Top Best Tours In and Around Lhasa 2022

Most people traveling only to Lhasa do so for one of two reasons: cost or time. Traveling to Tibet is an expensive trip, and it can take a long time to get there, especially if you are traveling from China to Lhasa by train. And that is on top of your flight to China from your home country.

Time constraints can be a cumbersome obstacle, and if you are limited on the time you have to travel, then a Lhasa-only tour is one of the best options for traveling to Tibet. When time is of the essence, you do not want to be taking a long train ride and want to get the best out of the limited time you have to travel. This is why our Lhasa short group tours are popular with people that have little time to travel.

Lhasa-only tours are also good if your concern is the cost of the trip. There are many things that can reduce the cost of a tour to Tibet. By staying in Lhasa is one of them, as it means you do not need to have the driver and car all the time and travel thousands of miles across the plateau.  So the only time you need to utilize the vehicle is when you travel outside the city to Namtso or other places nearby.

Lhasa, the City of Sunshine

Lhasa is really a city that is worth spending the time and money to come and visit. It is the cultural and spiritual heart of this beautiful region. What’s more, Lhasa is not subject to seasonal tourism. With the exception of the annual closure of Tibet to international tourists during Losar, the Tibetan New Year. Lhasa is one of the few places in Tibet that can be visited at any time of the year, from April to the end of January. You can really experience the true meaning of what it is to be Tibetan.

This short and simple trip, which takes in the stunning sights of the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Sera and Drepung Monasteries, and the awesome kora route that is Barkhor Street. It is one of the most popular and intense tours of Lhasa.

While you may only have a few days in the city. That is usually enough time to learn more about this unique culture by staying in the city that is the heart of Tibetan culture and religion. I assure you traveling to Tibet might be the best decision you ever made, after touring around Tibet.

Best Short Tours

4 Days Lhasa Highlight Group Tour

Our best short tour of Lhasa is the 4-day Lhasa Highlight Group Tour, which focuses on the city of Lhasa only. And does not travel outside the city limits. The tour is ideal for those that want to experience the highlights of this stunning city and the cultural uniqueness of the Tibetan Buddhist faith.

As the tour is only four days long, including your arrival and departure days. Then it is best to book flights or train tickets that arrive early in the morning on the first day. So that you can leave as late as possible on the last, to make the most of the time you have in Lhasa.

5 Days Holy Lhasa Tour

If you have a little more time on your hands. Then an extra day can see the tour take a new and exciting turn, with a trip to Lake Namtso, one of the Great Three Holy Lakes of Tibet. Taking in some of the holiest sites in Lhasa, this unique tour is designed to give you the best possible holy Lhasa experience.

Perfect for those with a little more time that want to get out of the city for the day, to visit one of the most stunning natural lakes in the world. The world’s highest saltwater lake and the second largest saline lake in China. Lake Namtso lies on the border with Nagqu Prefecture, in Damxung County, 180 kilometers north of the Tibetan capital.

As well as the visit to holy Lake Namtso, set in its beautiful countryside. And fringed by the Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains on one side. On the vast Changtang prairie on the other, this tour takes you to the holiest sites in Lhasa, including the Jokhang Temple. The site has one of the oldest statues of Buddha in the world.

The Potala Palace, the former site of the Tibetan government offices until 1755. The stunning monasteries of Sera and Drepung, two of the main monasteries of the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism. These are the most famous landmarks in Tibet. And you must take a chance to witness those historical landmarks during your visit to Tibet.

6 Days Cultural Experiences Tour

One of the best possible tours to give you a wider experience of the ancient and unique Tibetan culture, this 6-day tour takes you to all of the top spots in Lhasa. From the Jokhang Temple, Barkhor, and Potala Palace to the beautiful monasteries that can be found around the city.

Sightseeing in Lhasa is one of the best ways to learn more about the Tibetan culture of the city. There is much more to explore than the city dwellers of the Tibetan capital. Aside from the delights of the City of Sunshine. This tour gives you the chance to go a little further afield, heading to the west to visit Gyantse and Shigatse for one night.

 

Traveling out of Lhasa Prefecture does mean that you will need additional permits. But since it is only as far as Shigatse, and not to some of the restricted areas or places near the border. The Alien’s Travel Permit, which can be obtained easily in Lhasa in just a couple of hours, is all that is needed.

The Tour Around Lhasa

Once outside Lhasa, you will be driven towards Gyantse, passing the stunning Lake Yamdrok, one of the Great Three Holy Lakes of Tibet. Skirting its northern shoreline, you will get time to stop and explore the lakeshore a little, before heading on. Further along the road, you will also get time to stop and explore the lower tongue of the Karola Glacier. Its pristine white ice shining in the bright sunlight. Then it is on to the city of Gyantse, home of the most awesome stupa in Tibet. Standing 32 meters tall, the Gyantse Kumbum is the only stupa of its kind in Tibet and comprises nine levels that enclose 108 small chapels.

After Gyantse, it is then on to Shigatse. You will stop for the night in one of the delightful hotels this second city of Tibet has to offer. After a good night’s sleep, you will wake to a delicious breakfast before heading out to visit one of Tibet’s most spectacular monasteries, Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. The seat of the Panchen Lama, the second-highest incarnation in Tibetan Buddhism.

This monastery is one of the main university monasteries for the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism. Built in 1447 by the First Dalai Lama, Gendun Drup. It is one of the sacred kora sites in western Tibet and sees regular visits from pilgrims who come to circumambulate its holy walls. After spending the morning exploring the monastery and the city. It is then back to Lhasa, a six-hour drive, for your last night on the plateau.