Things to see & do in Lhasa
Lhasa is where most Tibet holidays begin and, at 3,670m, an ideal place to acclimatise before moving on. Arriving into the airport you may be welcomed with a khata, a traditional prayer scarf, before the 100km drive into the city, the route offering plenty of dramatic Himalayan views. Despite its altitude, Lhasa can suffer from air pollution, much of it related to dust thrown up by construction activity – one of the most common justifications given for the Chinese occupation of Tibet since 1950 is the development of ‘infrastructure’.
The monasteries here have been used for worshipping and teaching for centuries. The Chinese flag may fly at Potala Palace, but it is still the unassailable seat of Tibetan religion and politics. You won’t find any photographs of the Dalai Lama in Lhasa, and attempting to discuss politics with your guide or any locals you meet in the Tibetan capital is discouraged unless they bring it up first, but he is far from forgotten. And the ritual of the Barkhor circuit around Jokhang Temple feels just as constant as Everest. If you want to explore Tibet’s history, culture and resilient spirituality, there’s nowhere better to start than Lhasa.
Our Tibet Holidays
Tibet tour, Lhasa and Lake Namtso
Surrealistic beauty of Mount Everest and Namtso Lake
Bejing to Lhasa tour, by train
Beijing to Lhasa on the famous sky train
Lhasa to Mount Kailash tour, Tibet
3 days pilgrimage kora around Mount Kailash
Tibet cultural tours
Experience life styles of Tibetan people
Lhasa to Everest Base Camp tour, small group
Enjoy the panoramic view of fabulous Himalaya Mountain Range
Lhasa small group tour in Tibet
Visit World Heritage Sites in Lhasa City at short 4 days
Kathmandu to Lhasa overland tour
Overland trip from Kathmandu to Tibet with Mount Everest
Tibet and China cycling holiday
A Challenging cycle tour in China and the Tibetan Plateau.
Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet Tour
A cultural extravaganza in landlocked South Asian countries
Tibet culture tour & Everest base camp
Meet the people, heritage and stunning landscapes of Tibet.
Himalayan tours to Bhutan, Tibet and Nepal
Explore snow-capped Nepal, Tibetan temples and the Kingdom of Bhutan on this 16-day tour
Tibet pilgrimage trekking tour
Ganden to Samye Tibet trekking route
Lhasa and Namtso Lake tour in Tibet
Visit the cradle of Tibetan civilisation
Sichuan to Tibet overland tour
Travel the G318 Highway from Chengdu to Lhasa
Tibet and Nepal cultural holiday
Sacred peaks of Tibet & lush Nepalese valleys
Tibet cultural tour
Enjoy fabulous Himalayan mountain scenery & temples
Tibet wildlife holiday, Tibet Plateau mammals
Explore the vast Tibetan Plateau in search of rare mammals
Tibet trekking holiday, Lhasa to Kashgar
A stunning journey through the isolated lands of Tibet
Tibet exploration tour
Trek from Tsurphu Monastery to Dorje Ling Nunnery
China to Tibet by train, Chengdu to Lhasa
Take photos with cute Giant Pandas and highest Mount Everest
Central Tibet tour
Explore Central Tibetan Culture, Monasteries and Holy Lakes
Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan cultural tours
Cultural, Religion and Nature of Himalayan Countries.
Tibet cycling holiday
Exploring Tibet by cycling, a trip of a lifetime
Tibet birding tour
Explore rural Tibet on this specialist bird watching tour
Tibet holiday by train from China
Experience the world’s highest scenic train to Tibet
21 days Tibet 4WD in depth tour
Mt. Kailash Trekking and Guge Kingdom Ruin
In depth tour of Tibet
Monasteries, holy lakes and Tibet's western wilderness
China, Tibet and Nepal tour
Journey across the Himalaya from the Great Wall to Everest
Tibet Gama Valley trekking holiday in Tibet
One of the Top 10 classic trekking routes in the world
Northern Tibet adventure tour, Qiangtang to Kailash
Amazing adventure in Northern and Western Tibet
Potala Palace
Jokhang Temple
The most sacred temple in Tibet, Jokhang Temple is at the heart not only of spirituality in Lhasa, but commerce too, surrounded by the teeming Barkhor market where you can buy everything from traditional Tibetan quilts to painted scrolls, butter lamps and bowls of yummy yak yoghurt. Every day pilgrims walk for 20 minutes around the temple, spinning prayer wheels as they go.It’s fun to join in, as Philippa Cawthorne, who took a trip to Tibet through Responsible Travel in 2017, found: “The most memorable part of the holiday was walking around Barkhor Square seeing people on pilgrimage from various regions of Tibet. The people were very friendly and even came to shake our hands and say hello. We were invited into a small temple to join the locals spinning their prayer wheels and chanting, which was a magical experience as we were the only foreigners there.”
You’ll also see many pilgrims prostrating themselves all the way round, some having travelled hundreds or even thousands of kilometres to get there, giving you some idea of the temple’s significance.
Norbulingka
Sera Monastery
Just north of Lhasa, at the base of a mountain and surrounded by hermitages and nunneries in the foothills, Sera Monastery is a superb example of Tibetan architecture and a venerated seat of Buddhist learning. Some Tibet tours will attempt to time their visit so as to watch crowds of monks vigorously debating scripture in the courtyard – you almost certainly won’t have a clue what’s being argued but it’s fun to watch all the same.Drepung Monastery
Along with Sera and Ganden, Drepung is one of the three educational monasteries in Tibet belonging to the Gelung strand of Buddhism – think of it as monk university. Ten thousand of them once studied here at any one time, in a series of white monastic buildings stacked up the hillside just outside Lhasa. The walk up the hill to explore these holy halls and chapels is as serene as it is beautiful, with views across the capital and off into the mountains.Our top Tibet Holiday
Tibet tour, Lhasa and Lake Namtso
Surrealistic beauty of Mount Everest and Namtso Lake
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