An 8-day, 7-night tour of Tibet timed for the Shoton Festival, with Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, three great monasteries and Namtso Lake.
Trip highlights
- Tibet's Shoton Festival, once a year: a land of faith at its most important festival
- Watch the giant Buddha thangka carried up the largest hillside in Tibet at the Shoton Festival
- See Lhamo mask dance and opera, a UNESCO-listed festival performance
- Visit Potala Palace, the centre of Tibetan faith
- See Namtso Lake, a sacred lake among the mountains
Highlight places
Led by historiansEvery trip travels with an expert history lecturer who brings each site to life in plain language.
Off the beaten pathCentral Asia, the Middle East, the Himalayas — places most tour companies never go.
Private groups, no rushingRight-sized groups and unhurried time at the places that matter most.
Beyond ordinary travelEvery tour is designed by writers and professional travellers to create experiences that reflect who you are — for travellers who want more than an ordinary holiday.
About this tour
Tibet: Shoton Festival is an 8-day, 7-night tour by The Wild Chronicles to Lhasa, timed to join the Shoton Festival, the annual Tibetan festival that follows the monks' summer retreat. Villagers and monks carry a huge Buddha thangka to the hillside, then celebrate with family and watch local performances.
The program flies via Kunming to Lhasa and visits Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple (both UNESCO sites), Barkhor Street, and the three great Gelug monasteries of Drepung, Sera and Ganden. It also includes the Ache Lhamo Tibetan opera at Norbulingka, Namtso Lake at 4,718 m, Tsurphu Monastery and a Tibetan-style picnic.
A Thai history lecturer and tour leader and local guides accompany the group. The price includes flights, the Tibet entry permit and oxygen canisters for emergencies. Lhasa lies at about 3,650 m, so the first day is for resting and acclimatising.
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1Bangkok – Kunming
Meet at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 13:00 and check in with China Eastern Airlines. Flight MU742 leaves at 15:55 (about 2 hours 40 minutes) and lands at Kunming Changshui at 19:35. Overnight in Kunming, Yunnan.
Day 2Kunming – Lhasa
Fly MU9695 at 08:00 (about 3 hours), landing at Lhasa Gonggar Airport at 11:00. Drive to Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, at about 3,650 m.
- On the way, see the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) river and flat-roofed Tibetan houses built from stone, clay and wood
- Rest to adjust to the thin air and move slowly
Day 3Lhasa: Potala – Jokhang – Barkhor – Drepung
Visit the highlights of Lhasa.
- Potala Palace, the winter residence of the Dalai Lamas from 1649 to 1959, at 3,700 m with 999 rooms, divided into the White and Red Palaces; a UNESCO site since 1994
- Jokhang Temple, the holiest temple in Tibet, founded in the 7th century and home to the Jowo Sakyamuni statue
- Barkhor Street, an 800 m market circling the Jokhang
- Drepung Monastery, the largest Gelug monastery in Tibet, founded in 1416
Day 4Shoton Festival – Sera Monastery
Join the Shoton Festival, Tibet's major annual festival, when villagers carry a giant Buddha thangka onto the hillside to be sunned. Shoton means "yoghurt banquet", from the custom of offering fresh yoghurt to lamas after their summer retreat, and it is also a family time.
- Sera Monastery, founded in 1419, the second-largest monastery in Tibet, with three major colleges for the Geshe exams; watch monks debate in lively fashion
Day 5Ganden Monastery – Tibetan Village – Ache Lhamo
Travel about 57 km from Lhasa to Ganden Monastery, the first Gelug monastery, founded in 1409 by Tsongkhapa. It has the Jangtse and Shartse colleges and the stupa holding Tsongkhapa's remains.
- Visit a Tibetan village to see everyday life up close
- Watch Ache Lhamo, Tibetan opera, at Norbulingka Palace, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2009 (show date and time may change)
Day 6Lhasa – Namtso Lake – Damxung
Drive about 5 hours to Namtso Lake, the highest saltwater lake in the world at 4,718 m. Its name means "Heavenly Lake", and it is one of Tibet's sacred lakes, with mani stone piles around the shore.
- On the way, photograph Nyenchen Tanglha, a sacred mountain linked by legend to the goddess of Namtso
- Overnight in Damxung
Day 7Phyirmil Lung Nunnery – Tsurphu Monastery – Linka Picnic
Visit Phyirmil Lung Nunnery, the largest nunnery in Tibet, near Lhasa, to observe the nuns' practice. From a distance you can see the area used for sky burial.
- Tsurphu Monastery, seat of the Karmapa, leader of the Karma Kagyu school, founded in 1159, destroyed in 1966 and rebuilt from 1980, and the starting point of the tulku system
- A Tibetan-style Linka picnic, a summer tradition of families and friends
- Return to Lhasa
Day 8Lhasa – Kunming – Bangkok
Shop at Chongsaikang Tashi Market, the oldest market in Lhasa, founded in 1727. Leave the hotel at 11:00 for Lhasa Gonggar Airport.
- Fly MU9738 at 14:40, arriving in Kunming at 17:30 with a 3 hour 30 minute layover and dinner at your own choice at the airport
- MU9621 departs at 21:00 and lands at Suvarnabhumi at 22:15
Included
- Return international (BKK - KMG - BKK) and domestic (KMG - LXA - KMG) economy-class flights
- Economy baggage allowance on international and domestic flights, checked and carry-on
- Transport and sightseeing with an experienced driver
- Accommodation as per the program, two guests per room
- Entrance fees as per the program
- Meals as per the program
- Experienced local guide
- Experienced Thai lecturer and tour leader
- Tibet entry permit
- Oxygen canisters for emergency use during the trip
- Travel accident insurance with coverage of 1,000,000 baht per person (subject to policy terms)
Not included
- Business class tickets on international and domestic flights
- Single room supplement
- Personal expenses such as passport fees, phone, internet, laundry, minibar, meals or drinks outside the program, excess baggage, seat reservations, medical costs for pre-existing conditions, and personal portable oxygen canisters
- Tips for the tour leader, local guide and driver (recommended 70 USD per person)
- 7% VAT, 3% withholding tax and other taxes
- Fuel surcharges and airport taxes if the airline raises them
About this tour
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Tibet: Shoton Festival, Buddhism on the Roof of the World
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