Lhasa to Lhasa via Everest Base Camp

Following the breakfast on the second day of the Lhasa Tour, we will head towards Potala Palace, which is considered Lhasa’s signature landmark. Once the seat of the government of Tibet and the winter place of the Dalai Lamas, the 13-story palace is situated at the Red Hill about 130m-high from the ground. Built-in the 1600s, it is an architectural wonder even by modern standards.

You will get truly enthralled as you pass across the dozens of magnificent chapels, golden stupas and prayer halls. Before the construction of the current structure was started by the fifth Dalai Lama in 1645, King Songsten Gampo built the Red and White palace on the site during the 7th century. The current landmark required 50 years to complete. The layout of the palace included the rooftop White Palace (eastern side), which serves as the living quarters of the Dalai Lama and the Red Palace (central side), which is used for religious functions.

The most mesmerizing part of the Red Palace is the golden chorten tombs of several previous Dalai Lamas, embellished with jewels. It also houses many rare cultural relics, including the gold hand-written Buddhist scriptures, valuable gifts from the Chinese emperors and a lot of precious antiques. Tickets for Potala Palace are limited, and your guide needs to book a time slot a few days before your trip. Note: Photography is prohibited inside the chapels.

The second sight to see is Norbulingka Palace, also known as the Summer Palace, which is located about 1 km west of the Potala Palace. The 7th Dalai Lama built the first summer palace in 1755 and every successor added his own building until the 14th Dalai Lama’s exile in 1959. Currently, the complex, which represents a unique representation of Tibetan palace architecture, contains a small zoo, a mansion and botanical gardens. The annual Sho Dun or “Yoghurt Festival” is held in the palace. It is considered the largest human-made garden in Tibet and is listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Next, we will explore the Tibet Museum, which is located in an L-shaped building located below the Potala on the corner of Norbulingka Road. Built-in 1999, it’s the first large and modern museum in the Tibet Autonomous Region. The is a collection of over 500,000 artefacts, including Buddha statues, pottery and jade, that are related to the cultural history of Tibet.

About 5 km north of Lhasa lies Sera Monastery, founded in 1419 by a disciple of Tsongkhapa. Around 600 monks reside in the monastery, where about 5000 monks resided during its heyday. The most interesting thing in the monastery is the hundreds of monk debating from 3 pm to 5 pm in a garden near the assembly hall. We suggest you don’t miss the hour-long pilgrim circuit (kora) around the monastery’s exterior. Built in the seventh century, it is one of the most ancient Buddhist pilgrims in the Lhasa region. It’s also known as Wild Rose Monastery based on the fact that the hill behind the monastery was filled with wild roses (known as “sera” in Tibetan) during the time of its construction.

Our next visit will be to another great monastery of Tibet, Deprung Monastery. Situated at the base of the Mountain Gambo Utse, it is extended in 250,000 square meters. It is the largest and richest monastery in the world built in the 14th century, which lies 10 km west from the old city of Lhasa. It was believed to be the residence of about 10,000 monks in its heyday, but, as of now, only a few hundreds have sheltered here. This marvelous monastery strongly reflects the history, culture and religious beliefs of the Tibetan people. Constructed by Tsong Khapa’s disciple of Jamyang Qoigyi, it served as the mother temple for Dalai Lamas and it was also the place where second, third, fourth and fifth Dalai Lamas were dignified with their titles. The ground monastery with two magnificent pagodas is organized on the caves and temples for Jamang Qoigyi. The major buildings in the monastery are four Tantric Colleges (Zhacangs in Tibetan), Ganden Potrang, Coquen Hall and Kamcuns. Additionally, the significant cultural relics like exquisite statues of Manjushri Bodhisattva, Tsong Khapa, Amitayus and Kwan-yin Bodhisattva in sutra halls and floral murals on the walls have increased its significance.

The next precious landmark to explore on the third day is Jokhang Temple, the sacred and significant temple in Tibet. The spiritual heart of Tibet welcomes a lot of pilgrims from all sects of Buddhism. The temple was built by King Songsten Gampo for his brides, Nepalese Princess Bhrikuti and Chinese Princess Wencheng, to house the statues of Buddha brought by the princesses as a part of the dowry. The temple also house statues of the King Songsten and his foreign brides. The original statue of Jowo Sakyamuni Buddha that Princess Wencheng got from Chang’an over thousand years ago is the most sacred and popular possession or the most venerated religious artifact in all of Tibet. It was announced a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

Another sight to watch in the old section of Tibet is Barkhor Bazaar, a circular street around the Jokhang Temple. It’s the oldest street in a very traditional style in Tibet, where you can buy the rare handicrafts with the local Tibetan vendors. Barkhor Street is one of the most pilgrimage paths where devotees walk around Jokhang Temple while turning prayer wheels with their hands. The street paved by hand-polished stone boards is a magical place, which showcases the outlook of Lhasa. Believe your eyes, and you’ll get a handful of surprises in this place full of religious atmosphere.

