8 Days Tibet Dream Tour from Nyingchi to Lhasa (Price from $1,018)

Welcome to Nyingchi, the “Switzerland of Tibet”. You will be met by your tour guide at the hall of Milin Airport, then be escorted to your hotel in Bayi Town. The rest of today is free for you to acclimatize the altitude and explore surroundings.

Accommodate at Bayi Town and have a good rest.

Wake up in the peaceful morning. Today, you are going to drive to Bomi, about 230km away from Bayi Town. But sightseeing activities come on the road.

Firstly, you will drive about 1.5km out of town to visit the most famous and magical tree in Nyingchi – the King Cypress which is 50 meters tall but more than 2,500 years old. Leave the King Cypress, you will move to the highlight of today – Lulang Forest.

Lulang Forest 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.

Accommodate at Bomi Town and have a good rest.

Today, you will enjoy a fabulous feast of landscape. After breakfast, drive about 104km to visit the famous Midui Glacier. Ranked by China National Geography as one of the top six most beautiful glaciers in China, the Midui Glacier is featured in different shapes and forms of glaciers, including two about 800 meters high ice falls. At the foot of the glacier are green wild forests. Further down the forests are peaceful Tibetan villages, farmlands and ice lakes.

Leave Midui, and move to next also the final stop of today – Ranwu Lake. It is a barrier lake formed by landslides and debris flows of around 200 years ago. The lake is tranquil and clean. But the best feature is its reflections of surrounding diverse landscapes of grasslands, forests, blue sky and snow mountains like a mirror, which changes colors in different seasons.

Accommodate near the Ranwu Lake and have a good rest.

Get up early to witness the amazing sunrise at Ranwu Lake. Wispy mists float above the lake, while the morning sunlight shines on the snow mountains, which looks like a golden pyramid. Enjoy the fresh air and let your camera record the wonderful landscape.

Then you will move back to Nyingchi in the rest of today along the 318 National Road. It may take about 8~9 hours to get to Bayi Town, but you don’t have to worry being bored by the long distance. Because you will drive on the most beautiful parts of the 318 Road which starts from Ranwu to Bayi. Feel free to ask for your driver for stop on the way for the scenery.

Accommodate at Bayi Town and have a good rest.

Today, we will drive to the holy City Lhasa. The whole journey takes about 7 hours’ driving. On route, you will take a sidetrip to visit Basum-tso Lake.

Basum-tso Lake, 3,500 meters above sea level, originates from Nyching Tangha Mountain and is a dozen kilometers long. Snow-covered mountains, glaciers and trees are reflected upon the lake’s rippling surface. There are small islands in the middle of the lake with Buddhist temples built upon them.

After sightseeing, drive back to Lhasa.

Start today's Lhasa exploration with an exciting visit to the landmark - Potala Palace which is the home to the successive Dalai Lama as well as a great masterpiece of Tibetan architecture. The whole palace is divided into the White Palace - living quarters and office to deal with political and Buddhist affairs for Dalai Lamas, and the Red Palace where houses several stupas of previous Dalai Lamas, many historical relics and precious arts. After entering the gate of Potala Palace, you need to walk up about 30 minutes along the zigzag stone paths with white-and-red walls to the White Palace. Remember to ascend the steps slowly and take some stops for sightseeing and rest which will be helpful to reduce high altitude sickness. Then explore the palace in an orderly way from the White Palace to the Red Palace, and exit from the back side. After Potala Palace visit, go to enjoy a leisure stroll in Zongjiao Lukang Park, a lovely park with pleasant scenery built around the lake behind Potala Palace. It is a great place to experience local Tibetans' living styles as you can see local people gathering and chatting, taking exercise, walking the kora, feeding wild birds and ducks, etc. If your day is clear, you can take some great photos of the reflection of Potala Palace on the lake in the park.

Continuing your exploration, you will then get to Jokhang Temple which is considered as the spiritual center of Lhasa and the most revered religious structure of Tibet. In front of Jokhang Temple, you can see crowds of pilgrims polishing the flagstones with their prostration, which is truly a heart-touching scene you will ever see. 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. Rise to the top floor of this temple, you can see savor the beautiful golden roof and the view of Potala Palace afar. 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.

Optional Activity: If your physical strength permits, take a short climb to the viewing-deck of Chakpori Hill to take a panoramic photo of Potala Palace after your Potala Palace visit.

Tips of today: 1) taking photos is not allowed inside the palace; 2) today you will be mainly outside, please bring some water, a hat, sun cream, and sun glasses with you.

Today you will visit popular attractions in Lhasa city and suburb to explore Tibetan culture. You will firstly go to 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. Dotted with various kinds of precious flowers and plants, it is the genuine "Plateau Oxygen Bar". In addition to its magnificent buildings and colorful flowers, Norbulingka also features some big Tibet event activities during big festivals, like Tibetan shows in annual Shoton Festival. Next, drive several kilometers to the western outskirts of Lhasa to visit Drepung Monastery. Drepung, in Tibetan, means "prosperity". Since its establishment, Drepung Monastery has always been one of the most important Buddhist monasteries in Tibet. In its heyday, there were more than 10,000 monks lived and studied in the monastery. Throughout its history, many important and famous Tibetan leaders used to study here, especially the Dalai Lamas. So Drepung Monastery is also respectfully known as the "Mother School of Dalai Lamas". You can also enjoy a panoramic view of Lhasa from Drepung Monastery.

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.

Today is free for you until your tour guide transfer you to the airport in time for your flight or drop you off at Lhasa train station.

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.