3 days in Qinghai and 4 days in Lhasa

This trip starts from Xining, Qinghai province northwest part of China, it gives you have a few days to acclimatize to the high altitude at 2200m to 3300m and see the great nomadic pastures of Amdo Tibet and amazing Thangka painting works in Rebkong. You will also visit the world's longest (518m) Thangka and a great collection of Tibetan traditional handicrafts, dresses, ornaments, ancient armouries, and unearthed relics from all regions of Tibet. You will have another 4 days in Lhasa. Lhasa is home to Tibet’s holiest temples and prominent monastic universities, the focal destinations of pilgrimages. This itinerary will allow you to spend 4 full days exploring the magnificent architecture and the hidden alleys of the old town

 

Price: starting with 5.800RMB p/p (group size 4-8)

 

Price includes: 

• Private transportation

• English-speaking guide

• Accommodations with daily breakfast

• Tibet travel permits and application fees

 

Price does not include:

• Lunch and dinner

• Entry tickets for site visits

• Air/train tickets, and booking fees

 

ITINERARY

Day 01 (Qinghai)

Arrive in Xining. Meet your local guide and transport you to your hotel at the heart of the old city. Short city tour with your guide.

Day 02 (Qinghai)

Xining – Qinghai Lake - Shala Pass-Chabcha (Chin: Gong He)

We drive from your hotel to the biggest saline lake on the Tibetan plateau. It is a 2-hour trip and we will drive on the old road instead of the expressway for better scenic views. We will drive to the Shala Pass instead of going to the crowded tourist spot. You will get a great panoramic view of the lake, grassland and mountains from the pass. You will have plenty of time doing short hiking, picnics and visiting the nomads. Then drive to Chabcha town for the hotel. Additionally, you can ask your agent to arrange a dinner in a Tibetan village. Overnight in Chabcha or alternatively you can do a homestay.  

Day 03 (Qinghai)

Chabcha - Longyang Yellow River gorge - Gui De -Khamra Geological National Park-Xining.

This hidden route is highly recommended for its amazing landscapes changing from pastureland, high mountain ranges, deep canyons, forestry and fields within a couple of hours' drive. A short hike at Khamra National Park. Picnic lunch at the park, drive two hours to Xining and take the evening train to Lhasa. Sleep on the train. 

Day 04 (Lhasa)

Arrive in Lhasa 
Welcome to Lhasa. Your guide and driver will meet you at the train station or airport and transfer you to your hotel.

Day 05  (Lhasa)

Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and the Barkhor Circuit
Lhasa, elevation 3650m, is the holiest city in Tibet and each day pilgrims from across the Tibetan Plateau arrive in the city to worship at one of the many temples found there. You will spend 3 full days exploring the city (for acclimatization). On the first day, you will visit Jokhang Temple, the most famous temple in Tibet. You will see religious pilgrims prostrating in front of the Jowo Buddha statue inside the monastery from the rooftop. Around lunch, you will visit the Potala Palace, the most recognizable structure in Tibet. Built in the year 637, the Potala Palace rises 13 stories and has more than 1000 rooms. In the evening time, you will explore the endless maze of markets and restaurants that line the ancient Barkhor circuit. While exploring the Barkhor circuit, you will rub elbows with Tibetan pilgrims who are prostrating their way around the Tibetan Quarter.

Day 06 (Lhasa)
Potala Palace- Norbulingka

Morning, we will visit Potala Palace, this will take most of the whole morning. After climbing to the top of the palace, you will get a great panoramic view of Lhasa city. Afternoon, we will visit Norbu Lingkha. Overnight in Lhasa.

