8-Day Tibet Winter Blue Ice & Glacier Tour Daily Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Lhasa | A Quiet First Day on the Plateau
Distance: Local airport or railway station transfer | Meals: None | Accommodation: Hotel in Lhasa (3,650m)
Your driver and guide meet you at Lhasa airport or railway station and take you into the city. Once you have checked in, the schedule stops there for the day.
At 3,650 meters, even ordinary movement can feel different during the first few hours. Drink some water, eat lightly and give yourself time to settle before tomorrow’s long drive east.
Overnight in Lhasa.
CHIBET Travel Advice: Keep your first evening simple. If you feel a headache or shortness of breath, rest rather than trying to add extra sightseeing.
Day 2: Lhasa – Basomtso Lake – Nyingchi | From Plateau to Forest
Distance: Approx. 390 km (about 6-7 hrs driving, excluding sightseeing) | Meals: Breakfast, Nyingchi Stone Pot Chicken Dinner | Accommodation: Hotel in Nyingchi (approx. 2,900m)
The landscape begins to change soon after the group leaves Lhasa. Broad plateau valleys gradually give way to greener mountain country as the road heads toward eastern Tibet.
The main stop is Basomtso Lake, where forested slopes sit close to the water and snowy mountains rise behind them. There is time around the lakeside and island area before continuing east.
Compared with the open plateau around Lhasa, the setting feels more enclosed, softer and much greener.
The last part of the journey follows the Niyang River toward Nyingchi.
Dinner is one of the region’s best-known local dishes: Nyingchi Stone Pot Chicken, served hot after a full day on the road.
Overnight in Nyingchi.
Day 3: Nyingchi – Lulang – Ranwu Lake – Bomi | Winter Along the G318
Distance: Approx. 380 km (about 7-8 hrs driving) | Meals: Breakfast | Accommodation: Hotel in Bomi (approx. 2,700m)
Today goes deeper into eastern Tibet. It is a long road day, but the landscape keeps changing as the group climbs through mountain passes and drops into forested valleys.
Near Sejila Pass, look toward Mount Namcha Barwa. Winter often brings clearer air, though cloud can still move in quickly and hide the summit.
The road then descends through the wooded valleys around Lulang before continuing east.
Later, Ranwu Lake appears beneath dark forest and snow-covered ridges. In winter, the water can look steel-blue or partly frozen depending on temperature and weather.
Continue to Bomi for the night.
CHIBET Travel Advice: A clear view of Mount Namcha Barwa is never guaranteed. Treat any unobstructed winter view as a bonus.
Day 4: Bomi – Laigu Glacier – Yalong Glacier – Lulang | Into the Blue Ice
Distance: Approx. 300 km (full-day drive and glacier visit) | Meals: Breakfast | Accommodation: Hotel in Lulang (approx. 3,300m)
This is the day the whole route is built around.
Around Laigu Glacier, glacial lakes, ice walls and snow mountains sit within the same broad valley system. Winter is when dense ice can show the deeper blue tones that give this journey its name.
Fresh snow, temperature and sunlight all affect how the ice looks, so no two departures see exactly the same conditions.
Views also extend toward Yalong Glacier, a long ice flow descending from the Gangrigabu Mountains. The scale is very different from the roadside glaciers of central Tibet; here, the ice belongs to an entire mountain landscape rather than a single viewpoint.
After the glacier visit, turn back west and continue to Lulang for the night.
CHIBET Travel Advice: Blue ice, frozen-lake access and ice caves depend on current weather and local safety controls. Follow your guide on site and do not enter closed glacier areas.
Day 5: Lulang – Kading Tianfo Waterfall – Lhasa | Leaving Eastern Tibet
Distance: Approx. 460 km (about 7-8 hrs driving) | Meals: Breakfast | Accommodation: Hotel in Lhasa (3,650m)
The morning begins among Lulang’s wooded valleys, but by evening the group will be back on the drier central plateau.
Before the long westbound drive, stop at Kading Tianfo Waterfall. The trail enters a narrow forested gorge where water drops down a high cliff and weathered rock formations have been linked with Buddhist imagery in local tradition.
