Tibet in Depth

/5 935 Latest reviews

Tour Code: ODY-CN-306

Destination:Lhasa, Shigatse, Tingri, Ngari Prefecture, Naqu

Duration

16 Days

Tour Type

Private & Bespoke

Tour Style

Classic

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About This Trip

Get away from the congested tourist attractions and have an in-depth tour of eastern Tibet. Beyond the Buddhist culture, you can find the plateau's breathtaking mountains and tranquil lakes. Visit Lhasa's top attractions, including the Jokhang Temple and Potala Palace. Enjoy the sacred Yamdrok Lake, Lake Manasarovar, and Namtso's magnificence. Gaze in awe at the Zhada Earth Forest National Geopark's scenery. Travel through Ngari Prefecture's vast, uninhabited areas.

Itinerary Summary

DAY PLACE HIGHLIGHTS
1 - 3 Lhasa Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Monks Debate Experience in Sera Monastery, Trekking Tour around Lhasa
4 Lhasa - Shigatse Yamdrok Lake, Karola Glacier, Kumbum Stupa
5 Tingri County Mt. Everest
6 Tingri County - Saga County Lake Paiku
7 Saga County - Darchen Lake Manasarovar
8 Zanda County Zhada Earth Forest National Geopark
9 - 10 Shiquanhe Ngari Prefecture
11 - 12 Gerze County - Nyima County Zhari Namco, Tangra Yumco
13 - 14 Nyima County - Damxung County Namtso
15 Yangbajing Hot Spring Bath
16 Lhasa Departure
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Itinerary

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Day 1: Arrival, Lhasa

Welcome to Tibet, the Roof of the World with an average elevation of 4,380 meters! Whether you arrive in Lhasa by plane or train, our professional guide will welcome you outside the arrival hall. Later, take the private transfer to your hotel and check in. The rest of the day is yours to adapt to the plateau environment.

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Lhasa

Day 2: Lhasa, Potala Palace & Jokhang Temple

Standing highly on the Red Mountain for hundreds of years, the magnificent Potala Palace and its predecessor is always the symbol of Tibet and even the whole Tibetan Buddhism world. Climbing the steep stairs up, the distinctive architecture itself, the solemn and mystical religious air, the precious artistic treasures inside, and the spectacular view from the top will deeply shake your heart.

Proceeding to the holiest Jokhang Temple, filled with the scent of Yak oil candles and pilgrims from all over China, you will get a better understanding of the religious faith of the Tibetan people. At the end of the tour, walk around the nearby Barkhor Street to observe the locals going about their daily lives and seek some souvenirs.

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Lhasa

Day 3: Lhasa, Monks Debate in Sera Monastery

You might be able to adjust to the high altitude and enjoy the next adventure by taking a short trekking tour around Lhasa. Beginning in the Pabonka Hermitage, the excursion will proceed to the Trashi Choling Hermitage before descending to the Chupzang Nunnery.

Visit the Sera Monastery next, which is renowned for its Buddhist "Monks Debate" activities. It is fascinating to see monks in red robes congregate and argue over Buddhism philosophy and their teachings in exaggerated motions, even if you can't comprehend what they're saying.

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Lhasa

Day 4: Lhasa - Gyantse County - Shigatse, Yamdrok Lake

Set out for Shigatse today with several stopovers on the way. The first is at Yamdrok Lake, a coral-shaped lake that appears in varying shades of blue on a sunny day, followed by the Karola Glacier - the closest glacier to the highway in Tibet. The last is the Kumbum Stupa inside the Palcho Monastery, Gyantse County.

Upon arrival in Shigatse, spend some time visiting the Tashilhunpo Monastery, the largest one in Shigatse.

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Shigatse

Day 5: Shigatse - Tingri County, Mt. Everest

Proceed to the Rongbuk Monastery after breakfast. As the car moves along National Road 318, a scenic way that gathers the most and best landscapes in China, majestic and virgin snow-capped mountains will come into your sight time and again, including Mt. Everest at altitudes of more than 8,000 meters if on a clear day.

After arrival, take pictures with the highest peak on the earth and then rest in the nearby hotel.

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Tingri

Day 6: Tingri County - Saga County, Lake Paiku

Continue your journey to Saga County after breakfast. On the way, you will have a chance to see the snow-capped mountains of the Himalayas again. Drive through the alpine pastures and make a short stopover at Lake Paiku, the best place to enjoy the beauty of the Shishapangma, the lowest among the world's 14 peaks over 8,000 meters above the sea level. Tonight, you will stay at Saga County.

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Saga

Day 7: Saga County - Darchen, Lake Manasarovar

This morning, along the way to Ngari Prefecture, you will enjoy different landscapes, from snow-capped mountains and blue lakes to vast deserts. Make a stopover at Lake Manasarovar, where you can overlook the sacred Mount Kailash to its north and visit the lakeside Jiwu Temple. Close to the borders of India and Nepal, this area is a worship place for believers of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Bon. So, don't be surprised if you see the pilgrims on their devotional journey circling the lake and the mountain. After the tour, head to Darchen for the night.

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Saga

Day 8: Darchen - Zanda County, Zhada Earth Forest

Along with the beautiful plateau scenery, you will reach Zhada Earth Forest National Geopark today. The flat top of the mountain that has been cut into parallel and orderly deep shallow gullies by nature seems like a work of art gifted to man. You may feel like being on another planet while moving through the geopark in the car. Later, visit the ancient Guge Kingdom Ruins rising abruptly from the river bank. Just a few hundred meters from the ruins is the Tholing Monastery with a history of more than 1,100 years.

