Route B:6-Day Lhasa, Yamdrok Lake, Shigatse

• D1Itinerary

  Arrival in Lhasa - Lhasa Railway Station/Airport Pick-up

  Arrive at the Sunshine City Lhasa, at Lhasa Railway Station/Lhasa Gongga Airport. A tour guide will welcome the group with a sign and a ceremonial scarf (Hada), then drive to the city hotel for check-in and rest to acclimatize to the altitude.

  
  

• D2Itinerary

  Potala Palace 5A - Potala Palace Square - Medicine King Hill Platform - Jokhang Temple - Barkhor Street - Lhasa

  After breakfast at the hotel, drive to the Potala Palace, a palace-fortress complex built in the early 7th century, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the first batches of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level by the State Council, and a witness to Tibetan-Chinese harmony. Go to Potala Palace Square for a panoramic photo and then to the Medicine King Hill Platform to take a photo with the backdrop featured on the 50 Yuan RMB note.

  After lunch, drive to the Jokhang Temple, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery built in 647 AD, which houses the golden statue of a 12-year-old Buddha Shakyamuni. Take a city walk through the ancient circumambulation path of Barkhor Street, walking alongside pilgrims who have traveled thousands of miles, prostrating every three steps, witnessing the faces of all beings and the vibrancy of life.

  
  

  
  

• D3Itinerary

  Lhasa - Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains - Damxung - Nagela Pass - Namtso Lake - Lhasa

  After breakfast at the hotel, drive along the Beijing-Tibet Expressway to the Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains viewing platform. Legend has it that the mountains and Namtso Lake were once a loving couple.

  After lunch, arrive at Namtso Lake - Tashi Peninsula, the third largest saltwater lake in China, with a surface elevation of 4,718 meters. "Namtso" means "Heavenly Lake" in Tibetan, and it is also called "Tengri Sea" in Mongolian. It is one of the "Three Great Holy Lakes" of Tibet and a famous Buddhist pilgrimage site.

  On the return journey, stop at the Nagela Pass (5,190 meters) for a distant view of Namtso Lake and receive a Himalayan High-Altitude Challenge certificate.

  
  

  
  

• D4Itinerary

  Lhasa - Yamdrok Lake - Karola Glacier - Palcho Monastery - Shigatse

  After breakfast at the hotel, drive along the Gya' Nyai Expressway, through Qushui County, and cross the 4,998-meter-high Kamba La Pass to Yamdrok Lake (often shortened to Yang Lake). Together with Namtso Lake in Damxung and Lake Manasarovar in Ngari, it is known as one of the Three Great Holy Lakes of Tibet. In Tibetan, it is also called "the turquoise lake above". It is the largest inland lake at the northern foot of the Himalayas, renowned for its stunning beauty of lakes and mountains, unparalleled in Southern Tibet. The lake covers an area of 675 square kilometers with a surface elevation of 4,441 meters.

  After lunch, drive along the lakeside ring road to the Karola Glacier, the eastern source of the Nianchu River and one of the three major continental glaciers in Tibet. Arrive in the heroic city of Gyantse and visit Palcho Monastery, founded in 1427. It is a unique Tibetan Buddhist monastery complex combining a stupa and temples, where the stupa and temples are naturally integrated and complement each other.

  In the evening, arrive in Shigatse City, the administrative center of Tsang (Western Tibet).

  
  

  
  

• D5Itinerary

  Shigatse - Tashilhunpo Monastery -

  After breakfast at the hotel, visit Tashilhunpo Monastery. It was founded in 1447 by Gendun Drup, a disciple of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. It is one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug school and the traditional seat of successive Panchen Lamas. The monastery astonishes visitors with its magnificent architecture, exquisite art, and long history.

  After lunch, return to Lhasa via National Highway 318 and the Yarlung Tsangpo River Gorge.

  In the evening, watch the "Princess Wencheng" Live Drama. Set against the natural landscape of Lhasa, it tells the historical story of the marriage between Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty and Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo over 1,300 years ago. The performance is divided into five acts, lasts about 90 minutes, and involves over 800 performers.

  
  

  
  

• D6Itinerary

  Depart from Lhasa, Send off to train/airport

  After breakfast at the hotel, you will be transferred to the airport or train station according to your departure schedule, concluding your mysterious Tibet journey.