Lhasa and Namtso Lake Tour - 6 days - Kailash Himalaya Trek

Lhasa and Namtso Lake Tour – 6 days

Classic tour to visit Lhasa and the holy lake Namtso.

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Trip Highlights:
- Journey over the Tibetan Plateau to Rongphu Monastery and Everest Base Camp
- Glaciers, ancient monasteries, holy lakes, rare wild animals, big mountain ranges, lovely traditional villages en route to Lhasa.
- Absorb the dramatic views of the north face of Everest
- Explore Lhasa and visit Potala place, former home of Dalai Lama
- Delve into the rich cultural traditions of Tibet
This is the Classic tour to visit Lhasa and the holy lake Namtso. Namtso or Lake Nam is a mountain lake on the border between Damxung County of Lhasa prefecture-level city and Baingoin County of Nagqu Prefecture in Tibet, if you are not used to the high altitude then this is one of the best tours that covers the all the main tourist sites in Lhasa like Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkor street, Drepung and sera monastery. The heavenly lake is the second largest alpine saline lake in Tibet with an altitude of 4,718 meters above sea level. Its surrealistic beauty will take your breath away in no time.
NAMTSO LAKE
Located at the altitude of 4718M, Northern Nakchu region in Tibet, around 240Km one way from Lhasa, with the driving of around 4-5 hours, there is one of the most beautiful holy lakes in Tibet, Namtso Lake, which is the largest salt lake in the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Namtso lake is known as one of the most beautiful places located in the Nangchen Tangla Range, surrounded by white snow mountains and grassland where Nomads will camp in the summer with groups of Yaks.

Namtso lake is also a very important meditation area in the late 11th Century, were in the stories of Jetsun Milarepa's female Disciple Rechungma used to meditation and later many other great Yogis.

Nowadays Namtso lake is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Tibet, every day many travelers will travel to Namtso lake. Namtso lake is also known as one of the best places to witness the sunrise, sunset and most importantly stars in the night.

Accommodation at Namtso lake is very basic, no private bathroom and no shower since it is not allowed to built mud or brick house at Namtso Lake, which is a good thing so these sacred places will remain beautiful and natural.
Day 01: Arrive Lhasa (3650m)
When you arrive in Lhasa either by train or flight your guide will greet you and take you to your hotel. You can see Yarlung Tsangpo River/Brahmaputra river – the Longest and largest river in Tibet and Lhasa river on your way to the hotel. After arriving at hotel, you may take a rest and get acclimatized with Lhasa’s high altitude. If you wish to explore some close by then you can go to the Potala Square or close market. Stay overnight in Lhasa. Notes to the first time visitors: to get acclimatized to the high altitude in Tibet it is advised to have a proper sleep in your hotel, drinks lots of water, not to rush and relax in visiting the monuments.

Day 02: Lhasa Tour - Potala Palace, Johkang Temple, and Barkhor Street (B)
Today’s tour will first bring you to the Potala Palace. Potala Palace was built in 1645 and completed in 1693. It dominates the landscape in Lhasa. The palace is the former winter residence of the Dalai Lama. It used to be the official residence of 13 Dalai Lamas. The magnificent building has over 1000 rooms. Inside there are many chambers; you can see brilliant frescoes paintings and a great view of Lhasa. The next visit after lunch is Jokhang Temple that has valuable relics of Buddha and magnificent statues related to Tibet Buddhism. Often you come across devotees, who have come from far-flung of Tibet, prostrating in and around. The sight of pilgrims prostrating themselves in front of Jhokang must be seen to be comprehended. This is something you can never see elsewhere. Jokhang Temple in Lhasa is the spiritual center of Tibet where in the summer nomads meet other pilgrims on their way to the high pasture. You then visit the Barkhor Bazaar outside the Jokhang monastery. This is the bustling flea market where you can buy souvenirs and meet other tourists. Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Day 03: Visit Drepung and Sera Monastery (B)
In the morning visit Drepung monastery which is the largest monastery in the world and once housed 10,000 monks and nuns. It was built in 1416, and the second, third and fourth Dalai Lamas lived here and were entombed. A visit to the kitchen of this monastery is a must. Look out for the washing machine in which the monks mix their butter tea. In the Afternoon you will visit Sera Monastery which is another one of the “great three” Gelug university monasteries of Tibet. The hot attraction would be to see is the Monks debate which happens around 3 – 5 in the afternoon. Besides these, you can visit the Tibetan religious scripture printing house, inside the monastery, see three sand Mandalas and colorful Rock Painting of Buddha. It is a very impressive and well-preserved monastery that has white-washed walls and golden roofs. Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Day 04: Lhasa to Namtso Lake (250km - 5 hours drive ) (B)
In the morning, drive from Lhasa to Lake Namtso, one of the four holy lakes of Tibet and also the highest saline lake in the world. On the way, you can see snow-capped Nyenchen Thanglha Mountain Ranges and lots of nomads and their tent with grazing yak and sheep densely-populated on the flourishing grassland. Enjoy the view of the sky road railway with snow mountain background, also famous Lagenla Mountain Pass at 5190m. The view of holy Namtso Lake is just stunning.

Explore and leisure trek around Tashi Island and enjoy sunset view on the horizon. We stay overnight at Namtso so we can enjoy a night view of the milky way at the lakeshore. Overnight at Guesthouse.

Day 05: Namtso Lake back to Lhasa via Yampachen (230km - 5 hours drive )
Enjoy the sunrise view over the Namtso Lake and a small stroll around the lakeshore to Tashi Dor Island to explore the meditation caves. You may enjoy Yangpachen hot spring but you are required to pay additional for this side trip, it has both indoor and outdoor swimming pool filled with hot springs water. Finally, head back to Lhasa. Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Day 06: Departure from Lhasa (B)
Your guide will transfer you to the airport or train station and help you get on board. End of tour.

Tour begins and ends at Lhasa
COST-Private Trip: Net per person in USD
- 2 pax US$1090
- 3-5 pax US$ 900
- 6-9 pax US$ 720
- 10-15 pax US$ 615
- Single room supplement: US$175
Cost Includes:
- Hotel Accommodation on twin sharing basis using 3 star Hotel like Hotel Dhoodgu or Yak or similar on (BB)
- Professional English speaking Tibetan guide
- Transportation as per itinerary
- Entrance fees at monasteries
- Tibet Travel permit
- Mineral water – 2 bottles each day
Cost Excludes:
- China/Tibet visa fee if obtain in Kathmandu (applies as per nationalities)
- Any Airfare
- All expenses of personal nature, phone calls, laundry, etc
- Lunch and Dinner at hotels
- Alcoholic beverages and bar bills
- Personal health and accident insurance
Note: If you want to join with other international travellers - the cost would be less. Let us know which month you wish to travel so we can put you in there.
Chinese Embassy requires passport physically for 3 full days to process China/Tibet visa
Visa working days are Mondays to Fridays from 11 am onward; receiving visa time is in the afternoon of 3rd day
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