13-day Adventure in the Western Region

Lhasa, the capital city of the Tibet Autonomous Region, has witnessed more than 1300 years’ changes. “Lassa” in Tibetan means the “Holy Land”, where is the economic, cultural and religious center in Tibetan. The sunny will shine on the Potala Palace for more than 250 days annually, making the Potala Palace more shining and holy.

In this world’s highest city with an altitude of 3650 m, apart from the magnificent and splendid Potala Palace, other charming scenic spots will catch your eyes. Luobulinka Park, the Summer Palace in Tibet, is the largest garden with the most attractive sceneries for the Dalai Lama to spend the summer. The Jokhang Temple (Da Zhao Si), a Buddhist temple built in Tang Dynasty (618-907), is of great significance in the development of the Tibetan Buddhism, to where the pilgrims still flock to experience the ancient traditions and the conduct their devout faithfulness inr Buddhist.

Being an old city on the plateau, Lhasa has impressed visitors with blue sky, clean water, fresh air and pleasant environment. Endowed by nature with pure water and air, Lhasa is the least polluted city with the best environment in China. Although Lhasa is famous for being one of the highest cities in the world, the banks of the Lhasa River, what really knocks you out here is the full-scale impact on your senses of the breathtaking beauty, unique landscape and the holy atmosphere of this religious center.

In addition to the holy Buddhist culture, the magnificent architectures and the picturesque landscapes, there are many other wonderful places waiting for your adventure.
 
Travel Tips for Potala Palace

Opening Hours: 9:00 -- 12:00 -- Break -- 15:30 -- 16:30

Ticket Price:
200 CNY (May, 1 to October 31)
100 CNY (November 1 to April 30)

Location: No. 35, Middle Beijing Road, Lassa

Transportation: From airport, shuttle bus (20 CNY and 2 hours), Midi-bus (30 CNY) and taxi (200 CNY) will bring you here. 　　
 

As an ancient city with more than 600 years history, Shigatse is the second largest city of Tibet and one of the political, economic and cultural centers in Tibet. Shigatse is known as the land of milk and honey for it possesses the wonderful Tibetan customs, abundant natural resources as well as attractive landscapes.

Shigatse lies next to the Brahmaputra River, which grants Shigatse advantages in the landscapes and development of culture. The splendid mountains, the peaceful holy lake, the open grassland, the rich traditions, the mysterious ancient temple will be an amazing part of your expedition. In addition, go southwards from Shigatse you can take the greatest adventure in the world’s highest mountain, Mount Qomolangma.
 
South of the city lies the Tashilhumpo (Zhaxi Lhunpo) Lamasery, one of the four lamaseries of the Galu sect of Lamaism and the residence of the Panchan Lama for long. Southeast of the city is situated the Xialu Lamasery, a cross between Han and Tibetan architecture, built during the Song and Yuan Dyasties. Shigatse is the major agricultural producer as well as one of the bases of commodity grain in Tibet. Its economy relies on agriculture and animal husbandry. The peaceful Lake Yangzhuoyong, one of the three holy lakes and the highest freshwater lake, likes a pearl inlaid among the mountains.

Opening Hours: 9:00 -- 12:00 break 14:00 -- 17:00

Ticket Price: 55 CNY

Location: No. 1, Jijilangka Road, Lhasa

Transportation: You (from anywhere in Lhasa) can come here on foot or take the pedicab (3 CNY).
 

At the foot of the Nyima Mountain on the outskirts of Shigates, the monastery was built in 1447 under the supervision of the First Dalai Lama Gedun Zhuiba and expanded by the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Bainqen Lamas and has become the place of the reincarnation of the Bainqen Lamas. In the front of the 30-meter-tall temple, there is a spacious place as wide as 500 m2, where can hold more than 2,000 monks chanting sutras at the same time. Inside the temple, there are over 80 Buddha statues, among which the 26.2-meter-tall bronze statues of Maitreya Buddha with 100,000 kg bronze, more than 300 kg gold and 1400 pearls is the largest and heaviest Buddha statues in the world.
 
