TRIP OVERVIEW
This five-day route combines Lhasa’s cultural highlights with one long day out to Namtso Lake. After two days in the capital, you drive north across Damxung grassland, cross the Nyenchen Tanglha range and reach the high shores of Namtso.
At Tashi Peninsula, the focus is less on rushing from one viewpoint to another and more on walking beside the lake, seeing the limestone landscape and visiting small meditation sites used by Tibetan practitioners.
HIGHLIGHTS
🏜 Lhasa - You will visit Lhasa’s major sites (Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street, Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery).
🧊 Namtso Lake - You will spend time beside one of Tibet’s best-known sacred lakes, surrounded by open plateau scenery and the Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains.
⛰ Damxung Grassland - The drive north from Lhasa takes you across wide grasslands where yaks and sheep graze below the snow mountains.
🥾 Tashi Peninsula - You will walk around the rocky peninsula on Namtso’s shore, with viewpoints, caves and small religious sites along the way.
ITINERARY
Day 1
Welcome to Lhasa
Welcome to Tibet! Your Tibetan guide will meet you at the airport or train station with a traditional white Khata scarf, a warm greeting at the start of your journey. From the airport, the drive to your hotel in downtown Lhasa takes around an hour.
Once you have checked in, the rest of the day is yours to settle in and rest. There is no organised sightseeing today, giving you time to adjust to being at 3,650 metres. If you feel like a short outing, Potala Square offers a lovely first view of the palace rising above the city. Otherwise, take things slowly and enjoy a quiet first evening in Lhasa.
Overnight in Lhasa.
Free airport pickup is available at 10:00, 13:30, 16:00 and 18:30. A private pickup can be arranged for approximately RMB 400 if you prefer not to wait or arrive after the last shuttle. Train-station pickup is also included.
🔼 Altitude: 3,650m
🚗 Drive: 70km, approximately 1 hour from the airport
🍽️ Meals: None
🛏️ Accommodation: 拉萨新鼎大酒店 Xinding Hotel (or similar)
Day 2
Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery
Today, your guide will introduce you to the people and traditions behind two of Lhasa’s best-known monasteries: Drepung and Sera.
Spend the morning at Drepung, where whitewashed buildings spread across the mountainside. Explore its Buddhist halls and monastic college, with time to learn about the statues, teachings and daily routines that give the monastery its character. Your guide will help explain how study and religious practice fit together in monastic life.
In the afternoon, continue to Sera Monastery for its lively debating session, when scheduled. Watch the monks challenge one another with questions, emphatic gestures and clapping as they work through Buddhist philosophy. Understanding a little of what is happening makes the experience much more rewarding than simply watching from the edge of the courtyard.
End the day with a welcome dinner at a local restaurant, a chance to get to know your fellow travellers over a Tibetan meal.
Overnight in Lhasa.
🔼 Altitude: 3,650m
🍽️ Meals: Breakfast, welcome dinner
🛏️ Accommodation: 拉萨新鼎大酒店 Xinding Hotel (or similar)
Day 3
Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street
Begin your day at the Potala Palace, the former residence of the Dalai Lamas and one of the defining sights of Lhasa. As you make your way through its halls, your guide will introduce the palace’s history and point out the murals, statues and gilded stupas that fill its interiors. Outside, pause to take in the view across the city.
At the foot of the palace, visit Longwangtan Park, where local residents gather to walk, relax and take part in folk activities. It offers a different perspective on both the palace and everyday life in Lhasa.
Continue to Jokhang Temple, home to the revered statue depicting Buddha Shakyamuni at the age of twelve. Around the temple, follow the clockwise flow of pilgrims on Barkhor Street, passing prayer wheels and small shops. Finish with sweet tea in a local Tibetan teahouse, where you can sit with your group and enjoy the conversation around you.
Overnight in Lhasa.
🔼 Altitude: 3,650m
🍽️ Meals: Breakfast, tea at a Tibetan teahouse
🛏️ Accommodation: 拉萨新鼎大酒店 Xinding Hotel (or similar)
Day 4
Lhasa – Namtso Lake – Lhasa
Set out north from Lhasa across the Damxung grassland, passing grazing yaks and sheep with the snowy Nyenchen Tanglha range on the horizon. Sections of the Qinghai–Tibet railway accompany the route through this open country.
