Sunday 7th October

• Morning flight to Lhasa (from Beijing/Shanghai/Chengdu/Xi’an) and a traditional Nada welcoming ceremony from our Tibetan guides
• Check in to the beautiful and welcoming Tashitakge Hotel deep in Lhasa’s old town and start acclimatising to the altitude and getting to know your guide and fellow travellers.
• Free afternoon to wander the streets of Lhasa old town
• Get your first taste of yak and other Tibetan foods when we go for dinner at a small but welcoming courtyard restaurant near the hotel
• Overnight in Lhasa.

Monday 8th October

• First things first, we’ve got to visit the world famous Potala Palace. This was the residence of the Dalai Lama until he fled to India in 1957, but had been the main seat of Tibetan government for centuries. Set on the mountaintop this is a site not to be missed!
• Join the pilgrims on the Pilgrims Path for a walk around the palace.
• Grab a quick lunch of Nepalese food in central Lhasa

• Carry on a temple themed day visiting the Jokhang Temple – this temple is actually considered the most important of Lhasa’s temples by Tibetans and was built for the Nepalese Princess of the Tibetan King
• Afternoon wander around Barkor Street market – this part of the old town is a major pilgrimage site and we can see locals prostrating themselves as they make their way clockwise around the roads
• Dinner and drinks in the old town
• Overnight in Lhasa.

Tuesday 9th October

• Drive to Namtso Lake through stunning scenery and high mountain passes, stopping for photo opportunities as often as we want. Although it’s only just over 100 kms from Lhasa the winding, bumpy roads means it might take up to 4 hours, but the scenery makes the drive itself worth it.
• Cross a pass that is 5190 metres high, with great views of snow topped mountains and down to the lake itself
• Lunch in a lakeside restaurant

• Hiking around Namtso Lake. We can ride horses down to the lake or walk around on foot. See who can get the best views for a photo or just hang out by the lakeside with the local Tibetans.
• Drive back to Lhasa, dinner and overnight

Wednesday 10th October

• Head to the Tibet Museum with exhibitions on Tibetan culture and history and a section on British imperialism in the area before 1949, a good chance to learn the Chinese interpretation of Tibetan history.
• Climb up to the Drepung Monastery, built into the hillside outside of Lhasa
• Head back into town and get Indian food for lunch
• Visit the Sera Monastery where if we are lucky we will hopefully see the monks doing their customary afternoon debate. This monastery is one of the big ‘university monasteries’ of Tibet.
• Dinner and overnight in Lhasa.

Thursday 11th October

• Drive out to typical Namba Tibetan villages. Here we can get a picture of what life is like outside of Lhasa and the main urban centres, buy some things at the local markets, eat in local restaurants and chat with the locals.

• Look around the villages, go horse riding or hiking in the mountains, take in the fresh air, blue sky and stunning scenery.
• Drive back to Lhasa and hit the town for our last night in Tibet. We’ll visit the Tibetan bar street to see what the locals do on a night out in Lhasa!
• Overnight in Lhasa.

Friday 12th October

• Free morning for a last look around Lhasa and to get provisions for the mammoth train journey.
• Train from Lhasa to Xi’an/Beijing. Although it’s a long journey, we will be travelling through stunning scenery and will have stocked up on Lhasa beer or Tibetan barley wine for the journey!

Saturday 13th October

• Late evening arrival in Xi’an and end of tour (for Xi’an group), connections available for Chengdu and Shanghai

Sunday 14th October

• Morning arrival in Beijing and end of tour (for Beijing group)

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