We have an early start today. We will leave Kathmandu around 4.30. We have a long and bumpy ride to the Tibetan border drive across a narrow, Zigzag, and windy road. You will have time to enjoy the Nepali scenery of villages on the way. We will drive through Langtang National Park. Rasuwa is the last place in Nepal. After completing the immigration formalities, we will cross the border and continue with the formalities on the Tibetan side. Welcome to Tibet! From here, it is a one-and-a-half-hour drive to Kyirong town, where we will spend our first night in Tibet.

Morning, we visit the Pakba Monastery. Pakba Monastery is the only four-tiered Nepali-style pagoda temple in Tibet. The temple was built more than one thousand years ago. The main relic in the monastery is the self-rise sandal statue of Lokeshvara. Presently it resides in the Dharamsala and the main statue here is a copy of the main statue of Lokeshvara.

Today, we will drive up to the Tibetan Plateau. The first high pass is the Ghungtang Lhamo pass (5236 meters). We will pass magnificent valleys and several Tibetan villages on our way. We will have enchanting views of Mount Shishapangma and Piku Tso Lake. On our way up you will feel the change in climate. Enjoy the Tibetan scenery. From Gutso village, we will have the first views of Mount Everest. From Tingri, we will have views of Mount Everest and Mount Cho Oyu. After a further drive for around one hour, we reach Shegar, where we will spend the night.

After breakfast, we will drive to Shigatse, where we visit Tashilimphu Monastery and the local market. Today, we will also cross the highest pass of our trip, the Gyatso La Pass at 5248 meters.

Upon arrival in Shigatse, we will start with a visit to Tashilimphu Monastery. This monastery was built in 1447 at the time of the 1st Dalia Lama Gendun Drupa, a disciple of Tsongkapa. Hence the monastery is also one of the biggest functioning monasteries of Gelugpa. 

The name of the monastery means ‘heap of glory’. The monastery was attacked by Nepalese Gurkha in 1791, but they were driven out again by the Chinese. The monastery has white walls and golden roofs. You will find the biggest statue of sitting Maitreya Buddha in one of the chapels of this monastery. 

After visiting the monastery, we will see the local markets for shopping and local sightseeing. You will have time to experience daily Tibetan life in the local market. Smell the different fragrances and observe the colors of the local products. Mingle with locals and get a feel of Tibetan life.

We will continue our journey to Gyantse, the third largest city in Tibet, where we will visit Khumbum Stupa and Pelkhor Chorten. After lunch we will drive to Lhasa. On our way we will make a stop at Yamdrok Lake.

Khumbum Stupa and Pelkhor Chorten. Khumbum Stupa is the only Nepalese-style Stupa built in Tibet. The name means ‘hundred thousand images of Buddha, and that name reflects the decorations of the Stupa. The giant octagonal Stupa is one of the outstanding architectural achievements built and decorated by a Gyantse Prince. Rising 35 meters high, the Stupa is said to have 108 Cells in the 9 levels/floor surmounted by a golden dome and contains 77 chapels that line its walls.

Pelkhor Chorten is located next to the Stupa and was built in 1418. The monastery is a mix of Han, Tibetan, and Nepalese architecture. This monastery consists of 15 different chapels and halls and houses three different orders of Tibetan Buddhism. The main temple of the monastery is the Tsulaklakang. This temple has three floors, and you will find murals and images from the 15th century.

Our next destination is Yamdrok Lake. Yamdrok Lake is a sacred lake and is one of the three biggest holy lakes in Tibet. The views are stunning. The turquoise lake is 72 km long and surrounded by snow-capped mountains. In the distance, you can see the holy Mount Nyenchen Khangsar (7191m).

The last leg of today’s trip is a drive to Lhasa. This journey will take you about three hours further drive from here. On our way we will go over the Khambala pass at 4790 meters.

Today we have a busy day ahead. After our breakfast we start with a visit to the Potala Palace. This is the  winter home of the Dalai Lamas and a famous landmark in the world. Potala Palace is build on the mountain Marpori (the red mountain). You have probably seen the Potala Palace on photos, but today you will experience that the palace is in real life even more impressive. We start our visit with a walk up the stairs and through the gardens. Once we enter the palace we will find our way through the labyrinth of small corridors and tiny staircases.  Not all parts of the Potala Palace are open for tourists, but you will get the opportunity to visit some if its chapels including the audience hall and the golden burial Chorten (Tomb) of Past Dalai Lamas. You will see a  tremendous number of murals, painted scrolls, sculptures, carpets, canopies, porcelain and more on your way through the palace. We will use the whole morning to visit the palace. 

After lunch it is time to visit the Jokhang Temple. This temple is an important sacred site and is seen as the spiritual heart of Tibetan Buddhism.  King Songtsen Gampo built this temple in 652 for his two brides; Princess Wencheng of the Chinese Tang Dynasty and Princes Bhrikuti of Nepal. Based on stories we believe that both brought important Buddhist images and statues from their home countries as part of their dowries. The rest of the afternoon you will have time to explore the surroundings of Barkhor. Bhakor is a busy market area, but also the area where pilgrims walk the clockwise circuit around the temple. Explore Lhasa a bit more by walking around the narrow alleys. 

Today we have a busy day ahead. After our breakfast we start with a visit to the Potala Palace. This is the  winter home of the Dalai Lamas and a famous landmark in the world. Potala Palace is build on the mountain Marpori (the red mountain). You have probably seen the Potala Palace on photos, but today you will experience that the palace is in real life even more impressive. We start our visit with a walk up the stairs and through the gardens. Once we enter the palace we will find our way through the labyrinth of small corridors and tiny staircases.  Not all parts of the Potala Palace are open for tourists, but you will get the opportunity to visit some if its chapels including the audience hall and the golden burial Chorten (Tomb) of Past Dalai Lamas. You will see a  tremendous number of murals, painted scrolls, sculptures, carpets, canopies, porcelain and more on your way through the palace. We will use the whole morning to visit the palace. 

After lunch it is time to visit the Jokhang Temple. This temple is an important sacred site and is seen as the spiritual heart of Tibetan Buddhism.  King Songtsen Gampo built this temple in 652 for his two brides; Princess Wencheng of the Chinese Tang Dynasty and Princes Bhrikuti of Nepal. Based on stories we believe that both brought important Buddhist images and statues from their home countries as part of their dowries. The rest of the afternoon you will have time to explore the surroundings of Barkhor. Bhakor is a busy market area, but also the area where pilgrims walk the clockwise circuit around the temple. Explore Lhasa a bit more by walking around the narrow alleys. 

Today is already the last day of your trip. We will drive to Gonggar Airport where you can catch your flight back to Kathmandu or to onward destination.