On the fourth day of our this Lhasa tour package, we take a scenic drive to Gyantse, passing through the Kamba La Pass (4,794 m) enjoying the wonderful scenery of Yamdrok Tso (Turquoise Lake), the largest sacred lake in Tibet and the beautiful Nazin Kang Sang glacier. Soon, we will cross another high mountain pass at an elevation of 5,010 m, Karo La Pass. We can enjoy the captivating and true beauty of nature while watching the scenery of massive glaciers falling down into the road, before reaching Gyantse. We will visit the Kumbum Stupa, Phalkot Monastery and Gyantse Dzong in Gyantse.

Kumbum Stupa, located in Huangzhong County, Qinghai (about 25 km away from Xining), is 32m high chörten, with its white layers trimmed with decorative stripes and golden dome and the interior impressively decorated by exquisite ancient paintings. It’s a group of the combination of fine buildings featuring both the Han and Tibetan styles of architecture on the mountain slopes. With 9,300 rooms and 52 halls, the palace consists of Buddhist halls, sleeping quarters and courtyards echoing each other, thus enhancing the beauty of the whole place. 260 km distance from Lhasa to Gyantse should approximately take six hours of driving. Stay overnight in Gyantse.

On the fifth day morning after breakfast, we drive towards the second largest city in Tibet, Shigatse. On the way, we will explore Shalu Monastery, founded in 1040 by Chetsun Sherab Jungnay. It was renowned as a center of scholarly learning and psychic training for centuries. It was an important center of the Sakya tradition and first of the major monasteries built by nobles families of the Tsangpa. Its mural paintings are considered to be the most antique in Tibet. The ground floor of the monastery has Sakyamuni and his disciples enshrined and the chapels house the holy books of Buddhism, Tanjur and Kanjur. The massive delicate and old murals covering the wall of the monasteries will help you visualize the most depicting stories from the life of the Buddha.

While continuing to Shigatse, we will visit popular Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, the home of Panchen Lama. The monastery, founded by the first Dalai Lama, Gendun Drup, in 1447, holds both the historical and cultural importance of Tibet. Rest of the time, we will rest and get prepared for the next day’s long drive. Overnight in Shigatse.

After breakfast, we drive to Ronbuk, beginning the sixth day of our trip through some beautiful villages and getting the first view of Mount Everest from the foot of Gyatso La Pass at the elevation of 5,220m. On the way to Ronbuk, we visit Sakya Monastery, which is also known as Pel Sakya, located around 127 km west of Shigatse. It is the ancestral temple of the Sakyapa sect of Tibetan Buddhism, which provides access to the Buddha’s teachings. The monastery was founded in 1073 by Konchok Gyelpo, Nyingmapa monk of the powerful noble family of the Tsang. It also features some age-old artworks of Tibet, which have remained untouched for centuries. After 1959 Lhasa uprising to protect the 14th Dalai Lama, the majority of monks from Sakya Monastery were forced to leave.

Finally, we reach the Ronbuk Monastery, which is located at the foot of the mighty Everest. It’s the highest monastery in the world, where we can enjoy the stunning mountainous scenery around us, including the majestic view of the north face of Mount Everest. Overnight in Ronbuk.

Early in the morning of Day 7, we will drive to Everest Base Camp (at the elevation of 5,250m), the foot of the world’s highest mountain. On the way, we will be awarded by the spectacular views of 3 mountain peaks above 8 thousands, including Shishapangma (8,013m), Cho Oyu (8,201m), and the Everest (8,848m, known as Mt. Chomolongma on the Tibetan side and Sagarmatha on the Nepalese side). One of our major accomplishments of this day will be the glimpse of marvelous Ronbuk glacier. Despite the challenges that you face at that altitude, the time you spent at the foot of the world’s highest summit, will remain as a heavenly experience in your mind forever. Eventually, we will head back to Lhasa.

Our Lhasa to Lhasa tour via Everest Base Camp comes to an end. It’s time to organize the photographs, the experiences of your most important 7 days of your life into a memory file. If you manage some time, you can utilize it in sightseeing. Our agent will take us to the airport or the train station for our next journey.