15 Days Central Tibet Biking Tour

This short biking tour around Lhasa is designed to introduce the unique culture and history of central Tibet. After a good acclimation of the high altitude of Tibet, start biking and hiking around Ganden Monastery, the Yarlong Valley, and the Namtso Lake.

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15 Days Central Tibet Biking Tour

  • lhasa
  • ganden
  • namtso
  • yarlong valley
  • lhasa

13 Day

$ 2800

Itinerary Highlights

    Bike through the spectacular and unique scenery of central Tibet

    Admire the pearl on the roof of the world – the Potala Palace

    Visit two of Tibet's greatest monasteries – the Drepung and Sera Monasteries

    Explore up close and in depth - Buddhism and the Tibetan culture

Day 1 Arrival in Lhasa (Elevation 3650 meters)
Hotel: 4★ Sheraton Lhasa or Himalaya Lhasa Hotel Meals:Welcome Dinner

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.

Day 2 Lhasa City Sightseeing - Potala Palace - Jokhang Temple - Barkhor Street
Hotel: 4★ Sheraton Lhasa or Himalaya Lhasa Hotel Meals:Breakfast , Lunch , Dinner

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.

Day 3 Lhasa City Sightseeing - Sera Monastery – Drepung Monastery
Hotel: 4★ Sheraton Lhasa or Himalaya Lhasa Hotel Meals:Breakfast , Lunch , Dinner

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.

Day 4 Bike to Ganden Monastery (53km)
Hotel: Stay Overnight at Ganden Monastery. Meals:Breakfast , Lunch , Dinner

Ride about 53 kilometers eastwards to visit the Ganden Monastery, which ranks the first among the six largest monasteries of Gelugpa. If you are not tired, you can walk the circuit round the monastery. Walking the kora takes about one and a half or two hours, and on a clear day there are stunning views of the peak of Nyenchen Thangla and the Kyi-chu valley below.

Day 5 Ride back to Lhasa
Hotel: 4★ Sheraton Lhasa or Himalaya Lhasa Hotel Meals:Breakfast , Lunch , Dinner

Cycle back to Lhasa. The rest time of the day is for you to have a good rest, preparing the next destination - Namtso Lake.

Day 6 Bike to Namtso (240km)
Hotel: Overnight at Namtso Tent guest house Meals:Breakfast , Lunch , Dinner

Cycling northwards to Namtso, tourists can enjoy Nyenchen Thanglha shortly after you leave Lhasa.

In summer (May to August), the sheepherders and their family move to grassland and set up their tents. You could see green grassland, groups of sheep and yaks, nomad tents beside the road. Namtso Lake is the Heavenly lake which is one of the three holy lakes of Tibet and also the highest salt lake.

To spend a night at lake shore is fantastic. The night sky is so clean that you could see all the stars twinkling in the sky, so close to you as if you could stretch you hands to pick the stars. Situated at about 5000m high, Namtso lake is actually the lake in the sky, lying on the highest plateau in the world.

Day 7 Bike from Namtso to Yangpachen (123km)
Hotel: Overnight at Yangbachen. Meals:Breakfast , Lunch , Dinner

While enjoying the clear morning at the lake shore, you can trek along the lake shore to Tashi Dor Island to explore the meditation caves. Bike over the Lagangla pass to Yangpachen and stay overnight at Yangbachen. Yangbachen is famous for its geothermal power station and there is a hot spring nearby where tourists can have hot bath and refresh themselves.

Day 8 Bike from Yangpachen to Lhasa (75km)
Hotel: 4★ Sheraton Lhasa or Himalaya Lhasa Hotel Meals:Breakfast , Lunch , Dinner

Today ride back to Lhasa from Yangpachen. You could see green grassland, groups of sheep and yaks, nomad tents by the road. The road condition is the same as the day before.

Day 9 Bike to Samye
Hotel: Camping Meals:Breakfast , Lunch , Dinner

Then bike towards the Samye located around 200km far away from Lhasa and it is one of the most popular Holy places where the tradition of the Tibetan people and Kings emerges. Also you can visit some of very ancient monasteries and palace.

Day 12 Bike to Tsedang, Visit Trundruk and Yumbulagang
Hotel: Camping Meals:Breakfast , Lunch , Dinner

Bike to Tsetang along the amazing Brahmaputra river, then to visit Trundruk Monastery and Yumbulagang Palace. Trundruk is one of the earliest Buddhist monasteries in Tibetan history. Yumbulagang was built for the first Tibetan King, Nyatri Tsanpo, in the 2nd Century BC and became the Tibetan Kings' palace since then.

