Cycling from Lhasa to Namtso - Namtso Biking Tour-Tibet Odyssey Tours

Tibet Cycling Tour8 Days Lhasa to Namtso Lake Biking Tour

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TOT: 8 Days Lhasa to Namtso Lake Biking Tour

Tour Type: Private Tour: Flexible Travel Date & Travel Routes

Guide & Driver: Chinese-English-speaking guide & air-conditioned

Highlights:

Walk around Barkhor Street to experience life like the locals
Journey through rustic farmlands and small villages during your cycling trip
Witness the wonderful monk debating at Sera Monastery
Marvel at two incredible UNESCO World Heritage Sites including Potala Place and Jokhang Temple

Itinerary

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Day 1 Arrival at Lhasa & Acclimation

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Upon your arrival at the Lhasa airport or train station, you will be greeted by your Tibetan guide and escorted to your hotel in Lhasa. It only takes about a half an hour for the drive from the airport to the city center of Lhasa via the Lhasa-Gonggar Airport Highway. Along the way you will be able to enjoy the spectacular scenery along the Brahmaputra River. You will have the rest of the afternoon or evening (depending upon your arrival time) to rest, relax and become acclimatized to the higher altitude of Tibet.

Accommodation: Overnight at Lhasa 3-Star hotel

Day 2 Lhasa Tour - Potala Place, Johkang Temple, Barkor Street

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Today we will start off with the fantastic Potala Palace, which historically served as the winter home of the Dalai Lama. It was first used in the 7th century by the 33rd king of Tibet. The most valuable collections in the Potala Palace are the gilded burial stupas of the former Dalai Lamas and the meditation cave of the 33rd great king of Tibet. After lunch, we will move on to the Jokhang Temple, which was also founded in the 7th century by the 33rd great king of Tibet to promote the Buddhist religion. Inside you can see the statue of the Buddha Sakyamuni as he was at the age of twelve – this is perhaps the most venerated object in Tibetan Buddhism. Around the temple is Barkhor Street where you can perform the “Kora” (a religious circuit around a sacred building or mountain) with pilgrims and locals. The Barkhor market is also a great place to pick up locally made handicrafts and souvenirs.

Accommodation: Overnight at Lhasa 3-Star hotel

Day 3 Lhasa Tour - Drepung and Sera Monastery

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This morning we will visit the Drepung Monastery – one of the great three Gelug monasteries of Tibet. Founded in 1416 by Jamyang Choge, on Tosngkhapa’s main disciples, the Drepung Monastery is home of Ganden Palace, which formerly served as the Dalai Lama’s palace before later moving on to the Potala Palace. In the afternoon we will move on to see another of the great three of the Gelug monasteries in Tibet – the Sera Monastery. Founded in 1419 by another main disciple of Tsongkhapa, Jamchen Chojey, the main attraction of this monastery is the lively scene of the monks debating Buddhist scriptures in the courtyard behind the monastery in the afternoon.

Accommodation: Overnight at Lhasa 3-Star hotel

Day 4 Bike from Lhasa to Damxung (155km)

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Today’s schedule features a long bike ride of approximately 155 kilometers along the Qinghai – Tibet highway to our eventual destination of Damxung. The road is smooth and well maintained so it makes for a pleasant day of biking. We will stopover in Yangpachen to have lunch and rest for a while before riding on to Damxung to spend the night.

Accommodation: Overnight at local Guest House

Day 5 Bike from Damxung to Namtso (75km)

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Today we will have a challenging but beautiful ride with the Nyenchen Thanglha snow mountain ranges appearing in front of you all along the way. The most difficult part of today’s ride is the climbing of the Mt. Nagenla Pass with its 5190-meter elevation, but we will have a 4-wheel drive vehicle at the ready to take you and your bike up and over the mountain pass if necessary. After conquering the mountain pass, you will see the sheepherders’ tents, green grasslands, herds of sheep and yaks, and the tents of nomads alongside the road. Finally we will reach the incredibly beautiful Namtso Lake – a heavenly lake known as one of the three holy lakes of Tibet and also as the world’s highest salt lake. Situated at an elevation of 5000 meters, Namtso Lake lies on the highest plateau in the world. We’ll enjoy a memorable stay at the lakeshore tonight.

Accommodation: Overnight at local Guest House

Day 6 Bike from Namtso to Yangpachen (123km)

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While enjoying the beautifully clear morning at the lakeshore, you can trek along the shoreline to Tashi Dor Island to explore the meditation caves. After a morning of exploration, we’ll begin the journey back to Lhasa with a bike ride to Yangpachen, where we can relax in the natural hot spring before retiring for the night.

