【2024】Shoton Festival Limited Tour - Lhasa, Shigatse, Mount Everest, Namtso 9 Days

After getting off the plane, our staff will welcome you outside the airport with the warmest smiles on the plateau and a touch of plateau red.
If you have just arrived on the plateau, the most important thing is to slow down your pace and relax your mood. We will take you to the hotel to have a full rest and let your body slowly adapt to the atmosphere of the plateau.
Tashi Delek!!
Thoughtful reminder:
From the moment you set foot on the plateau land, remember "slow, slow, slow", walk slowly, talk slowly, and meditate slowly. If you have a slight headache, dizziness, vomiting, etc., these are normal phenomena and will usually get better the next day. If the symptoms are severe, please inform the tour guide or our Lhasa staff immediately

In the morning, visit the Potala Palace, the highest ancient palace-style building complex in the world, the residence of the Dalai Lama for generations and the center of Tibetan political and religious power. Before climbing to the Potala Palace, you have to climb 1,080 steps. Although it will be a little tiring, you can also overlook the entire city of Lhasa during the process. The beautiful scenery will make us forget our physical fatigue!
In the afternoon, visit the Jokhang Temple, the holy place in the hearts of Tibetan Buddhist believers. "Going to Lhasa without going to the Jokhang Temple means you have not been to Lhasa." This is the words of Nyima Tsering, the famous lama in the Jokhang Temple, and it is also a view that almost every traveler agrees with.
The Jokhang Temple combines Tibetan, Tang, Nepalese and Indian architectural styles and has become an eternal model of Tibetan religious architecture.
After leaving the Jokhang Temple, you can walk around the temple clockwise, imagining yourself as a Tibetan walking around Barkhor, or go shopping at the handicraft market on Barkhor Street, or simply walk slowly on the street, feeling the warmth of the city of sunshine, or find a sweet teahouse to learn the tranquility and contentment of your Tibetan friends.
Thoughtful reminder:
Tickets for the Potala Palace are pre-purchased and have visit time restrictions. We will flexibly adjust the itinerary sequence based on the actual reserved visit time. There will be a security check procedure when entering the Potala Palace: no dangerous items are allowed, and no photography is allowed after entering the Potala Palace.

In the morning, we will go to Drepung Monastery to attend the annual Tibetan event - the Shoton Festival Buddha Exhibition Ceremony.
The Buddha Exhibition Ceremony at Drepung Monastery is the most eye-catching ceremony.
At 8 o'clock in the morning, on the hillside behind the Drepung Monastery, under the glow of the first rays of dawn and accompanied by the solemn and majestic sounds of Buddhist bells, a 500-square-meter huge statue of Sakyamuni woven with colorful silk slowly revealed its peaceful face. Tens of thousands of believers and deeply moved tourists all put their hands together and bowed in worship.
In the afternoon, we visited Sera Monastery, one of the six main monasteries of the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Sera Monastery, Drepung Monastery and Ganden Monastery are collectively known as the three major monasteries in Lhasa. "Sera" means wild rose in Tibetan.
Legend has it that when the mountain was built, wild roses grew here, and Sera Monastery got its name from this. The debates in Sera Monastery are very famous. The debate garden is at the north end of the passage leading to the main gate. The debates usually start at 15:00 and you can watch them at will.
(If the temple holds a temporary Dharma assembly or receives specific people, the debate may be cancelled. Please understand!!)
After leaving Sera Monastery, you can stroll around the streets of Lhasa and quietly feel the devout faith of the Tibetan people.

We can’t stay in bed today. After breakfast, we will set off from Lhasa and climb over the 4,900-meter-high Gambala Snow Mountain and head towards the world’s highest freshwater lake, Yamdrok Yumcuo.
[Yamdrok Yumtso] is known as the most beautiful water in the world. The azure blue lake and the snow-capped mountains in the distance are connected as one, which makes people feel relaxed and happy.
The car detoured around Yamdrok Yumcuo and passed the [Karola Glacier], which was once the filming location of the movie "Red River Valley". The glacier just beside the road is breathtaking.
We will continue to Gyangze, a town of heroes who fought against the British. This is an ancient city with a history of more than 600 years and a transportation fortress from the front Tibet to the back Tibet. We will overlook the Zongshan Anti-British Site and visit the Baiju Temple, the only place that integrates the three major religious sects in Tibet and is famous for its exquisite murals and carvings. Then we will drive to Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet, to visit the Tashilhunpo Monastery, the resting place of the soul of the Panchen Lama and one of the six major temples of the Yellow Sect. It is also the residence of the successive Panchen Lamas and was once the ruling center of the regime in the back Tibet. The temple houses the world's largest bronze Buddha statue, "Qamba Buddha" (i.e. Maitreya Buddha), which is 28 meters high.

