Lhasa to Yamdrok lake camping tour is a unique and localized Tibet travel for the Tibet family trip. Like usual, this Tibet travel will begin in Lhasa city and visit the most important sites of Lhasa city including the Potala Palace, Jokang temple,Pabongka temple and Sera monastery. After three nights acclimatization in Lhasa, the Tibet family trip continues to the southern part of Tibet into the Langthang valley.
On the way, visit Dophu Choko monastery in Chedishol township. You will enjoy your first night camp at Langthang Dewachen village and visit a Tibetan family in order to get much deeper knowledge about Tibetan people and culture and more unique experience of Tibet travel. At the same time, you will also do a short hike to a small monastery called Bumthang, passing by some beautiful and very remote Tibetan villages. You can interact with locals through the help of our local English speaking Tibet travel guide.
Continue your journey through the same valley of Langthang and pass by Lhasa Gongkar airport. Visit Gongkar Chode monastery on the way and you will be absolutely amazed by the most famous wall painting in Gongkar Chode monastery which has more than 600 hundred years history. Continue Tibet family trip through Kyarola pass and late afternoon, you will reach the campsite at Yamdrok Yutso lake. The sacred lake of Yamdrok Yutso (4408m) is revered as a talisman, supporting the life-spirit of the Tibetan nation. It is said that should its waters dry, Tibet will no longer be habitable. By far the largest lake in south Tibet ( 754 sq km), the pincer-shaped Yamdrok Yutso has nine islands, one of which houses a monastery and Padmasambhava stone footprint.
Within its hook-shaped western peninsula, there is another entire lake, Dremtso and beyond its southeast extremity yet another, named Pagyutso. The main highway from Lhasa to Gyantse descends to the northern lakeshore from Gampala pass ( 4794m) where the visitor from Lhasa or Tsetang will enjoy the unforgettable vista if its pincer-shaped expanse of turquoise water with the mysterious Mount Donang Sangwari (5340m) on the peninsula beyond and the snow peaks of Nojin Kangsang (7191m) in the distance. Continue Tibet family trip, looping around Gyantse and Shigatse by visiting the most important pilgrimage site of Palchoe monastery, Kubum Pagoda stupa and Tashi Lhunpo monastery and finally back to Lhasa along the Barhmaputra and Kyichu valley.
Day 01 Lhasa Gongkar airport – Lhasa.
Arrival at Lhasa Gongkar airport and transfer to Lhasa.(3650Mts/ 100Km )
You will be warmly welcomed by our Tibetan guide and driver and accompany you to the holy city of Lhasa along with the view of Bharmaputra, known as Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan.
Day 02 Sight seeing Lhasa, Potala Palace, Jokang temple and Bharkor.
After Breakfast, you will start from the hotel and drive towards Potala square. Leave the car behind and must be ready and take your challenge to climb more than hundred steps of the Potala Palance. The Potala Palace was originally built in the 7th century by Tibetan King Songtsan Gampo but the one to the present size was expended by the 5th Dalaia Lama.
It has thirteen storey’s high with more than a thousand rooms and divided with White and Red Palace. After the sightseeing of the Potala Palace, walk around the Potala Palace with pilgrimages and you can experience the ancient tradition of Tibetans, walking around Potala, praying matras.
The Kora takes you around 40 minutes. It is also good to acclimatize to the high altitude. After lunch, you will visit Jokang temple. Jokang temple is the oldest temple of Tibet which was built by King Songtsan Gampo in the 7th century and it is housed to the most sacred statue of Bhudha Shakyamuni brought from mainland China by the princess Wangchen of the Tang court. Walking around the Bharkor is another interesting thing during your tour in lhasa. You will meet many different people in Bharkor.
Day 03 Sight seeing Lhasa, Pabongka, Chubsang nunnery and Sera monastery
Drive to and explore Pabongka Monastery; hike downhill to Chupsang Nunnery; walk to Sera Monastery, where we have a picnic lunch; depending on availability, make your own prayer flag at Sera’s printing center and witness monks debate age-old scripts in the courtyard.
