The Potala,and the cityaround it.
Three thousand six hundred and fifty metres. A permit-controlled region for foreign visitors. The capital of Tibetan-Buddhist civilisation, on the roof of the world.
Lhasa sits at three thousand six hundred and fifty metres on the Tibetan plateau. Foreign visitors require a Tibet Travel Permit, organised six weeks ahead and only obtainable through a licensed operator with a Tibetan tour-permit licence. The Potala Palace is the headline; the city around it, Jokhang Temple, the Barkhor pilgrimage circuit, the surrounding monasteries, is what makes the trip. We run it as a five-night Lhasa-anchored route, acclimatisation paced.
Lhasa,
the way we run it.
The Potala at first light
From across the square.
Photography inside the Potala is forbidden; the photograph everyone wants is the one from the square below at dawn. We bring you at first light, with the morning pilgrims already prostrating, and we time the interior visit to our permit slot at mid-morning.
The Barkhor circuit
Pilgrims, prayer wheels.
Barkhor is the kora, the pilgrimage circuit, around the Jokhang Temple. Clockwise, always. We walk it slowly in the late afternoon when the air is gold and the local circumambulators are out, prayer wheels turning, beads in hand. The point is not to be looked at; the point is to be walking among.
Drepung at sunset
The hillside monastery, after the day groups.
Drepung is the largest monastery in Tibet, eight kilometres west of Lhasa. We arrive after the day-trip buses leave, when the late-afternoon light hits the white walls and the resident monks come out to the assembly courtyards. The acoustic is the unmissable part, chanting bounces off the hillside above the city.
Permit-held,
altitude-paced, locally guided.
- We hold a Tibet Travel Permit relationship through a licensed Lhasa operator. Permits take six weeks; we organise yours when you book.
- We pace the route so you arrive after two nights at intermediate altitude (typically Shangri-La or Xining), not direct from sea-level Beijing. Most operators don't.
- Our Lhasa partner team is Tibetan-led, Tibetan guide, Tibetan driver. English-speaking, locally rooted, briefed to our service standard.
- We carry oxygen and altitude-sickness medication in every vehicle. Our drivers are trained to recognise early symptoms and act.
- No yak-product factory, no thangka-broker upsell, no high-pressure prayer-wheel sale. Permits stay clean.
Five nights,
the palace, the monasteries.
Five nights does Lhasa properly with altitude paced: acclimatisation day one, Potala and Jokhang day two, Barkhor and the smaller temples day three, Drepung and Sera monasteries day four, optional day-trip to Yamdrok Lake or Ganden monastery day five. Extending to Everest base camp adds four nights and a separate permit; we route both. Most parties enter overland from Shangri-La and exit by air to Chengdu.
The high-altitude
axis, and the way down.
Shangri-La
The acclimatisation step. Two nights at 3,200 m before the climb to 3,650. The right preparation, not an optional one.
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The Chengdu Pandas
Two hours by air east. The soft landing after the plateau, sea-level, oxygen, tea-house pace.
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Tiger Leaping Gorge
On the overland approach from Yunnan. The road, the river, and the climb onto the plateau.
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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.
From US$360/day on a private 5-seater with driver.
Rolled into your journey quote.