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Zanda County

Day 9: Zanda County - Shiquanhe Town

After breakfast, drive about 7 hours to Shiquanhe, the main town of Ngari Prefecture, with stopovers en route for break and photography. Upon arrival, check into your hotel and take a good rest.

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Shiquanhe Town

Day 10: Shiquanhe - Gerze County

Today you will drive into the heart of Ngari Prefecture, a vast, uninhabited wilderness with numerous lakes. It's a long journey taking around 13 hours, during which you will be rewarded with a paradise of the unique wildlife in the Tibetan Plateau, such as Tibetan wild donkeys, Tibetan antelope, and wild yak.

Arrive at Gerze County in the evening, check into your hotel, and have a good rest.

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Gerze County

Day 11: Gerze County - Coqen County

Continue your journey in the northern Tibetan prairie. Out of the window are stunning landscapes, beautiful lakes, and wild animals free rambling in their natural habitats. After about 7 hours of scenic land journey, you will reach Coqen County for the night.

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Coqen County

Day 12: Coqen County - Nyima County

Today, another 7 hours drive will take you to Nyima County. On the way, you will pass through Zhari Namco (a salt lake with the most graceful shoreline) and Tangra Yumco (the holy lake of the Bön believers). Upon arrival, check into your hotel and rest.

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Nyima County

Day 13: Nyima County - Baingoin County

Continue with a 9-hour drive through the boundless prairie to Baingoin County. It is an area that has too many lakes of different sizes and provides shelter for wildlife. You may encounter herds of Tibetan wild donkeys, Tibetan antelopes, and so on. After arrival at your hotel in Baingoin County, check in and rest.

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Baingoin County

Day 14: Baingoin County - Damxung County, Namtso

Proceed with a 4-hour drive to Namtso, along with Yamdrok Lake and the Manasarovar that you've visited in the past days are the three holy lakes in Tibet. Lying sacredly at an elevation of 4,718 meters, the so-called Heavenly Lake is also a divine pilgrim location for Tibetan Buddhists.

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Dangxiong

Day 15: Damxung County - Lhasa, Yangbajing

Today you can take a bath in a hot spring in the town of Yangbajing. It would be a unique experience to dip in the hot springs water and watch the snow mountains in the distance. Later, head to Lhasa, hotel check-in, and rest.

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Lhasa

Day 16: Lhasa, Departure

Time to say goodbye. Your tour guide will await you at the hotel lobby at the appointment time and escort you to the airport or railway station.

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What Our Clients Say

"Great Customized Service", "Trip of A Lifetime", "Exceed All Expectations"

Richee Family Adventures

05 Aug 2025

Second Honeymoon My wife and I celebrated our 20th anniversary by spending a few weeks touring around Asia. We loved how Odynovo worked with us to craft a tour of what we wanted to see and how we wanted to see it. This was our first time traveling with a private tour guide, and it was truly amazing. they took care of all transportation, tickets, and everywhere we went we had someone who not only spoke our language, but was also very well-versed in the places we were visiting. We saw Beijing and then took a bullet train to Xi'an. In both cities we had tour guides who had done this "a thousand times," and as a result knew all the tricks on where to take the best pictures, what lines to stand in, where to eat, and what not to waste your time seeing. At one point our guide pulled out ponchos from her backpack when it started to rain, while another helped us haggle for a good price on a new suitcase. We were surprised by how much we loved China, and it is safe to say that is because of the quality of service we got from Odynovo. Oh, and the hotels were great, too! In our first hotel my wife fell in love with her breakfast soup that she had to have every morning, while in Xi'an we were right around the corner from the Muslim Night Market and were able to get to it in less than 5 minutes of walking.We are already looking to see what tours we will be doing next through Odynovo, as the service was amazing, the quality was remarkable, and the cost was very worth it for what we received.
Shannon V

05 Aug 2025

Fabulous! We had a fabulous experience with our guide and Odynovo walking the Great Wall of China, and all other sites in Beijing. We loved our Peking duck dinner. It was fabulous. Thank you, Sammie/Jing for a great experience.
domotic d

05 Aug 2025

Beijing Beauty It started off with a friendly face at the airport, with Roy, our tour guide.The week has been such a pleasure and a treat. From adventures to The Great Wall, Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City, to local markets, delicious Beijing food and roof top tea houses.Roy and our driver, Mr. Zhou, were prompt in picking us up and driving us around safely.The knowledge and fact about history and Beijing that Roy knows and explains is amazing and the fact he could answer my weird and inquisitive history questionsnwoth ease was a treat.He made it so easy to enjoy ourselves and absorb all that was around us, he even takes great photos too! 😊Polite, kind and thoughtful and ever patient in letting us take our time with things that interested us.I would highly recommend this tour and Roy again and again.
Zarah B

05 Aug 2025

Amazing travel experience My name is Zarah M. Babangida a Nigerian and i visited Beijing with my colleagues from the office. During our 5 day stay in Beijing, Ms. Eva Ma, was our Tour guide and from the minute we came through the Arrival Gate of the Airport, we were embraced by her alluring smile and warm welcome. She remained consistent with her warmth, a kind and intelligent professional who exuded unique passion not just for her job as a tour guide but, even more so as a proud Chinese woman. Her outstanding insight and knowledge of the sweet Chinese history and heritage left us in awe. I couldn't be more proud and thankful that she was assigned to our group and she made our stay exciting, fun-filled effortless and knowledge packed. I absolutely commend her dedication to work which she depicted throughout our stay. I recommend her to every visiting tourist because to know Eva, is to love her. If it were up to me, i will increase her bonuses or upgrade her salary as i am sure most tourists would want or revisit for her sake first and then perhaps other reasons.Thank you Eva and keep the passion up🙌.

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