Lhasa &Tibet
Tibetan Buddhism, on the roof of the world
Lhasa sits at 3,650 metres on the Tibetan plateau. Foreign visitors require a Tibet Travel Permit, organised six weeks ahead through a licensed operator. The Potala Palace is the headline; the city around it, Jokhang Temple, the Barkhor pilgrimage circuit, Drepung Monastery, is what makes the trip. We run it as a five-night Lhasa-anchored route, acclimatisation paced.
Why we run Lhasa
deeply.
Permit held in advance.
We hold a Tibet Travel Permit relationship through a licensed Lhasa operator. Permits take six weeks; we organise yours when you book.
Altitude paced properly.
Two nights at intermediate altitude (Shangri-La or Xining) before the climb to 3,650 m. Most operators send you straight from sea level. We don't.
Tibetan-led ground team.
Tibetan guide, Tibetan driver. English-speaking, locally rooted, briefed to our service standard.
The palace,
the kora,
the hillside monastery.
Five nights in Lhasa, altitude paced. These three anchor the trip: the Potala at dawn, the Barkhor pilgrimage circuit in the afternoon, and Drepung Monastery at sunset.
The Potala Palace
The thirteen-storey winter palace of the Dalai Lamas, built into the side of Marpori Hill. Photography inside is forbidden; the photograph everyone wants is the one from the square below at dawn.
We bring you at first light, when the pilgrims are already prostrating in the square. Interior visit is timed to our permit slot at mid-morning.
The Barkhor pilgrimage circuit
The kora, pilgrimage circuit, around the Jokhang Temple. Always clockwise. Prayer wheels, beads, the local circumambulators who walk it every day.
We walk it slowly in the late afternoon, when the light is gold and the local pilgrims are out. The point isn't to be looked at; the point is to be walking among.
Drepung Monastery at sunset
The largest monastery in Tibet, eight kilometres west of Lhasa, built into the hillside. After the day-trip buses leave, the late-afternoon light hits the white walls and the resident monks return to the assembly courtyards.
We arrive after the buses leave. The hillside chanting acoustic is the unmissable part.
One day,
acclimatise,
the city, the kora.
Day one in Lhasa is for acclimatising, not sightseeing. This is how we'd run it: short walks, slow tea, the Barkhor in the late afternoon.
- Day 01
Slow first day, kora at dusk.
Late check-in if you flew in; late morning if you came overland from Shangri-La. Slow tea on the hotel terrace with the altitude advice (drink water, no alcohol, no shower for twelve hours). Short walk to the Jokhang Temple square. Late afternoon walking the Barkhor circuit clockwise, among the local pilgrims. Early dinner, early bed.
- A slow first hour with tea and the altitude protocols, in the hotel terrace.
- The Jokhang Temple square in the late afternoon, pilgrims prostrating.
- Walking the Barkhor kora at gold-light hour, beads turning.
Best time
April to October (avoid winter, many monasteries close)
Days needed
5 to 8 days
Where it sits
Two-hour flight from Chengdu · overland from Shangri-La
From · per person
US$4,630
Your Tibet, sketched,
by reply within two days.
Tell us your dates, party size, and whether you want Everest base camp included. Tibet enquiries take a longer first response than the rest of our routes (usually two business days) because we confirm permit availability before quoting. The reply includes a first-draft route, the acclimatisation leg, and an honest all-inclusive price. No deposit, no obligation.