5 Days Lhasa & Yamdrok Lake Tour
5 Days Lhasa & Yamdrok Lake Tour
Overview
Yamdrok Tso Lake
Tour begins and ends at Lhasa
This tour covers the major tourist sites of Lhasa City: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Bakor street, Drepung monastery and Sera monastery, and you can see the one of the three sacred lakes in Tibet, Yamdrok-tso lake at an altitude of 4400m above sea level with a stunning view of holy Mt Nyenchen Khangsar and rich pasture land of local herdsmen.
Yamdrok Lake (also known as Yamdrok Yumtso or Yamzho Yumco) is a freshwater lake in Tibet, it is one of the three largest sacred lakes in Tibet. It is over 72 km (45 mi) long. The lake is surrounded by many snow-capped mountains and is fed by numerous small streams. The lake has an outlet stream at its far western end and means turquoise in English due to its color.
According to local mythology, Yamdok Yumtso lake is the transformation of a goddess.
Like mountains, lakes are considered sacred by Tibetan people, the principle being that they are the dwelling places of protective deities and therefore invested with special spiritual powers. Yamdrok Lake is one of four particularly holy lakes, thought to be divinatory; everyone from the Dalai Lama to local villagers makes pilgrimages there. It is considered sacred as one of the four "Great Wrathful Lakes" guarded by the goddess Dorje Gegkyi Tso. The others such lakes are Lhamo La-tso, Namtso and Manasarovar. The lake is revered as a talisman and is said to be part of the life-spirit of Tibet. The largest lake in southern Tibet, it is said that if its waters dry, Tibet will no longer be habitable.
The lake, its islands, and the surrounding area are closely associated with Padmasambhava, the Second Buddha, who brought Buddhism to Tibet in 8th century AD.Tour begins and ends at Lhasa
This tour covers the major tourist sites of Lhasa City: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Bakor street, Drepung monastery and Sera monastery, and you can see the one of the three sacred lakes in Tibet, Yamdrok-tso lake at an altitude of 4400m above sea level with a stunning view of holy Mt Nyenchen Khangsar and rich pasture land of local herdsmen.
Yamdrok Lake (also known as Yamdrok Yumtso or Yamzho Yumco) is a freshwater lake in Tibet, it is one of the three largest sacred lakes in Tibet. It is over 72 km (45 mi) long. The lake is surrounded by many snow-capped mountains and is fed by numerous small streams. The lake has an outlet stream at its far western end and means turquoise in English due to its color.
According to local mythology, Yamdok Yumtso lake is the transformation of a goddess.
Like mountains, lakes are considered sacred by Tibetan people, the principle being that they are the dwelling places of protective deities and therefore invested with special spiritual powers. Yamdrok Lake is one of four particularly holy lakes, thought to be divinatory; everyone from the Dalai Lama to local villagers makes pilgrimages there. It is considered sacred as one of the four "Great Wrathful Lakes" guarded by the goddess Dorje Gegkyi Tso. The others such lakes are Lhamo La-tso, Namtso and Manasarovar. The lake is revered as a talisman and is said to be part of the life-spirit of Tibet. The largest lake in southern Tibet, it is said that if its waters dry, Tibet will no longer be habitable.
The lake, its islands, and the surrounding area are closely associated with Padmasambhava, the Second Buddha, who brought Buddhism to Tibet in 8th century AD.
At a Glance
Day 1: Arrival in Lhasa
Day 2 : Lhasa tour - Potala Palace, Jokhang and Barkhor street(B)
Day 3: Lhasa tour - Drepung Monastery/Sera Monastery (B)
Day 4: Lhasa/Yamdrok Lake/Lhasa (B)
Day 5: Depart from Lhasa
Daily Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Lhasa
When you arrive in Lhasa either by train or flight, your guide will greet you and take you to your hotel. Tourists may view the Yarlung Tsangpo River/ Bhamaputra river (the Longest and largest river in Tibet) and Lhasa river on their way to Lhasa.
After arriving in Lhasa, you can take a rest and get acclimatized to high altitude. If you feel to go out, then you can go to the Potala Square, where you will enjoy the fountain with different colors and get amazing photos of the Potala and around.
Insider Tips:
For the new-comers of Tibet, to get acclimatized to the high altitude in Tibet. Having a good sleep in your hotel is a good option. Don not rush to visit attractions inside Lhasa city.
Stay overnight in Lhasa.
Day 2: Lhasa tour - Potala Palace, Jokhang and Barkhor street(B)
Today's tour will first bring you to the Potala Palace which is the winter palace of the Dalai lama. It was put to use since the 7th Century by the 33rd great king of Tibet. The most valuable collections of Potala Palace are the gilded burial stupas of former Dalai Lamas and meditation Cave of the 33rd great king of Tibet.
