Gap Year Programs in Tibet

No matter where you land for your gap year programs in Tibet, your lasting memories are likely to be of the people. Always ready with a smile, and with great tolerance and openness of heart despite decades of hardship, it is the people that truly make setting foot in these popular locations in Tibet such a profound joy.

Lhasa. Lhasa is the capital city of Tibet, but more widely known as a city of wonders. Once you acclimatize, you realize that it wasn’t the altitude sickness skewing your vision—Lhasa really is that beautiful. The landscape of Lhasa has the ability to literally raise goosebumps (not just because it’s cold) and has also been able to successful preserve the essence of traditional Tibetan life amidst the hum of a modern cityscape.

Shigatse. Tibet’s second-largest town and the traditional capital of Tsang province, Shigatse is a sprawling city, with wide pedestrian-only boulevards outlined by colorful prayer flags fluttering freely in the wind. High on a hilltop overlooking the town, the majestic Shigatse Dzong will draw your eyes up with awe, but it is the Tashilhunpo Monastery (also called the “Heap of Glory”) that is the real draw as the seat of the second most important spiritual leader of Tibet.