There are many options for you to plan to arrive in Lhasa. Lhasa is connected to third countries via flight from Kathmandu only. From China you have the option of taking flight from many cities in China such as Chengdu, Beijing, Xian etcs. Lhasa is also connected with other parts of China via train.

Upon arrival at the train station in Lhasa city or at Gongkar airport, you will be received by your guide. If you have taken flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa or taking train from various cities within China to Lhasa, your guides will be receiving you with your original Tibet permit. If you have chosen to take the flight from China to Lhasa, then original permits will be delivered to your hotel or address in China (extra cost may be involved).

The drive from Gongkar airport to Lhasa city takes around 90 minutes. You will be driving along the Yarlung Tsangpo – the largent canyon in the world with a total depth 5382 meters then into the Kyi Chu Valley

We are already at 3800 m and we can already feel the affect of low availability of oxygen. In order not to induce more affect of low oxygen level, we take our day easy. Doing some walking around the market areas (note that we will not be allowed to enter any temples or monasteries without our guide) and take rest so that our body slowly acclimatizes to the high altitude.

Today, we will be touring around the major attraction within the Lhasa city. We will be accompanied by our Tibetan Guide.

Drepung Monastery: It used to be the biggest monastic university of the Gelukpa school, and before the 1950ies more than seven-thousand monks lived there. The monastic complex lies at the foot of Mt. Gephel about 8 km away from the center of Lhasa. It was founded in 1416 by Jamyang Choeje, a famous monk, one of the main disciples of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelukpa school. One of its palaces, the Ganden Phodrang was the residence of the Dalai Lamas until the Potala was built. Today it has seven colleges with different emphasis, teaching lineages and geographical affiliations.

Nechung Monastery: The Nechung is only a ten minutes’ walk downhill from Drepung Monastery. This small complex was the seat of the Tibetan State Oracle until 1959, when he escaped to India with the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan government and the Dalai Lamas would never make an important decision without consulting the oracle. And when asked a question, he would fall into trance, and be possessed by Dorje Drakden, a form of Pehar, a protector deity. His mumbles and hissing was recorded and interpreted by monks. The main temple is a typical Tantric shrine with some unique murals providing a glimpse into the realm of protectors and wrathful deities of Tibetan Buddhism.

Norbu Lingka: The Norbu Linka or Treasure Garden is the summer palace of the Dalai Lamas, a quiet and beautiful gardenin the western part of Lhasa. Its construction was started by the 7^th Dalai Lama in 1755, and finished during the reign of the 13^thand 14^th Dalai Lamas in the 20^th century. It is a huge well-kept garden, where you can walk around and enjoy the beauty of high altitude flora, and visit three palaces. The most interesting is the 14^th Dalai Lama’s palace, where the murals of the audience hall depict events of Tibetan history, and his living quarters show his fascination with Western inventions. He escaped from this palace to India on March 10, 1959.

Sera Monastery: Sera is a famous monastic university of Tibet belonging to the Gelukpa school founded in the early 15^th century. It is situated about 5 km away from the center of Lhasa. Among its many buildings it is worth to visit the impressive assembly hall where monks do their daily rituals, and its Hayagriva shrine, as this Tantric deity is the remover of obstacles and its blessing heals headache and altitude sickness. Next to this building is a fenced debating courtyard, where every afternoon the monks test their knowledge of Buddhist philosophy in a spectacular way between 3 and 4 o’clock in the afternoon.

Today we will be walking around the nearby attractions and yes today we will be visiting the Potala Palace – the highlight of the trip to Tibet.

Potala: The Potala Palace, the seat of the Dalai Lamas since the 17^th century, is the most well-known landmark of Tibet. It is situated on the Marpori, the Red Hill. After climbing its impressive stairway, you will see audience halls and living quarters of the Dalai Lamas, some exceptional relics, stupas, three dimensional mandalas, numberless beautiful statues, and even the meditation cave of Songtsen Gampo, the first Buddhist king of Tibet, who used to meditate on the same spot in the 7^th century, where the Potala was later built. As the Dalai Lamas are considered to be emanations of Chenrezi, the bodhisattva of compassion and protector of Tibet, their residence is called Potala, the heavenly abode of the bodhisattva of compassion in Buddhist mythology. In its present form the Potala was built by the great 5^th Dalai Lama, who was a famous polymath of the 17^th century. The White Palace, built in 1649, housed the residence of the Dalai Lama and his government. The Red Palace was added for religious studies after the 5^th Dalai Lama`s passing away, and his personal monastery, the Namgyal was moved to this building. In 1994 the Potala Palace was inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage list. Today it functions as a museum.

When you visit, please, bring your passport, and make sure that you don’t carry any cream, drinks, liquids, lipstick, matches, lighters, knife in your bag, when you enter. You can buy water, soft drinks, pictures and books inside the palace.

Jokhang: The Jokhang Temple was founded in the 642 AD by Tibet’s first Buddhist king with the help of his Chinese and Nepali wives. Many Tibetans still use its original name, Tsuglagkhang, which means ‘House of Sciences’ (religious sciences like astrology, divination and geomancy). It is the center of the Tibetan mandala housing the oldest and most sacred Buddha statue, the Jowo. Although some parts of the temple has been rebuilt during the last centuries, original elements remain: the wooden beams and rafters have been shown by carbon dating to be original; the Newari door frames and columns date from the 7th and 8th centuries. From the rooftop you get a stunning view of the main square and the Potala. The temple is surrounded by the Barkhor, the “middle circle”, a traditional circumbulation path filled with traditional shops, old shrines, and Tibetan pilgrims walking around especially after sunrise and before sunset.

Today we will be making little tours out of Lhasa city.

Phabongka Hermitage: It is one of the most ancient Buddhist sites in the Lhasa region, near Sera Monastery, with buildings scattered around on the slopes of Mt. Udug. It was originally built by King Songtsen Gampo in the 7^th century as a castle, and later it was converted into a monastery. Up the hill from the hermitage is the Palden Lhamo cave, the meditation chamber of Songtsen Gampo, and the nearby Jasa Podrang, a yellow brick building is the place, where Tonmi Sambhota, the minister of King Songtsen Gampo composed the Tibetan alphabet after years of travelling and learning in India. There is a sky-burial place next door, where Tibetans traditionally dispose dead bodies, and feed them to vultures.

Ganden Monastery: It is the first monastery founded in 1409 by Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelukpa School, 50 km away from Lhasa. Ganden means ‘joyous’, and it is the name of the paradise of the future Buddha, Maitreya. The monastery is high up on a mountain over 4000 m above sea level, and has stupendous views of the Kyichu valley and a fascinating circumambulation path which offers views to both sides of the mountain. The red fortress like structure is Tsongkhapa’s mausoleum known as Serkhang, and though it was destroyed by the Red Guards along with the preserved body of Tsongkhapa, it was beautifully reconstructed. Another important place to visit is the nearby assembly hall, where in the inner sanctum the golden throne of Tsongkhapa is still standing, which for centuries was the throne of the Ganden Thripa, the head of the Gelukpa school. Pilgrims get thumped on the head as a blessing with the hat of Tsongkhapa, and the shoes of the 13^th Dalai Lama.

Today is our last day in Lhasa. Depending upon your departure details, you may or may not have time to wander around the local streets of Lhasa before you head to airport or train station to continue on your next journey