Our local tour guide will meet you at Lhasa airport, she/ he will present you with Hada (traditional Tibetan scarves), and escort you to hotel in Lhasa city.

    For most of the way, you follow the Kyichu River, you could see Tibetan homes with their trapezoid shaped windows and fluttering prayer flags, and Tibetans walking beside the roads wearing their distinctive national costumes. Do have a comfort stop near Nietang Buddha where a giant statue of Buddha has been carved out of a stone cliff-face centuries ago. One of the first buildings you could see as you enter the city is the Potala Palace, sitting majestically on a hill dominating Lhasa. Stay at the hotel after arrival for adapting to the high attitude. It is  helpful to take things easy for the first few days, and try to drink some water just and now. 
    

TRAVEL TIPS.

Before going to Tibet.

    Try to keep healthy and not catch a cold before entering and while in Tibet, as illness makes any altitude sickness feel worse. Take it easy and rest well, keep warm, drink a lot of water, and eat simply the first two days in Tibet to reduce any altitude sickness symptoms.

What to Pack/Carry/Wear for Tibet trip?
    Good camera.

    Clothes: Warm clothes, such as sweaters and fleeces are needed even in summer as the day-night temperature drop is big. A thick down coat is essential if you go to the Everest. If you go in the low season bring mountain winter clothes.

    Lip cream: It is very dry so bring a lip cream to protect your lips.

    Sunglasses, Sunscreen cream, Comfortable walking shoes (Almost all monasteries have steep steps to climb), Snacks.

    Altitude sickness medicine: Taking the medicine one day before arriving at high altitude increases effectiveness.
Motion sickness medicine if you have motion sickness on long mountain road journeys.
Anti-diarrhea medicine: Tibetan food is very different from what you are probably used to, and it may not agree with your digestive system.

ABOUT TIBET ENTRY PERMIT.
    The Tibet Entry Permit is the key to entering and traveling in Tibet. It is the most important permit and is a must for foreigners entering Tibet. With this permit, you can visit Lhasa, the Potala Palace, Shigatse, and Namtso Lake. We usually needs 20 days to apply for the permit.

Can foreigners visit Tibet without Tour Guide?
    Presently, no individual travelers are allowed to travel to Tibet. All tours must be booked in advance by a Chinese travel agency. Your whole tour in Tibet must be accompanied by a licensed tour guide.

    Tour guide will pick up you at hotel, then we drive to visit Potala Palace first. Potala Palace is a golden feather upon the roof of the world,  which Tibetans proudly claim to be the prime miracle since the creation of this. It is visible from any distance, with the golden roof shinning  in the sun, spend one hour wondering around the inside of this magnificent building exploring the rooms previously used by the Dalai Lama and the many Buddhist icons within.                                        

    In the afternoon we go inside of the Jokhang. The Jokhang, like most of the larger temple structures have numerous individual temples within it dedicated to specific enlightened beings, protectors, high lamas, or saints. Images, both sculpted and painted, are everywhere. Every   inch of wall and ceiling is brightly painted with images of clouds, beings, mandalas, or decorative patterns. Colorful silk banners, three- storey high, hang in various places. Color, pattern, and images crowd in around you. The central image inside the building is a 30-foot high gilded image of Maitreya Buddha.                                         

    Then we stroll around the back alleys of the Barkhor area of Old Lhasa. The streets smelled of yak butter and incense while hordes of pilgrims shuffled along the main Kora (circumambulations) around Jokhang Temple. After tour, we go back to hotel.

    In the morning have a tour for Drepung, the ever largest monastery with more than 10 thousand monks, Buddhist debates often occur there. Seen from afar, its grand, white construction gives the monastery the appearance of a heap of rice. As such, it was given its name   which, in the Tibetan language, means Monastery of Collecting-Rice. Learn about the lives of Tibetan monks there.

                                        
    The afternoon is spent touring Sera Monastery, have a little hike for the beautiful valley scenery nearby and picnic there, in the afternoon,  visit Sera monastery, which was created in 1419 and has always been an important Buddhist seminary. As rose are planted everywhere in the monastery, it is also called “the court of wild rose”. Today still 200 lamas live in there. Catch the famous debate session of the monks before returning back to hotel in Lhasa.

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    After fully explore Lhasa, we’ ll have a chance to get lost in the endless Tibetan landscape while we take a short hike along the turquoise  waters of Lake Yamdrok, one of the four holy lakes in Tibet. This dazzling lake is normally first seen from the summit of the Kamba-la (4700m). The lake lies several hundred metres below the road, and it is shaped like a coiling scorpion. Far in the distance is the huge massif of Mt. Nojin Kangstsang (7191m).

    Afterwards pass by the 5,010 m high Karo-la and the Simi La forward to Gyantse (3,950m). Visit Pelkor Monastery as well as the splendid Kumbum Stupa (100-Thousand-Buddha Pagoda) nearby, both of them built in the15th century and situated in the northwestern edge of Gyantse.

    In the afternoon drive about 90 kilometers to Shigatse (3880m), the second largest city with 40,000 inhabitants in Tibet and the traditional capital of the Tsang.  We drive to the hotel in Shigatse.

    This morning, we will have an opportunity to explore the Tashilumpo Monastery, the holy seat of the Panchen Lama, which is essentially a walled town with cobbled and twisting lanes that revolve around a magnificent monastery.                                         
Then we take a slightly different route back to Lhasa along Yarlung Tsangpo River, be wrapped again in the endless vistas of the Tibetan  plateau.

    After breakfast, we drive to visit Lake Namtso whose purity and solemnness are symbols of Qinghai-Tibet Platean.

    The lake is considered one of the three holy lakes in Tibet and famous for its high altitude (4720 meters), vast area (1961 square kilometers) and beautiful scenery. Being the second largest saltwater lake in China only after Qinghai Lake, Namtso is the biggest lake throughout Tibet. Meanwhile, it is the highest altitude saltwater lake in the world.

    The water here is a storybook crystal-clear blue. Clear skies join its surface in the distance, creating an integrated, scenic vista. Soul of every visitor who has ever been here seems to be cleaned by the pure water. After tour, we drive back to hotel in Lhasa.

Lhasa - Shanghai. 

    Free time at your disposal this morning, explore the bustling markets of the Barkhor to buy some souvenirs for your families and friends. After lunch, we transfer to Lhasa airport where we take a flight back to Shanghai.‍