5 Days Lhasa City Small Group Tour with Three Major Monasteries

Trip Overview

Day by Day Itinerary

Date & Price

Service Guide

DECEMBER 2025

JANUARY 2026

Price Inclusions

Price Exclusions

Itinerary Alteration

Cancellation and Refund Policy

Overview
Itinerary
Date & Price
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The 5-day Lhasa tour covers the "great three" Gelug university monasteries of Tibet - Sera Monastery, Drepung Monastery, and Ganden Monastery. If you are fond of Tibetan Buddhist Culture, these three Gelug monasteries absolutely make you satisfied. Watching a monk debating in Sera Monastery, experiencing the solemnity of Drepung Monastery, enlightened by the essence of the Gelug in Ganden Monastery, you will bask in rich Tibetan Buddhism to get inspired.

Best Time to Visit

All year round
Physical Demands

Very leisure tour; light physical demand for the high altitude

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Day 1: Arrival in Lhasa

Welcome to Lhasa! The tour guide will meet you at the airport to get to the hotel where you stay. On the way to the hotel, you will be accompanied by the upper stream of the Brahmaputra River and Lhasa River. Certainly, there are also snow-capped mountains, enchanting lakes, and yaks.

Then, when arriving in Lhasa, you should have a rest in your room to acclimatize yourself to this high altitude. If time and energy are full, you can wander to the Potala Square to appreciate the fountain show and the urban nightscape.

Notice:
In order to get acclimatized to the high altitude in Tibet and avoid the altitude sickness, especially the first-visit to Tibet, you should have a good sleep in your hotel. Do not rush to visit attractions inside Lhasa city.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Day 2: Lhasa Tour - Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street (B, D)

Jokhang Temple

Barkhor Street

After your delicious breakfast, you will start your Tibetan Buddhist journey today. Certainly, the Potala Palace, reputed as the landmark of Tibet, must be the first site. It is enclosed with the White Palace and the Red Palace ancillary buildings of the Potala Palace which rise from Red Mountain in the center of Lhasa Valley (3700m). The most valuable burial stupas of former Dalai Lamas and meditation Cave of the 33rd great king of Tibet are housed inside.

Having a lunch, you will continue to visit the "spiritual heart of the city" and the most sacred monastery in Tibet - the holy Jokhang Monastery. The monastery is located at Barkhor Square in Lhasa, in general, considered as the most important and sacred monastery by Tibetan. In fact, it is packed with pilgrims from four corners to pray. Therefore, not only will you see the statue of Buddha Sakyamuni at the age of twelve, also the pilgrims making prostrating in front of Jokhang Temple.

After visiting the monastery, you can stroll along the Barkhor Street surrounding the monastery where you can take part in the pilgrimage to do kora, a religious circle around a building or mountains, or wandering to buy some Tibetan handicrafts and so on.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Day 3: Lhasa Tour - Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery (B)

Drepung Monastery

Sera Monastery

Today, you will go on basking in Tibetan Buddhism. Drepung Monastery, as the beginning site of today’s journey, is one of the “great three” Gelug monasteries of Tibet. It is founded in 1416 by Jamyang Choge, one of the Tsongkhapa’s main disciples, also the biggest monastery among Tibetan Buddhist buildings. Here, we will offer you an opportunity to visit the biggest monastery kitchen, and enjoy the rock paintings, then, the tour guide will lead you to see Buddhist Sculpture Carving workshop near Drepung Monastery.

In addition, after your meal, continue to visit another Gelug monastery in Tibet - Sera Monastery. As we all know, the highlight of touring Sera Monastery is to watch an excellent Monks Debate lasting from 3 pm to 5 pm. Then, you can explore the Choding Khang which is the hermitage located just behind the Great Assembly Hall (on the hill slope of Sera Utse).

