9 Days Tsurphu to Yangpachen Trek Tour

Transfer to Lhasa downtown after arriving at the Lhasa Gongar airport or the Lhasa train station. Relax with free time after your arrival in Lhasa to acclimatize to the high altitude.

This is your 2rd day in Tibet, so you should be physically ready for Potala Palace - the palace with a lot of steps.

Climb up to Potala Palace, Tibet’s iconic landmark. You'll see a lot of precious decorated statues, Buddhist scriptures and murals inside. Your guide will reveal to you the interesting history of the palace.

Visit Jokhang Temple (elevation 3,700 m), said to be the spiritual heart of Tibetan Buddhism. You will see many pilgrims prostrating themselves near the temple. Take part with locals in the 20-minute walk with prayer wheels, clockwise around Jokhang Temple. Take a stroll round Barkhor Street and see some Tibetan handicrafts.

Tip:
There are 1,080 steps up to Potala Palace and climbing steps on the plateau is not easy. If it's too demanding physically, you don't have to climb all the steps, and your tour guide will adjust your route accordingly.

Enjoy a hotel breakfast, and visit Norbulingka in the morning; formerly the summer palace for the Dalai Lamas. Nowadays, Norbulingka is a beautiful public park and a good place to see locals camping and picnicking in summer.

Watch a monks’ daily debate in Sera Monastery (elevation 4,000 m), the second most important monastery in Tibet. The debate not to be missed is held at 15:30 every day, except Sundays. Monks are happy to live in the monastery and study Buddhist scriptures there.

Later you will visit Drepung Monastery, renowned as the site for the annual Shoton Festival. If you visit in early August, you will have a chance to see for yourself this largest of Tibetan festivals.

General rules for visiting temples in Tibet: Cameras are not allowed in the temples or in the debate field, but taking photos with a cell phone is ok. When visiting a temple, your shoulders should be covered, and you should not wear shorts. Walk clockwise when visiting Barkhor Street.

It’s an adventurous drive between Lhasa and the Tsurphu Monastery, including a 2-hour bump-filled road, so we’ll be riding in a 4-wheel drive vehicle. Due to the higher elevation, we’ll take some time to relax and acclimatize after the rough ride. We will visit the Tsurphu Monastery itself after lunch.

Our first day of trekking will take about 4 hours to cover 11 kilometers as we walk through a verdant valley crisscrossed with countless mountain streams. Be on the lookout for various species of mountain goats that may be observing us, hidden amongst the gray rocks. Several small nomadic communities camp here for the summer herding months, and if you like we may have the opportunity to stop by a yak-hair tent for a cup of salt butter tea or some fresh yak milk. We will walk along a high plateau with a scattering of rock-enclosed huts to find a flat area for camping. Throughout this trek, the breathtakingly beautiful scenery of the ever-changing Tibetan landscapes will surround us.

Today’s trek will take us through a long deep valley, up to the highest point known as Lasar at an elevation of 5300 meters. At the first small pass of Damchen Nyingtri we’ll head left at the cairns at the crest and descend into a magical valley of lichen-coated boulders, meandering streams and expansive, powder-blue sky. Three hours later, we will cross the Lasar La (elevation 5300 meters) and descend into the Yangpachen Valley, with its wide-open plateaus, spiky grass hummocks and tundra-like parched, cracked patches of earth as we head towards Bartso. The views of “Brize” (translated as female yak herder) and “Tarze” (horse keeper) are superb, and you will feel safe in the care of the local mountain god, Nyenchen Tanglha. This evening we will camp overnight near Bartso, a “drokpa” (nomad) village of just five or six houses, surrounded by the same juniper that is used for incense all over the Tibetan world.

Leaving the village of Bartso behind this morning, we will head out on a wide trail leading across the valley and over another ridge where we will be rewarded with spectacular views of Nyenchen Tanghlha (elevation 7111 meters), the holiest mountain in central Tibet. We will pass through Tajung Village and then climb up gently rolling hills where young nomadic boys and girls picnic on the plateaus as they watch their herds of yaks and sheep grazing. The scenic vistas here are amazing! By midday we should reach the small and historic Djore Ling Ani Gompa (nunnery), near which we will set up camp for the night. It's possible that these nuns, some of the friendliest in Tibet, will invite you into the nunnery's teahouse and pass around a heaping plate of yak meat (you can use the bowie knife provided to hack a piece off) with plenty of photo opportunities for this memorable occasion.

Today’s trek will last around 4 hours, following the ox-bow Nyango Chu River as we make our way through the grassy valley heading for Yangpachen Monastery. This ancient Kagupa monastery, with Tibetan mastiffs keeping guard, overlooks part of the Trans-Himalaya range. Your 4-wheel drive Landcruiser will be waiting for you at the monastery to take you for a relaxing visit the hot springs at Yangpachen before we drive back to Lhasa to spend the night.

Your guide and driver will take you to Lhasa’s airport/train station on time for your departure and escort you to the correct security gate. Relax and leave any hassles to your tour team.