Yamdrok Tso Turquoise Lake Trek - 11 Days

Our guide will assist you to check in Tibet with your permit at Lhasa airport. After completion of immigration formalities, you will be dropped to your hotel. The distance between airport to Lhasa city where you hotel is located is 65km, 1 hrs drive is required.

Full day guided tour in Lhasa. In the morning visit Potala, which was originally constructed in 637 by Songtsen Gampo, the first king of the united Tibet, and later expanded and served as the winter residence of the Dalai Lamas as well as the religious-political nexus of traditional Tibet? In the afternoon visit Jokhang monastery, the center of the Tibetan Buddhism and the sacred land of Buddhist followers where thousands of pilgrims come for worship every day. The temple, built in 647, is the earliest wood-and-masonry structure still existing in Tibet. Walk on the Barkhor street surrounding Jokhang, a big free market with its prolific stalls for selling local specialties.

It is another full day sightseeing in Lhasa, In the morning visit Drepung monastery the sacred land of Gelug Sect., which was established in 1416 and the second, third and fourth Dalai Lama once resided in. Afterwards visit Norbulinka, the summer residence of the Dalai Lamas. In the afternoon visit Sera monastery, which was created in 1419 and 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. The "Buddhism Scriptures Debate" in Sera is very famous.

From this day, we begin the tour to Yamdrok Lake. After breakfast, we drive from Lhasa to Zhanang County for about one and a half hour. Along the way, you can see Yarlung Tsangpo River. Zhanang County is famous for Zhatang Temple with exquisite frescos in it. The temple has a history of more than one thousand years. It was built by Dasrkpa Ngonshe, who was one of the 12 saints in Zhanang County, in the 11^th century. The temple is lesser known but the frescos have a high esthetic value of arts and attracts visitors to come. After visiting the temple, we will continue our drive to Chedishol. However, the road condition will be a bit challenging after Chedishol and we will drive on a dusty road for about 25 km. Finally we will reach Langthang Dewachen, the starting point for the next day’s trekking.

Today will finish the Yamdrok Lake trekking and start our new driving toward Gyantse, a newly tourism city with old town and Pelkor Chode Monastery, Kumbum Stupa and Dzong fortress. Along the way, you will visit Taglung Monastery in Taglung Town and Ralung Monastery in the south of Karola Glacier. Taglung Town is a marketing town between Gyantse and Lhoka City. At summer, it holds trade fairs attended by Tibetan local merchants and Bhutanese merchants. Taglung Monastery is the branch monastery of Dorje Drak, the famous Nyingmapa monastery in Tibet. There is a huge Guru Rinpoche’s statue standing in the main hall and decorated with many beautiful wall paintings from 15^th century. Ralung Monastery is the seat for Drukpa Kagyu. It was first built by Tsangpa Gyare (the first Gyalwang Drukpa, who is the disciple of the founder of Drukpa Kagyu) in the 12^th century. After visiting the monasteries, we continue the drive to Gyantse and will see Karola Glacier (5,020 meters) and NojingKangsang glacier along the way.

Gyantse has so many things to explore. This day we will visit Pelkhor Monastery, which is built from 1427 to 1437. Pelkhor Monastery consists stupas, zhacangs, and temples. The most famous stupa is Kumbum stupa which has 5 storeys in the base and a total 9 tiers at the height of 40 meters with 180 gates and 76 chapels. It is also called “Ten Thousand Buddha Pagoda” for it has numerous Buddha statues, sculptures and frescos. Pelkhor Monastery is the only religious art museum in China combining architectures, paintings and sculptures and shared by three Tibetan Buddhist Sect Kadampa, Gelugpa and Sakyapa. After visiting Pelkhor Monastery, you can walk around Gyantse Old Town and we will drive to Shigatse then for about 1.5 hours.

Shigatse is the second largest city in Tibet and we will visit the famous Tashilhunpo Monastery located on the slope of Nyima Mountain, very close to the city. The monastery is founded by the 1^st Dalai Lama, the eighth disciple of Tsong Khapa (the founder of Gelugpa Sect in Tibetan Buddhism). Since 1600, the monastery has become the seat of successive Panchen Lamas because the 4^th Panchen became the 16^th seat of the monastery. Tashilhunpo Monastery has the world’s largest statue of Future Buddha, Maitreya. From the 14^th to 16^th day in the fifth month of Tibetan Calendar, the monastery will hold Buhhda Unfolding Festival and display Amitayus, Sakyamuni and Maitreya Buddha representing the past, present and future Buddha day by day on the display platform, which is the only Buddha display platform in all Gelugpa monasteries. When finishing the visit, we will drive back to Lhasa for about 5-6 hours.

Today you will have scenic drive over newly built Tibetan highway from the northern part toward Lhasa.

Free until airport or train reporting time. After that drop off to airport or train station for final departure.