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Day 4: Lhasa to Ganden Monastery

Ganden Monastery

Ganden Kora

Today, after Sera Monastery and Drepung Monastery, we will continue to visit the final one of the "great three" Gelug university monasteries of Tibet - Ganden Monastery. Ganden Monastery means joyful, 40km northeast of Lhasa. The monastery lies in a hilly natural amphitheater. On the way, you also have a chance to appreciate the stunning scenery of Kyichu River and the winding mountains.

In the Ganden Monastery, we will guide you to visit the chapels and the tomb of Tsongkhapa, the founder of both Gelug and this monastery. If time and climate permit, we can help you trek around the Ganden Kora with pilgrims to encounter the natural beauty of Kychi Valley and devout belief. Then, you will experience the local life in the Tibetan farer’s village. (Note: The kora around the Ganden Monastery is optional.)

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Day 5: Depart from Lhasa (B)

In the morning, after the breakfast, our tour guide will meet you to go to the airport, then, you will leave Lhasa to step on the plane for your flight home.

Calendar List

Tibet Travel Permit and all the other travel documents needed in Tibet;
Group-shared transportation to the destinations and sites listed in the itinerary; ranging from 7 seats Van to 22 seats tourist bus depending on the group size;
Lodging: Comfortable Hotel Accommodations (not include single room supplement. If you are a solo traveler, you need to share one room with another tourist (same sex in most cases); if you prefer to stay in one room by yourself, you will have to pay the single room supplement. And the exact price depends on market fluctuation in high and off season of Tibet tour. For the exact price, please refer to your travel consultant.)
Experienced English-speaking Tibetan local tour guide;
Entrance ticket fees for all the sight spots listed in the itinerary;
Welcome Dinner in local restaurant when group members meet in Lhasa. Meals as specified in the itinerary;
First aid kit;
Service Charge & Government Taxes;
Arrangements include planning, handling, operational and communication charges;
A coverage of 300,000RMB Chartis travel insurance

International and domestic flight/train to Lhasa (Note: we accept the domestic flight/train tickets booking to Lhasa from other cities in advance, check the updated ticket availability and cost with your travel consultant);
Meals that are not specified in the itinerary (Averagely a meal in the 3rdpole region cost 3~15USD per person in Tibet Autonomous Region);
Tips and gratuities for the trip leader and driver;
The expense of a personal nature like alcoholic beverages, laundry, phone call, etc;
Optional activities and excursions not specified in the itinerary;
China Entry visa fees;
Tips to tour guide and driver, you are suggested to tip them 7 USD/day in total;

Once we receive your tour deposit, which is followed by signing the contract, your reservation is secured with legitimacy. Our staff will reserve the accommodation, vehicle, site tickets, meals and more, and pay the deposit for our suppliers. So if you want to alter to another itinerary, you need to cover the deposit we've paid, while no service charge is needed if you make some changes on the itinerary you booked.

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If you cancel the tour beacuse of your personal issues, you will be liable to pay cancellation charges that are bounded by 3rdpoletour.com cancellation policy as follows:

1.) If you cancel the tour more than 30 days before the trip starts, you will forfeit 10% of the total land cost per person;
2.) If you cancel the tour 15-30 days prior to your trip start date, 20% of your total land tour cost will be forfeited as a cancellation fee.
3.) If you cancel the tour 7-15 days before the trip starts, you will forfeit 30% of land cost.
4.) If you cancel the tour 7 days prior to your tour start date, you will forfeit 50% of land cost.
5.) If you fail to show up or cancel at your scheduled arrival time without prior notice or later than that, you will forfeit 100% of the land cost.

If the tour has to be cancelled because of the natural disaster or the government restrictions that is beyond both parties control, we will charge only USD50 per person, this is just the service fee and larbor fee during the preparation. This is a rare occurrence!

The cancellation fee charged by 3rdpoletour.com will be kept under your name (person who contacted us) for a usable period of 2 years. Within the applicable period you can use it for next time or you can kindly pass your authority to any of your family, friends or colleagues to use by booking a tour with 3rdpoletour.com. A certifying email from you is necessary to pass the cancellation fee to others, but it is only applicable for private group.