B-- Breakfast L-- Lunch D-- Dinner
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Day 1 Arrival in Lhasa Sincere greetings & airport-hotel transfer.
Upon your arrival at the Lhasa airport, your tour guide will greet you and escort you to your hotel and help you get checked in. You will have the rest of the day and evening to rest and relax to become acclimatized to the higher altitude of Tibet.
Accommodation: Lhasa Economic/Comfortable Standard Hotel (Twin sharing)
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Day 2 Lhasa Sightseeing Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street (B)
After breakfast at the hotel, we will visit the incredible Potala Palace – the highest palace in the world. As we climb to the entrance gate, you will have a spectacular view over all of Lhasa. After exploring the numerous interesting chapels and learning about the traditional culture and history of the palace and the city, we will move on to the spiritually significant Jokhang Temple, one of the most important temples in Tibetan Buddhism. To see the “real” Lhasa, we’ll stroll through Barkhor Street with its thriving local market where you can pick up some local Tibetan, Nepalese and Indian handicrafts and souvenirs.
Accommodation: Lhasa Economic/Comfortable Standard Hotel (Twin sharing)
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Day 3 Traditional Handicraft Art Center Experience - Sera Monastery Debates
This day will give you the opportunity to fully immerse yourself in Tibetan culture as you will be involved in the hands-on process of the traditional Tibetan handicrafts; then witness a truly Tibetan tradition with the debating monks at one of Tibetan Buddhhim's holiest monasteries - the Sera Monastery. After breakfast, in the ethereal morning rays of light of a Lhasa morning, we will learn how to make traditional Tibetan cuisine in a typical Tibetan setting. Dishes will include Kasei (fried dough foods), Tsampa (roasted barley) with butter and cheese, Tibetan butter tea, and other tasty Tibetan treats. After learning the essence of Tibetan cooking, we will move on to Tibetan Traditional Handicraft Art Center by bus. This treasure house of Tibetan culture will teach you all about various Tibetan costumes as you learn how to make Tibetan incense, the methods behind Tibetan calligraphy, how to create thangka (Tibetan Buddhist painting), and the secrets of block printing.
Having mastered the art of Tibetan handicrafts, we will move on to visit the holy Sera Monastery, which is held in the courtyard almost every day between 3 and 5:30 p.m. Please note that in case of some special monastery activities such as the Dharma Meeting or the reception of VIPs, the monk debates may be canceled that day. After our visit to the monastery, feel free to stroll around the streets of Lhasa as you absorb the atmosphere and spirit of the devoted Tibetan people or you may return to your hotel to rest and relax from this wonderful Tibetan cultural experience.Accommodation: Lhasa Economic/Comfortable Standard Hotel (Twin sharing)
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Day 4 Lhasa - Gyantse - Shigatse Yamdrok Lake, Karola Glacier, Kumbum Monastery(B)
This morning we’ll take a drive up to the Kampala Pass (elevation 4797 meters) where you’ll have a glimpse of Yamdrok Lake down below as well as spectacular views of the holy Mount Nyenchen Khangsar in the distance. You will want to have your camera at the ready for the turquoise waters of Yamdrok Lake, which is one of the three holy lakes of Tibet, and the beautiful Mt. Nyenchen Khangsar glacier as seen from the Karola Pass. Later on we’ll be able to visit the Karola Glacier before continuing along the southern Friendship Highway to Gyantse, where you will be able to see the famous Gyantse Kumbum, one of the most stunning architectural wonders in Tibet. Late in the afternoon we will continue on to Shigatse where we will spend the night.
Accommodation: Shigatse Economic/Comfortable Standard Hotel (Twin sharing)
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Day 5 Shigatse - Tingri - Everest Base Camp Rongphu Monastery, sunset at EBC(B)
After breakfast we’ll set out towards the peak of the world – Mount Everest. Departing from Shigatse and traveling via Lhatse and Tingri, you will see some of the most beautiful and unique scenery in the world – incredibly blue skies, floating high clouds, endless grasslands and the highest mountain peaks in the world. We’ll also stop by the Rongbuk Monastery – the world’s highest altitude monastery before spending the night at the Everest Base Camp.
Accommodation: EBC Tent or Rongphu Guest House (Dorm bed with humble facility)
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Day 6 Everest Base Camp - Tingri - Shigatse Sunrise at Everest Base Camp(B)
Enjoy a breathtaking sunrise at the Everest Base Camp before we journey back through the spectacular scenery to spend the night again in Shigatse.
Accommodation: Shigatse Econimic/Comfortable Standard Hotel (Twin Sharing)
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Day 7 Shigatse - Lhasa Tashilunpo Monastery(B)
We will get an early start today to visit the Tashilunpo Monastery, which was founded in 1447 by the 1st Dalai Lama. After visiting this ancient monastery, one of the most important sites in Tibetan Buddhism, we will head back to Lhasa in the afternoon.
Accommodation: Lhasa Economic/Comfortable Standard Hotel (Twin sharing)
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Day 8 Depart from Lhasa Airport/Train Station Drop off(B)
Today you will have free time until your tour guide escorts you to the Lhasa train station or airport for your departing train or flight from Lhasa. This will end your tour services in Tibet.
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