploring Boudhanath, we will drive to a Hindu site called Pashupatinath Temple which is located at the bank of the holy Bagmati River. It is one of the four holiest temples in the world for Hindus and is one of the largest shrines to the Hindu deity Lord Shiva in Nepal. The significance of this sacred location dates back 2000 years. One of the main draws of the Pashupatinath temple is the holy men, who are covered in ashes and wear various types of makeup. You might get to witness the open-air cremation ceremony on the bank of the river. 

After lunch, we will drive to Lalitpur district which is one of three cities in the Kathmandu valley. Lalitpur is also known as Patan meaning the city of beauty or the city of fine arts. Since ancient times, Patan has been a Buddhist city where Hinduism also coexists. The Patan Durbar Square, the Patan Museum, the Taleju Temple, the Bhimsen Temple, the Golden Temple, the Temple of 1000 Buddhas, and the Sun Dhara, or golden tap, are just a few of Patan's well-known attractions.
We return to Kathmandu city after all the exploration and spend the remainder of the day as per your interest. 

As you will be heading to Tibet, where the average elevation is 4000 meters, we have added a day climb to 2280 meters high Champadevi Hill for acclimatization purposes. Along with acclimatization, you will get to enjoy a beautiful view of the valley, the surrounding landscape, and, Himalayan peaks like Mt. Ganesh, Mt. Langtang Lirung, Mt. Annapurna, Mt. Gaurishankar, and even Mt. Everest on a clear day. 

Note: If you are not interested in doing hikes, you can skip it and opt. for the activities in the city. We can organize it as per your interest. 

Our representative will receive your Chinese Group Visa as soon as the Chinese Embassy opens today and hand them over to you before we head to the airport for your flight to Tibet. The flight to Gonggar Airport is considered one of the most dangerous airports in the world as well as one of the most scenic as you will be rewarded with aerial views of the world’s top Himalayas on a clear day and the vast landscape of Tibet Autonomous Region which is also the “roof of the world”. 

Then, upon your arrival at the Gonggar Airport or the train station, one of our representatives from the Tibet side will welcome you and escort you to the designated hotel in Lhasa which is an hour’s drive from the airport. You can rest for the remainder of the day resting and acclimatizing to the higher altitude of Lhasa. 

In the late afternoon, if you feel like looking around, we can make a stroll around Barkhor Street and also probably pay our visits to Jokhang Temple. It will be an introductory visit where you can see the lifestyle here. We will explore these sites to the fullest the next day. 

We start your full-day Lhasa sightseeing after breakfast with the visit to Potala Palace which housed the winter Palace of the Dalai Lamas from 1649 to 1959. Built by the then-ruler of Tibet, King Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century, the palace complex is divided into red and white palaces. This architectural masterpiece is the symbol of the unity of the Tibetans. The white palace was the Dalai Lama’s winter residence and the Red Palace became the center, for religious ceremonies. The Potala Palace is known nowadays for allowing guests to browse its enormous collection of religious and cultural artifacts.

After lunch, we will drive towards the Jokhang Temple, the most revered temple for Tibetan Buddhists and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Jokhang temple is located in the center of Lhasa and is revered across the world as a spiritual center of Tibet. A life-size statue of 12-year-old Shakyamuni is among this temple/main monastery's draws. 

After spending some time at the temple, we will walk through Barkhor Street, a traditional old street in Lhasa. The street is bustling with the pilgrims making kora of the Jokhang Temple as this path circles the temple, tourists, many authentic shops, and restaurants. You can also make a kora while taking a look at the handicrafts the shops sell. 
We return to the hotel for the night. 

After breakfast, we begin our next full-day excursion at the once-largest monastery in the world, Drepung Monastery, which once housed over 10,000 monks. Prior to the construction of the Potala Palace, it served as the Dalai Lamas' residence. It was constructed in the fourteenth century and is currently one of Tibet's top monastic schools.

After lunch, we will drive back to the city and visit the Sera Monastery, which was built in the fifteenth century by a disciple of Tsongkhapa and is undoubtedly the most stunning monastery in the area. One of the main attractions of the monastery is when the monks argue, which is an essential part of comprehending and learning Buddhism. These arguments take place in the monastery's backyard.

If time allows, we will visit Norbulingka, one of Lhasa's three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which once served as the Dalai Lamas' summer residence. The palace has the largest horticulture garden in Tibet and 374 apartments.

After breakfast, we leave Lhasa and drive towards Tsedang, the third largest city of Tibet which is the capital of the Shannan Prefecture. Once in Tsedang after nearly two and half hours of picturesque ride, we will visit the Yumbulhakhang Palace, the first imperial residence on the rocky hill for a first Tibetan king. The famous, three-story, 11 m high watchtower is the primary feature of this first palace, which was constructed for King Nyentri Tsenpo in the second century. On the first floor, you can see the original murals showing visions of Tsongkhapa. The second floor features a scene from Nyatri Tsenpo. There are also murals showing Shakyamuni with his 16 disciples, 21 Taras, Padma Sambhava and his eight incarnations, and defenders. In addition, the view of the Yarlung Valley from Yumbulhakhang's summit is superb. 

Then, we visit another Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo's Trandruk Monastery. It is one of the first Buddhist monasteries and now has a 1,300-year history. The monastery belongs to the Tibetan Buddhist Gelugpa School where the figure of Tara, also known as Drolma Sheshema, and five Dhyani Buddhas are the major highlights. The monastery also houses the most valuable pearl Thangka brought by Princess Wencheng. We will enjoy the colorful Thangkas, statues, and beautiful murals that evoke the glory of Songtsen Gampo's rule.
After exploring these masterpieces, we will return to our hotel for the night. 

Note: We have to make a steep walk to Yumbulhakhang Palace. However, you can opt. for a horse ride for an additional price.

After breakfast, we will proceed for a day tour to Samye Monastery which is the oldest Buddhist monastery in Tibet built in the eighth century. We'll come to a tiny red and white chapel that was supposedly constructed beneath a white sandalwood tree. The monastic complex is quite beautiful and is a feast for the eyes and the spirit. It portrays the universe with the Sun and Moon Temples, four continents and subcontinents, and the main temple, Utse, which stands in for Mount Meru. Monks put their knowledge to use on a gorgeous park and a debate courtyard. The roof of this three-story monastery offers an excellent perspective of the monastery. If time permits, we can make a kora to the top of Hepori Hill and take in the breathtaking view of Samye Monastery. After exploring the Samye Monastery to the fullest, we will further proceed on the journey toward Lhasa. 

With the end of your Tibet Monastery Tour, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to your onward destination after breakfast. Only Nepal and Mainland China have direct flights to Lhasa, so you can either fly from Lhasa to Chengdu, Guangzhou, or Beijing or you can fly back to Kathmandu before catching a connecting flight to your home country.