8 Days Trekking tour from Ganden to Samye

Ganden to Samye Trek has much to offer, lakes, Mountains, beautiful alpine landscapes, nomad camps, villages, and sacred sites. The route connects two of Tibet’s greatest monasteries: the Ganden monastery and the Samye Monastery.

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 Jokhang Temple

Accommodation: Overnight at Lhasa 3-Star hotel

Meals: 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: 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 the 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 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 are the debates between the monks on Buddhist scriptures, 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. For the Kora, we would drive to the Ganden Monastery in the late afternoon to begin the trek, which takes around 90 minutes to complete.

Day 4.
Trek to Tsotup Chu Valley (4 to 5hours)

Accommodation: Camping

Meals: None

In the morning, we will leave the valley floor and make our way through a steep gully that rises from the stream bank below. Through beautiful scenery, we will climb the Shug La Pass and carefully begin our climb down through treacherous boulder fields. After we cross the Tsotup Chu, a large stream winding through the valley floor, we will set up a comfortable camp in one of the sheep herder’s fields for a rustic and fun overnight stay.

Day 5.
Trek to Herder’s Camp (5 hours)

Accommodation: Camping

Meals: None

Today we will follow the Tsotup Chu down through its tributary and trek towards the Chitu La pass. After ascending this magnificent rocky pass, we will go back down amongst the quiet herder camps to find a comfortable campsite in one of the fields surrounding the stream.

Day 6.
Trek to Samye (6 hours):Changtang village,Yamalung Hermitage

Accommodation: Camping

Meals: None

Today the trail gets wider and easier to follow as we work our way through scrub forests in the main valley. Beautiful streams and lush forests surround us as we walk towards our next destination. The next few hours may very well be the most beautiful part of our trek. More than 15 types of scrub trees, blooming rhododendrons, and vast meadows will be a feast for the eyes every step of the way! After passing through this wondrous landscape, we will trek through the Changtang Village. Tour participants can also choose to take a one-hour hike to the Yamalung Hermitage. Yamalung is an ancient and holy Buddhist meditation site, but it is completely up to you as to whether you want to go there. Later on we will continue on through the Samye Valley as we walk along the babbling tributary stream. We will spend the night at another comfortable and picturesque campsite, not far from Samye.

Day 7.
Explore the Yarlung Valley and Samye Monastery – Return to Lhasa

Accommodation: Overnight at Lhasa 3-Star hotel

Meals: None

The Samye Monastery is the first temple built in Tibet and the first to contain the three Buddhist jewels of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. With these unique features, this splendid temple has become an attraction for visitors from all over the world. After visiting Samye, our trek will be complete after we take a ferry across the Yarlungzongpo River to board our vehicle for the scenic ride back to Lhasa.

Day 8.
Transfer to Lhasa Airport/train station

Accommodation:

Meals: 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 Gyantse, Shigatse, the Everest Base Camp, etc. – 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