Heart of Tibet

Day 1 : Lhasa

On arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Enjoy the rest of your day at leisure and take time to acclimatise to the 3,600 metres altitude.

Day 2 : Lhasa

Visit the impressive 1,000 room Potala Palace that once served as the religious and political centre of Tibet, and the main winter residence of the Dalai Lama. Currently a museum, the Potala Palace houses a large number of rare cultural relics, including gold handwritten Buddhist scriptures.

Continue to the Johkhang Temple, constructed in 647 AD and later extended, this enormous structure is considered to be the most important Buddhist temple in Tibet and still very important to believers today. Surrounding the temple, see Buddhist pilgrims walking the circular Barkhor Street, turning prayer wheels in their hands and quietly chanting. Barkhor Street is popular for the shops and stalls selling religious and cultural arts and handicrafts, and time will be allowed here for you to explore before you return to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure.

Day 3 : Lhasa

This morning you are taken to Norbulingka, known as the ‘jewelled park’. Built in 1751 as a summer palace for the Dalai Lama, until 1959 commoners were not permitted access. These days the palace complex and gardens provide a beautiful venue for theatre, dancing and festivals. Then continue to 16th century Sera Monastery, one of the three largest monasteries in Tibet, that differs in style from the other Lhasa monasteries visited on the tour. Here you will see a debate, during which monks become very animated as they discuss Buddhist theology, using dramatic gestures and raised voices.

Your final stop will be a visit to the Drepung Monastery, which stands on the slopes of the majestic Mount Gambo Utse. This is the largest monastery of the Gelug Sect in Tibet, and is the place where each reincarnation of the Dalai Lama received his training. In its heyday this monastery was home to more than 10,000 monks, although only about 700 monks reside there today. The rest of the day is free for you to explore the old part of the city or perhaps visit other monasteries or museums.

Day 4 : Lhasa

You will be transferred to the airport or railway station for departure where arrangements end.