Get up in the morning and drive to Everest Base Camp, passing through [Lazi], [Dingri] and Xiegar. When you arrive at [Xiegar], you can overlook the majestic form of Mount Everest, and then arrive at the highest temple in the world [ Rongbuk Temple], this is the best angle to look up at Mount Everest. Continue to [Everest Base Camp] and gaze up close at Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak at an altitude of 8,848 meters.
At night, stay in the tent area of the Everest Base Camp. When the night covers the earth, you can walk out of the tent and enjoy the bright moonlight and brilliant starry sky when you are awake.
Thoughtful reminder:
Mount Everest is 5,200 meters above sea level. You may experience headaches and have difficulty falling asleep at night. This is normal. Please do not panic too much. Continue to slow down your pace, relax your mood, and feel the beauty of Mount Everest. The symptoms will gradually ease.
Note: According to the scenic spot announcement, the farthest you can go on the Everest trip is Rongbuk Monastery. The actual situation is subject to the scenic spot announcement. Rongbuk Monastery is the best place to view and photograph Mount Everest.

The night before, whether you had a good night's sleep or were tossing and turning, you must get up early to welcome the dawn of Mount Everest. When the peaks are still sleeping in the dawn, Mount Everest has been covered with dazzling colors like the goddess's costume. Morning glow.
Accompanied by the first ray of light rising from [Mount Everest], we travel through the majestic, majestic and winding Himalayas for thousands of miles, and climb over the 5,200-meter-high Gawula Mountain in desolation and silence. In addition to Mount Everest (elevation 8848), in the distance there are also Labji Kang (elevation 7367), Cho Oyu (elevation 8201), Lhotse (elevation 8516), and Makalu (elevation 8463). Waiting for the snow-capped peaks in the world, you can look at the majestic and solemn Shishapangma Peak (8012 meters above sea level), the only top mountain in the world with an altitude of over 8,000 meters that is entirely located in China. With nostalgia for Mount Everest, we return to [Shigatse] in the majestic, majestic and winding Himalayas.

After breakfast, visit the Tashilhunpo Monastery, the resting place of the soul of the Panchen Lama and one of the six major monasteries of the Yellow Sect. It is also the residence of successive Panchen Lamas and was once the ruling center of the regime in the western Tibet. The 28-meter-high bronze Buddha statue "Qiangba Buddha" (i.e. Maitreya Buddha) is enshrined in the monastery. Then return to Lhasa. There is no need to rush on the way back. Slow down and stop at the Yalong River Valley. In the cradle of ancient Tibetan civilization, stand quietly and let the river icebergs, pastoral pastures, river valleys, alpine vegetation... Everything within sight is hidden in the crystal-clear blue sky, safe and sound. The speckled gloom not far away is not a flaw, but the beautiful reflection of sunlight penetrating through the white clouds. Then return to the Free Market along National Highway 318.

In the morning, drive through the grasslands of northern Tibet, enjoy the colorful prayer flags fluttering, and gallop along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway; cross the 5,190-meter-high Nagen La Mountain to reach Namtso, the "Heavenly Lake" and the first of the three sacred lakes in Tibet. It is 4,718 meters above sea level and is the highest saltwater lake in the world and the second largest in my country. To the south is the Nyainqentanglha Mountain, which is covered with snow all year round. To the north and west are plateau hills, a vast lakeshore, and grasslands surrounding the lake, with lush water and grass; the lake has a high salt content and rich wildlife resources in the basin, including yaks and goats; the lake is clear and contrasts with the surrounding snow-capped mountains, with beautiful scenery, like a crystal pearl inlaid on the vast Qiangtang grassland. In the evening, return to [Lhasa] accompanied by the afterglow of the setting sun.

After the trip, take a plane or Qinghai-Tibet Railway train back to the warm