Tibet Lhasa Tibetan New Year 5-Day 4-Night Festival Tour (Tibetan New Year Atmosphere + Tibetan Family Visit)

Tashi Delek! Welcome to the Sunshine City – Lhasa. Upon arrival, our driver will meet you at the airport or train station exit and take you to your hotel in Lhasa city to check in and rest. For the remaining time, you can rest well at the hotel and let your body gradually adapt to the high-altitude environment. Arrival suggestions By plane: Lhasa Gonggar Airport is Tibet's main gateway airport, 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 route, to Kathmandu, Nepal. By train: Taking the Qinghai-Tibet train to Tibet is also a very popular choice. You can take the train to Tibet from Xining (the starting point of the Qinghai-Tibet train, 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: On the day of arrival in Lhasa, do not do strenuous exercise, 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 Gaoyuan'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 promptly for treatment.

After breakfast, head to visit the world's highest ancient palace-fortress 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, fortress, and monastery, and is also the largest and most complete ancient palace-fortress complex in Tibet. Built against the mountain, the palace has 13 stories, stands 117.19 meters tall, and stretches over 400 meters from east to west. You will climb up along the palace's long staircases, overlooking Lhasa as you go, taking in the magnificent panorama of the city. Pause for photos and rest along the way, then step inside the Potala Palace to explore this mysterious ancient palace that is rarely shown in pictures online. Afterwards, head to visit the sacred site in the hearts of Tibetan Buddhist devotees - the Jokhang Temple. 【Jokhang Temple】was first built in 647 AD and has a history of 1,350 years. It is the most splendid surviving Tubo-period architecture in Tibet, with 5 golden roofs and 108 Buddha halls. Here, you can see the world-rare life-size statue of Shakyamuni at age 12 and devout pilgrims worshipping in front of the Jokhang Temple. Finally, you can take a stroll through 【Barkhor Street】. This is not only the route for the local kora ritual but also a very lively ancient commercial street. You may encounter locals in Tibetan robes and devout pilgrims, wander through the alleys to feel the lively local New Year festive atmosphere, or find a sweet tea house and learn the tranquility and contentment of Tibetan friends. Enjoy a delicious Tibetan dinner in the evening.

After breakfast, drive about 12 km (35 minutes) to visit [Drepung Monastery], one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery is built layer by layer along the mountain terrain and is grand in scale. Its white walls and red eaves look especially peaceful and serene in the sunlight. Inside the monastery, you can visit important buildings such as the Tsokchen Assembly Hall, Ganden Podrang, and the four great colleges in turn to learn about Tibetan Buddhist culture. You can also go to the debate courtyard to watch monks debating Buddhist doctrine (around 14:00), or stroll within the monastery in search of inner peace. In addition, around August each year, a grand Buddha-unveiling ceremony is held here, which is the famous Shoton Festival. In the afternoon, drive about 30 km (50 minutes) to visit [Sera Monastery], one of the six main monasteries of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery is solemn and sacred. Here you can watch Tibet's famous debate activity. The debate usually starts at 15:00 (except Sundays). During the debate, the lamas in the courtyard engage in fierce discussion, and you can truly feel the faith and power of Tibetan Buddhism. Afterward, visit a local Tibetan family near Sera Monastery. You can communicate with them, learn about how locals generally spend Tibetan New Year and admire the carefully arranged New Year decorations, and taste local foods such as butter tea.

After breakfast, drive about 3 hours (about 125 km) to visit [Yamdrok Lake], one of Tibet's three great sacred lakes. Along the way, you will first cross [Gampala Pass] at an altitude of 4990 meters. Looking into the distance from the pass, you can take in the full view of Yamdrok Lake, like a blue silk ribbon drifting among the mountains, and the majestic Noijin Kangsang snow mountain in the distance. Then continue toward Yamdrok Lake, the world's highest freshwater lake, and appreciate its beauty from multiple angles, including halfway up the mountain and along the lakeshore. [Yamdrok Lake], abbreviated as Yamdrok, is also praised as the most beautiful water in the world. The lake water is as clear as a mirror, extending into the distance and merging with the distant snow mountains, together with the rolling mountains on both sides, creating absolutely stunning scenery. Local Tibetans praise Yamdrok Lake in folk songs: "A fairyland in the sky, Yamdrok on earth. Stars in the sky, cattle and sheep by the lake." After the visit, return to Lhasa's urban area.

Today marks the end of this five-day Tibetan New Year journey in Lhasa, Tibet. Our driver will take you to Lhasa Airport or Railway Station ahead of the agreed time to head to your next destination. If you wish to extend this trip and explore more destinations in Tibet, such as Mount Everest in Shigatse, Nyingchi, Mount Kailash in Ngari, and more, you can also contact our customer service to arrange it for you. We look forward to welcoming you again someday in the future.