Inspiration for your own tailor-made trip
China – Tibet – Beijing – Lhasa – Tsetang – Gyantse – Shigatse
100% customisable for you
After plenty of daydreaming and eagerly counted-down sleeps, your adventure to China begins today.
Head to the airport, whizz through security, then toast to the trip ahead in the lounge before boarding. It’s a ten-hour overnight flight to Beijing, so queue up the films, fluff up your neck pillow and try to catch some shut-eye before landing the next day.
When you touch down in the capital, you’ll be privately transferred to your hotel in the heart of the city – your base for the next three nights.
Battling a bout of jet lag? Well, nothing will wake you up quite like Beijing’s fiery food scene. Follow the irresistible aromas into the nearest street food market and dive in, chopsticks first...
Later, if those wok-fried noodles and steaming dumplings haven’t tipped you into a food coma, we can also arrange a visit to Beijing’s rather divinely titled Temple of Heaven.
History buffs will be in their element today with the legendary Tiananmen Square on the agenda. With your local guide leading the charge, take in the Gate of Heavenly Peace, Mao Memorial Hall and the Monument to the People's Heroes, set amid a sea of supersized, star-emblazoned Chinese flags. You’ll also receive the lowdown on the square’s history, from grand proclamations during China’s Imperial era to the headline-worthy celebrations held here today.
Next, swap one Beijing icon for another as you venture into the rather mysteriously named Forbidden City, where the Ming and Qing empires lived and ruled for nearly 500 years.
Explore its labyrinth of grand halls, admiring ornate rooftops adorned with mythical beasts believed to ward off evil. There’s more imperial intrigue inside the Palace Museum, home to a treasure trove of ancient artworks.
All that oohing and aahing worked up a mighty appetite? Tonight, we can arrange a Beijing rite of passage: Peking duck with all the trimmings.
Have bucket lists to hand – it's time to venture beyond Beijing to the Great Wall of China.
Your driver will whisk you one hour to Mutianyu, where one of the Great Wall’s best-preserved sections traces its roots back to the sixth century – quite the feat of engineering.
Originally built by the Northern Qi dynasty, the wall was later fortified by the Ming, who bolstered its defences with watchtowers and bastions. Add surrounding mountains and dense woodland into the equation, and invading armies certainly faced a less-than-inviting prospect.
Climb the many, many steps, pause for a cup of fragrant jasmine tea from a local vendor and snap plenty of photos. A few puff and pants are inevitable, but just look at that view...
Back in Beijing this evening, make a beeline for a local noodle joint and enjoy a bowl of zhajiangmian (stir-fried noodles with a savoury bean-based sauce) – well deserved after smashing your step count out of the park today.
Excitement levels are bound to be sky-high this morning as you’re privately transferred to Beijing Airport for your four-and-a-half-hour flight to Lhasa. Managed to nab a window seat? You’re in for a real treat, with ribbons of glacial river, vast plateaus and sparkling snow-capped peaks unfurling below as you soar west towards Tibet.
When you touch down in Lhasa, you’ll be met at the airport and whisked away by private transfer to your cosy guesthouse – your peaceful hideaway for the next three nights.
After a few jam-packed days, embrace Lhasa’s meditative atmosphere with a leisurely amble around the neighbourhood. Mooch around the shops and stalls, admiring handwoven textiles and intricate pieces of traditional Tibetan artwork (one for the souvenir shelf, perhaps?).
Sooner or later, you’re bound to stumble across a much-loved local haunt, where yak sausage or Tibetan-style tartare often take top spot on the menu. Time to dig in...
Head out, look (way) up at the mighty Potala Palace, then fuel up with some strong Tibetan coffee – you have some 1,000 steps to conquer today.
When you’ve made it to the top (phew), follow your local guide around the sacred White Palace, once home to the Dalai Lamas, who historically led Tibet in matters both spiritual and political.