The magnificent architectures, the life-like Buddha statues and the precious Buddhist classics will be one of the shinning parts of your expedition to Lassa.

Opening Hours: 9:00 -- 12:00 break 14:00 -- 17:00

Ticket Price: 55 CNY

Location: No. 1, Jijilangka Road, Lhasa

Transportation: You (from anywhere in Lhasa) can come here on foot or take the pedicab (3 CNY).

On the slope of the Wuze Hill in Genbei five kilometers northwest of Lhasa, the Drepung Monastery, the largest of the monasteries of the Gelug Sect, was built in 1416. Covering an area of 250,000 square meters, Drepung Monastery is actually a collection of Buddhist chapels and colleges. In its heyday, in this largest temple of Lamaism had a amazing amount of more than 10,000 monks.

Inside the magnificent temple, decorations are marvelous and shinning. There are 103 giant stand columns with exquisite carvings on, lots of precious elegant streamers, beautiful Tangkars (a kind of scroll painting with Buddha portrait on), lifelike Buddha statues and colorful frescos on the wall as well as precious Buddhist classics for you expedition.

The word Drepung can be literally translated as "rice pile", a name whose meaning becomes clear when you see the white-walled buildings scattered along the hill. Originally founded in 1416, the monastery in its heyday was home to 10,000 monks (around 1600). The monastery has trained a large group of talents for Tibetan Buddhism. The Fifth Dalai Lama lived here before he moved to the Potala Palace. It houses plenty of historical and cultural relics and Buddhist classics. In the exciting Shoton Festival, "Sunning the Buddha" by the monastery has been one of the most magnificent religious activities in Tibet.

Opening Hours: 9:00 -- 12:00 break 14:00 -- 16:00

Ticket Price: 50 CNY

Location: West Beijign Road, Lhasa

Transportation:
You (from South Sangge Road) can come here by bus No. 5 (3 CNY) or take the taxi (20 CNY)

The Ganden Monastery, built in the year 1409, was the first and the most typical monastery of the Gelugpa Sect of Tibetan Buddhism (also known as the Yellow Hat Sect) and remains the power center of this sect today. The word "Ganden" means "joy" in Tibetan and is also the name for the "western heavens" where the Maitreya Buddha (the Future Buddha) resides. Among the successive leaders of this sect who have come to be known as the Ganden Tripa, a post earned through scholastic achievement, the Dalai Lama is the most famous member of this sect.
 
The Monastery was heavily damaged during Cultural Revolution bombings, making the place somewhat depressing. Work is underway to repair the damaged buildings of the monastery, so that Ganden Monastery is being quickly restored to its must-see status as one of Lhasa's most impressive monasteries. Seek out the Golden Throne Room of the Dalai Lama. Placed upon the throne, there is a cloth bag containing his yellow hat that he left behind in his escape to exile in India.

There are many burial stupas on the grounds of the Monastery, the most noteworthy of which is the Tomb of the Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelugpa Sect. The Tsongkhapa's preserved body used to sit meditatively in the stupa, but the body was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. All that remains today are a few enshrined skull fragments.

Opening Hours: 9:00 -- 12:00 break 14:00 -- 16:00

Ticket Price: 40 CNY

Location: Dazhi County, Lhasa

Transportation: Shuttle bus from Jokhang Monastery (7:00 in the morning) will bring you here (20 CNY/ 2 hours).

Built in the year 647 (Tang Dynasty), Jokhang Monastery, covering 25,000 m², is the center of Lassa in every aspects. It is said to that Lhasa radiated outwards from Jokhang Monastery. Therefore, it is safe to say that the Barkhor Street, a shopping center in Tibet, is the rudiment of the Lhasa city. For a long period, it was the seat of the Tibetan government, where tens of thousands of lamas from various parts of Tibet gather in the Temple to worship Buddha and recite sutra in the first month of Tibetan calendar.

