Soul of Tibet - Lhasa Tour
Take a spectacular flight over the world’s tallest mountains to Lhasa, Tibet’s sacred city and focus of this five day whirlwind tour. The magnificent Potala Palace, the monasteries of Sera & Drepung, and the seventh century Jokhang, Tibet’s holiest shrine and repository of the magnificently embellished image of Sakyamuni Buddha, are some of the many unique attractions.
ITINERARY:
Day 01 - Kathmandu Arrival Kathmandu. Check into hotel
Day 02 - Kathmandu Spend day sightseeing the Kathmandu valley.
Day 02 - Lhasa Fly from Kathmandu to Lhasa over the Himalayas and the high Tibetan plateau
dotted with deep blue mountain lakes.
On arrival check into your hotel. Take a short walk to Norbulingka or “Jewel Park”. Once the Summer Palace of the Dalai Lama's, this 40 hectare enclave contains within its grounds numerous trees, ponds, gardens, palaces and pavilions.
Day 03 - Lhasa AM Begin your tour with a visit to the Jokhang and Barkhor market place. Located in the very heart of Lhasa, the Jokhang is the focus of devotion for pilgrims from all over the country. Mingle and walk around the Barkhor's inner pilgrim circuit, lined on all sides with markets, shops, stalls and street vendors.
PM Sera Monastery on the outskirts of Lhasa is the focus in the afternoon. Also a vital center of religious activity, Sera boasted over 5,000 monks and novices and is one of the best preserved monasteries in Tibet. Tour the debating courtyard in a corner of the monastery shaded by ancient trees, where monks are formally examined in an age old tradition of philosophical debate.
Day 04 - Lhasa AM Visit the imposing Potala, one time winter residence of the Dalai Lama’s. Twelve storeys high and consisting of more than 1,000 rooms, it dominates the Lhasa skyline. The view of the holy city from the roofs is unforgettable.
PM Visit Drepung, Tibet's largest monastery located 8kms west of the city. Renowned as a great centre of learning, it attracted the best and the brightest and in its heyday became the effective center of political power housing a staggering 10,000 monks, making it the largest monastic institution in the world.
Day 05 -Lhasa Heading north west out of Lhasa, take an excursion to Tsurphu monastery in the upper Tolung valley. Headquarters of the Karma-Kagyu and principal temple of the black hat lamas, this is the historic stronghold of one of the most powerful religious orders in Tibet. Visit Tsurphu's rebuilt chapels and circumambulate Jampa Ri, home to several meditation retreats of past Karmapas.
Return to Lhasa
Day 06 - Lhasa/Kathmandu Transfer to the airport at Gongkar for flight out of Lhasa for Kathmandu.
Day 07 - Depart Kathmandu/or extension
N.B.This itinerary can be altered to visit Tsedang & outlying areas 5 Days / 4 Nights Trips to Tibet operate between April thru October only
Rates
Soul of Tibet
2-5 Persons
6 or more
Air Fare
First Class
$830
$730
$1770
Tourist
$710
$610
$1770
Hotels In order to make the travel experience more convenient and confortable, we have selected the following hotels in the various stops.
Cities
First Class
Tourists
Lhasa
Lhasa Hotel
Hotel Shambala or similar
Tsedang
Hotel Tsedang
Hotel Friendship
Gyangtse
Hotel Gyangtse
same
Shigatse
Hotel Shigatse
Hotel Gongjorling
Zhangmu
Hotel Zhangmu
same
Cost includes Accommodation in Tibet with breakfast, all transfers, sightseeing with English speaking guide, Tibet (Chinese) normal visa.
Cost does not include Three nights hotel accommodation while in Kathmandu, expense of a private nature i.e. laundry, drinks, telephone calls, meals (unless specified), insurance, visa fees, airport taxes, Tibet (china) urgent visa fee US$ 35, excess baggage charges and all manner of gratuities. A surcharge of US$87 per person to use Toyota land cruisers 4WD from Lhasa to Nepal border based on maximum 4 persons per land cruiser in case of bad road condition.
Special Intructions: All Tibet tours depart Kathmandu on Saturday s or Tuesdays. Passengers must arrive in Kathmandu at least 2 days before departure in order to process your Tibet permit. At the end of the tour allow for an additional day in Kathmandu.
Additional 3 Night Accomodation in Kathmandu
First Class Hotel
Shangrila Hotel or similar
$220 /person
Twin room
Standard Hotel
Tibet Guest House or similar
$95 /person
Twin room
Optional Tours Based on minimum of two persons- Costs are per person
Bhutan
4 nights/5 days
$1360
Glimpses of the Himalayas ( Darjeeling/Sikkim )
4 nights/5 days
$995
Chitwan Jungle Safari
3 nights/4 days
$385
Mountain Flight ( closeup views of the Himalayas )
$135
NOTE: Airfares quoted are estimates only and are based on West Coast departures (Los Angeles or San Francisco). A High season surcharge of $200 will be charched for departure during the following months:
June-July-August & December 1- January 15.
