Six Days Tour: ​Experiencing the Hot Springs

Total Fair From $620 per person.

ITINERARY IN SHORT

  • Day 1: Arrival and pick up, either, at the Gongkar airport or at the Libu train station in Lhasa
  • Day 2: Lhasa sightseeing: Bakhor street, Johkang Temple and Drepung Monastery.
  • Day 3: Lhasa sightseeing: Potala Palace and Sera Monastery.
  • Day 4: Tour to Ganden monastery, Hot Spring and Terdrom Nunnery. Stop along the way in rural Tibetan village.
  • Day 5: Terdrom Nunnery to Lhasa. Stop to visit Drigung monastery.
  • Day 6: End of tour. Your tour guide will arrange transportation to either the Gongkar airport or the Libu train station in Lhasa
  • :

Important notice when you visit the Potala Palace

 

To protect the Potala Palace, a limited number of tourists can go inside. The palace is made of clay and wood, and has become very fragile over the years, thus it is very easy to damage it if too many tourists enter at the same time. Visiting time inside the Palace is restricted to no more than two hours. Due to crowding conditions, tickets are very limited, especially during the summer high season. Sightseeing may also be changed from morning to afternoon, or switched from one day to another according to the situation or the space available.

Please be flexible to this possibility.

  1. Please bring your passport

  2. Tickets should be booked one day in advance

  3. The visit cannot be scheduled ahead of time, the ticketing officer will let your tour guide know when there is availability

  4. You should be at the first security checkpoint one hour ahead of the scheduled time of visit, if you are late then you will not be allowed to re-book a ticket for one week

Services included and excluded in this tour


The following 15 services are included:

  1. Payment for Tibet travel permit and all other necessaries permits to Tibet

  2. All entrance ticket fees for all tourist sites listed in the itinerary

  3. Meals as specified in the itinerary.

  4. Local tour Transfers, 5-29 seats comfortable tourist vehicle to accommodate Group Size.

  5. Professional English-speaking Tibetan local tour guide

  6. Comfortable hotel accommodations

  7. About your hotel accommodation: you will need to share a room with another member but if you prefer to be by yourself, you will need to pay a single room supplement.

  8. Breakfast in hotels

  9. Arrangements including planning, handling, operational and communication charges.

  10. Welcome Group dinner at a local restaurant in Lhasa.

  11. Transportation between Lhasa Gongkar airport or train station and your hotel.

  12. Welcome dinner is only possible in Group tours after your arrival in Tibet.

  13. Tibet Handy Map

  14. Drinking water at the tour bus during travel

  15. Shared oxygen tank inside the tour bus
The following 6 services are excluded:

  1. International flight in and out of China

  2. Domestic flight/train in and out of Lhasa. (We can provide you the domestic flight/train ticket booking service at the BEST discount price, please contact our travel experts for further details.)

  3. Lunches and dinners are not included. The cost is usually about $3-15 per person per meal in TAR (Tibet Autonomous Region).

  4. Personal expenses, like laundry, phone call, snacks, soft drinks (please avoid alcoholic beverages during your Tibetan trip), optional tour activities, etc

  5. Tips to your tour guide and driver

  6. Travel insurance covers trips cancellation cost in emergency evacuations, due to bad weather condition, avalanche, or natural disasters

The total fare for ​Experiencing the Hot Springs

  1. Price: From $620 per person.

  2. Tour Type: Join-in small group with fixed departure.

  3. Trip Level: Easy – suitable for all level of fitness, family with kids and senior groups.

  4. Group Size: Max 6-12
  • Day 1: Arrival and pick up, either, at the Gongkar airport or at the Libu train station in Lhasa
  • Day 2: Lhasa sightseeing: Bakhor street, Johkang Temple and Drepung Monastery.
  • Day 3: Lhasa sightseeing: Potala Palace and Sera Monastery.
  • Day 4: Tour to Ganden monastery, Hot Spring and Terdrom Nunnery. Stop along the way in rural Tibetan village.
  • Day 5: Terdrom Nunnery to Lhasa. Stop to visit Drigung monastery.
  • Day 6: End of tour. Your tour guide will arrange transportation to either the Gongkar airport or the Libu train station in Lhasa
  • :

Itinerary in Detail

Day 1

You will arrive at Lhasa either by fly or by train. Your Tibetan guide and driver will take you to your hotel in Lhasa city. The distance from the airport to Lhasa is about 70km, approximately 1:30 hrs. drive. The distance from the train station is only 25km, about 30 minutes’ drive. Check in the hotel and relax the rest of the day to acclimatize your body to the new altitude and alleviate the jet lag.

Day 2

On the second day you’ll visit Jokhang temple, bustling Bakhor Street and Drepung monastery. Today is your first day on the high plateau and some of you may have a headache. This is very common for all travelers because of the high altitude, so drink enough water and avoid strenuous activity during this first few days to help you adjust to it. In the morning our guide will meet you at the hotel to visit the Jokhang Temple in the center of the old Lhasa city.
Jokhang temple is one of the most sacred temples of Tibet and it has always been bustled with earnest local pilgrims. After the visit you will have time to walk around the Bakhor Street, one of the most devotional circuit as well as the most crowded central market in Lhasa. In the old days, it was the most famous local market but nowadays it has evolved into a very touristic gift shopping center.  You will be impressed by the crowds of local pilgrims doing prostration in front of the temple, especially during the winter months.
Drepung Monastery is one of the world’s largest monasteries, housing more than 10,000 monks. It was the residence of the Dalai Lama prior to moving to the Potala Palace. Destruction has taken place at different times, but you can still fully enjoy it. You can walk through numbers of narrow and twisted lanes of monks’ apartments, which are more like a typical village. Continue acclimatizing and alleviating jet lag rest of the day.
At the end of the tour we’ll take you back to your respective hotel.