Accommodation: Overnight at local Guest House

Day 7 Bike from Yangpachen to Lhasa (75km)

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Today we will enjoy the final leg of our bike tour as we ride back to Lhasa from Yangpachen. We will be on the same highway as before, and we’ll have plenty of opportunities to stop for photos. After arriving back in Lhasa you will have free time the rest of the afternoon and evening to relax and enjoy your final night in Tibet.

Accommodation: Overnight at Lhasa 3-Star hotel

Day 8 Departure from Lhasa

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Your tour guide will pick you up from your hotel to escort you back to Lhasa Gonggar Airport or to the Lhasa train station for your departing flight or train.

Accommodation:

Price Includes.

All necessary Tibet Travel Permit. (Including Tibet Entry Permit, Alien Travel Permit, border Pass
Private professional English-Speaking local tour guide
Licensed Vehicle with experienced driver
Airport (or train）pick up and drop off
Accommodation listed in the itinerary
Breakfast provided by the hotel
Tourists Accident/Casualty Insurance
A container of Oxygen for emergency use
All taxes, fees and handling charges
Lodging and meal allowance to the guide & driver
Reservation fee for visiting Potala Palace
2 bottles of drinking water per person per day

Price Excludes.

Meals not specified in the itinerary (All lunches & dinners)
All Entrance tickets to the sightseeing places
Flight/Train tickets in and out of Tibet
Personal expenses such as laundry, drink, fax, telephone call, optional tour activities, etc.
Any losses incurred from the force majeure factor like government control, natural disaster etc.
Tips to the guide & driver ( Tips is not required but expected)
Single room supplement

Booking Information

1.The above routes accept Chinese people(people from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) and foreign visitors to attend the group booking, foreign guests and Taiwan tourists to Tibet, please contact us to apply for Tibet Permit!

2.Due to Covid-19, there has international travel restrictions for Tibet travel, so we can not guarantee travelers in one group are all English speakers. Our professional tour guide will provide Chinese-English service if there has English speakers in the join-in group. Therefore, we will not make any reimbursement for tour guide language reason.

3.June, July, August, September is peak season. Joining our group can guarantee the ticket of Potala Palace. The Potala Palace may be adjusted to the other days because of the current limitation of 2,300 visitors per day to protect the historic site.

4.Without affecting the original standards and scenic spots, we might change the sequences of scenic spots according to the actual situation on the day of the trip.

5.Patients with severe hypertension, asthma or heart disease should not join the group. Patients with colds should only go to Tibet after recovery.

6.Due to force majeure factors in case of landslides, mud-rock flow, avalanche, flood, earthquake and other natural phenomena influence or airline flight delay, cancel to causes such as the increase of expenses or unable to follow a normal schedule, we shall not bear the liability for compensation according to the tourism related regulations, but we will actively coordinate processing, in order to ensure a smooth trip.

7.Any failure to complete the activities during the tour due to the guests' own reasons or early departure will be considered as a waiver and the fee will not be refunded.

8.Tibet is a borderland area inhabited by ethnic minorities with limited tourist reception conditions. We hope that visitors can have reasonable expectations, respect the cultural beliefs and living habits of ethnic minorities and live in harmony with each other.

9.If there is a single room due to gender reasons, we will arrange a triple room (or double standard room with and extra bed) or fill the single room difference by the guest.

10.The shops in scenic spots do not belong to the travel agency's shopping shop arrangement. Please consider carefully.

11.Self-paid items are considered according to the time and the proportion of the approved members on the day, and no mandatory consumption is made.

Warm Tips

1.Travelers with severe high blood pressure or heart disease should not go to Tibet. Please do not bring serious colds into Tibet. Don’t go before the serious colds recovered!

2.Tibet is located in the plateau and most of the travelers might have plateau reaction. Please pay attention to rest and have proper diet (do not eat too full, because it will increase the burden of the stomach). Travelers can be appropriate to take some drugs, such as: Gaoyuan An, Rhodiola, Nuodi Kang; travelers with serious can appropriately take oxygen or hanging saline.

3.Because of the long drive in Tibet, travelers will spend a lot of time in the car, and inevitably can not eat on time, please bring some snacks and biscuits during drive.

4.Due to the special conditions in Tibet, please pay attention to keep warm. On the first day of arrival, please do not try to take a bath. Taking a bath will accelerate blood circulation and increase the body's demand for oxygen.

5.Tibet has a strong sunshine, especially dry climate, sunscreen, sunglasses, lip balm and other essential are necessary.

6.From April to November is the best time for sightseeing.

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