Classic Tibet Tour with Tsetang

Upon your arrival at the airport, our local guide will meet and welcome you at the arrival hall. First, we will drive for 1.5 hours to Tsetang, which is 100 km east of Lhasa airport. You can see stunning views of the Yarlung Tsangpo River on the way. It is the longest river in Tibet and one of the highest rivers in the world. After your check-in at the hotel, you can have a rest and acclimate yourself to the high altitudes. If you need any help, please feel free to let the guide know.

Yarlung Tsangpo River

Yarlung Tsangpo River

In the morning, you will first visit Yunbulhakang Palace. “Yunbulhakang” means “mother and child palace” in Tibetan. It is the first palace in Tibet and was the summer palace of the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo and his wife Princess Wencheng in Shannan City. The statue of Shakyamuni Buddha is worshiped in Yongbulakang Palace. And the murals inside the palace vividly depict the history of the first king, the first building and the first piece of cultivated land in Tibet. You will have a deep understanding of Tibet culture here.

Then you will visit Trandruk Monastery. Constructed by Songtsen Gampo, Trandruk Monastery is one of the oldest monasteries in Tibet, and it has a history of more than 1,300 years. “Trandruk” means dragon in Chinese. According to legend, this place was a lake in the past. Songtsen Gampo planned to build a monastery here but there was an evil dragon inside the lake. Songtsen Gampo asked two Dharma masters to defeat the evil dragon. After the evil dragon was killed, the lake was dried-out immediately. And then the Trandruk Monastery was built here. Songtsen Gampo and Princess Wencheng often came to Trandruk Monastery to stay a couple of days in ancient times. The stoves and potteries that they have used are still retained in the monastery, and have now become precious cultural relics.

The last stop is the Samye Monastery. Sangye Monastery was built in 775. The whole monastery is facing south, and the layout of the monastery is in accordance with the world structure of the Buddhist scriptures. At the end of the 8th century, Chiksong Deutsen, who was then the king of Tubo Kingdom of Tibet, believed in Buddhism. He invited two Buddhist masters from India to Tibet to promote Buddhism and decided to build a monastery for them. That’s why the Samye Monastery was built.

At last, we will transfer back to Lhasa. It needs to drive for about 2.5 hours(150KM). Lhasa City is to the northwest of Tsetang.

Trandruk Monastery

Samye Monastery

This morning you will visit the Potala Palace. The Potala Palace was built in the 7th century AD during the reign of Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo and has a history of 1300 years. It was built on the hillside with a large area of stone walls, so that the building seems to be integrated with the mountain, which looks superbly and majestic. The Potala Palace is like a jewel enshrined on the Maburi Mountain. Some visitors come here before dawn with holding the prayer wheel and wait for the sunrise to admire the sacred palace view under the morning sunlight.

And then, you will visit the Jokhang Temple that is the oldest surviving earth and wood building in Tibet. With a history of more than 1,300 years, Jokhang Temple has a supreme status in Tibetan Buddhism. No matter when you pass by, you will see devotees bowing in front of the temple gate. About the origin of Jokhang Temple, there is one legend. Princess Wencheng (a princess of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) who married a Tibetan king) once studied the topography of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and found that it is like a supine Rakshasa woman. This devil woman was lying on the ground, head to the east, legs to the west. So Princess Wencheng said that there needs to be a monastery to suppress the devil. Then the Jokhang Temple was built. The original site of Jokhang Temple is located in the heart of the Rakshasa woman.

After that, we will visit Barkhor Street, which is just outside the Jokhang Temple. This is a commercial street as well as a pray road for locals. As you stroll along Barkhor Street, you will feel both the simplicity of the oldest urban area in Tibet and the prosperity and civilization of today. Here you can not only buy thangka, small Buddha statues, Tibetan knives and other handicrafts, but also taste zanba (roasted barley flour), buttered tea, barley wine, and other local cuisines.

After today’s Lhasa city tour, your guide will take you back to the hotel.

Barkhor Street

Jokhang Temple

In the morning, after having breakfast in your hotel, your local guide will meet you at the hotel lobby.  

You will first visit the Drepung Monastery. With an area of 250,000 square meters, it is the largest monastery of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery was built in 1416 and had more than ten thousand of monks in its heyday. It is also famous for the Sunning of the Buddha ceremony during the Shoton Festival. Shoton Festival is the biggest religious festival of Drepung Monastery and one of the biggest festivals in Lhasa. “Shoton” means yogurt in Tibetan. During the festival, people bring yogurt to the monastery to give to the lamas. 

After lunch, we will visit the Sera Monastery. It is very famous for its Buddhist scripture debate. The Buddhist scripture debate garden is at the north end of the passage to the main gate. The debate happens every day. It is for the lamas to learn the Buddhist scripture while debating. Even if you do not understand the scriptures, you will be impressed by the monk's earnestness and thus become immersed in the debate.

Next, we will visit Norbulingka. It is a garden in the western suburbs of Lhasa. It was built in the 1840s (Dalai VII) and was the place where the Dalai Lama spent the summer. Norbulingka is also known as the Summer Palace of Tibet. The only zoo in Lhasa is in Norbulingka. 

After the sightseeing, the guide will take you back to the hotel.

Drepung Monastery

Sera Monastery

Today you can enjoy a free morning, and your guide will make an appointment with you and take you to the airport according to your flight time. A wonderful Tibet vacation is coming to an end, and we hope you enjoyed your trip!

Editor: Summer Hou

Proofreader: Betsy He