Next, venture into the Red Palace, a maze of sacred chapels, shrines and libraries decorated in intricate thangkas, elaborate Tibetan Buddhist paintings layered with religious imagery. Cue lots of pointing and explaining from your guide.
Now that you know your Chenrezig from your Tara, follow the pilgrim trail to Mount Chakpori, once home to a monastic school where traditional remedies were concocted from Himalayan herbs.
And, for a zen end to the day, retreat to?Norbulingka and do as the Dalai Lamas did: strolling around the gardens, admiring the blooms... and tucking into some dumplings for lunch.
See something glinting gold in the distance? That’ll be Jokhang Temple, Tibet’s first Buddhist temple. Built in the seventh century, pilgrims have travelled from far and wide to worship here ever since, so follow your guide up the winding walkways. As you wander, give the prayer wheels a clockwise spin, a tradition believed to spread the blessings of sacred mantras inside.
When you arrive, seek out the bronze Jowo Sakyamuni, an incense-swirled statue of the young Buddha adorned with offerings of fruits and flowers.
Next, spend some time with the Buddhist nuns who call the convent home, learning about their prayer rituals and knack for keeping the grounds blooming. Then, settle in at the nunnery restaurant for steaming momos (Tibetan dumplings), best washed down with traditional butter tea.
Round off the day at the 15th-century Sera Monastery, where you can witness a traditional Buddhist debate. Watch carefully as philosophical questions are batted back and forth between monks with animated gestures and emphatic claps – blink and you might miss the next rebuttal...
Rise bright and early this morning, then meet your local driver for the two-hour journey east to Tsetang. Once the stronghold of the Yarlung dynasty, this ancient capital served as the stomping ground for kings who became influential patrons of Buddhism in Tibet.
Road trip complete, check in to your charming guesthouse – your home for the next two nights.
With your bags dropped, set your sights on Yumbu Lhakhang, a former royal residence turned monastery perched high above the Yarlung Valley. Wander around its ancient halls and chapels, snapping plenty of photos as you go (all prime material for the holiday album).
Next, ramp up the regality at Tradruk Monastery and seek out its prized pearl-studded thangka, said to have been embroidered by Princess Wencheng herself.
Come back down to earth (by which we mean Tsetang) for dinner this evening, warming up over a bowl of thukpa, an aromatic Tibetan soup loaded with noodles, vegetables and meat.
Another day, another adventure. Meet your local guide and make for the meditation caves of Chimpu, tucked into the mountains surrounding the Samye Monastery.
Follow fluttering prayer flags and saffron-robed monks to these age-old hideaways, where Buddhist devotees retreat for days in quiet prayer and mantra recitation. In fact, the famous guru Padmasambhava is said to have meditated in one of these very caves after being summoned by Tibetan royalty, translating Buddhist teachings into Tibetan.
Next, step inside Samye, Tibet’s very first monastery. Its symbolic layout takes the shape of a mandala, with the main temple representing the mythical Mount Meru – the sacred mountain believed to sit at the heart of the Buddhist cosmos.
Marvel at the fascinating blend of Indian, Tibetan and Chinese architecture as you explore, with your guide on hand to decode the symbols and scriptures inscribed across the walls. Consider your Buddhist teachings and traditions trivia officially levelled up...
Wolf down a traditional Tibetan breakfast this morning, then meet your local driver for the five-and-a-half-hour journey east to Gyantse. A road trip this exciting calls for an equally great soundtrack, so ask your driver to tune into our destination-specific playlist as the azure waters of Lake Yamdrok-Tso and mighty Noijin Kangsang massif roll into view.
En route, make a pit stop at the 12th-century Ralung?Monastery, an important seat of the Drukpa school of Tibetan Buddhism. Explore the ancient halls, where flashes of crimson come courtesy of the monks’ distinctive robes and headwear, a nod to the monastery’s ‘Red Hat’ heritage.
When you arrive in Gyantse this afternoon, check in for the night at your hotel. Then, after a jam-packed day, bypass any dinner deliberations with a restaurant recommendation from our Concierge, who’ll know where to find the best local fare.
