The most popular gateway cities to fly into Lhasa are Chengdu and Beijing in China and Kathmandu in Nepal. If you are flying from Chengdu or Beijing or other mainland Chinese cities, please allow minimum a day there to collect the original permit that is required to board in the plane. If you are flying out of Kathmandu, then you need to allow 3 days in Kathmandu to obtain your Chinese Visa and Tibet permits.
Upon arrival, you will meet your Guide and driver outside the airport and then transfer to your hotel in the city (65km, 1 hr). Check in hotel and take rest for the balance of the day for acclimatization. By now, you must have already started feeling the effects of altitude that includes mild headache, light -headedness, disorientation etc. Drink plenty of water and liquid food in meals.

Following breakfast, we drive 8km west of central Lhasa to visit Drepung Monastery which was once world's largest monasteries with around 10,000 resident monks! Drepung Monastery was the home to the Dalai Lamas and the power centre of Tibet, until the 5th built Potala Palace. We visit the Ganden Palace, the main assembly hall and the several chapels and colleges. The monastery also commands the panoramic views of the valley.
We visit Jokhang Temple-built in the 7th century by King Songtsen Gampo to house the image of Buddha brought as a part of dowry. Jokhang Temple is the most revered of all religious shrines in Tibet. Thick with the smell of butter lamps and burning incense, the murmur of sacred Tibetan mantras, prostrating Tibetan devotees, visiting Jokhang is indeed an unrivalled Tibetan experience. We visit the various chapels of the temple and later, we take leisurely walking tour of the old town. The Tibetan old town is the refuge for the soul of Lhasa. The walk takes us in the craft workshops, back-street chapels and pilgrimage path with the Tibetan devotees spinning prayer wheels or counting beads with the murmur of sacred mantras.

If you are interested taking Lingkhor walking tour that finishes in Potala Palace, we need to start a bit early. We transfer by car to Dickey Lam (Deji Zhonglu in Chinese) and join the hundreds of Tibetan pilgrims heading to the Potala. The trail takes us through the rock carvings, a chorten built entirely of the carved money stones. Take chance to watch the Tibetans rubbing their backs, shoulders and hips against a series of polished holy stones at the intersection of Beijing Road and Dickey Lam. We continue east to the Golden Yak Statue and time permitting, we climb the view point just above the white chorten for photography opportunity. By now, it must be time for us to enter the Potala Palace-Lhasa's cardinal landmark. Situated atop Marpo Ri, 130m high hill, with a commanding view of all Lhasa, Potala Palace is one of the great wonders of world architecture. The complex has two palaces-White Palace and the main Red Palace. The White Palace houses the throne rooms of the 13th and 14th Dalai Lamas, a reception hall, meditation room and the bedroom of Dalai Lamas. The Red Palace has various chapels and the tombs of Dalai Lamas. Photography inside the palace is forbidden. Now , we head to Sera Monastery which lies about 3 miles north of central Lhasa. Sera Monastery is one of Lhasa's two great Gelugpa institutions, second only to Drepung. Founded in the early 15th century by Sakya Yeshe-a disciple of Tsongkhapa, Sera Monastery was once home to more than 5000 monks. The monk population is now limited to 500 or so. As the chapels start closing at 3 p.m., we first explore the various chapels of the monastery and then attend the debating ceremony of the monks which takes place between 3 pm and 5 pm. If you are not interested seeing chapels, you can take hike on the pilgrimage path of the monastery which takes less than an hour.

Following breakfast, we set out on the high roads of Tibet and cross two high passes-Kamba La (15,700 ft) and Karo La (16,500ft). The passes are marked by the prayer flags offered by the devout Tibetans who pay for the success of the trips. We stop in the passes for a while to enjoy the views of the snow capped mountains and the vast Tibetan plains. We can also take a fun ride of decorated yaks. We will enjoy a scenic drive along the shores of Yamdrok-Tso Lake which is one of the holiest lakes of Tibet. Near the shores of the lake, we visit Samding Monastery-an unusual monastery-traditionally headed by a female incarnate Lama named Dorje Phangmo. The monastery, situated on a ridge, provides excellent views of the plain and the mountains to the south. We arrive at our hotel in Gyantse late afternoon. We check in hotel and take rest for the balance of the day.

