Day 1:You will arrive at Lhasa either by fly or by train. Your Tibetan guide and driver will take you to your hotel in Lhasa city. The distance from the airport to Lhasa is about 70km, approximately 1:30 hrs. drive. The distance from the train station is only 25km, about 30 minutes’ drive. Check in the hotel and relax the rest of the day to acclimatize your body to the new altitude and alleviate the jet lag. Overnight stay in Lhasa. ​ Day 2:In the morning you will visit the Potala Palace, the cardinal landmark of Tibet and the masterpiece of Tibetan architecture. It was built by 33rd King Songtsen Gangpo in the 7th century and, later in the 17th century, rebuilt by the 5th Dalai Lama. Since then, it served as the home to the Dalai Lama and his government. Walking though the long steps is quite challenging, but it is worthwhile to leave your footprints in the spiritual palace on God’s compassion, listed in the world heritage. In the afternoon the tour will continue to the Jokhang Temple. About 2km east of the Potala Palace, the Jokhang Temple is one of the most revered religious structure in Tibet. After that, you will have time to walk around the Bakhor Street, one of the most devotional circuit as well as the most crowded central market in Lhasa. In the old days, it was the most famous local market but nowadays it has evolved into a very touristic gift shopping center. You will be impressed by the crowds of local pilgrims doing prostration in front of the temple, especially during the winter months. This old town area is both the spiritual heart of Lhasa and the main commercial district for Tibetans. Overnight stay in Lhasa. ​ Day 3:About 11 km west of Jokhang Temple is the Drepung Monastery, once world’s largest monastery with about 10,000 monks. Deprung monastery is one of the world’s largest monasteries, housing more than 10,000 monks. It was the residence of the Dalai Lama prior to moving to the Potala Palace. Destruction has taken place at different times, but you can still fully enjoy it. You can walk through numbers of narrow and twisted lanes of monks’ apartments, which are more like a typical village. This amazing day will end with a visit to the Sera Monastery. It was built in the 15th century by the Jamchen choji Sakya Yeshi who was a disciple of Tsongka pa. The monastic colleges in Sera house several hundred monks from different parts of Tibet. The famous Buddhist philosophical debates among the monks takes place every afternoon except on Sundays. Expert travel tip: Today, we could visit Norbulinka Palace or Drak Yerpa Hermitage instead of Drepung Monastery. Just talk with your travel advisor to customize the trip according to your own interests. Overnight stay in Lhasa. ​ Day 4: We’ll drive from Lhasa to Tsetang. Tsetang, rests in the center of the Yarlung valley between the Himalayan and Gangdise belts and it is one of the largest cities in Tibet. Tsetang is 183 km southeast of Lhasa in the Nedong County of the Lhoka Prefecture, in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China (TAR). Tsetang was the capital of Yarlung since ancient times and it was the seat of the ancient emperors of Tibet thus it played a big role in the history. Tsetang is regarded as the cradle of Tibetan civilization. Tibetan creation myths tell of how the first Tibetan people evolved here from the union of a monkey and an ogre, and early histories state that the first kings descended from heaven on a sky cord at Mt Yarlha Shanpo on the western edge of the valley. The early Tibetan kings unified Tibet from their base here in the 7th century and their massive burial mounds still dominate the area around Chongye. Yumbu Lhakhang, perched on a crag like a medieval European castle, is the alleged site of Tibet’s oldest building, while Tibet’s first cultivated field is said to lie nearby. To visit Yumbu Lhakhanng we will need to apply for your Alien’s Travel Permit in PSB (Public Security Bureau) in Tsetang. After getting your Alien’s Travel Permit, we will drive to Yarlung valley, where we’ll head to Yumbu Lhakhang Palace either by horseback riding or driving. We will also visit the Tradrub Monastery located between Yumbu Lhakhang Palace and Tsetang. On the way to Yumbu Lhakhang we will enjoy the stunning farmland views of the Yarlung valley. Once we complete our tour in Yumbu Lhakhang then we will drive around one hour and a half to the Samye monastery. Overnight stay at Tsetang. ​ Day 5:After an early breakfast, we will spend about one and half hours visiting the Samye Monastery, then we will begin our hiking tour into the Chimpu Hermitage. Chimphu hermitage cave is one of the most sacred place in Tibet. It is said to be the Indian master Guru Rinpoche’s speech. This is where the Indian Master taught the Twenty-Five Disciples and where numerous disciples had profound realizations. Today, there are still over 50 or more yogis, men and women, living in the cave and doing retreat. As we hike up to Chimphu and explore caves scattering at the mountain slope and the newly constructed Chimpu Nunnery, there will be plenty opportunities to interact with devoted Yogis or see them in their Meditative Retreats in their caves. You’ll enjoy the spectacular views of the Brahmaputra valley. Special travel tip: Foreign tourists may not be allowed to visit Chimpu Hermitage according to local travel regulations. This is subject to change. Local travel regulation must be obeyed and are beyond the control of the travel agent. If this is the case, then tourists can do the hiking in Hepori Mountain, very close to the Samye Monastery. Overnight stay in Samye guesthouse. ​ Day 6:End of tour. Your tour guide will arrange your transportation to either, the Gongkar airport, about 1 hr. and thirty minutes’ drive or the Libu train station in Lhasa. ​ ​