Things to see & do in Lhasa
Lhasa is where most Tibet vacations begin and, at 3,670m, an ideal place to acclimatise before moving on. Arriving into the airport you may be welcomed with a khata, a traditional prayer scarf, before the 100km drive into the city, the route offering plenty of dramatic Himalayan views. Despite its altitude, Lhasa can suffer from air pollution, much of it related to dust thrown up by construction activity – one of the most common justifications given for the Chinese occupation of Tibet since 1950 is the development of ‘infrastructure’.
The monasteries here have been used for worshipping and teaching for centuries. The Chinese flag may fly at Potala Palace, but it is still the unassailable seat of Tibetan religion and politics. You won’t find any photographs of the Dalai Lama in Lhasa, and attempting to discuss politics with your guide or any locals you meet in the Tibetan capital is discouraged unless they bring it up first, but he is far from forgotten. And the ritual of the Barkhor circuit around Jokhang Temple feels just as constant as Everest. If you want to explore Tibet’s history, culture and resilient spirituality, there’s nowhere better to start than Lhasa.
Our Tibet Vacations
Tibet tour, Lhasa and Lake Namtso
Surrealistic beauty of Mount Everest and Namtso Lake
Bejing to Lhasa tour, by train
Beijing to Lhasa on the famous sky train
Lhasa to Mount Kailash tour, Tibet
3 days pilgrimage kora around Mount Kailash
Tibet cultural tours
Experience life styles of Tibetan people
Kathmandu to Lhasa overland tour
Overland trip from Kathmandu to Tibet with Mount Everest
Lhasa small group tour in Tibet
Visit World Heritage Sites in Lhasa City at short 4 days
Lhasa to Everest Base Camp tour, small group
Enjoy the panoramic view of fabulous Himalaya Mountain Range
Tibet & China biking vacation
A Challenging cycle tour in China and the Tibetan Plateau.
Tibet vacation by train from China
Experience the world’s highest scenic train to Tibet
China, Tibet and Nepal tour
Journey across the Himalaya from the Great Wall to Everest
Northern Tibet adventure tour, Qiangtang to Kailash
Amazing adventure in Northern and Western Tibet
Tibet 6 days sightseeing tour
Tibetan culture & highland scenery: Lhasa, Gyantse, Shigatse
Mount Kailash trekking vacation in Tibet
Trek Mount Kailish in Tibet
Central Tibet tour
Explore Central Tibetan Culture, Monasteries and Holy Lakes
Tibet culture tour & Everest base camp
Meet the people, heritage and stunning landscapes of Tibet.
Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan cultural tours
Cultural, Religion and Nature of Himalayan Countries Vacation
Lhasa and Namtso Lake tour in Tibet
Visit the cradle of Tibetan civilisation
Lhasa to Kathmandu overland tour
Overland trip including Tibet Everest Base Camp en route
21 days Tibet 4WD in depth tour
Mt. Kailash Trekking and Guge Kingdom Ruin
Tibet wildlife vacation, Tibet Plateau mammals
Explore the vast Tibetan Plateau in search of rare mammals
Tibet Gama Valley trekking vacation in Tibet
One of the Top 10 classic trekking routes in the world
Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan tour
Explore the Himalayan kingdoms of Nepal, Tibet & Bhutan
Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet Tour
A cultural extravaganza in landlocked South Asian countries
Sichuan to Tibet overland tour
Travel the G318 Highway from Chengdu to Lhasa
Lhasa to Kashgar via Mt Kailash
A stunning journey through the isolated lands of Tibet
Tibet exploration tour
Trek from Tsurphu Monastery to Dorje Ling Nunnery
Tibet birding tour
Explore rural Tibet on this specialist bird watching tour
In depth tour of Tibet
Monasteries, holy lakes and Tibet's western wilderness
Tibet overland explorer
Travel through the sensational landscapes of the Himalayas and Nepal
Tibet biking vacation
Exploring Tibet by cycling, a trip of a lifetime
Potala Palace
Jokhang Temple
The most sacred temple in Tibet, Jokhang Temple is at the heart not only of spirituality in Lhasa, but commerce too, surrounded by the teeming Barkhor market where you can buy everything from traditional Tibetan quilts to painted scrolls, butter lamps and bowls of yummy yak yoghurt. Every day pilgrims walk for 20 minutes around the temple, spinning prayer wheels as they go.It’s fun to join in, as Philippa Cawthorne, who took a trip to Tibet through Responsible Travel in 2017, found: “The most memorable part of the vacation was walking around Barkhor Square seeing people on pilgrimage from various regions of Tibet. The people were very friendly and even came to shake our hands and say hello. We were invited into a small temple to join the locals spinning their prayer wheels and chanting, which was a magical experience as we were the only foreigners there.”
You’ll also see many pilgrims prostrating themselves all the way round, some having travelled hundreds or even thousands of kilometres to get there, giving you some idea of the temple’s significance.
Norbulingka
Sera Monastery
Just north of Lhasa, at the base of a mountain and surrounded by hermitages and nunneries in the foothills, Sera Monastery is a superb example of Tibetan architecture and a venerated seat of Buddhist learning. Some Tibet tours will attempt to time their visit so as to watch crowds of monks vigorously debating scripture in the courtyard – you almost certainly won’t have a clue what’s being argued but it’s fun to watch all the same.Drepung Monastery
Along with Sera and Ganden, Drepung is one of the three educational monasteries in Tibet belonging to the Gelung strand of Buddhism – think of it as monk university. Ten thousand of them once studied here at any one time, in a series of white monastic buildings stacked up the hillside just outside Lhasa. The walk up the hill to explore these holy halls and chapels is as serene as it is beautiful, with views across the capital and off into the mountains.Our top Tibet Vacation
Tibet tour, Lhasa and Lake Namtso
Surrealistic beauty of Mount Everest and Namtso Lake
2021: 16 Apr, 18 Apr, 23 Apr, 26 Apr, 7 May, 14 May, 21 May, 28 May, 4 Jun, 12 Jun, 18 Jun, 25 Jun, 2 Jul, 9 Jul, 16 Jul, 23 Jul, 30 Jul, 6 Aug, 13 Aug, 20 Aug, 27 Aug, 3 Sep, 10 Sep, 19 Sep, 24 Sep, 1 Oct, 8 Oct, 15 Oct
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