Gyantse, once used to be the third largest town of Tibet after Lhasa and Shigatse. Now that Tibet has gone through a vast change and new towns like Bayi and Tsedang have emerged, but Gyantse largely remains a small town with laid-back atmosphere. Today we visit Pelkore Chode Monastery and Kumbum Stupa that shares the same compound. Founded in the early 15th century, the compound once housed 15 monasteries that brought together three different sects of Buddhism-Gelugpa, Sakyapa and Buton. Now, the monastery has a small monk population but still attracts a steady stream of praying and prostrating pilgrims. We visit the main assembly hall of the monastery (bring a flash light as its dark inside). Next we visit the adjoining Kumbum Stupa which is the landmark of Gyantse, visible from far away. The 115 ft high structure with its white layers with decorative stripes and crown-like golden dome is simply awe-inspiring. Walking enthusiasts can take a stiff 20 minute climb to the top of Gyantse Dzong which is worth for the great views of the monastery and the town. We explore the 14th-century fort's buildings and chambers. There are a few of interesting murals as well.
Later on, we drive to Shigatse-the second largest city of Tibet. The road passes through the fertile Nyanchu Valley with a wide agricultural plain. On the way, we might see Tibetan farmers with their colourfully decorated yaks and horses tilling the land. About 13 miles before Shigatse, we take Shalu Monastery turn off to visit the 11th century monastery which has a great importance in local history and culture. The monastery is the seat of Buddhist sub-order Buton. We retrace drive to the main highway and continue on to Shigatse. After wash and change in our hotel, we quickly set out to visit the massive Tashi lunbo Monastery - the principal seat of Panchen Lama-Tibet’s second most revered religious leader after Dalai Lama. Time permitting; we will visit the Tibetan market in front of the Tenzin Hotel which is a good bargain place for Tibetan handicrafts such as prayer wheels, thangka painting etc.

The journey involves crossing of two high passes Tropu La (16,236 ft) and Gyatso La (17,122 ft); cuts through several picturesque villages and we will have spectacular mountain views at our left all the time. About 72 miles after Shigatse, we will take detour of Sakya Village -which is about 17 miles off the main highway, accessed via a newly built road through a farming land. The main attraction here is the monastery-the principal seat of Sakyapa Sect of Tibetan Buddhism that holds an important place in Tibetan history. Upon arrival at Shegar, we check in our hotel.

Following breakfast, Enjoy stupendous views of several 8 thousands like Makalu; Lhotse, Cho Oyu and Mount Everest from the top of Pang-la pass (5120m/16,794 ft). We pass through some tiny picturesque Tibetan villages before we arrive at Rongbuk Monastery, situated an altitude of 4980m (16,334ft) is claimed to be the highest monastery in the world. Tonight we will stay in monastery guest house which is simple and basic.

It’s about 1 to 1 ½ hr walking with soft altitude gain from the monastery to the Everest Base Camp. We enjoy unobstructed views of the mighty mountain from bottom to the top and other neighboring peaks. On the return, we may opt to take horse carriage ride. We collect our luggage and head back to the highway. We might stop at a small Tibetan village of Tingri for lunch break. We continue our drive on the Friendship Highway towards southern frontier of Tibet. Leaving Old Tingri behind, we will see the Peigu Tso Lake and Mt. Shishapangma before climbing to the Gong Thang la pass (5230m), then the road coils down toward the happy valley known as Kyirong in Tibetan language at an elevation of 3300m. Upon arrival, we check in the hotel and spend the last night in Tibet as your trip comes to an end.

Following breakfast, we will drive 24km down to the border bridge between China’s Tibet and Nepal. Clear the immigration formalities and enter into Nepal. Bid farewell to Tibetan guide and driver. End of service.