Before you bid Gyantse farewell, squeeze in a visit to the peaceful Palcho Monastery. Here, wind your way through Tibet’s largest kumbum, a 15th-century Nepalese-inspired stupa with 77 deity-embellished chapels, before craning your neck at the monumental thangka wall, designed to display religious scroll paintings during celebrations.
Morning marvels complete, you’ll then be privately transferred two hours to Shigatse, where you’ll check into your home for the night.
And, for your next spiritual spell of sightseeing, meet your local guide and delve into Tashilhunpo Monastery, founded by the first Dalai Lama in 1447 before becoming the traditional seat of the Panchen Lamas. Wander the prayer halls, where incense curls through the air, monks chant in unison and ritual bells chime between prayers.
Then, join devotees on the lingkhor, a lantern-lit path encircling the monastery, before continuing the cultural discoveries at a local market, browsing tempting trinkets until the aromas from food vendors lure you over...
After a whirlwind stop in Shigatse, secure a healthy haul of Tibetan pastries for the road, then meet your local driver for the five-hour journey back to Lhasa.
It wouldn’t be a Tibetan road trip without a sacred stop en route, so make a quick detour to Narthang Monastery, once a powerhouse of Buddhist printing. Reminders of its bookmaking heyday remain, from antique equipment to intricately carved woodblocks once used to press sacred teachings onto paper.
Now that you know the ins and outs of old-school printing, continue to Lhasa, where you’ll settle in for two nights at your guesthouse.
As night falls, turn all eyes to the skies, where minimal light pollution reveals a sparkling canopy of stars and distant planets – celestial markers long used in Tibetan tradition to calculate calendars and auspicious days. And if you’re lucky enough to spot a shooting star, send a little wish its way...
The name of the game today? Taking your spiritual sightseeing to new heights (literally).
Lace up your walking boots and meet your guide for the climb to Drak Yerpa, a cliffside hideaway of sacred temples and meditation caves dating back to Tibet’s pre-Buddhist era.
Roam around the caves, keeping score of all the weird and wonderful rock formations, where echoes of Tibetan Buddhism linger in weathered inscriptions and painted deities. Along the way, admire views across sleepy villages and rolling pastures home to grazing yaks.
For your last night, leave dinner plans in the hands of our Concierge, who’ll know just the spot for a celebratory final meal.
Time flies when you’re having fun (and mastering the art of Tibetan tranquillity), but alas, your adventure across China has come to an end.
After breakfast, you’ll be privately transferred to Gonggar Airport for the four-hour flight to Beijing, where you’ll connect onto your overnight 10-hour flight home, arriving the next day.
On your way back, you’ll hopefully be feeling like a brand-new person, reflecting on all the spiritual habits you plan to weave into everyday life and enjoying your newfound patience in airport queues. Just don’t forget it by the time your next adventure rolls around...
Everything in this itinerary is entirely customisable, down to the smallest details. Here are some more suggestions of what could be included
Each of our trips is entirely tailor-made with originality, quality and cultural immersion in mind. Our team of destination specialists will craft itineraries based on your tastes, using their first-hand knowledge and the help of our in-country team of Concierges and guides. All trips are accompanied by a wide range of additional services, including a 24-hour helpline, the Original Travel app, fast-track airport services and much more.
Enquire now
Each of our trips is entirely tailor-made with originality, quality and cultural immersion in mind. Our team of destination specialists will craft itineraries based on your tastes, using their first-hand knowledge and the help of our in-country team of Concierges and guides. All trips are accompanied by a wide range of additional services, including a 24-hour helpline, the Original Travel app, fast-track airport services and much more.
Enquire now
Our team of destination experts will get to know you and your unique requirements for your holiday
We work with you to build an ultra-personalised holiday itinerary with your choice of accommodation, experiences and activities
All of our holidays include little extras designed to make a big difference to your trip, from checking you in for your flights to our network of local Concierges