Day 04 Lhasa-Doepu Chokor monastery- Langthang Dewachen
Drive Lhasa-Doepu Chokor monastery- Langthang Dewachen(3900mts/100Km.
Camp on full board/ 2 hrs drive and 1 hour walk
After breakfast, you will leave from your hotel and drive along the Lhasa river and through the tunnel towards south, Lhoka in Tibetan and continues journey along the YarlungTsangpo and some beautiful villages of Lhoka. From Chedishol town, you will turn off the left and drive along a very beautiful valley with many villages. The villages leave on farming where they grow barley, wheat, rape seed, potatoes and some other kinds of vegetables. You will reach the campsite for lunch. Enjoy the lunch. After lunch, walk around the campsite and to and back the villages.
Day 05 Langthang Dewachen-Gongkar Choede-Kyarola La-Drilung village.
Camp nearby the lake, 4400Mts/90Km/ 3 hrs drive / 3hrs & 30 minutes walk Camp on full board
After breakfast, half day walk to Bumthang monastery and around the villages. hike up to Bumthang monastery, visit the monastery and walk down to Shizhol village, visit a Tibetan family and have lunch in a Tibetan family and experience how the traditional family of a farmer village in Tibet and the way of their living. After lunch, we will drive back to Gongkar county where the airport is and then continue towards south west from the airport. Reach Gongkar Choede monastery. We will visit the Choede monastery.
Gonggar Choede monastery, which was built in 1464, belongs to the Zung branch (meaning grey earth ) of the Sakyapa school of Tibetan Buddhism. The principal founder of the Dzongpa Tradition was Dorje Chang Kunga Namgyal (1432–1496). The main monastery of the Dzongpa is Gongkar Chode just south-west of Lhasa on the south side of the Tsangpo River at the distance of 55Km from Lhasa. In the 16th century, the monastery was beautified with wall paintings of the Khyenri school of Tibetan paintings done by the well-known artist of the times, Jamyang Khyentse Wangchuk The history of the monastery is traced to the first visit of Jowo-je Palden Atisha (980–1054 CE), Buddhist teacher from the Pala Empire.
During his first visit, Atisha had stopped close to the location of the monastery, prostrated in the direction of the monastery and prophesised that one day a monastery would be built at this location, which would become famous. He had marked the location with a mound of white pebbles in the form of a Mandala (this mound got destroyed during the Cultural Revolution). The Dzong was under the stewardship of Dorje-denpa Kun-ga Namgyal also known as Dorje Chang Kunga Namgyal (1432–1496), who was a well-known Guru who had received training in the Sutra, Tantra and Tantric rituals from masters of all traditions.
He was the holder of the Dzongpa tradition of the Sakyapa school of Tibetan Bhuddism. When he was sitting on the roof of his house in the Gongkar Dzong, while reciting the religious scripture, the Vajradhatu, a leaf of the scripture was flown away by wind and it fell at a location where the present Gongkar Choede Monastery is located. It is mentioned that between Gongkar and Tsetang there are seven gompas of the Sakyapa sect, including the Gongkar Dorjeden, known as Gongar Choede, the pillar of Sakyapa power, to the south of the Tsongpo valley. Gonggar Choede monastery is three storey’s high and the assembly hall is dedicated to the old paintings and three big statues of Sakya Pendita, Shakyamuni and Guru Rinpoche.
The monastery survived many beautiful old wall painting date back to the 16th Century. It is worthwhile to spend some time with torch to explore the wall painting both in the main assembly hall and on the second floors. The Gongkar Monastery also became famous because it was here that the artistic Central Tibetan painting of Kyenri originated. After visiting the monastery, we will continue our journey to Yamdrok lake through some beautiful villages and Kyarola pass, 4900Mts on the top of the pass.
From the top of the pass, you can have a beautiful view of another arm of Yamdrok lake which usually rarely are seen by other tourists and a beautiful village called Drilung located near by the lake. It will take only half an hour to get down to the campsite from the top of the pass. Reach the camp site. Have some snack and tea. walk around the village and lake shore for an hour before dinner. If the weather is good, you can also have a fantastic view of Noejing kangsang snow capped mountain in the distance.
