Ganden to Samye Trek

10 days

Duration

Central Tibet

Location

10/10

Physicality

Lhasa and Beyond

Destination

Ganden to Samye Trek is one of the best-selling tour packages in the central Tibet. This Tibet trekking tour benefits a life-time experience, of course! You arrive at the heart of Tibetan Culture, the holy city with Lhasa. We will take a normal tour in the city before doing the very trek. Until then you will also get enough time to acclimatize yourself to prepare for the trekking adventures. you may also consider top challenging tours or our recommended trekking tours on the Tibetan plateau.

The route, Ganden to Samye is much interesting, taking tracks through beautiful landscape, monasteries, Yanglung valley and Yarlung river, other cool adventure tour for any value.

To get into the higher altitude, you will be informed what to bring such as cloths and other stuffs with further contacting. As a common sense, please take thicker cloths suitable for the trekking above 4000 meters. Contact us for more details if any of your queries not included here.

Check our Garden Ngachoe Festival tour which is also taking place in Ganden monastery for a reference.

Details about Ganden to Samye trek

ARRIVE

Lhasa airport/train station

DEPARTURE

Lhasa airport/train station

ALTITUDE

5000 meters

TOUR COST

HIGHTLIGHTS

Historical sights in Lhasa
Ganden Monastery
5 days trekking and camping
Beautiful landscape

INCLUDED

Tibet travel permits	Transportation
Accommodation	Entrance fee
Camping gears	Professional guide
Cooking Matter and Meal	Yaks and yak-men
Oxygen cylinders	First aid & kit

NOT INCLUDED

Travel insurance

Any domestic & international train/flight fare

Guide gratuity

If you already have planned lists to travel to Tibet, just discuss it with our Tibet trip advisor and you will be assisted at customizing your best itinerary. Check our tours in Tibet. Check our office location on map. Our Central Tibet Tour is also great for you if you look for this kind of trip in Tibet.

Additional information

Dates	May-Nov

Day 1: Arrive in Lhasa

Upon arrival you will be met by our English speaking Tibetan tour guide and driver at the airport / train station, and transfer you to the hotel in downtown. Your Tibet tour operator will meet you at the hotel upon arrival and give all instructions. Rest of the balance should be paid.

Overnight: Tibet Gang-gyan Lhasa hotel or similar 4 stars

Day 2: Guided Tour in Lhasa

Today, we will visit the Potala Palace which is built in 7th century and explore the grandest of this myriad chapels. You will experience its audience halls, the jewelled and Golden burial Chortens (stupa Tombs) of past Dalai Lamas, and tremendous number of Buddhist frescoes, Thangkas, combinations of mandala, etc. In the afternoon, pay a visit to the holist temple in Tibet, the Johkang Temple, built during king Songtsen Gonpo’s reign by princess Wencheng and its famous Barkor Kora, where you can buy or appreciate traditional Tibetan artefacts, religious implements, antiques, books, Tibetan music instrument, Thangkas, and tradition Tibetan clothes etc.

Overnight: Tibet Gang-gyan Lhasa hotel or similar 4 stars

Day 3: Guided Tour in Lhasa

After breakfast, we will start our group tour at 09:00 in the morning. Drive 8km north-west of Lhasa and visit Drepung Monastery, which is situated at the foothill of a mountain and was founded by Jamyang Choeje in 1416. It was once the home of 10000 monks and Ganden Podrang in Drepung is famous for it was the administrative center during fifth Dalai Lama and later moved to Potala palace. After having lunch, continue to visit the Sera Monastery, which was founded in 1419 by Tsongkapa’s disciple Jamchen Choeje. The most attractive is its Buddhist monk’s debating held in the courtyard.

Overnight: Tibet Gang-gyan Lhasa hotel or similar 4 stars

Day 4: Set out to Ganden Monastery 48km

Today, we set out for Ganden Monastery, established in 1409 by the Buddhist reformer and founder of the Geluk Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, Tsongkhapa. This monastery is also the seat of the Ganden Tripa (a monk who is ranked after taking the philosophy debating test in front of thousands of monks). After visiting the monastery’s interior, take the hour long kora (circumambulation) around its outside. Walking the korra will give you a great view of the mountains, the Lhasa River, and the villages of the valley. Then, driver will take us down to Trubshi Village.

Overnight: Camp

Day 5: Trek to Yama-Do 18km

We will load everything onto the yaks and begin our trek to Hepo. A short hike puts us on the path to Hepu, a small village of around 30 houses. At the edge of Hepu sits a red and yellow masonry structure which is a shrine for the village’s Yul Lha (local protector deity), the Divine White Yak. From Hepu, the trail climbs up towards the Shuga Pass where wild flowers bloom around the descending waters of the pass’ Tashi-Chu. Ani Pagong (a small nunnery located above the trail) is situated about an hour walk from Hepu.

Overnight: Camp

Day 6: Trek to Chitu Gangn 11km

Walk on the left side of the valley until arriving in a basin below the Shuga Pass (5255m), the highest point of the trek. The pass is marked with wind-worn prayer flags and yak skulls. At the top, we can see the valley below and begin a steep descent through a narrow trail within the rocks. The river of Chitul Gang flows beside us as we enter the valley to find local nomad herders dwelling in black tents guarded by dogs. Once we cross the river we are only a short walk from our campsite,

Overnight: Camp

Day 7: Trek to Nomad Camp 14km

Trek to Palang Tsodue Lake, up a steep, small hill. An easy trek within the valley will then lead us to the Chitu Pass (5210m). Before we reach the top of the pass, we see three small lakes, cairns (small, man-made piles of stone), and a nomad campsite. Walking further through willow, scrub, and a forest of rosebushes, we arrive at another nomad camp. Beyond this camp lays still a bigger camp and we will see numerous Tibetan nomad tents pitched near the spot where the side valley coming from Gampa Pass joins the main valley. We will camp after crossing a stream.

Overnight: Camp

Day 8: Trek to Samye 36km

The final trekking day is a long journey but an easy trek through a forest. After awhile, we pass the Gen Do Shrine, dedicated to the local area’s protector goddess, Droji Yudrukma, and cross the Yamalung Hermitage. Here we find meditation caves belonging to the Dalai Lamas and other holy retreat persons. Further hiking takes to Hepori and we finally arrived in Samye Monastery.

Overnight: Samye Monastery Guesthouse

Day 9: Visit in Tsethang

We will vistit Samye Monastery in the morning. Samye is Tibet’s first monastery and holds over 1200 years of rich Buddhist and architectural history. Next, we will visit Chimpu Hermitage where there are several caves that Guru Rinpoche and Khangdo Yeshi Tsogyal (one of three consorts of Guru Rinpoche) mediated in during the 7^th century. This area is remains a famous place to take retreats and hermitages. Then, head to Lhasa

Overnight: Gang-gyen hotel (4 star)