10 Days Treking Tour from Shalu to Nartang

Day 1.
Arrival in Lhasa

Accommodation: Overnight at Lhasa 3-Star hotel

Meals: None

Transfer to Lhasa downtown after arriving at the Lhasa Gongar airport or the Lhasa train station. Relax with free time after your arrival in Lhasa to acclimatize to the high altitude.

Day 2.
Lhasa Sightseeing – Potala Palace and Johkang Temple

Accommodation: Overnight at Lhasa 3-Star hotel

Meals: Breakfast None

In the morning you will visit the spectacular Potala Palace and explore the grandest of its multitude of chapels. Admire the bejeweled burial stupa of past Dalia Lamas with all of their accompanying statuary, frescoes, and paintings. Afterward, visit the most sacred temple in all of Tibet – the Jokhang Temple. This hallowed temple draws a tremendous number of pilgrims from all over Tibet, who are drawn by a magnificent image of Sakyamuni (Buddha) at the age of 12 years old. Upon leaving the temple you will have the opportunity to stroll around Barkhor, which has served as a pilgrimage circuit for centuries as well as being the largest bazaar market in Lhasa. Here you can find traditional handicrafts, ambers, handmade jewelry, Tibetan clothing, and much more.

Day 3.
Lhasa sightseeing-Sera Monastery and Drepung Monastery

Accommodation: Overnight at Lhasa 3-Star hotel

Meals: Breakfast None

Today you will explore Tibet’s two greatest monasteries, the Drepung and Sera Monasteries. Drepung Monastery, founded in 1416 at the foothill of a mountain, was once the largest and most influential monastery in Tibet when it housed more than 10,000 monks. The monastery is divided into two different colleges – Drepung Loseling and Drepung Gomang. Nearby, the Ganden Podrang (Ganden Palace) is famous as the center of Tibetan government established by the 5th Dalai Lama in 1642. After lunch, you will visit the ancient Sera Monastery, founded in 1419 by another of Tsongkapa’s disciples, Jamchen Chojey. This monastery is divided in half by pathways, with the eastern section containing the Great Assembly Hall and the monk residences and the western section containing three famous monastic colleges – Sera Je Dratsang, Sera Me Dratsang, and the Mgakpa Dratsang. t has the well-known three colleges: the Sera Je Dratsang, the Sera Me Dratsang; and the Ngakpa Dratsang, all instituted by Tsongkapa as monastic universities that catered to monks from 8 to 70 years old. Another notable feature of this monastery is the debates on Buddhist scriptures between the monks, which you can witness in the monastery’s courtyard around 6 to 7:30 p.m. each day. If you are up for it, you can attempt the “Kora”, which is a religious circuit around the sacred monasteries before returning to your hotel.

Day 4.
Lhasa to Tsedang: Yumbu lhakhang and the Samye Monastery

Accommodation: Stay overnight in Tsedang

Meals: Breakfast None

Today we will drive to Tsedang, the capital of Shannan Prefecture, located at Yarlung Valley and known as “the cradle of Tibetan Civilization”. Here we will visit Yumbu lhakhang, the first imperial palace of the first Tibetan king, where you can witness the fantastic view of the entire valley from the palace. After that, we will visit the Samye Monastery, which is the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet, built in the 8th century. A unique monastery layout was designed in the form of a giant, representation of the Buddhist universe. The main temple in the center represents Mt. Meru, the mythical mountain at the center of the Buddhist universe. The four continents in the ocean around Mt. Meru are represented by the four temples at the cardinal points, each flanked by two smaller temples to symbolize islands in the ocean.

Day 5.
Tsedang to Gyantse: Korola Glacier, Yamdrok-tso Lake, Pelkor Monastery, Gyantse Kumbum

Accommodation: Stay Overnight in Gyantse

Meals: Breakfast None

This morning we will enjoy a scenic drive from Tsedang to Gyantse. Along the way, we will cross over the Gampala Pass (elevation 4790 meters) with its stunning views of the Karola Glacier and Yamdrok-tso Lake (elevation 4400 meters). The lake is surrounded by many snow-capped mountains with spectacular views of the holy Mt. Nyenchen Khangsar, (elevation 7191 meters), the highest mountain near Lhasa, We will proceed westward along the lake and drive towards Gyantse. Gyantse was historically Tibet’s third largest city after Lhasa and Shigatse. In Gyantse, we will visit the famous Pelkor Monastery and Gyantse Kumbum (a “kumbum” is a multi-storied aggregate of Buddhist chapels).

Day 6.
Gyantse/Shalu Monastery /Upper Lungsang(Trekking 5 – 6 hours, 14 kilometers)

Accommodation: Camping

Meals: Breakfast None

In the morning we will drive to Shalu Monastery from Gyantse via a 49-kilometer asphalt road, where we will visit the Shalu Monastery. This monastery was the seat of Buton Rinchendrub (1290-1346), who was the great codifier of the Tibetan translations of the Indian Buddhist canon. After our visit there, in the afternoon we will start the trek to Upper Lungsang.

