8-Day Lhasa and Beyond

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Today, you'll visit the Potala Palace, the winter home of Dalai Lamas and a most famous landmark in the world. Although the palace cannot be freely explored, you will experience some of its chapels including the audience hall, the golden burial Chorten of Past Dalai Lamas. After lunch, you'll visit Jokhang Temple, an important sacred site in Tibet. Then, you'll explore the Barkhor surroundings and watch the pilgrims praying.

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Today, with your driver, you'll head eight kilometres northwest of Lhasa to visit the Drepung Monastery which is one of the great three Geluk Monasteries of Tibet. In the afternoon, you'll continue five kilometres from Lhasa to Sera Monastery founded in 1419, which is another one of the great three Geluk monasteries of Tibet. The monastery is well known for the monk's debate at around 3 to 5pm in the afternoon.

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This morning, you'll head straight to Gyantse. The drive will take around 5 hours with three spectacular high passes including the Khamba La at 5100 metres. After arriving in town, you will visit the Khumbum Stupa. Next to it is Pelkhor Chode Monastery. After visiting Gyantse Khumbum, you'll continue two hours to Shigatse, the second largest town in Tibet. Shigatse was one of the first towns to be visited by westerners due to its close distance with the Indian border.

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In the morning, you'll visit the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery which is also one of the biggest functioning monasteries of Gelugpa. After visiting the monastery, you will visit the local markets for shopping and local sightseeing then you'll continue your journey to Shegar. It takes about 4-5 hours to reach Shegar crossing highest Gyatso La pass at 5248 metres above the sea level. On the descent, if weather permits, you can enjoy the first view of Mount Everest and Mount Cho Oyu.

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Early in the morning, you'll head off route leaving the Friendship Highway and driving towards Everest Base Camp up over the Pang La Pass at 5150 metres from where you can see an incredible view of the Himalayan Range stretching from Mount Malaku to Mount Shisapangma. Before arriving at Everest Base Camp, you'll stop at the world highest monastery at 4980 metres and after lunch, at the base camp, you'll enjoy the closer view of Mount Everest before heading back to Shigatse (7-hour journey).

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The morning, you've got another long drive ahead of you and you'll head back to Lhasa via the northern route. This is the shortest road between Lhasa and Shigatse, offering a spectacular view of Tibetan Plateau. You'll drive along the famous river called the Yarlung Tsangpo. Upon arrival, you'll have the afternoon and evening at leisure to relax at the hotel or explore the alleys of Barkhor and its surroundings.