Day 06 Drilung village-Karola-Gyantse, 3950Mts/200Km
You will start your tour at around 9Am from the campsite and then drive towards Gyangtse through 2 big mountain passes, Karo La, Simila respectively. Karola is the highest pass among them which is over 5000Mts with it’s most beautiful Karola glaciers, beautiful Yamdrok lake emerged as coral color from the top of Kampala pass. You will have your lunch at Nakartse country which is just between the Yamdrok lake and Karola glaciers. Afternoon, Visit Palchoe monastery and Kubum Pagoda stupa.
Day 07 Drive from Gyangtse to Shigatse. (3900mts/ 90Km )
You will start your tour at around 9Am from your hotel and then drive towards Shigatse by passing one of the biggest farming lands in Tibet where people grow barley, wheat, different kinds of vegetables etc. On the way, visit Shalu monastery. Shalu monastery is not only interesting and sacred for religion but also it is very interested in arts and it’s green roof tops. Pm visit Tashi Lhunpo monastery and old market of Shigatse. Tashi Lhunpo monastery is the biggest monastery in the Tsang region and it is one of the six biggest Gelukpa monasteries in Tibet. Also the home of the successive Penchen Lama.
Day 08 Drive from Shigatse to Lhasa (3650Mts/ 280KM )
You will start your tour at around 9.30Am from your hotel and drive along the Bharmaputra river with a landscape of sandy hills, villages, and Rulak Yungdrung ling at the otherside of the river. You will have lunch in a small town called Nyenmo which is the border point between Shigatse and Lhasa. Free afternoon for shopping.
Day 09 Depart Lhasa (3600Mts/ 60Km )
Departure transfer to Lhasa airport for flight to onward destination.
| City | Night (s) | Hotels / Camps |
| Lhasa | 03 | Shangri La |
| Langthang | 01 | Tourist Lodge |
| Drilung | 01 | Tourist Lodge |
| Gyantse | 01 | Yeti Garden |
| Shigatse | 01 | Mangareva Hotel |
| Lhasa | 01 | Shangri La |
– 08 nights accommodation as mentioned in the Tibet trek program.
– All necessary Tibet entry and road permits.
– Transportation by good conditioned mini van.
– All entry fees to the sites and monasteries.
– Yamdrok lake conservation fee.
– Karola glacier conservation fee.
– Daily Breakfast, Lunch and Dinners.
– All camping equipments except sleeping bag.
– All camping fee.
– Cook and assistant with all utensils.
– Different kinds of snack like biscuit, cheese, dried and fresh fruit during the camp
– Oxygen in the vehicle and during the trek incase needed.
– All taxes.
– International Airfare.
– Tips, gratuities, Portage, laundry, telephone calls, table drinks, camera/ video camera charges, or any other expenses of a personal nature.
– Visa fees, personal insurance.
– Any item not specified under cost includes.
– Accommodation in good hotels.
– Check-in / out time is 12 noon at most of the hotels.
– Extension to other places is also possible with a minimal extra cost.
– Additional nights are available at each place with minimal supplement.
– A visa is required and must be obtained prior to your departure from your Country.
– If quoted hotel is not available, we will provide one of a similar category and standard.
– Small deviations in the tour program are sometimes necessary, depending on weather, road conditions, flight schedules and room availability.
– In case the government changes presently applicable taxes, increase in airlines prices, fuel surcharge our rates will need to be adjusted accordingly.
– Sometimes, there is no relevance between the distance and time of travelling, as it depends upon the condition of the roads and congestion of the traffic.
– While every effort will be made to maintain the itinerary, in view of local strikes etc that are beyond our control all schedule and itineraries are subject to last moment changes.
– Clients must be fully insured, as the company cannot accept liability for loss or damage to client’s property, medical emergencies or any other loss suffered by them whilst on tour.
– In Case of issuing Domestic or International air tickets, SGV is not responsible for any refund if the flight is delayed or cancelled, as it is the responsibility of airline.