Day 7.
Upper Lungsang/Ngor Monastery (Trekking around 4 hours, 8 kilometers)

Accommodation: Camping

Meals: None

Today’s trek will take us through the farming fields to the Ngor village with its ancient monastery. The Ngor Monastery is renowned for its Sanskrit library and Newar-style murals. There were once five assembly halls, 18 colleges and 400 monks, but now only 25 monks remain.

Day 8.
Ngor Monastery/Nartang Monastery Shigatse (Trekking around 5 hours, 18 kilometers)

Accommodation: Overnight at Shigatse 3-Star hotel

Meals: None

Today we will trek from Ngor to Nartang, traveling through several villages, mountain saddles, and one electric utility. After our visit to Nartang Monastery, we will transfer to Shigatse.

Day 9.
Shigatse/Lhasa: Tashilunpo Monastery

Accommodation: Overnight at Lhasa 3-Star hotel

Meals: Breakfast None

This morning we will make the scenic drive back to Lhasa from Shigatse, which will take around 4 hours. Along the way, we will visit the largest monastery in west Tibet, the Tashilunpo Monastery, the last historic site on this Tibetan tour itinerary. The Tashilunpo Monastery is one of the six great Gelukpa institutions. It was founded in 1447 by the first Dalai Lama, Genden Drup, a disciple of Tsongkapa. Jamkhang Chenmo (future Buddha statue) contains the world’s largest gilded copper image (26 meters high) of the future god Jampa. After our visit to Tashilunpo, we will drive along the Friendship Highway back to Lhasa.

Day 10.
Transfer to Lhasa Airport

Accommodation:

Meals: Breakfast None

We will pick you up from your hotel by private vehicle for the 90-minute drive to the Lhasa airport for your departing flight. However, if you prefer to stay longer in Tibet, you can also extend this trip to the Everest Base Camp and other sites in the Tibetan region; please contact us for additional options and information.

Price Guide

Price Exclude:

All necessary Tibet Travel Permit. (Including Tibet Entry Permit, Alien Travel Permit, Boarder Pass)
Private professional English-Speaking local tour guide
Licensed Vehicle with an experienced driver
Airport (or train）pick up and drop off
Accommodation listed in the itinerary
Breakfast provided by the hotel
Tourists Accident/Casualty Insurance
A container of Oxygen for emergency use
All taxes, fees and handling charges
Lodging and meal allowance to the guide & driver
Reservation fee for visiting Potala Palace
2 bottles of drinking water per person per day
One Welcome dinner in Lhasa

Price Exclude:

Meals not specified in the itinerary (All lunches & dinners)
All Entrance tickets to the sightseeing places
Flight/Trian tickets in and out of Tibet
Personal expenses such as laundry, drink, fax, telephone call, optional tour activities, etc.
Any losses incurred from the force majeure factor like government control, natural disaster etc.
Tips to the guide & driver ( Tips is not required but expected)
Single room supplement

Booking Instructions

1.Reservations

1) Send your request through our website form or send us an email at inquiry@tibettravel.com. With each inquiry, please include the following information:

a. Your desired destinations;

b. Departure date

c. Length of your trip

d. Your name, email address and country of citizenship.

We will confirm your inquiry with a reply within 24 hours.

2) You can call us directly at our service center at +86-28-85012991 (landline) or +86-18889089998 (mobile)

3) You can come to our office in Chengdu in person to make a reservation

We highly recommend that you reserve your tour at least 30-50 days before the actual travel date. We will send you a letter of confirmation

via email once you have confirmed your booking with us, informing you of your proposed flights, hotels and your trip details.

2. Payment Methods

We can confirm your tour reservation with a payment of 30% of the total tour cost plus 100% of the cost of any flights or train tickets required for your tour. You can then pay the balance due for your tour to our local staff after your arrival in Lhasa.

3. Luggage Allowances

The regulations of the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China states that the free baggage allowance within China is 20kg (44 pounds) for economy class flights, 30kg (66 pounds) for business class flights, and 40kg (88 pounds) for first-class flights, plus limited carry-on luggage. Excess baggage charges are the sole responsibility of the traveler. Regulations within China specify that all suitcases must have a locking device attached. Failure to follow this regulation may result in refusal by airport staff to load suitcases onto the aircraft.

4. Itinerary changes and cancellations

We make every effort to operate tours as listed on our website, however, we reserve the right to modify the itinerary or substitute the activities, hotels, meals or transportation as we deem necessary. We also have the right to cancel a trip at any time prior to its commencement for every reason, like unforeseen circumstances, or circumstances beyond our control. In these cases, we will re-book you on a different day. However, if we are unable to rebook you, we will issue a full field claim.

5. Meals

All of our tours include a daily breakfast. Lunch and dinner is not included as we prefer to give the freedom to our clients to try the local food by themselves. Meals are usually served at the hotel. Dinner may also be served at a local restaurant. Although we cannot guarantee special meal requests, we will do our best to provide you with specialized dietary needs for meals as well as your special needs for hotel rooms such as adjacent or connecting rooms, bed sizes, etc.

CONTACT

Adds: Global Center W1-1234, #1700 North Tianfu Avenue, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Tel:+00-86-136-884-676-80
Email: service@challengers.vip
Skype: stevenshi