Tibet · China

LHASA EXPLORATION

Five nights in the Place of the Gods

Private Tour · 5N6D

One luxurious base beneath the Potala, and the holy city unfolding around it — palaces, pilgrim routes, a turquoise lake and six hundred years of murals.

RouteLhasa · Shannan day journeys
Duration5N / 6D
StaySongtsam Linka Lhasa 3,700 m
Day-trip HighYamdrok-Tso 4,440 m
Group2–8 PAX private

Design Philosophy

Slow days in the Sunshine City

"In Tibetan culture legend has it that in another time and space there is a kingdom called Shambala. It is a quiet and peaceful kingdom because everybody there knows the source of happiness. — Pema Dorjee, Founder of Songtsam"

Songtsam began when founder Pema Dorjee turned his family's small guesthouse in Shangri-La into the first Songtsam lodge, working with local artisans and the community; eleven properties and eighteen years later his vision continues to grow. In Lhasa it takes the form of a 'youthful ancient structure' built with master craftsmen who twice repaired the Potala Palace — a base from which the holy city is explored the way locals live it: slowly, in sunlight, over sweet tea.

The Sunshine City日光之城

At 3,992 m, Lhasa drinks nearly 3,000 hours of sunlight a year — its name translates to 'Place of the Gods', the religious and cultural heart of Tibet since ancient times.

Built by palace craftsmen匠人传承

Yangbajing lime-plastered walls, the Jokhang's black window frames, Norbulingka's golden staircase, Mindroling's fish-scale stone — the Linka recreates them all in homage to ancestral wisdom.

Trip Highlights

What makes this journey

The old city, on foot

·Guided citywalk through sweet tea houses, Chomsigkang Market and traditional courtyards
·Barkhor Street, the boundary between the sacred and the mundane
·Conversations with local people in a traditional Tibetan courtyard

Sacred landmarks

·Potala Palace, pearl of the Roof of the World atop Red Hill
·The life-size statue of Shakyamuni at age twelve in the Jokhang
·Norbulingka, the Dalai Lamas' garden summer palace

Stay

Songtsam Linka Lhasa

All five nights in a Superior Suite at Songtsam Linka Lhasa (3,700 m), built on the edge of an old park five kilometres from the Potala Palace. Slaked-lime walls, indigo carved windows and handcrafted copperware honor traditional artisans, and every room is fully equipped with oxygen concentrators to relieve AMS and ensure good rest.

A youthful ancient structure, five kilometres from the Potala.

Superior SuiteOxygen-equipped roomsBook café & Sunset TavernPotala views

Itinerary

6-Day Itinerary

Lhasa ExplorationTIBET · CHINA

Altitude profile

Highest point 4,440 m · gradual ascent for acclimatization

DAY 1

Arrive in Lhasa — a palace built by palace craftsmen

Your driver meets you at Lhasa Gonggar Airport for the hour's transfer to Songtsam Linka Lhasa, where the whole ancient royal city seems to spread out before you. This youthful 'ancient structure' was raised with master craftsmen who twice contributed to major repairs of the Potala Palace, its design drawn from the New Palace at Norbulingka: Yangbajing lime-plastered walls echoing the Potala, the sun-drenched black window frames of the Jokhang, the golden staircase of the Phodrang Pavilion and the fish-scale stone walls of Mindroling Monastery. Arrive early and you can take afternoon tea in the lobby while you acclimatize to 3,700 m — every suite carries an oxygen concentrator for a sound first night. Dinner at the hotel.

0 km · +0 m · -0 m · max 3700 m

Terrain: arrival + acclimatization + hotel
Transport: Private airport transfer, about 1 hour
Meals: Breakfast: not included; Lunch: not included; Dinner: included
Stay: Songtsam Linka Lhasa, Superior Suite (3,700 m)

DAY 2

Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple & the Barkhor citywalk

Follow the footsteps of Songtsam's travel guide on a citywalk through the ancient city — immerse yourself in a sweet tea house, soak up the sun, wander Chomsigkang Market and step into a traditional Tibetan courtyard for a sincere conversation with the people who live there. After breakfast, visit the iconic Potala Palace, a pearl of the Roof of the World standing atop Red Hill, exploring Tibetan history through its sacred halls and treasures (visiting time depends on ticket availability, so morning and afternoon may swap). After lunch at the Linka, continue to Barkhor Street and the Jokhang Temple — 'First came Jokhang Temple, then came Lhasa.' With your guide, admire the life-size statue of Shakyamuni at age twelve and feel the city's spiritual center where pilgrims bow from every direction. Dinner at the hotel.

