The Holy City of Lhasa

Grade 1 2 3 4 5
Grade 2 – Moderate
Tours in the foothills and the lower middle-hills going up to 10,000'/ 3,000m. Roads are generally good, but at times may involve short "off-road" stretches. Average driving is 3-5 hours a day.

Click here for a full explanation of Trip Difficulty Grading

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Tour Difficulty Grading

Our Nepal and Bhutan tours are graded easy to moderate, involving activities such as driving, sightseeing, short walks, boating, canoe and elephant rides. They take you to the foothills of the Himalaya, well below 10,000'/ 3,000m, or further down to the lowlands. Where long overland drives are involved, we use 4WD Toyota Land Cruiser jeeps for smaller groups and Toyota Coaster minibuses for larger groups. For overland trips between Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Chitwan, we use deluxe tourist bus services. The roads may take us up a Himalayan gorge or through the open plains of the Terai. Wherever they take you to, the views are breathtaking; driving through the land offers spectacular pictures of Nepal's diverse landscapes. Tours are graded on the basis of altitude, road condition, driving hours per day, and length of trip.

Grade 1 – Easy
Tours in the foothills staying below 6,500'/ 2,000m. Roads are relatively good, and average driving is 2-3 hours a day.
Grade 2 – Moderate
Tours in the foothills and the lower middle-hills going up to 10,000'/ 3,000m. Roads are generally good, but at times may involve short "off-road" stretches. Average driving is 3-5 hours a day.
Grade 3 – Challenging
Fairly demanding tours, usually in the high Himalaya, going up to 13,000'/ 4,000m. Roads can be unpaved and bumpy, and will usually take you into uninhabited or sparsely inhabited areas. Average driving is 5-6 hours a day.
Grade 4 – Demanding
These trips require participants to be in good health. All of them take you into the high Himalaya, altitudes ranging from 9,000'/ 2,800m to often in excess of 16,500'/ 5,000m. Roads venture into sparsely populated or uninhabited high-mountain wilderness. Average driving is 6-9 hours a day.
Note on altitudes
The altitude definitions indicate elevations through the major part of the tour. Tours usually involve side-trips into elevations exceeding the altitude ranges defined for their grades. Grade 3 & 4 tour itineraries are designed to allow proper acclimatization, with acclimatization days when we take exploratory trips to higher elevations.

 

5 days – Lhasa and surroundings
  • Tours of the Potala, Norbu Lingka, the Jokhang and Barkhor, and Sera and Drepung monasteries
  • Flights over the Himalaya between Kathmandu and Lhasa
The Holy City of Lhasa | 5 daysOur shortest recommended Tibet tour shows you the major landmarks and points of interest in and around Lhasa. You take the spectacular flight from Kathmandu over Mt. Everest & the Himalaya to Lhasa. The next three days are spent exploring the shrines and landmarks of the Holy City and monasteries in the vicinity.

The 17th century Potala dominates Lhasa and is now a museum housing priceless treasures. You will find the Tibetan spirit alive and well at the pilgrimage circuit of Barkhor around the Jokhang, the holiest of Tibetan shrines. The quantity of offerings at Norbu Lingka, the summer palace of the Dalai Lamas, bears testimonial to the powerful belief of the Tibetan people in their religious and spiritual leader. You visit Sera and Drepung, two of the four great monasteries of the Gelugpa (Yellow hat) sect of Tibetan Buddhism, that flourished until recently; small numbers of monks now live in them.

This is a superb introduction to the religious and cultural heritage of Tibet.

Trip Itinerary

Day 1  Fly Kathmandu – Gongkar; drive to Lhasa.
Day 2  Morning tour of the Potala. Afternoon tour of the Jokhang and Barkhor.
Day 3  Morning tour of Norbulingka. Afternoon tour of Drepung monastery.
Day 4  Morning tour of Ani Sangkhung Nunnery and Sera monastery. Afternoon at leisure.
Day 5  Drive to Gongkar airport for onward flight to Kathmandu or Chengdu.

Dates and Pricing

Aug 9 - Aug 13
Aug 23 - Aug 27
Sep 6 - Sep 10
Sep 20 - Sep 24
Oct 4 - Oct 8

Oct 18 - Oct 22
Nov 1 - Nov 5
Nov 15 - Nov 19
Nov 29 - Dec 3
Dec 13 - Dec 17

  Standard Hotels
4 - 5 personsUS$ 750
6 - 8 personsUS$ 665
9 - 12 personsUS$ 610
Single room supplement US$ 150
Airfare Kathmandu - Lhasa - KathmanduUS$ 747
Cost Information
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Cost Information

The tour cost quoted is the cost per person, and includes:

  • Hotels: Accommodations on twin / triple room-sharing basis with breakfast.
  • Tours: All sightseeing tours with a certified native English-speaking guide.
  • Transfers: All land transfers by car (Toyota Corolla or similar) or van (Toyota Hiace or similar).
  • Permits, Fees, & Taxes: All applicable monastery entry fees on sightseeing tours, Tibet permit (ATP) fees, and taxes.

Not included in the cost are:

  • Airfare Kathmandu - Lhasa. Airfares quoted are subject to change without notice.
  • China group visa fee (US$ 145 for U.S. nationals, US$ 85 for non-U.S. nationals – subject to change without notice).
  • Meals other than breakfast.
  • Personal clothing & equipment (upon confirmation you’ll receive a clothing & necessity checklist of items we recommend you bring).
  • Personal expenses, bottled / alcoholic beverages, and tips to crew.
  • Insurance: We strongly recommend that all trip participants be covered by their own personal insurance that also covers emergency evacuation.
  • Photography charges Some places may charge for taking photographs.
  • Other unforeseeable expenses that may arise due to factors beyond our control, such as landslides or flight cancellations.
  • Nepal re-entry visa It is advisable to get a double- / multiple-entry visa for Nepal.

 
  Standard Hotels
LhasaHotel Dhood Gu
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