Day 07

Depart from Lhasa
 

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Qinghai Lake

The Qinghai Lake is the largest inland saline lake watershed, the huge water body and the surrounding water system have given birth to the vast and unique plateau inland wetland ecosystem, providing ideal habitat for many wild animals. Qinghai Lake is also an important water body for the ecological safety of the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, a natural barrier to preventing the eastward expansion of the desertification in western China, a treasury of the richest biodiversity on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, a concentrated habitat and breeding ground of waterbirds, and the only habitat of an endangered animal, Przewalski's gazelle (Procapra przewalskii). Qinghai Lake plays an irreplaceable role in enriching the biodiversity of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, adjusting the climate of northwestern China, preserving water sources and maintaining ecological balance.

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Lhasa

Lhasa has an elevation of about 3,600 m (11,800 ft) and lies in the centre of the Tibetan Plateau with the surrounding mountains rising to 5,500 m (18,000 ft). The air only contains 68 per cent of the oxygen compared to sea level. Lhasa literally translates to "place of gods or the holy land" it has been the capital of Tibet since the 6th century. By the mid-7th century, Songtsen Gampo became the leader of the Tibetan Empire that had risen to power in the Brahmaputra River (locally known as the Yarlung Tsangpo River) Valley. After conquering the kingdom of Zhangzhung in the west, he moved the capital from the Chingwa Taktsé Castle in the region of Yarlong), to Rasa (Lhasa) wherein 637 he raised the first structures on the site of what is now the Potala Palace in Mount Marpori (Red Mountain). In A.D. 639 and 641, Songtsen Gampo, who by this time had conquered the whole Tibetan region, is said to have contracted two alliance marriages, firstly to a Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal, and then, two years later, to Princess Wencheng of the Imperial Tang court.

 From the fall of the monarchy in the 9th century to the accession of the 5th Dalai Lama, the centre of political power in the Tibetan region was not situated in Lhasa. However, the importance of Lhasa as a religious site became increasingly significant as the centuries progressed. By the 15th century, the city of Lhasa had risen to prominence following the founding of three large Gelugpa (Yellow Sect) monasteries by Je Tsongkhapa (who was born in Qinghai Province) and his disciples. The three monasteries are Ganden, Sera, and Drepung which were built as part of the puritanical Buddhist revival in Tibet.

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Jokhang Temple

Jokhang also known as the Jokhang Monastery, is a Buddhist temple in Barkhor Square in Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. Tibetans, in general, consider this temple the most sacred and important temple in Tibet. The temple is currently maintained by the Yellow Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, the temple's architectural style is a mixture of Indian vihara design, and Tibetan and Nepalese design. 

The Jokhang was founded during the reign of King Songtsen Gampo. According to tradition, the temple was built for the king's two brides: Princess Wencheng of the Chinese Tang dynasty and Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal. Tang dynasty and Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal. Both are said to have brought important Buddhist statues and images from China and Nepal to Tibet, which were housed here, as part of their dowries. 
The oldest part of the temple was built in 652. the temple was enlarged several times with the last renovation done in 1610 by the Fifth Dalai Lama. Following the death of Gampo, the image in Ramocho Lake temple was moved to the Jokhang temple for security reasons. When King Tresang Detsen ruled from 755 to 797, the Buddha image of the Jokhang temple was hidden, as the king's minister was hostile to the spread of Buddhism in Tibet. The Potala Palace
The site on which the Potala Palace rises is built over a palace erected by Songtsen Gampo on the Red Hill. The Potala contains two chapels on its northwest corner that conserve parts of the original building. Lozang Gyatso, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, started the construction of the modern Potala Palace in 1645 after one of his spiritual advisers, Konchog Chophel (died 1646), pointed out that the site was ideal as a seat of government, situated as it is between Drepung and Sera monasteries and the old city of Lhasa. The external structure was built in 3 years, while the interior, together with its furnishings, took 45 years to complete. The 5th Dalai Lama and his government moved into the Potrang Karpo ('White Palace') in 1649. Construction lasted until 1694, some twelve years after his death. The Potala was used as a winter palace by the Dalai Lama from that time. The Potrang Marpo ('Red Palace') was added between 1690 and 1694. The Potala Palace was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994.