4 km · +150 m · -150 m · max 3700 m

Terrain: palace + old town + citywalk + culture
Transport: Short city drives, about 20-30 minutes each
Meals: Breakfast: included; Lunch: included; Dinner: included
Stay: Songtsam Linka Lhasa, Superior Suite (3,700 m)

DAY 3

The Khenpo Khenchen pilgrimage route & Samye Monastery

After breakfast, set out for the Khenpo Khenchen Pilgrimage Route in Shannan, an hour's drive away. The retreat is a place detached from the world, given to ascetic practice — practitioners find inner peace by confronting their own shortcomings and the hardships of the land. Climbing breathless to Guru Rinpoche's sacred site, you grasp how they keep mental clarity while coexisting with imperfection; paying homage here teaches the letting-go of the 'ego' that clings to perfection, and though Qingpu remains silent, it lets every visitor hear their inner noise fade into stillness. After lunch at a local restaurant, visit Samye Monastery, an architectural marvel blending Tibetan, Han Chinese and Nepalese styles: in the 8th century Guru Rinpoche set Buddhist cosmology into its plan — the central hall as Mount Meru, four main halls around it, sun and moon halls suspended east and west. Walking this standing mandala, the architecture itself becomes the finest classroom of Buddhist teaching. Dinner at the hotel.

4 km · +300 m · -300 m · max 3700 m

Terrain: pilgrimage trail + hermitage + monastery + high plateau
Transport: About 1 h drive to Shannan, 15-minute drive to Samye Monastery, then about 1.5 h drive back to Lhasa
Meals: Breakfast: included; Lunch: included; Dinner: included
Stay: Songtsam Linka Lhasa, Superior Suite (3,700 m)

DAY 4

Yamdrok-Tso picnic & the murals of Gongga Qude

A two-hour drive climbs to Yamdrok-Tso, one of Tibet's three holiest lakes and a breathtaking sight at 4,440 m. Spanning Shannan and Lhoka Prefectures about 110 kilometres from Lhasa, the lake twists through a 250-kilometre shoreline — its name means 'Jade Turquoise Lake' in Tibetan, and under sunlight the water shifts between vivid turquoise, deep blue and emerald, as it has for the centuries it has been sacred to Tibetan Buddhism. Lunch is a picnic along the shore. Then a special monastery tour: step into Gongga Qude Monastery (1.2 hours' drive), plain outside and astonishing within, where murals everywhere bear witness to nearly 600 years of devotion by monks and artisans. With your Songtsam guide, appreciate them quietly, as if wandering an art museum. Return to the Linka for dinner.

0 km · +0 m · -0 m · max 4440 m

Terrain: holy lake + high plateau + monastery
Transport: About 2 h drive to Yamdrok-Tso, 1.2 h to Gongga Qude Monastery, then about 1.5 h drive back to Lhasa
Meals: Breakfast: included; Lunch: included; Dinner: included
Stay: Songtsam Linka Lhasa, Superior Suite (3,700 m)

DAY 5

Norbulingka, Sera's debates & the craft of tsa-tsa

Begin at Norbulingka (twenty minutes' drive), the summer palace of successive Dalai Lamas, where garden landscape and Tibetan architecture merge into a paradise hidden on the plateau — during festivals, locals gather on its grassland for picnics and open-air Tibetan opera, one of Tibet's grandest celebrations. After lunch at the Linka, visit Sera Monastery to spin prayer wheels and pay respects to the renowned statue of Mahakala, feeling the compassion behind it. Arrive after 3:00 PM Monday to Saturday and you can witness the monks' famous debate sessions; on Sundays and major festivals you may choose a tsa-tsa-making experience instead. Finish at the Tsa Tsa Museum, where experts guide you through the traditional craft of clay figurines and miniature stupas and you try the art yourself. Farewell dinner at Songtsam Linka Lhasa.

0 km · +0 m · -0 m · max 3700 m

Terrain: summer palace + monastery + garden + culture
Transport: Short city drives, about 20-30 minutes each
Meals: Breakfast: included; Lunch: included; Dinner: included
Stay: Songtsam Linka Lhasa, Superior Suite (3,700 m)

DAY 6

Departure from Lhasa

A final breakfast under the Linka's golden atrium — one more cup of sweet tea, one more look at the carved doors and book café that made the week feel like living in a Tibetan manor — before the hour's transfer to Lhasa Gonggar Airport for your onward flight. Your guide sees you to departures with all permits and paperwork in hand. Tashi delek — may the Sunshine City send you home with clear skies.