Day 13 Bike to Lhasa from Tsedang
Hotel: Overnight at local Guest House Meals:Breakfast , Lunch , Dinner

For these two days, we will have a scenic and pleasant bike ride along good roads on our way to Lhasa from Tsedang. After arriving in Lhasa, you will have free time to relax and recover from our long journey and to prepare for your trip on to your next destination.

Day 14 Bike to Lhasa from Tsedang
Hotel: 4★ Sheraton Lhasa or Himalaya Lhasa Hotel Meals:Breakfast , Lunch , Dinner

For these two days, we will have a scenic and pleasant bike ride along good roads on our way to Lhasa from Tsedang. After arriving in Lhasa, you will have free time to relax and recover from our long journey and to prepare for your trip on to your next destination.

Day 15 Depart Lhasa
Hotel: None Meals:Breakfast

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.

Service Included:

Tibet travel permit and all other necessary permits to Tibet;

All entrance ticket fees for all tourist sites listed in the itinerary;

Personal knowledgeable English-speaking Tibetan local tour guide;

Personal comfortable, clean and safe vehicle with reliable Tibetan local driver; vehicle ranging from 4WD land cruiser to minibus depending on your group size;

All lodging listed in the itinerary; it’s your decision about the accommodation class: luxury 5-star international hotel, comfortable 4-star hotel, economic 3-star hotel or budget hostel, guesthouse or tent. Please tell us your accommodation preference when submitting the enquiry; we will arrange the best-value hotels for you.

Domestic flight/train tickets listed in the itinerary;

All meals listed in the above itinerary;

Tourist accident/casualty insurance;

First aid kit;

Service Excluded:

International flight to and out of China;

Chinese visa (Note: we could help you with the Chinese visa application, like providing the invitation letter, presenting the hotel or domestic flight reservation copies, etc that you may need. )

Domestic flight/train not listed in the itinerary. (We can provide you the domestic flight/train ticket booking service at the BEST discount price; please contact us our travel experts for the details.)

Meals not specified in the itinerary; usually it costs about USD3-15 per person for one meal in TAR (Tibet Autonomous Region).

Tips and gratitude to tour guide and driver;

Personal expenses, like laundry, phone call, snacks, soft drinks (please do the best to avoid the alcoholic beverages during your Tibet trip), optional tour activities, etc.

    1.Tibet Travel Permit;

    You will need a Tibet Entry Permit. Its cost is included in the tour quotation. Send your passport and China visa copies to us 20 days in advance, and we will apply for your permit once you book a Tibetan tour with us. In our experience, we can virtually guarantee to get your permit during times when Tibet is open to foreign travelers.

    2.Accommodation

    We’ve selected heritage hotels in the more traditional area of Lhasa, near Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street, so that travelers can experience more of the local life and culture. If you prefer to stay in a hotel with special oxygen supplies, other hotels in Lhasa are recommended (as above).

    The accommodation in Dingri is poor (see above).

    3.Guiding;

    Our English-speaking guides are natives of Tibet with good knowledge of Tibetan culture, history, and Buddhism. Most are trained to offer Western-standard service.

    4.Food

    Enjoy local Tibetan, Western Chinese and Nepalese food on the tour.
    You will have standard western hotel breakfast in Lhasa, and specially prepared breakfasts outside of Lhasa: including butter, bread, coffee, tea, etc.
    After the first day, lunch is included every day. Your guide can recommend some good local restaurants for dinner. Outside Lhasa, we suggest you have dinner in the hotels where you are staying.

    5.Altitude Sickness

    Before your trip, ask your doctor for any suggestions in relation to altitude sickness and bring some medicine just in case. The most popular altitude medicine among foreigners is Acetazolamide/Diamox.
    We recommend that during the first two days after arriving in Tibet, visitors should keep warm, not take a bath, not smoke or drink alcohol. Drink plenty of water (>4 litres per day) before going and at altitude, and eat lots of vegetables and carbohydrates. Slow down, even if you feel energetic. Moving slowly is the best way to avoid altitude sickness.
    If you don’t feel well after entering Tibet, go and see a doctor as soon as possible. There are doctors in major hotels in Lhasa, and you can call your tour guide for help at any time. We offer a free oxygen bag in the car.

    6. What to Pack

    Seek medical advice about altitude effects and pack any medicine you might need. Sunglasses, snow glasses, hats, lip balm, sun block, walking boots, and down jackets are all recommended.

    7.Transport

    Comfortable private cars/vans with experienced drivers will be arranged for you. All our vehicles meet the requirements of the Tibet Tourist Bureau, and are equipped with GPS and speed-limiting equipment.

    8.Booking

    Take into consideration the time you need to apply for your Tibet Entry Permit. It’s best to book a tour with us at least 30 days before your tour starts.

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