Trekking Pilgrimage | Tibet Lhasa Ganden Monastery to Samye Monastery Trekking 8-Day 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 Lhasa's urban area 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 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 international direct flight route with Kathmandu, Nepal. By train: Taking the Qinghai-Tibet Railway to 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 American ginseng lozenges, Rhodiola, Gao Yuan An, or other health supplements 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, go to visit the holy site in the hearts of Tibetan Buddhist believers - 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 building in Tibet, with 5 golden roofs and 108 Buddhist halls. Here, you can see the world-rare life-size statue of Shakyamuni at age 12 and devout pilgrims worshipping in front of 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 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. Finally, return to downtown Lhasa and visit [Barkhor Street]. This is not only the route for the local kora ritual, 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, visit the Potala Palace, the highest ancient palace-castle architectural complex in the world. [Potala Palace] is located on Maburi Hill in the northwest of Lhasa city. It is a magnificent building integrating palace, castle, and monastery, and is also the largest and most complete ancient palace-castle complex in Tibet. The Potala Palace is built against the mountain, with 13 stories in total, 117.19 meters high, and more than 400 meters long from east to west. You will climb up along its long stairs, overlooking Lhasa as you go and taking in the grandeur of the city. While taking photos and resting, you will then enter the Potala Palace to explore this mysterious and ancient palace for which very few images are shown online. Afterward, travel by car for 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 buildings with white walls and red eaves look especially peaceful and serene in 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 teachings (around 14:00), or stroll within the monastery to seek inner peace. In addition, around August each year, a grand Buddha unveiling ceremony is held here, namely the famous Shoton Festival.

Hiking distance: about 17 km, taking 6 hours Altitude change: Lhasa 3650 m → Ganden Monastery 3800 m → Shugla Mountain Foot Camp 4400 m Hiking difficulty: ★★ After breakfast, drive to visit Ganden Monastery, about 55 km from downtown Lhasa. [Ganden Monastery] is one of the three great monasteries of Tibet and also the mother monastery of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The successive Ganden Tripas, heads of the Gelug school, resided in this monastery. The entire monastery is built against the mountain, with layers of buildings overlapping. As you approach along the winding road, a vast magnificent complex of red, white and yellow buildings comes into view. Inside the monastery, you can explore the Tsokchen Assembly Hall, the Tsongkhapa Residence Hall, the colleges and so on, see solemn Buddha statues, precious Tibetan scriptures and robes and other cultural relics, and, with the guide's explanation, gain an in-depth understanding of Tibetan Buddhist culture. After the visit, begin today's hiking journey. Overview of the hiking route from Ganden Monastery to Samye Monastery: This is a very charming hiking route, with both beautiful and magnificent natural scenery and rich Tibetan cultural atmosphere. The route is about 45 km in total, with a difficulty of ★★★★, and takes 4 days to complete. The best hiking time is from April to June and from September to November. You will go up the mountain path in front of the monastery. At a corner not far away, you can look back at Ganden Monastery again. After that, follow the rugged mountain path all the way forward. Along the way, you can see open river valleys, stretching mountain ranges, yaks grazing leisurely and other scenery. Then, after crossing a gorge, you will arrive at Heibu Village, where you can take a short rest, and then continue forward to reach today's accommodation point - Shugla Camp.

Hiking distance: about 10 kilometers, taking about 5-7 hours Altitude change: Shukara Mountain foot camp 4,400m → Shukara Pass 5,284m → Mountain foot camp 4,800m Hiking difficulty: ★★★★ After breakfast, begin today's hike. You will walk along a beautiful river valley for a while, then climb uphill to cross the Shukara Pass at an altitude of 5,284 meters. This section has relatively complex terrain with many rocky paths, and as the altitude increases, the wind gets stronger, so you need to walk carefully and slowly. After crossing the pass, descend along the mountain path into the river valley, where the scenery becomes more lush, with occasional rivers running through and abundant meadows, creating beautiful scenery. Tonight, camp overnight at the campsite at the foot of the mountain.

Hiking distance: about 14 km, taking about 5 hours Elevation change: Base Camp at the foot of the mountain 4,800 m -> Chitula Pass 5,090 m -> Base Camp at the foot of the mountain 4,000 m Hiking difficulty: ★★★ After breakfast, set off from the camp. First walk for a while along the beautiful valley and grasslands, then cross the second high mountain pass of this trek - Chitula Pass at 5,090 m. Compared with yesterday, because you have already adapted to the rhythm of high-altitude hiking, it is relatively easier, though the road conditions are still mainly rocky paths. After the pass, you can see two beautiful alpine lakes as green as jade, then descend all the way. As the altitude decreases, the vegetation along the way gradually becomes denser, and you can see several lush pastures. Finally, arrive at the camp at the foot of the mountain and camp here overnight.

Hiking distance: about 14 km, taking about 5 hours Altitude change: campsite at the foot of the mountain 4,000 meters → Samye Monastery 3,575 meters Hiking difficulty: ★★ Today's itinerary is relatively easy. You will walk along a flat and easy river valley, where you can see lush meadows, winding rivers, and other beautiful scenery along the way. Then you will pass through Changda Village and Longguo Village, and afterward travel by car to visit Samye Monastery, known as "the first monastery in Tibet." [Samye Monastery] is located at the foot of Habu Mountain on the north bank of the Yarlung Tsangpo River. It is the first monastery in the history of Tibetan Buddhism to possess all three treasures of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. The monastery houses cultural heritage such as murals and sculptures from various historical periods since the Tubo Dynasty in Tibet. It is also said that because of the establishment of Samye Monastery, Tibet came to have the concept of renouncing the household life to become a monk, and its architectural layout is also based on the idea of the "cosmos," making it well worth seeing. After the visit, return to a hotel in central Lhasa to rest.

Today, this wonderful 8-day Tibetan pilgrimage hiking journey from Ganden Monastery to Samye Monastery 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, 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.