Then after lunch, tourists head to Jokhang temple which was founded by the 33rd great king of Tibet in the 7th century. Inside you can see the statue of Buddha Sakyamuni at the age of twelve. Outside, you can see pilgrims making prostrating in front of Jokhang Temple. Around the temple is Barkhor street, where you can do kora (a religious circle of a building or mountain) with pilgrims and locals, and explore the old market.
Besides, We can taste Tibetan tea with locals in tea house; The welcome dinner will also be arranged accordingly;
Optional:
With time permitting, you may go with tour guide to visit Tibetan handicraft art or Tibetan Traditional Medicine center. You can upgrade your service to enjoy Tibetan Culture Show in the evening (fr. 60USD)
Stay overnight in Lhasa
Day 3: Lhasa tour - Drepung Monastery/Sera Monastery (B)
In the morning ,you are going to visit Drepung monastery which is one of the “great three” Gelug monasteries of Tibet, founded in 1416 by Jamyang choge, one of the Tsongkhapa’s main disciples. You can visit biggest monastery kitchen inside the monastery and enjoy Buddhist Sculpture Carving workshop near Drepung.
In the Afternoon, Tourists will visit Sera Monastery which is another one of the “great three” Gelug monasteries of Tibet. The hot attraction is the Monks debate at around 3 - 5 in the afternoon. In addition, you can tour the Tibetan religious scripture printing house; inside the monastery, you can see three sand Mandalas and colorful Rock Painting of Buddha.
Stay overnight in Lhasa
Day 4: Lhasa/Yamdrok Lake/Lhasa (B)
Today, we have to drive from Lhasa to Yamdrok Lake. On the way, the group will pass over the Gampala pass (4790 m),and tourists will have a glimpse of Yamdrok-tso Lake (4400m) .The Lake is surrounded by many snow-capped mountain and in the distance you have spectacular views of Holy Mount Nyenchen Khangsar (7191m), the highest mountain near Lhasa.
Then we will drive downhill to the lake and enjoy the free walk at the lake shore before heading back to Lhasa.
Stay overnight in Lhasa
Day 5: Depart from Lhasa
The guide will transfer you to the airport or train station and help you on board.
What is Included in the Cost
Service Included:
-
Tibet travel permit and all other necessary permits to Tibet;
-
All entrance ticket fees for all tourist sites listed in the itinerary;
-
Meals as specified in the itinerary;
-
Local tour Transfers, 5-29 seats comfortable Tourist Vehicle according to Group Size.;
-
Knowledgeable English-speaking Tibetan local tour guide shared in your group;
-
Comfortable Hotel Accommodations;
-
Service Charge & Government Taxes;
-
The above tour price does not include single room supplement. If you are a solo traveler, you need to share one room with another tourist (same sex in most cases); if you prefer to stay in one room by yourself, you will have to pay the single room supplement. And the exact price depends on market fluctuation in high and off season of Tibet tour. For the exact price, please refer to your travel consultant.
-
Arrangements include planning, handling, operational and communication charges.
-
Welcome Dinner in local restaurant when group members meet in Lhasa
-
Free Airport shuttle transfer between Lhasa Gongar airport and Hotel on designated time.
-
Group tours only include a welcome dinner after your arrival in Tibet.
-
Tibet Handy Map
-
Drinking water Provided during the trip
-
One shared big Oxygen tank in the car;
-
Tourist accident/casualty insurance;
What is Excluded in the Cost
Service Excluded:
-
International flight to and out of China;
-
Domestic flight/train to and out of Lhasa. (We can provide you the domestic flight/train ticket booking service at the BEST discount price, please contact us our travel experts for the details.)
-
Lunches and dinners are not included, please pay on site by yourself.; usually it costs about USD3-15 per person for one meal in TAR (Tibet Autonomous Region).
-
Tips to tour guide and driver, you are suggested to tip them 7 USD/day in total.;
-
Personal expenses, like laundry, phone call, snacks, soft drinks (please do the best to avoid the alcoholic beverages during your Tibet trip), optional tour activities, etc.
Shuttle Service between hotels and Airport/Train Station:
As for Lhasa Gongar airport is 70km from the downtown, it is hard for us to arrange free shuttle service at any given time.
So, Tibet Vista can only offer free shuttle service to pick up/drop off tourists between hotels and Gongga airport twice a day at a designated time. Some of the tourists may have to wait for others for a longtime beyond our designated time, and we advise our clients could book the flights to match our shuttle service time.
The free airport pick-up time is as follows on the day the itinerary begins (From airport to hotel, Fixed departure):
Pick up tourists at 09:30 am; 13:30 pm; 16:30 pm
The free airport drop time is as follows on the day the itinerary closes (From hotel to airport, Fixed departure):
Pick up tourists at 06:30 am; 08:30 am; 12:30 pm
All the shuttle service from/to the train station on the date of tourists' arrival and departure would be free.
Exception
- If tourists' picking-up/dropping-off time is beyond our fixed schedule, they are required to pay private transfer from 60USD/car.
- If passengers are less than 3 per transfer, we may use publish transportation like public airport bus or Taxi instead of using our shuttle service.
No review.
