Lhasa Trekking | Tibet Lhasa City + Tsurphu Monastery to Yangbajing Trekking 9-Day 8-Night Classic Tour

Tashi Delek! Welcome to the City of Sunlight - Lhasa. Upon arrival, our driver will meet you at the airport or train station exit and transfer you to your hotel in downtown Lhasa for check-in and rest. For the remaining time, you can rest well at the hotel and let your body slowly adapt to the high-altitude environment. Arrival Suggestions By plane: Lhasa Gonggar Airport is the main gateway airport of Tibet, with direct flights to and from Chengdu (most popular), Chongqing, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xining, Kunming, Shangri-La and other cities. In addition, it has the only direct international flight to and from Kathmandu, Nepal. By train: Taking the Qinghai-Tibet Railway into Tibet is also a very popular choice. You can take the train to Tibet from Xining (the starting point of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, 21h), Chengdu (36.5h), Chongqing (35.5h), Beijing (40.5h), Shanghai (47h), Guangzhou (52.5h), Xi'an (31h), Lanzhou (24.5h) and other cities. Warm tips: Do not do strenuous exercise on the day of arrival in Lhasa, and do not take a shower that night to prevent catching a cold. Do not drink alcohol. Drink more water and eat fruit, and do not overeat. Rest more. You may bring American ginseng lozenges or health supplements such as Rhodiola and Gao Yuan An to relieve altitude sickness. Follow the guide's arrangements, try not to go out for activities, and maintaining a calm mindset and adequate rest is the best way to prevent altitude sickness. If you feel unwell, go to the hospital for treatment in time.

After breakfast, go to visit the Jokhang Temple, the holy place in the hearts of Tibetan Buddhist believers. [Jokhang Temple] was first built in 647 AD and has a history of 1,350 years. It is the most splendid surviving Tubo-period building in Tibet, with 5 golden roofs and 108 Buddha halls. Here, you can see the world's rare life-size statue of Shakyamuni at the age of 12 and devout pilgrims worshipping in front of the Jokhang Temple. In the afternoon, drive about 30 km (50 minutes) to visit Sera Monastery, one of the three great monasteries of Lhasa. [Sera Monastery] is also one of the six main monasteries of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery is solemn and sacred. At Sera Monastery, you can watch the famous Buddhist debate activity. The debate usually starts at 15:00 (except Sundays). During the debate, the lamas in the courtyard engage in fierce debate, and you can truly feel the faith and power of Tibetan Buddhism. Finally, return to downtown Lhasa and visit [Barkhor Street]. This is not only the route for local kora rituals, but also a very lively ancient commercial street. Here, you can encounter local people wearing Tibetan robes and devout pilgrims, stroll through the alleys and browse handicraft shops, or find a sweet tea house and learn from Tibetan friends their tranquility and contentment. Enjoy a delicious Tibetan dinner in the evening.

After breakfast, head to visit the world's highest ancient palace-castle complex - the Potala Palace. 【Potala Palace】is located on Maburi Hill in the northwest of Lhasa's urban area. It is a magnificent structure combining palace, castle, and monastery, and is also the largest and most complete ancient palace-castle complex in Tibet. The Potala Palace was built against the mountain, with a total of 13 floors, 117.19 meters high, and over 400 meters long from east to west. You will climb up the long stairs of the Potala Palace step by step, overlooking Lhasa as you go, taking in the magnificent view of the city. While taking photos and resting along the way, you will then enter the Potala Palace to explore this mysterious and ancient palace that is rarely shown in pictures online. Afterwards, drive about 12 kilometers (35 minutes) to visit 【Drepung Monastery】, one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery was built layer by layer following the mountain terrain, grand in scale, with its white walls and red eaves appearing especially peaceful and serene under the sunlight. Stepping inside, you can visit important buildings such as the Tsokchen Assembly Hall, Ganden Phodrang, and the four great colleges in turn, learn about Tibetan Buddhist culture, go to the debate courtyard to watch monks debating Buddhist teachings (around 14:00), or stroll within the monastery and seek inner peace. In addition, around August each year, a grand Buddha-unveiling ceremony is held here, which is the famous Shoton Festival.

