7 Days Best Scenic Tour from Lhasa to Nyingchi

Day-by-day Itinerary

1. Day 1: Lhasa Arrival ( No meal )

   Upon your arrival at Lhasa airport / train station, our local English speaking tour guide and driver will pick you up from the exit gate by holding a welcome board with your name and transfer to downtown hotel for checking-in. Free and easy on your own for rest of the day to acclimate to the high altitude and weather of Lhasa.

   Accommodation: Hotel in Lhasa

2. Day 2: Lhasa
   Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street ( B )

   AM: Meet your Lhasa tour guide at hotel lobby around 9am and then start your exploration on this land from the world famous Potala Palace, the highest palace in the world. The whole architectural complex includes two parts, the White Palace and the Red Palace. The White Palace is the place where the Dalai Lamas lived and handled political affairs, while the Red Palace mainly houses the stupas of the Dalai Lamas. Your tour guide will share a wealth of information with you to help you understand its history and Tibetan Buddhism.

   Noon: Lunch on your own.

   

   PM: Next your tour guide will lead you to explore the holy Jokhang Temple which has a history of over 1300 years. The temple is a mixture of Tibetan, Tang, Nepalese, and Indian architectural styles and has become an example of Tibetan religious architecture. The interior is so impressive with plenty of statues, colorful murals, and rows of butter lamps. It’s not allowed to take photos at most parts, but you will have opportunity to take some at the rooftop.

   

   At last, you will finish the day off with the lively Barkhor Street surrounding the Jokhang Temple. You can join the pilgrims to stroll around the temple and totally immerse yourself in it. There are also many interesting shops selling various stuff including clothing, handicrafts, and jewels. You can shop for some souvenirs here.

   Finish the sightseeing, transfer back to your hotel.

   Accommodation: Hotel in Lhasa

3. Day 3: Lhasa
   Chakpori Hill, Dzonggyel Lokang, Sera Monastery, Norbulingka ( B )

   AM: Get up early in the morning, come to enjoy the peaceful morning time in Chakpori Hill. Standing at at Potala Palace’s right, Chakpori Hill earns fame out of the best location to take pictures for the full view of Potala Palace. While it earned the name in the past because there was a Tibetan medical school which born the property of religion, hence the name “the hill of King Medicine”. Chakpori in the morning usually witnesses the crowds collecting here for taking shots of the first golden sunlight casting on the Potala Palace.

   Afterwords, continue explore local Tibetan culture by visiting Dzonggyel Lokang, a local park in Lhasa city, from where you can see local Tibetan people dancing, chatting and exercising - just a great opportunity to feel the real locals life!

   Noon: Lunch on your own.

   PM: Finish the relaxing sightseeing here, come to Sera Monastery which is the second largest monastery in Tibet. Sera Monastery was built in the Ming Dynasty by the famous Sagya Yeshes who was one of the eight disciples of Zongkapa and given the title of the Great Mercy Dharma by Emperor Xuanzong of Ming Dynasty after he had an audience with the Emperor in 1409 and 1414. The debate about Buddhism of Sera Monastery earns its fame in the Tibetan region, which is always taken a necessary activity to see for travelers from the whole world.

   Last, continue to explore the summer palace of the Dalai Lamas - Norbulingka. It is the largest garden in Tibet with gorgeous scenery and plenty of historic sites. This lovely garden will offer more insight into the life of the Dalai Lamas. You will have a pleasant walk through the garden and appreciate beautiful murals and other treasures.

   Accommodation: Hotel in Lhasa

   

4. Day 4: Lhasa - Gandan Monastery - Nyingchi by Car
   Ganden Monastery, 318 National Road, Mila Pass, Bayi Town ( B )

   AM: Today, you’ll head to the "Switzerland of Tibet" - Nyingchi. On the way, pay a visit to another Buddhism site- Ganden Monastery. Following the road zigzagging up the mountain, you will reach the sacred Gandan Monastery. This monastery was largely damaged during the Cultural Revolution (even the coffin tower of Tsongkhapa who founded Gelug School was not spared), but a lot of efforts have been taken to restore its former glory. You will marvel at the stunning scenery, see the monks debating, do the Kora around monastery, etc.

   Noon: Lunch on your own.

   PM: After that, drive along 318 National Road ( the most scenic highway in China) to Nyingchi. On the way, you could make a stop at Mila Pass ( 5013M ) to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

   Mila Mountain lies on the boundary of Lhasa and Nyingchi, not only geographically distinguishing the Lhasa River Basin and Niyang River Basin but also the Inland climate of Lhasa and oceanic climate of Nyingchi. Miraculously, the landscapes on the east side and west side of Mila Mountain Pass look totally different: dry and desolate on west while verdant and thick wood on east.

   Finally, drive to Bayi Town for overnight. Bayi Town is the core and prosperous downtown of Nyingchi Area. Nowadays, it’s a modern town with convenient daily amenities including hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, gas station and so on, greeting passengers from Tibet or Sichuan for replenishment. The town itself is fascinating and less-crowded, standing on the plateau peacefully.

   Accommodation: Hotel in Bayi Town

   

5. Day 5: Bayi - Lulang Forest - Bayi by Car
   Sekyim la Pass, Mt. Namjia Bawa, Lulang Forest ( B )

   AM: Today, you’ll drive to the beautiful Lulang Forest. On the way, make the first stop at Sekyim la Pass (4728m), which is a famous landmark on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway with location at southeast of Bayi Town, Nyingchi Area. The pass is about 4728 meters over the sea level. Here would you overlook the Lulang Forest and Namche Barwa Peak as well as take pictures.

   Noon: Lunch on your own.

   

   PM: Have a far view of Mt. Namjia Bawa (7,700m), you’ll arrive at Lulang Forest, which lies along the famous Sichuan-Tibet Highway, at the Lulang Town, Nyingchi Area. Benefit by the Indian Ocean moisture pouring into Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, the trees root in the perfect soil here and expand to a green sea finally. Usually, the best time to get the perfect view of the forest is from the late spring to early autumn when the trees are in beautiful green. However, someone specially like its appearance in winter when show falling. The trees stand erectly like an army group, showing overwhelming power to crush everything.

   Finish the sightseeing, drive around 1 hour back to Bayi town.

   Accommodation: Hotel in Bayi Town

   

6. Day 6: Bayi – Basomtso Lake – Bayi by Car
   Cypress Tree Reserve, Basomtso Lake ( B )

   AM: After breakfast, follow your guide to explore the famous Cypress Tree Reserve. The giant cypress wood here gains the title of “King of the Cypress in the World”since it has more than 25oo years old and nearly 50 meters tall. You can imagine how gigantic and old those cypresses are with only the title.

   Noon: Lunch on your own.

   PM: Later, drive around 2 hours to today’s highlight -Basomtso Lake, which is hailed as “Small Swedish” due to its paradise-on-earth-like scenery which collects snowy mountains, lakes, forests, waterfall, pastures and historical relics together. Those beautiful scenes have been attracting endless travelers to be here, let alone its changeable pretty appearance in different seasons and abundant wild flora and fauna. Travelers usually appreciate the beauty here by viewing some main scenic spots which demonstrate the gorgeous charm of noble Baksumtso Lake.

   Accommodation: Hotel in Bayi Town

   

7. Day 7: Nyingchi Departure (B)

   Free and easy on your own until the pickup time for departure. Our guide and driver will meet you at the hotel lobby and transfer to Lhasa airport / train station to see you off.