The road climbs to Nagenla Pass, approximately 5,190 metres above sea level. Stop here for your first wide view of Namtso Lake, its blue water stretching between the mountains and the plateau.
Descend to the Tashi Peninsula on the southeastern shore. Walk among its limestone formations and visit small sacred sites and meditation caves with your guide. There is time to enjoy the lakeshore and learn why Namtso holds such significance for Tibetan pilgrims. A simple lunch is included before the return journey to Lhasa. This is the longest outing of the tour, with much of the day spent travelling through the high plateau.
Overnight in Lhasa.
🔼 Altitude: Up to approximately 5,190m at Nagenla Pass
🚗 Drive: Full-day return excursion
🍽️ Meals: Breakfast, simple lunch
🛏️ Accommodation: 拉萨新鼎大酒店 Xinding Hotel (or similar)
Day 5
Depart Lhasa
After breakfast, we will accompany you from your hotel to the airport or train station for your onward journey. It is time to say goodbye to Tibet, taking home memories of the places you have visited and the people you have met along the way.
Thank you for travelling with us. We wish you a safe journey ahead!
Free airport drop-off shuttles depart from the hotel at 06:30, 08:00 and 12:00. If these times do not fit your departure, a private transfer can be arranged for approximately RMB 400.
🔼 Altitude: 3,650m
🚗 Drive: 70km, approximately 1 hour to the airport
🍽️ Meals: Breakfast
🛏️ Accommodation: None
PHOTOS
Get a glimpse of the the Tour Experience!
DETAILS
Price
Tour Prices 2026 (in RMB)
Low Season
January 1 to February 28 and November 1 to December 31
Eco hotel: ¥4,750 (~US$710) | single supplement: ¥560
Comfort hotel: ¥5,110 (~US$760) | single supplement: ¥720
Shoulder Season
March 1 to May 31 and October 11 to October 31
Eco hotel: ¥5,170 (~US$770) | single supplement: ¥600
Comfort hotel: ¥5,690 (~US$850) | single supplement: ¥920
High Season
June 1 to July 9 and August 21 to September 19
Eco hotel: ¥5,370 (~US$800) | single supplement: ¥640
Comfort hotel: ¥5,970 (~US$890) | single supplement: ¥1,040
Peak Season
July 10 to August 20 and September 20 to October 10
Eco hotel: ¥5,650 (~US$840) | single supplement: ¥720
Comfort hotel: ¥6,330 (~US$945) | single supplement: ¥1,200
*USD amounts are approximate and provided for reference only. Payments are based on the RMB price.
Tour Prices 2027: To be confirmed.
Date
2026 Departure Dates
September: 30
October: 4, 11, 19, 27
2027 Departure Dates
To be confirmed.
Included
- Documents: Tibet travel permit
- Airport pickup and dropoff on given time
(Airport Pick-up Schedule: 10:00, 13:30, 16:00 and 18:30; Airport Drop-off Schedule from hotel: 06:30, 08:00, 12:00)
- English-speaking local Tibetan guide
- Comfortable tourist vehicle with experienced driver
- Accommodation listed in the itinerary, or a similar local standard
- Meals specifically listed in the itinerary
- Entrance fees for the sightseeing sites listed in the itinerary
- Shared airport/train-station transfers in Lhasa at the published transfer times
- Travel accident insurance
- Namtso sightseeing transport where required
Excluded
- Flight or train to and from Tibet
- Meals not mentioned in "included" (most meals are about 30-100rmb/meal)
- Tips to tour guide and driver
- Single Room Supplement
- Personal expenses
Cancellation Fee
Between booking and 15 days before departure: RMB 500
14 to 5 days before departure: RMB 2,000
4 to 1 day before departure: 50% of the tour price
Departure day or no-show: 100% of the tour price
Cancellation Policy
If severe weather creates a safety risk, or a government restriction makes the trip impossible to operate, we will cancel the affected tour and refund the tour prepayment. Flight and train cancellation charges are not covered and must be handled directly with the airline or railway provider.
Important Notes
If the Tibet Travel Permit is not approved, or a change in government regulation means the trip cannot operate, the tour prepayment will be refunded. M2Adventure does not cover cancellation fees for flights or train tickets.