Day 3

Visit the Potala Palace and the Sera monastery.
This morning you will visit the Potala palace, the cardinal landmark of Tibet and the masterpiece of Tibetan architecture. It was built by 33rd King Songtsen Gangpo in the 7th century and, later in the 17th century, rebuilt by the 5th Dalai Lama. Since then, it served as the home to the Dalai Lama and his government. Walking though the long steps is quite challenging, but it is worthwhile to leave your footprints in the spiritual palace on God’s compassion, listed in the world heritage in 1994.
This memorable day will end with a visit to the Sera Monastery.  It was built in the 15th century by the Jamchen choji Sakya Yeshi who was a disciple of Tsongka pa. The monastic colleges in Sera house several hundred monks from different parts of Tibet. The famous Buddhist philosophical debates among the monks takes place every afternoon except on Sundays. Continue acclimatizing to the new altitude and alleviating your jet lag the rest of the day.
We’ll take you back to your hotel after the tour.

Day 4

We will drive from Lhasa to Terdom Nunnery and hot springs, stopping to visit the Ganden monastery, and along the way enjoying several rural Tibetan villages. Total distance 180km, approximately 3.5hrs drive
Today we will drive to the East of Lhasa, our destination of the day is Terdrom Nunnery, located in the Drigung valley. Terdrom nunnery is well known for retreat and meditation since the 8th century. At that time, Gurupadmasambava and his consort Khadro Yeshi Tsogyal used the site to meditate and the caves are open to visitors. The hot spring is also popular for its natural healing powers and you will have a chance to enjoy it in the afternoon.
We will visit the famous Ganden monastery. It was founded by Tsongkapa in 15th century and later became one of the main Buddhist learning center for Gelugpa sect (one of the four sects in Tibetan Buddhism). The monastery is located on the top of the Wango hill (4500m) and from there you will see the Khyichu Valley.
Overnight stay at local guesthouse or hotel.

Day 5

This day we will drive back to Lhasa via Drikong Til monastery, 170km, approximately 3hrs.  Before leaving the Drigung valley, we will visit the Drigung monastery, located on the slopes of a steep cliff overlooking the valley. This monastery has a high reputation for its excellence in meditation. Among the Tibetans, Drigung monastery is well known for its holy sky burial site. However, the site is strictly forbidden to tourist travelers, because in the past some tourists disobeyed the local rules and took photos of the sky burial site which resulted in the violation of our local culture and tradition. We ask you to please respect the norms and don’t request your guide to take you there, which could put him/her in a difficult situation. You will get back to Lhasa in the afternoon on time to explore the town on your own.
Overnight stay at your hotel in Lhasa

Day 6

Your personal driver and the guide will take you to the Lhasa Gongkar airport or Libu train station and your tour around Lhasa city will end here.

Important notice when you visit the Potala Palace

 

To protect the Potala Palace, a limited number of tourists can go inside. The palace is made of clay and wood, and has become very fragile over the years, thus it is very easy to damage it if too many tourists enter at the same time. Visiting time inside the Palace is restricted to no more than two hours. Due to crowding conditions, tickets are very limited, especially during the summer high season. Sightseeing may also be changed from morning to afternoon, or switched from one day to another according to the situation or the space available.

Please be flexible to this possibility.

  1. Please bring your passport

  2. Tickets should be booked one day in advance

  3. The visit cannot be scheduled ahead of time, the ticketing officer will let your tour guide know when there is availability

  4. You should be at the first security checkpoint one hour ahead of the scheduled time of visit, if you are late then you will not be allowed to re-book a ticket for one week

Services included and excluded in this tour


The following 15 services are included:

  1. Payment for Tibet travel permit and all other necessaries permits to Tibet

  2. All entrance ticket fees for all tourist sites listed in the itinerary

  3. Meals as specified in the itinerary.

  4. Local tour Transfers, 5-29 seats comfortable tourist vehicle to accommodate Group Size.

  5. Professional English-speaking Tibetan local tour guide

  6. Comfortable hotel accommodations

  7. About your hotel accommodation: you will need to share a room with another member but if you prefer to be by yourself, you will need to pay a single room supplement.

  8. Breakfast in hotels

  9. Arrangements including planning, handling, operational and communication charges.

  10. Welcome Group dinner at a local restaurant in Lhasa.

  11. Transportation between Lhasa Gongkar airport or train station and your hotel.

  12. Welcome dinner is only possible in Group tours after your arrival in Tibet.

  13. Tibet Handy Map

  14. Drinking water at the tour bus during travel

  15. Shared oxygen tank inside the tour bus
The following 6 services are excluded:

  1. International flight in and out of China

  2. Domestic flight/train in and out of Lhasa. (We can provide you the domestic flight/train ticket booking service at the BEST discount price, please contact our travel experts for further details.)

  3. Lunches and dinners are not included. The cost is usually about $3-15 per person per meal in TAR (Tibet Autonomous Region).

  4. Personal expenses, like laundry, phone call, snacks, soft drinks (please avoid alcoholic beverages during your Tibetan trip), optional tour activities, etc

  5. Tips to your tour guide and driver

  6. Travel insurance covers trips cancellation cost in emergency evacuations, due to bad weather condition, avalanche, or natural disasters

The total fare for ​Experiencing the Hot Springs

  1. Price: From $620 per person.

  2. Tour Type: Join-in small group with fixed departure.

  3. Trip Level: Easy – suitable for all level of fitness, family with kids and senior groups.

  4. Group Size: Max 6-12