8-Day Tibet Tour: Lhasa, Shigatse & Namtso
Photo credits and gallery notes
Use these views to compare the settings on the route. Illustrative images are identified in their individual notes. Your confirmed itinerary sets out guiding, visits and included activities.
- Namtso lakeshore and rock formation
- Potala Palace in Lhasa
- Yamdrok Lake shoreline
- Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse
- Jokhang Temple in Lhasa
Overview
Combine the monasteries and old streets of Lhasa with Yamdrok Lake, Shigatse and the open lakeshore of Namtso. This eight-day route returns to Lhasa between its western cultural circuit and northern lake excursion, then finishes with a visit to Tsurphu Monastery.
An English-speaking Tibetan guide accompanies the sightseeing programme. The journey includes seven nights in hotels or local accommodation: five in Lhasa, one in Shigatse and one in Damxung. The hotel list, room basis and group departure details are confirmed in your quotation.
This route does not include Everest Base Camp or Siling Tso. For an itinerary combining those places with Namtso, see our 8-day Everest, Siling Tso and Namtso tour.
YOUR JOURNEY
Route Map
Follow the itinerary in travel order.
Continue the route: days 7–8
Route schematic; not to scale or for navigation. See the Daily Itinerary for individual visits, optional activities and access conditions.
Planning your journey
Departure dates, room arrangements and the final price are confirmed by quotation. Share your passport nationality, arrival plan and preferred dates before booking so the team can check the travel documents and route access for your journey.
Keep your arrival day light and discuss this high-altitude itinerary with a travel-health professional before departure. See the CDC guidance on travel to high altitudes for preparation. Additional acclimatization nights can be discussed before the core itinerary begins.
Daily Itinerary
Meet the local team at Lhasa Airport or railway station and transfer to your hotel. Keep the rest of the day free for rest rather than adding a sightseeing programme. Your guide will explain the next day’s meeting time and the practical arrangements for the journey.
Overnight: Lhasa
Meals: Not included
Explore Drepung Monastery in the morning, including its courtyards and monastic buildings. Continue to Sera Monastery in the afternoon; the debating courtyard is a highlight when the session is taking place. Your guide explains the setting and appropriate visitor etiquette. Join the group for a welcome dinner in Lhasa.
Overnight: Lhasa
Meals: Breakfast and welcome dinner
Visit the Potala Palace at the reserved admission time, then explore Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street. The guide adjusts the order around ticket reservations and opening arrangements. Allow time for a local teahouse stop and a measured walk through the old city.
Overnight: Lhasa
Meals: Breakfast
Leave Lhasa for Yamdrok Lake, stopping for views of the turquoise water and surrounding hills. Continue past Karola Glacier and the agricultural landscapes around Gyantse before reaching Shigatse. A farmhouse lunch is included on this overland day; viewpoints and stops follow road and scenic-area conditions.
Overnight: Shigatse
Meals: Breakfast and farmhouse lunch
Visit Tashilhunpo Monastery and explore Shigatse’s old market. Where the day’s arrangements allow, walk a section of the monastery circuit with your guide. Return to Lhasa along the Yarlung Tsangpo valley; the final programme may use the train instead of road transport for this transfer.
Overnight: Lhasa
Meals: Breakfast
Travel north through the Damxung grasslands and over the Laken La pass towards Namtso. Stop at the lakeshore and Tashi Dor peninsula for views and an unhurried walk suited to the group’s condition. The lake is high and exposed, so access, weather and how everyone feels determine the time spent outside. Return to Damxung for the night.
Overnight: Damxung
Meals: Breakfast
Return towards Lhasa through the surrounding valleys. The planned visits are Chimelong Nunnery and Tsurphu Monastery, with time to see their courtyards and mountain setting when visitor access permits. Pause for a local lunch before continuing to your Lhasa hotel. The guide confirms the day’s sequence and any access changes.
Overnight: Lhasa
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Check out and transfer to Lhasa Airport or railway station according to the confirmed departure arrangements. Allow enough time for the journey from the city and terminal formalities. Extra nights in Lhasa or onward travel can be quoted separately.
Overnight: Not included
Meals: Breakfast
What's Included & Excluded
Guiding and transport
English-speaking Tibetan guide, sightseeing vehicle with driver, and the Lhasa airport or railway-station transfers listed in the confirmed programme.
Accommodation and listed meals
Seven nights in hotels or local accommodation, seven breakfasts, the welcome dinner and the two lunches listed in the daily programme. Room category and any single supplement appear in the quotation.
Sightseeing and travel-document arrangements
Entry to the listed attractions and required local sightseeing transport, together with Tibet travel-document application assistance for the approved itinerary.
On-road support
On-board oxygen and travel accident insurance as specified in the quotation. Insurance benefits, exclusions and any altitude-related cover depend on the issued policy.
Travel to and from Tibet
International and domestic flights or trains to reach or leave Tibet, unless specifically added to the quotation.
Unlisted meals and personal costs
Meals not listed, personal purchases, laundry, optional activities and gratuities.
Room supplements and personal insurance
Single-room supplements and any personal travel, medical or evacuation insurance beyond the policy expressly included in the quotation.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. This itinerary combines Lhasa, Yamdrok Lake, Gyantse, Shigatse and Namtso, returning to Lhasa through Damxung and the Tsurphu valley. It does not visit Everest Base Camp or Siling Tso.
The planned seven nights are five in Lhasa, one in Shigatse and one in Damxung. The quotation identifies the hotels or equivalent accommodation, room basis and single-room supplement.
Yes. The programme includes an English-speaking Tibetan guide for the scheduled sightseeing and overland journey.
Lhasa is already at high altitude, and the Namtso excursion goes higher. Keep the arrival day light, discuss your plans with a travel-health professional and consider extra acclimatization time before this itinerary. Tell the guide promptly if you feel unwell; the day’s activities may need to change.
The team checks the documents and route access for your nationality and travel dates before confirming the booking. Group dates, transfers, payment terms and cancellation conditions are stated in the final quotation; do not buy inflexible onward arrangements before these are confirmed.
Yes. Potala Palace reservations, monastery access, weather and road conditions can change the order of visits. The Shigatse–Lhasa return may use a train rather than road transport.
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