After years of expansion, the Jokhang Temple is now part of a large group of buildings, covering a total area of 25,000 square meters. The four-storey main hall is magnificent with a Golden Summit. Mounting the cupola, the magnificent Potala Palace in the ancient city comes into clear focus. The main hall consecrates a gold statue of Sakyamuni brought to Tibet in the Tang Dynasty and statues of King Songtsang Kampo (517 - 650), Princess Wen Cheng and Princess Chizun. Murals in the temple include one entitled "Princess Wen Cheng Entering Tibet" and lines of woodcuts of beasts and sphinx featuring local arts of the Western Region. The temple is fronted with a stele to mark the meetings between the officials of the imperial court of the Tang Dynasty and the Tibetan regional government and other historical relics.
 
A great amount of precious cultural relics is well preserved here. In the Grand Hall, enshrined is a gilded copper statue of Sakyamuni elaborately decorated, which is priceless national treasure. Also kept with great care is a gold Bumpa urn granted as a present by the Emperor Qianlong in 1792. The gold urn is used to keep the lots that will be drawn to decide upon the in carnation boy of Dalai Lama, when there are two or more candidates.

The newly painted murals encompassing 2,600 square meters in the Monastery are a group of glorious historical pictures. They depict vividly the Jataka of Buddhism, the story of acquiring scriptures in the Western Heaven by the ang monk and his disciples as well as Princess Wencheng crossing the snow-capped mountain on horse back.

Opening Hours: 9:00 -- 12:00 break 14:00 -- 17:00

Ticket Price: 70 CNY

Location: Chengguan Zone, Lhasa

Transportation: You (from anywhere in Lhasa) can come here on foot or take the pedicab.

Hailed as the Summer Palace of Lassa, Norbulingka has been being the palace where the Dalai Lamas work in summer and it is the people’s park where significant celebrations are hold. With the most spectacular sceneries, Norbulingka is the largest garden that enjoys the most popularity among the local people. On the Shoton Festival, the most alive festival in Lhasa, all the people, young or old, will come to Norbulingka to join in the celebrating activities. No one stays home.

Norbulingka, built under the organization of the 7th Dalai Lama in 1755, is not only a summer resort but also a historic center. As successive Dalai Lamas all used the Summer Palace for this purpose, the procession from the Potala to Norbulingka became a grand affair and the festive-occasion of the Lhasa calendar.
 
In 1959, the current Dalai Lama (the 14th) made his escape from the Summer Palace disguised as a Tibetan soldier. Tibetan uprisings followed as the people of Lhasa swelled up to protect the Summer Palace and their spiritual leader, and the subsequent Chinese shelling of the area damaged all the buildings of the Norbulingka. Of special interest is the New Summer Palace, built by the 14th Dalai Lama and located in the center of the Norbulingka. This Palace is filled with interesting murals and is definitely the highlight of the Norbulingka.

Opening Hours: 9:30 -- 18:00

Ticket Price: 60 CNY

Location: No. 21, Norbulingka Road, Lhasa

Transportation: Bus No. 2 will bring you here directly.

Sera Monastery together with the Gandan Monastery and Drepung Monastery is praised as the Top Three Monasteries in Lhasa, which is the one that has experienced shortest history. Sera Monastery, lies 4 km north of Lhasa, was one of only eight among 3000 monasteries in Tibet that has exempt from the vicissitudes of the Cultural Revolution. Surrounded by green willow woods along the clear stream, Sera Monastery along with other small monasteries forms a harmonious environment for the Buddhists.
 
Sera Monastery is the place where the monks' daily debates take place, at 15:3. They are highly stylized with much clapping and stamping, and appeals to the people who are interested in. Photographing is allowed here, which is very rare in Tibet, so make the best of it. In addition, Sky Burials are still occasionally practiced at Sera, although they are much less common than they used to be because of the unholy and unhealthy interest shown by tourists. It is considered as the height of indecency to intrude upon a sky burial. Don’t get so close.

Opening Hours: 9:00 -- 18:00

Ticket Price: 55 CNY

Location: Chengguan Zone, Lhasa

Transportation: Buses and taxi (15 CNY) will bring you here.