Once arrived in Gonggar  Airport the guide will wait for you after immigration. The guide will greet you in a traditional way offering you Khada. From the airport, you will go directly to your hotel in Tsedang. The drive from the airport to Tsedang takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. The guide will help you with the hotel check-in. For the remaining part of the day, we advise you to take a rest to acclimatize to the altitude at 3550 meters above sea level.

After breakfast, we will start today’s sightseeing with a visit to Yambulkahang. Yambulkahang is built on a ridge overlooking the Yarlung Tsampo Valley and is considered the oldest building in Tibet. According to legends, the initial foundation was built for Nyentri Tsenpo, who according to legends descended from the sky. During your way up you will be guided by colorful Tibetan prayer flags.

The second place we will visit today is Tandruk Monastery. This monastery is one of the oldest in Tibet and was founded around the same time as the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa which we will visit later during this trip. There is an interesting legend about this monastery stating that to build this monastery the reign Songtsen Gampo had to turn into a hawk and fight a dragon. You will find a famous Thangka of Chenresig in this monastery, the Thanka is made of 29,000 pearls. 

From Tandruk Monastery we will head to the Tombs of Tibetan Kings. The tombs are spread over an area of three million square kilometers. This results in amazing scenery. The tombs look like small hills, as the tombs are piled with earth and rocks. Walking up the biggest tomb will take you about 40 minutes! There are eleven tombs in total and the former Tibetan kings were buried there with their wives and officials.

In the morning we will visit Samye Monastery and then continue the drive to Gyantse, on our way there we stop at Yamdrok Lake.  

Samye Monastery is not only considered Tibet’s first monastery, but it is also the first university in Tibet. The construction of the monastery is based on the Tibetan Buddhist universe as described in the sutras. Throughout history, the monastery has been destroyed several times, nowadays only a couple of buildings still exist. 

The main temple of the complex is the Wuzi-hall. This hall consists of three stories constructed in three different styles. The first floor is built in Tibetan style, the second floor in Han style and the top in Indian style. One of the murals in this temple describes Tibetan history and many of its legends. Take your time to explore the monastery before we continue our trip to Gyantse.

Our final destination today will be Gyantse, but we will visit several places before we reach there in the late afternoon or early evening. Our first destination is Yamdrok Lake. On our way we will go over the Khambala pass at 4790 meters. 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).

From the lake, we will continue our journey to Gyantse, the third largest city in Tibet, driving over the Karola Pass at 5050 meters and Simila Pass at 5000 meters. Once we arrive at Gyantse, we can enjoy the far view of Gyantse Fortress. 

In the morning we will visit 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.

The last leg of today’s trip is a drive to Shigatse. This journey will take you about two hours further drive from Gyantse.

After lunch 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. Evening take a rest at the hotel. 

The morning is the busiest and most lively time to explore the Tashilimphu area and Shigaste's local market. Observe the economy, culture, and daily life of the locals as they go about their daily routines and perform the kora of Tashilimphu Monastery.

After local sightseeing in Shigatse, we drive approximately 127 km southwest to Sakya Town, a scenic 2.5 to 3-hour journey across the stunning Tibetan plateau. Sakya Town is the administrative center of Sakya County and home to the world-famous Sakya Monastery (Sakya Tsé), one of Tibet’s most historically and culturally significant monasteries.

Founded in 1073 AD, Sakya Monastery is the principal seat of the Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism. Its distinctive grey, red, and white striped walls represent wisdom, compassion, and power, while its fortress-like structure reflects its former political role during the Yuan Dynasty, when the Sakya lamas governed much of Tibet.

Inside, the monastery features:

• Main Assembly Hall (Du-khang): housing large statues of Buddha, Bodhisattvas, and Sakya masters.
• Lamdre Hall: dedicated to the unique Lamdre teachings of the Sakya tradition.
• Treasury: containing rare thangkas, ancient texts, and ritual objects.

Sakya Monastery is not only a spiritual center but also a living museum of Tibetan art, history, and culture, making it an essential stop for travelers exploring western Tibet.

Start your day by observing the vibrant daily life of the locals as they go about their routines and witness the sacred kora (ritual circumambulation) at Sakya Monastery. 
After a morning of cultural and spiritual exploration, drive back to Shigatse, the second-largest city in Tibet. Following lunch, continue your scenic journey back to Lhasa. This time we will take the northern route. This is the shortest road between Lhasa and Shigatse. The road offers a spectacular view of the Tibetan Plateau and drives along the famous river called “Yarlung Tsangpo”.

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 drive to the Drepung Monastery 8 km northwest of Lhasa. The Drepung Monastery is one of the “great three” Gelug monasteries of Tibet. This monastery was  founded by Jamyang Choje in 1416. The Drepung Monastery was the winter palace for hundreds of monks from all Gelug monasteries in Tibet. There is enough place for as many as 10.000 monks. Nowadays only a couple of hundred monks live in this monastery. 

In the afternoon we drive to the Sera Monastery. This is also one of the “ great three” Gelug monasteries of Tibet and was founded three years later than the Drepung Monastery. The monastery is well known for the debates that take place each afternoon in the garden of the monastery. Observe the way the monks clap their hands during the debate. Can you guess what the claps mean?

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.