7 Days Tibet "Switzerland Views" Tour (Lhasa - Nyingchi) (Price from Request)

Welcome to the roof of the world! You will be picked up by local tour guide at Lhasa airport hall or train station, and then be escorted to check in your hotel in Lhasa city (3,650 m) in a private vehicle. The rest of the day is free for you to explore the local areas and acclimatize yourself to the air, temperature and high altitude of Lhasa.

High Altitude Acclimation Tips: 1) go for some leisure walking to acclimate the high altitude but avoid strenuous activity after arrival; 2) you'd better not have bath, in case of catching a cold; 3) drink more water, and have some fruit; 4) have a good rest...

How to Get to Lhasa: take a domestic flight from other cities like Chengdu, Beijing, Xian, Xining, Kunming, etc. or an international flight from Kathmandu, or take a train from China's other cities, like Chengdu, Xian, Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xining, Lanzhou, etc.

After breakfast, you will pay a short visit to Chakpori Hill, a holy mountain facing Potala Palace. Ascending along the 60 steps, you will firstly reach the viewing-deck which is the famous place to see and photograph the paramount view of Potala Palace. Then continue walking to the Thousand Buddha Cliff – a cliff engraved with many figures of Buddha in various poses. Next, you will turn to Dzonggyel Lokang to experience the relaxed local life of Tibetans. Many locals will exercise and sometimes picnics there. It is also available to overserve the birds which inhabit the lakes. In quiet and windless day, you can take the great picture of the reflection of Potala Palace in the water. After that, visit the beautiful Norbulingka which used to be the former summer palace of Dalai Lamas in the ancient time, and now is a public park. It is famous for its Potrang, the private palaces of former Dalai lamas with grandiose Tibetan architecture style.

In the afternoon, you will be taken to another famous monastery in Lhasa - Sera Monastery. It is famous for the spectacular “Buddhism Debating”. As a daily routine, the monks gather in a courtyard, and debate on the Buddhist doctrines with supplemented gestures, which is thought to be helpful to facilitates better comprehension of the Buddhist philosophy to attain higher levels of study. After enjoying the "Buddhism Debating", you will be transferred back to the city. The rest time is your own free time to rest.

The Etiquette of Visiting Monastery: 1) you shouldn’t wear short and uncover shoulders; 2) taking off your sunglasses and hat before entering the chapels; 3) taking photos is usually not allowed inside the chapels.

Start today’s Lhasa exploration with an exciting visit to the landmark - Potala Palace which is regarded as one of the most beautiful architectural building in the world. You will climb up the palace along the zigzag stone paths with white-and-red walls to the top of the palace where you can not only appreciate the exotic Tibetan-style architecture, but also get a great view of Lhasa’s urban areas, then walk into the inner space of Potala Palace to explore the stately chapels and learn about the history of the palace.  

Continuing your exploration, you will then get to Jokhang Temple which is considered as the spiritual heart of Tibetan Buddhism. Each day, there are thousands of pilgrims coming from different places in Tibet to the temple to worship to the Buddha. This temple is also known as the “house of Buddha” because it keeps the precious Jowo Rinpoche, the life-sized (5 foot/1.5m) image of the Shakyamuni at the age of 12. The last site for today’s exploration is the famous Barkhor Street. It is a circular and wide street encircling the Jokhang Temple. The local people like to walk on the street for several circles usually in the late afternoon as a daily tradition of pilgrimage. The street also has many shops selling a wide variety of traditional Tibetan goods, religious items and handcrafts.  

Tips of Today: 1) there are 1,080 steps up to climb to the top of Potala Palace, so don’t walk in a rush, which may cause high altitude sickness; 2) taking photos is not allowed inside the palace; 3) today you will be mainly outside, please bring some water, a hat, sun cream, and sun glasses with you.

Today, you are going to drive about 6 hours along the well-paved 318 National Road to Nyingchi, the Switzerland of Tibet. On route, you will take a side trip to Ganden Monastery - the first monastery of Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It was founded in 1409 by the great master Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), which makes the monastery as one of the most important monasteries in Tibet. Ganden, in Tibetan, means "happiness and contentedness". So it is very meaningful to visit this temple. Ganden Monastery is also an architectural masterpiece with many features of traditional Tibetan-style monasteries. It made fully use of colors to create a sense of holiness and solemnity - white paths, red walls, black windows, golden roofs, yellow curtain. From the monastery, one can also enjoy a stunning panoramic view of surrounding mountains and valleys. Besides, there are a lot of infrequent cultural relics and handicrafts kept in the monastery.

After arrival at Bayi Town, you will be transferred to check in your hotel. The rest of today is free for you to explore this peaceful town. 

Tips of Today: 1) wear warm clothes to prevent from cold and wild; 2) pack some food and drinks with you because you will spend much time on the road.

After the breakfast, you will see the most famous and magical tree in Nyingchi - the King Cypress which is 50 meters tall but more than 2,500 years old. After a brief visiting there, you will drive along the well-paved 318 National Road to beautiful Lulang Forest. On your way to Nyingchi, you will have a stop at Sekyim la Pass and take a distance view of Mt. Namjia Bawa. Then you will be taken to Lulang Forest, which is a 15km long, 1km wide narrow valley of wild forests and flowers, grasslands and streams. Lulang, in Tibetan, means “Dragon Valley” or “the place where you won’t be homesick”. On the both sides of the valley are lofty green mountains covered by prosperous spruce, pine trees and brush. At the foot of the mountain are the beautiful meadows and villages. Winding streams flow through among the wooden houses. Wild flowers of different colors dot on the meadows. Look into distance over the valley are enormous snow-capped mountains. All these sceneries make Lulang a dream land. 

After that, drive to Bayi Town and accommodate there.

Tips of Today: 1) wear warm clothes to prevent from cold and wild; 2) pack some food and drinks with you because you will spend much time on the road.

After the breakfast, you will drivie about 25 km to Kading Valley, which is a forested park famous for a thundering 200-meter-high waterfall. From granite cliffs, you may recognize many interesting figures, like a Buddha, a lotus lamp or different holy animals. After that, drive to the jade lake - Basum-tso Lake, also called Cuogao Lake in Tibetan, meaning the green water. Surrounded by snow-capped peaks and natural forest, the lake is known for its primitive beauty and tranquility. Covering 26 square kilometers, the dark blue lake surface looks like a mirror, and clearly reflects the tall snow mountains and green plants in the lake, just like a picture. Besides, the lake is also a holy lake for Tibetan Buddhism Nyingma Sect. There are also a sacred Nyingma temple sited in a small island in the central lake for the pilgrims to worship to the Buddha, and a “magical hole” nearby the south shore for people to pray to the Buddha for a child. Combining beautiful scenery and amazing legends, Basum Lake is such a holy and spectacular place to explore!

After the visual feast in Basum-tso Lake, you will drive back to Bayi Town for accommodation.

Today is free for you until your tour guide transfer you to the airport in time for your flight to next destination. (If you are not able to purchase flight departing from Nyingchi, you will need to transfer back to Lhasa, which also means you have to add one more day to your trip.)

Tips of today: 1) please pack your luggage carefully, especially for small things like camera charger, power adaptor, mobile phone, phone charger, wallet and towel; 2) If your flight is arranged in the afternoon, please make sure you check out the hotel before 12pm.