Tibet Lhasa 5-Day 4-Night Spiritual Retreat (Zaki Temple + Zha Yeba Temple Meditation Cave)

Tashi Delek! Welcome to the City of Sunlight - Lhasa. Upon arrival, our driver will greet 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 gradually 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 (the most popular), Chongqing, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xining, Kunming, Shangri-La and other cities. In addition, it has the only direct international flight route with 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 plenty of water and eat fruit, and avoid overeating. Rest more. You may bring your own 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, 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. After visiting the Potala Palace, come to 【Zongjiao Lukang Park】at the foot of the mountain. This is the best spot to admire the rear view of the Potala Palace. The park has beautiful scenery, including a lovely lake called Dragon King Pool. When winter comes, migratory birds from various places gather on the frozen lake surface, playing, foraging, or spreading their wings in flight. You can bask in the warm sun and stroll along the lakeside to enjoy this peaceful winter scene. Afterwards, head to visit the holy site in the hearts of Tibetan Buddhist followers - 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 building from the Tubo period in Tibet, with a total of 5 golden roofs and 108 Buddha halls. Here, you can see the world's rare life-size statue of Shakyamuni at age 12 and devout pilgrims worshipping in front of the Jokhang Temple. Finally, you can stroll through 【Barkhor Street】. This is not only the route for local kora rituals but also a very lively ancient commercial street. You can encounter locals in Tibetan robes and devout pilgrims, wander through the alleys to browse handicraft shops, or find a sweet tea house and learn from Tibetan friends' tranquility and contentment. If interested, you can also experience a Tibetan costume photo shoot (at your own expense), put on beautiful Tibetan clothing, and capture a beautiful "Tibetan" memory of your own. 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, grand in scale, and its complex of white walls and red eaves looks especially peaceful and serene under the sunlight. After entering the monastery, you can visit important buildings such as the Tsokchen Assembly Hall, Ganden Podrang, and the four dratsangs in turn to learn about Tibetan Buddhist culture. You can also go to the debate courtyard to watch monks debate Buddhist doctrine (around 14:00), or stroll within the monastery and seek inner peace. 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 the famous Tibetan Buddhist debate activity. The debate usually starts at 15:00 (except Sundays). During the debate, the lamas in the courtyard engage in intense discussion, and you can truly feel the faith and power of Tibetan Buddhism. Afterward, go near Sera Monastery to visit a local Tibetan family. You can talk with them, learn about their daily lifestyle, visit Tibetan-style residential architecture, and taste local foods such as butter tea. When finished, return to the hotel to rest and relieve the fatigue of the journey.

After breakfast, travel by car for about 30 minutes to visit [Zaki Temple], the only God of Wealth temple in Tibet. The temple enshrines the female wealth deity Zaki Lhamo, who is said to be very efficacious, so although the temple is small, incense offerings have always been abundant, with believers coming and going every day to pray for prosperity. Before visiting the temple, you can go to the incense burner on the right side of the temple gate to burn incense and pray for blessings, then enter the temple to visit and follow the guide's introduction to learn about Tibetan Buddhist culture. You may also purchase the three offering items (baijiu, khata, and Tibetan incense) and join the crowd in praying. In addition, from the platform on the second floor, you can also enjoy a panoramic view of the snow mountains in the distance. (PS: It is said that praying on Monday for peace, Wednesday for wealth, and Friday for health is the most efficacious.) Afterward, travel by car to visit [Zhayeba Temple], one of the four great hermitage sites in Tibet. A Tibetan folk song says: "The spiritual land of Tibet is in Lhasa, and the spiritual land of Lhasa is in Yeba." This thousand-year-old temple built among cliffs is an important practice site of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. Guru Rinpoche, Tsongkhapa, and King Songtsen Gampo all practiced here. After arriving, you can climb along the stone steps to visit the wonderful temple architecture integrating caves and temples, and focus on visiting the Guru Cave (where Atisha practiced), the Dharma King Cave (the practice cave built by Songtsen Gampo for Princess Bhrikuti), the Moon Cave (the practice site of Guru Rinpoche), and the Maitreya Buddha Hall. In the peaceful and serene atmosphere, you can gain a deeper understanding of Tibetan Buddhist culture, or find a quiet corner and sit in meditation following the sages to feel the spiritual power passed down for a thousand years.

Today, this wonderful 5-day spiritual journey in Lhasa, Tibet will come to an end. Our driver will, according to the agreed time, transfer you in advance to Lhasa Airport or Railway Station for your next destination. If you wish to extend this trip and explore more destinations in Tibet, such as Shigatse Mount Everest, Nyingchi, Yamdrok Lake, Namtso 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.