Altitude change: Lhasa 3650m → Tsurphu Monastery 4300m After breakfast, depart from Lhasa and drive along the beautiful Qinghai-Tibet Highway toward Tsurphu Monastery, about 76 km, a 2-hour drive. You will arrive at Tsurphu Monastery in the afternoon. Upon arrival, you may first go to your accommodation to rest, adapt to the altitude change, and conserve energy for the next day's trek. If you are feeling well, you can also visit Tsurphu Monastery, located on the north bank of the river valley. [Tsurphu Monastery] is the main monastery of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism and the birthplace of the reincarnation system of living Buddhas. Here, you can step inside to visit the assembly hall, shrines, monks' quarters and other buildings, and under your guide's explanation, appreciate the mysteries of Buddhist culture. In addition, the "Jangchub Chorten Inscription" in the square in front of the monastery and the monastery's treasure, the "silver statue made by the 8th Karmapa in memory of his guru," are not to be missed. Overview of the trekking route from Tsurphu Monastery to Yangbajing: This is a very well-established trekking route in Tibet, about 55 km long, difficulty ★★★, taking 4 days to complete. The best time for trekking is from late May to early October.

Distance: 11 kilometers, duration about 4 hours Altitude change: Tsurphu Monastery 4300m → Leding Village 5090m Difficulty: ★★ This morning, set off from Tsurphu Monastery and begin trekking along the verdant valley. Along the way, you can see beautiful scenery such as vast grasslands, towering mountains, and murmuring streams, and occasionally encounter agile blue sheep, leisurely yaks and other animals. In summer, it is also the grazing season for nomads, and local herders often camp and graze here. If you happen to meet them, you might as well stop and chat with them to learn about the lifestyle of Tibetan herders. Please note that some sections are gravel roads and require climbing uphill. Please slow down while walking, do not rush, pay attention to safety, and enjoy the beauty of the journey. The latter half mainly follows the Baima Qiongzong Canyon and crosses the Tsurphu River, finally arriving at Leding Village, where you can choose to stay overnight in the village or camp nearby. In the evening, you can enjoy the beautiful starry sky and Milky Way of the plateau.

Distance: 15 km, duration about 5 hours Altitude change: Leding Village 5090 m → Lasala Pass 5300 m → Bacuo Village 4950 m Difficulty: ★★★ In the morning, set off from Leding Village and follow the steep mountain path. After hiking about 6 km, you will reach the highest point of this trip - Lasala Pass. After crossing the pass, you can look out over the open valley terrain and the towering Nyainqentanglha Mountains (7,162 m) in the distance. When all this beautiful scenery unfolds before your eyes, you will feel that all the hardship along the way was worth it. Tonight you can stay overnight in the small village at the foot of the mountain - Bacuo Village - or camp nearby to rest.

Route: 15 km, duration about 4 hours Elevation change: Bacuo Village 4950 m → Dorje Ling Monastery 4474 m Difficulty: ★★★ In the morning, set off from Bacuo Village, following a broad valley trail and crossing a ridge. Afterwards, you can enjoy the magnificent scenery of the Nyainqentanglha Range from another angle. Then continue onward, and along the way you can see leisurely cattle and sheep grazing on the grasslands. Around noon, arrive at today's accommodation, Dorje Ling Monastery. [Dorje Ling Monastery] is a Tibetan Buddhist Kagyu nunnery first built in the 12th century, mainly dedicated to a statue of Padmasambhava. Here you can visit this peaceful temple and learn about local beliefs and the temple's history and culture. If interested, you can also enjoy tea and delicious yak meat here.

Distance: 14 km, duration about 4 hours Altitude change: Dorje Ling Monastery 4474m → Yangbajing Monastery 3650m Difficulty: ★★ In the morning, depart from Dorje Ling Monastery, following a flat, broad road and a winding river all the way to the endpoint of this trekking trip - Yangbajing Monastery. [Yangbajing Monastery] means "vast land" in Tibetan. It is a main monastery of the Red Hat branch of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, built in 1490. It sits in an open flat area, surrounded by beautiful scenery, lush water and grass, and a peaceful, serene atmosphere. You can enter the monastery to visit and learn about its long history and Buddhist culture. If interested, you can head to the nearby [Yangbajing Hot Springs] to enjoy a comfortable, healing soak and relieve the fatigue of the past days' journey. Around evening, return to Lhasa, or return directly to Lhasa from Yangbajing Monastery, and rest or stroll around the city. Extension suggestion: Namtso, one of the three great sacred lakes of Tibet, is about 100 km from Yangbajing. If you want to see Tibet's beautiful natural scenery, you can arrange an extra day for a Namtso tour.

Today, this wonderful 9-day Lhasa trekking tour in Tibet will come to an end. Our driver will, according to the agreed time, take you to Lhasa Airport or Railway Station in advance for your next destination. If you would like to extend this trip and explore more destinations in Tibet, such as Shigatse Mount Everest, Nyingchi, Ali Mount Kailash and other places, you can also contact our customer service to arrange it for you. We look forward to welcoming you again someday in the future.