Lhasa is Tibet’s historic and spiritual capital, where monumental palaces and monasteries stand alongside a living culture of pilgrimage and devotion. Time here reveals both the grandeur of Tibetan history and the intimate rhythms of everyday life.

Overnight: Lhasa

Lhasa is Tibet’s historic and spiritual capital, where monumental palaces and monasteries stand alongside a living culture of pilgrimage and devotion. Time here reveals both the grandeur of Tibetan history and the intimate rhythms of everyday life. Sera Monastery is one of Lhasa’s great Gelug monasteries and is particularly known for its lively monastic debates. The debates offer a fascinating window into the rigorous intellectual training of Tibetan monks. Norbulingka, the former summer residence of successive Dalai Lamas, is a graceful complex of palaces, chapels, gardens, and mature trees. Its peaceful grounds reveal a more intimate side of Lhasa’s history.

Overnight: Lhasa

Meals: B, D

Lhasa is Tibet’s historic and spiritual capital, where monumental palaces and monasteries stand alongside a living culture of pilgrimage and devotion. Time here reveals both the grandeur of Tibetan history and the intimate rhythms of everyday life. The Potala Palace rises above Lhasa as the defining architectural symbol of Tibet. Its chapels, ceremonial halls, murals, sacred objects, and panoramic views offer an extraordinary introduction to Tibetan history and religion. The Jokhang Temple is the spiritual heart of Lhasa and one of the most revered pilgrimage destinations in Tibetan Buddhism. Outside, pilgrims move continuously along the Barkhor kora, creating one of Tibet’s most compelling cultural experiences.

Overnight: Lhasa

Meals: B

Lhasa is Tibet’s historic and spiritual capital, where monumental palaces and monasteries stand alongside a living culture of pilgrimage and devotion. Time here reveals both the grandeur of Tibetan history and the intimate rhythms of everyday life. Gyantse is one of Tibet’s best-preserved historic towns, surrounded by fertile barley fields and overlooked by its imposing dzong. Its great Kumbum chorten and Pelkor Chode Monastery preserve exceptional examples of Tibetan religious art. Shigatse is Tibet’s second-largest city and the traditional seat of the Panchen Lamas. Tashilhunpo Monastery remains its cultural centerpiece, with grand halls, gilded roofs, and an active monastic community.

Overnight: Shigatse

Meals: B, L

Shigatse is Tibet’s second-largest city and the traditional seat of the Panchen Lamas. Tashilhunpo Monastery remains its cultural centerpiece, with grand halls, gilded roofs, and an active monastic community. The northern approach to Mount Everest offers one of the most dramatic mountain experiences in Tibet. Weather permitting, sunrise, sunset, and the immense north face of the world’s highest peak create an unforgettable high-Himalayan finale.

Overnight: Everest Base Camp

Meals: B

Shigatse is Tibet’s second-largest city and the traditional seat of the Panchen Lamas. Tashilhunpo Monastery remains its cultural centerpiece, with grand halls, gilded roofs, and an active monastic community. Sakya is a historic monastic town distinguished by its massive fortress-like monastery and distinctive grey, red, and white architecture. It is the spiritual center of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. The northern approach to Mount Everest offers one of the most dramatic mountain experiences in Tibet. Weather permitting, sunrise, sunset, and the immense north face of the world’s highest peak create an unforgettable high-Himalayan finale.

Overnight: Shigatse

Meals: B,D

Shigatse is Tibet’s second-largest city and the traditional seat of the Panchen Lamas. Tashilhunpo Monastery remains its cultural centerpiece, with grand halls, gilded roofs, and an active monastic community. Bange lies deep within the northern Tibetan grasslands, a remote region of vast horizons, wildlife, and high-altitude lakes. The journey here offers a rare sense of the scale and solitude of the Changtang. Serling Tso is Tibet’s largest lake, stretching across the northern plateau like an inland sea. Its remote shores and enormous sky create one of the journey’s most expansive wilderness experiences.

Overnight: Bange

Meals: B

Namtso is one of Tibet’s great sacred lakes, a vast expanse of deep blue water beneath the Nyenchen Tanglha range. At this altitude, the combination of open sky, prayer flags, mountains, and lake feels elemental and immense. Bange lies deep within the northern Tibetan grasslands, a remote region of vast horizons, wildlife, and high-altitude lakes. The journey here offers a rare sense of the scale and solitude of the Changtang. Damxung is a highland town on the broad grasslands north of Lhasa and a natural base for visiting Namtso. The surrounding country is framed by the Nyenchen Tanglha mountains and traditional pastoral landscapes.

Overnight: Damxung

Meals: B

Lhasa is Tibet’s historic and spiritual capital, where monumental palaces and monasteries stand alongside a living culture of pilgrimage and devotion. Time here reveals both the grandeur of Tibetan history and the intimate rhythms of everyday life. Damxung is a highland town on the broad grasslands north of Lhasa and a natural base for visiting Namtso. The surrounding country is framed by the Nyenchen Tanglha mountains and traditional pastoral landscapes. Barkhor is the historic pilgrimage circuit and market surrounding the Jokhang Temple. It is an atmospheric place to walk among pilgrims, merchants, traditional shops, and centuries-old lanes.

Overnight: Lhasa

Meals: B

Lhasa is Tibet’s historic and spiritual capital, where monumental palaces and monasteries stand alongside a living culture of pilgrimage and devotion. Time here reveals both the grandeur of Tibetan history and the intimate rhythms of everyday life.

Meals: B