Tracing The Footprint Guru Rinpoche Tour

Sleeping Elevation: 3656m.

We will welcome you at the Airport or The Lhasa train station. Then you will be escorted to your hotel. It is always advice the travellers to take a good rest for proper acclimatization in Tibet. Please do not any activities which would lead you to dehydrate, and avoid hard work for the first day. Many traveler prefer to take a nap. In the evening, it is recommended for you to walk around the Barkhor Street. It is the most important pilgrim route in Entire Tibet for circumambulation. You will see thousands of Tibetan walking around it.

Visit Jokhang Temple and Sera monastery.

In the morning, after having your breakfast, your guide will meet you at the hotel. Then you will first go to the Jokhang Temple, the holiest temple in Tibetan Buddhism. Since your hotel is in the Tibetan quarter of Lhasa city, you will walk to the Jokhang Temple. After visiting the temple, you can some time to explore the Old Lhasa city on your own for a couple of hours.

The guide will fix you a time and place to visit. In the afternoon, you will visit the Sera monastery. This is the most well-preserved monastery in Tibet. The monastery you can sit in the courtyard where monks will be debating on Buddhist philosophy. You can stay there sometimes. This is a perfect opportunity for many travellers to take a picture of the monks’ debate. You can tell your guide to give you some free times to explore the monastery on your own if you would like to live in peace for sometimes.

Visit Potala Palace, and Drepung Monastery.

First, in the morning, the group will visit the Potala Palace, It is the most iconic building in Tibet. It has more than 1000 rooms and towering above the Lhasa city. It is the most iconic Building of Tibetan Architecture. The palace is first to build in the seventh century by the King Songtsen Gampo. Later in the 17th Century, the fifth Dalai Lama has rebuilt his resident over the ruins of the old palace. Ever since the Palace has served as the winter resident for successive Dalai Lama and Administrative centre for the local Tibetan Government.

In the afternoon we will visit the Drepung Monastery. It is one of the three most significant monasteries in Lhasa and central Tibet. In the early 20th Century, it is the world biggest monastic complex. The Kora around the monastery takes about an hour of spectacular views.

Visit Drak Yerpa and Shongpa Lhachu

We will drive east of Lhasa. First, we will visit the Dark Yerpa Hermit. The Dark Hermit is considered the most auspicious of all the hermits in Tibet. All the Tibetan Buddhist masters are said to have meditated here. The three most well know master meditated in the Hermit are Songtsen Gampo, Guru Rinpoche, Atisha, and Tsongkhapa. We still have their meditation caves, you can visit.

If you are practising meditation, We would like to recommend you in meditating in the hermit. This hermit has extraordinary spiritual energy.

In the afternoon, we will drive to Shongpa Lhachu temple. The temple has a small pond in the courtyard. This pond is said to have originated after the Guru Rinpoche poked his walking strict on the ground.

Distance:204km, Drive: 6hrs, Sleeping elevation: 3578m

Today we will drive to the Southern Tibet. After arriving at the Lhasa Airport, we will be going along with the Yarlung Tsangpo River. The river Originates in Mount Kailash in Eastern Tibet and flows further into India and Bangladesh. Before Tsedang, we will take a little detour to visit the Mendrolling monastery. The monastery is considered one of the three principal monasteries in Nyingmapa Sect of Tibetan Buddhism.

Upon reaching the Tsedang town, your guide and driver will have to apply your Aliens permit (One kind of Tibet travel permit). After this, you will visit the Yungbulagang fort. It is the first fort in Tibetan History.

We will also visit the Traduk Temple. This temple is considered a first Buddhist Temple in Tibet.

After visit this two spot we will further driver on the other side of the river to Samye Monastery. Here we will visit the Samye Monastery.

 Visit Samye Monastery and Hiking to Hépori and Chimpu hermit.

Samye Monastery is the first Buddhist Monastery in Tibet. The main relics of the Monastery are the personal belonging of the Guru Rinpoche. It is at this Monastery where the first seven noblemen to become Buddhist Monkshood, the Buddhist Institute in Inner Himalaya and Much Buddhist scripture are translated into the Tibetan Language. After the Monastery, we will  Hike to the Top of Hépori hill. Its is said the Guru Rinpoche had subjugated all negative force hindering the contraction of the Samye Monastery.

Then you will drive to Chimpuk hermit. It is Hermit for Guru Rinpoche. He is responsible for establishing Buddhism as the court religion of the Tibetan Empire. Once up there you can see the footprint, stone carvings, and Caves of Guru Rinpoche. It is at the hermit where Guru Rinpoche meditates for many years and Gave empowerment to countless beings.

Today we will drive to the Kumbum Hermit. The hermit requires us to hiking for about three hours. We will pack lunch from the Samye Monastery. The hermit is said to have meditated by the Guru Rinpoche. It is a vast cave system, so it is requested for the visitors to bring a right hiking shoe, and comfortable clothing for the caves, walking stick and Cave lamp is recommended.

After the hiking to the hermit, we will drive to Dark Yangzom for a night in an elementary monastery guest house. It is recommended for the visitors to sleep early in the night for we have to hike again in the early next morning.

We will begin the day earlier hours for the hiking to Drak Yangzom cave. Dark Yangzom is a very complex cave system. You will then enter into the very meditation cave where Guru Rinpoche has hidden from the outside world for thirty years.

After the cave, we will visit the nunnery workshop where nuns make incense powder. We will drive back to Lhasa. In Lhasa, we will have evening free.

Distance 170 Km, Duration: 5 hrs Sleeping elevation:4442m

First, in the morning, we will visit the Ganden Monastery. One of the three most significant monasteries in Tibet. This Monastery was founded by the Je Tsongkhapa. It is the principal monastery of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The main relic of the Monastery is the Tomb Stupa of Je Tsongkhapa.

After the Ganden Monastery, we will continue further northeast to the Tidrum Nunnery. The nunnery is located in a narrow gorge at the confluence of two streams. Tidrum is also known for its hot spring. It is believed to have medicinal value to cure rheumatism to paralysis. We will stay in Shambhala source near Tidrum with its own in house hot spring.

Hiking Ascent: 876m, Duration: 11 Hrs.

Today we will hike up to Kiri Yangdzong, the Guru Rinpoche hermit above the Tidrum Nunnery.  It is said that Guru Rinpoche and Kandro Yeshi Tsogyal has come here to escape from the hostile environment around the Samye. Here in this protected, safe heaven, he bestowed the empowerment of Kandro Nyingtik ( heart Bindu of Dakini) and Mahayoga and Anuyoga. During the empowerment, Yeshi Tsogyal went through a series of exceptional expriencetail transformations was given special names such as Tsogyal of great bliss, to mark her transitions and purification.

The Khandro Nyingthig is the heart essence of the Dzogchen lineage of the Nyingmapa Sect of Tibetan Buddhism.

Distance: 170km, Duration 3 hrs, Sleeping Elevation: 3656m

Today we will travel back to Lhasa. On our way, we will visit the Drikung Monastery.  The Monastery is the principal monastery for the Drikung Kagyu Sect, A sub-sect of Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery is also well known for its sky Burial site.