Tibet tourism
Tibet is an incredible travel place, so much history and mystery. The Potala Palace is a symbol of Tibet. The majestic white and red building complex, set against grey/green mountains and blue sky, is an iconic image of the Roof of the World. It is a huge treasure house of materials and articles from Tibetan history, religion, culture, and art. The palace is widely known for precious sculptures, Buddha statues, murals, antiques, and religious jewelry housed within. It is the must-see attraction which is included on almost all Tibet tour itineraries. The number of travelers to the palace is limited each day to protect the building complex. Visiting time for the Potala is limited to one hour per tour group.
Potala Palace is one of the most recognized and beautiful structures in the world. Located in the ancient capital of Tibet, Lhasa, the place was once the residence of Dalai Lama until the current Dalai Lama fled to India after 1959 Tibetan uprising. With over 1,000 rooms, Potala Palace is a major tourist attraction today and is the best place to have a fantastic birds eye view of Lhasa. The palace is named after Mount Potala, the mythical abode of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. Its construction started in 1645 and took 3 years. The building measures 400 metres east-west and 350 metres north-south. It contains the living quarters for Dalai Lamas and houses great amounts of rare cultural relics including hand-written golden Buddhist scripts. The palace is 14 stories tall, and the visit involves climbing a lot of stairs up and down.
Tibet trekking top locations : East Mount Everest Base Camp – Kangshung Face: This is an 8 day trek to the seldom visited Kangshung Face Base Camp which serves as the eastern base camp for Mount Everest. The trail passes over two high passes the; Shao La (4915m) and Langma La (5200m) and passes through the beautiful Gama Valley. The trek passes through an area of rich floral diversity and some of the world’s highest elevation forests before bringing you to the base camp where you have great views of Everest, Lhotse and Makalu (all 8000m peaks). Note that this trek brings you to the same area as the Gama Valley Trek mentioned above but from a different approach. The Kangshung Face is the most dangerous approach to Everest and the least used. The impressive rock wall viewed from base camp has a vertical relief of over 3,350 metres (11,000 ft).
Founded by the First Dalai Lama in 1447, Tashilhunpo Monastery is one of the six big monasteries in Tibet. It is the seat of the Panchen Lama, the second ranking person in the Gelugpa Tibetan Buddhist hierarchy, after the Dalai Lama. The monastery houses the tombs of Panchen Lamas and a 22.4-meter statue of Maitreya Buddha. Tashilhunpo remains popular among the Tibetans, as they carry on coming here on pilgrimage. Standing on the entrance of Tashilhunpo, you can see the grand buildings with golden roofs and white walls. The remarkable Tangka wall which is nine-floor high, displays the images of Buddha on the 14th, 15th and 16th of May every year following the Tibetan Lunar Calendar. Besides the grand palace and gigantic statues, the Tashilhunpo also treasures characteristic wall paintings. Because of the variety of shapes, resplendent colors and exquisite painting, the murals are considered to be another masterpiece of Buddhist art. Rare sutras, tangka, china and glass service of the Ming and Qing Dynasties are also invaluable asserts found in the monastery. These are good relics for researching the history and society of Tibet.
Our knowledge of the land is an accumulation of countless generations passed down from our village elders. With our ancestors’ guidance and first-hand knowledge of the Sino-Tibetan political landscape, rest assured that you are in good hands. All of our Tibetan tour guides speak English, Chinese and Tibetan, have years of experience in guiding tours and high-altitude trekking and are well-versed in Tibetan Buddhism and history. They hail from every region of Tibet and are intimately familiar with the lands, its stories and people. See extra info on Tibet travel permit.