From here, the road gradually climbs back toward central Tibet. Forest becomes thinner, valleys open out and the scenery changes back to high plateau country.
Arrive in Lhasa later in the day and rest for the night.
Day 6: Lhasa – Yamdrok Lake – Karola Glacier – Shigatse | Across Central Tibet
Distance: Approx. 360 km (about 8 hrs driving) | Meals: Breakfast | Accommodation: Hotel in Shigatse (3,840m)
The eastern valleys are behind you now. Today the road swings west from Lhasa into a much drier, more open part of Tibet.
The climb to Gampala Pass brings Yamdrok Lake into view from high above. Its long blue arms curve between bare ridges, and the road later drops closer to the water for another perspective before continuing toward Gyantse.
Farther west, stop at Karola Glacier. The ice descends close to the highway, so the glacier can be seen without a long approach.
After several days around Laigu and Yalong, this is a very different glacier experience: shorter, more accessible and set in the open landscape of central Tibet.
Continue across the Gyantse plain and arrive in Shigatse in the evening.
Overnight in Shigatse.
Day 7: Shigatse – Tashilhunpo Monastery – Lhasa | Return Along the Yarlung Tsangpo
Distance: Approx. 280 km (about 5 hrs driving) | Meals: Breakfast | Accommodation: Hotel in Lhasa (3,650m)
Before leaving Shigatse, spend the morning at Tashilhunpo Monastery, the traditional seat of the Panchen Lamas and one of Tibet’s major active monasteries.
The complex spreads across the hillside in a series of courtyards, prayer halls and monastic buildings. Inside are large Buddhist images, murals and memorial stupas, while pilgrims and monks continue to use the monastery as part of daily religious life.
After the visit, drive east along the Yarlung Tsangpo River valley. The return to Lhasa is more direct than yesterday’s route through Yamdrok and Karola, giving the group an easier final afternoon on the road.
Overnight in Lhasa.
CHIBET Travel Advice: Photography may be restricted or require an additional fee inside some halls of Tashilhunpo Monastery. Check with your guide before taking photos indoors.
Day 8: Depart Lhasa | Tour Ends
Distance: Hotel to airport or railway station transfer | Meals: Breakfast | Accommodation: None
After breakfast, your driver transfers you to Lhasa airport or railway station according to your confirmed departure schedule.
The tour ends after the transfer. In eight days, the route has moved from the greener valleys of eastern Tibet to winter glacier country, then back across the broad central plateau before returning to Lhasa.
8-Day Tibet Winter Blue Ice Tour Date and Package Price
Tibet Winter Blue Ice Tour Cost (Based on Travel Time)
| Travel Time / Tour Price |
Dec. 2026 | Jan. 2027 | Feb. 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 pax | $1178 | $1178 | $1178 |
Note: A single room supplement applies to solo travelers who request a private room.
2026-2027 Tibet Winter Blue Ice Tour Departures and Bookings
| Arrival Date | Booked | Book Now |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 2026 | ||
| 2026-12-20 | $1178 | Book |
| 2026-12-25 | $1178 | Book |
| Jan. 2027 | ||
| 2027-01-01 | $1178 | Book |
| 2027-01-05 | $1178 | Book |
| 2027-01-10 | $1178 | Book |
| 2027-01-15 | $1178 | Book |
| 2027-01-20 | $1178 | Book |
| 2027-01-25 | $1178 | Book |
| Feb. 2027 | ||
| 2027-02-01 | $1178 | Book |
Tibet Winter Blue Ice Tour Inclusions:
- Hotel accommodation based on twin-sharing
- Group vehicle, driver and scheduled transfers throughout the tour
- English-speaking local Tibetan guide
- Tibet Travel Permit and required local travel documents
- Entrance fees and sightseeing shuttle buses for all listed attractions
- Daily breakfasts and Nyingchi stone pot chicken dinner
- Bottled water and oxygen support during the Tibet journey
Tibet Winter Blue Ice Tour Exclusions:
- International and domestic flights or train tickets to and from Lhasa
- Lunches and dinners not listed
- Single room supplement
- Tips and personal expenses
- Optional activities and other personal purchases
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