0 km · +0 m · -0 m · max 3700 m

Terrain: departure + airport transfer
Transport: Private airport transfer, about 1 hour
Meals: Breakfast: included; Lunch: not included; Dinner: not included

Seasons & Pricing

When to go, and what it costs

Songtsam prices this private journey in three date bands; the long shoulder windows include autumn's clearest skies and Lhasa's luminous winter — often the best weeks for the best price.

Per person · based on 2 travelers · 4+ travelers from $3,600 pp

Shoulder

Best value — spring, autumn clarity and sunlit winter

3 Jan–12 Feb · 24 Feb–31 Mar · 21–30 Apr · 6 May–9 Jul · 26 Aug–27 Sep · 8 Oct–23 Dec 2026

Best

From $4,500 pp

Peak

Early April, summer holidays & Christmas week

1–2 Jan · 1–20 Apr · 10 Jul–25 Aug · 24–31 Dec 2026

Good

From $4,800 pp

Holiday

Losar · May Day · Golden Week

13–23 Feb · 1–5 May · 28 Sep–7 Oct 2026 — book 2–3 months ahead

Good

From $5,200 pp

Converted from Songtsam's 2026 CNY tariff (32,500 / 34,700 / 37,200 pp for 2 travelers) at 7.15. Includes Tibet entrance fee and travel documents for foreign guests (CNY 700 + CNY 150). Single supplement from $880. Airfare to/from Lhasa not included. Final pricing is confirmed by your consultant.

Cost Details

From (2 travelers, shoulder dates)

4,500USDper person

Included

Transport: All land transfers on well-maintained local transportation indicated in the itinerary
Stay & meals: All accommodation based on double occupancy
All meals starting from dinner on the first day to breakfast on the last day
Standard drinking water and snacks throughout the trip
Complimentary minibar in guest rooms
Experiences & guiding

Difficulty

Trip Expectations

This journey is considered moderately strenuous when touring and moderate when hiking, with full days of activities that start early in the morning and end in the evening.

Overnight altitude

3,700 m (Lhasa)

Day-trip high point

4,440 m (Yamdrok-Tso)

Suitable ages

18–70

Altitude & health

Each person responds to altitude differently; in the event of altitude sickness the team moves you to a lower altitude, and after plenty of rest symptoms usually subside. Every suite carries an oxygen concentrator. Not recommended for travelers with heart disease, high blood pressure or respiratory disease — consult your doctor before travel. A signed travel contract and exemption agreement are required.

About Lhasa

The Place of the Gods

Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, sits at 3,992 m (11,975 ft) — one of the highest cities in the world. Its highland temperate, semi-arid monsoon climate earns it the name 'Sunshine City', with nearly 3,000 hours of sunlight each year. The city's name literally translates to the 'Place of the Gods', and it has been the cultural, economic, political and religious centre of Tibet since ancient times.

Home to the Potala Palace, the Jokhang Temple and the great Drepung and Sera monasteries, Lhasa is the most representative 'holy land' in the world for its depth of history and cultural heritage. It is said that if you have not been to Lhasa, you will never know the history and essence of Tibetan culture — a city of mystical wonder and hidden beauty that draws people from every corner of the world to visit, live, study, make pilgrimage, and most of all, to be enlightened.

LHASA EXPLORATION

Slow days in the Sunshine City

The Sunshine City日光之城

Built by palace craftsmen匠人传承

What makes this journey

The old city, on foot

Sacred landmarks

Songtsam Linka Lhasa

A youthful ancient structure, five kilometres from the Potala.

6-Day Itinerary

Arrive in Lhasa — a palace built by palace craftsmen

Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple & the Barkhor citywalk

The Khenpo Khenchen pilgrimage route & Samye Monastery

Yamdrok-Tso picnic & the murals of Gongga Qude

Norbulingka, Sera's debates & the craft of tsa-tsa

Departure from Lhasa

When to go, and what it costs

Cost Details

Included

Trip Expectations

Altitude & health

The Place of the Gods

The pilgrim's path转经之路

Picnic at the holy lake圣湖野餐

Sweet tea afternoons甜茶时光

Shannan pilgrimage

Living monastic culture

Not Included

Roads & vehicles

Weather & packing

Meals & support