10 days tibet sightseeing tour

includes: chengdu, tsedang, shigatse, gyantse & lhasa

explore the roof of the world where earth meets sky. discover the beauty of the himalayas and its hidden mysteries - from the magnificent potala palace to the beautiful yamtzo yumco lake.

d1 arrive in chengdu, the capital of sichuan province, which is famous for the grand panda and the hot and spicy food. meet at airport and transfer to the hotel. older people exercise in the morning by the riverside under shading willow trees. this evening we dine out at a well-known restaurant offering the best sichuan cuisine! following, we'll see a show in the chengduculturepark. sit down in bamboo chairs and go through the complete service of chinese tea while watching sichuan opera and other humorous shows. this is the way the local people have taken to their night life for hundreds of years. tonight the night market will still be open. we may wish to take a walk to the night market or to relax at the hotel.

d2 we are off to tibet, the rooftop of the world. wake early for the flight into the himalayas. you'll immediately feel that you are at a high elevation of around two miles as we land at lhasagonggarairport. we will take time to adjust to the altitude gradually. the fabled gonggarcounty is said to be a sacred place where the first tibetan was born to the fairy girl, ruosa and her monkey lover. we'll make a one hour drive along the yarlungzangbojiangriver to tsedang, seat of shannon prefecture. picture stop on the way at jie-de-xiu, a village famous for making women's ornaments. our modest but newly renovated tsedang hotel is in the town center. time for rest or a walk before lunch in the hotel. altitude in tsedang: 3560 m, 90 m lower than lhasa. in the afternoon we visit the nearby yumbu lakang temple, the oldest-known dwelling in tibet, reputedly home to the yarlong kings. this temple is perched dramatically on a pinnacle high above the valley. when the monarchy ended, the castle-like temple became a monastery. yambu in tibetan means doe and lakang means sacred temple. on the way back to our hotel, we stop at tran-druktemple, said to be first built in the seventh century during the reign of songtsen gampo, perhaps by the king himself. here you can see an invaluable tangkar, or thangka (a painting on silk or sateen), embroidered with 29,026 pieces of pearl, diamonds of various color and other expensive ornaments. both gonggar and tsedang are under the jurisdiction of shannon (south side of the hill) prefecture . tibet today is divided into six prefectures. shannon prefecture is the southernmost and borders on bhutan and india, stretching 420 km from east to west and 329 south to north, occupying an area of 80,000 square km. the population of 290,000 is made up of 12 different ethnic groups, with tibetan accounting for 98% of the total population (tsedang hotel).

d3 depart for shigatse, a 350 km (5 or 6 hour) coach drive. stop at the beautiful yamtzoyumcolake. fed by mt.himalaya, the lake's 250 km shoreline is at the altitude of 4441 m. enjoy a picnic lunch prepared by our guide. it will be the most unforgettable lunch - and the most lofty lunch you will probably ever have! arrival at shigatse around 5:30 pm (shigatse hotel).

d4 this morning we visit the tashilhunpo (heap of glory) monastery, seat of the panchen lamas. built in 1447, it is the head monastery of yellow hat sect (gelukgonpa). it is today one of tibet's most active monasteries. return to the hotel for lunch. in the afternoon we drive to gyantse and visit the palkhor chode monastery. we'll explore the spectacular kumbum (place of a thousand images) stupa temple, as well as the huge buddhist monastery and academy of 17 colleges where a learned lama will show us around(gyantse hotel).

d5 sit back and take in the scenery during our spectacular 4-hour drive to lhasa (263 km) with lunch en route. mid afternoon arrival and check in at the hotel. the rest of the afternoon is at leisure.

d6 the morning will be spent at the famous potalapalace. after lunch in a local restaurant we visit the jokhang monastery, built in 647 when buddhism was introduced into tibet, which is said to be the cradle and treasure house of tibetan buddhism. we invite a tibetan buddhism expert to give us an exciting introduction. by 4 pm the tour ends and you are given free time to throw yourself into the barkhor market surrounding the jokhangtemple. stay as short or long as you like.

d7 this morning we take in the sera monastery. built in 1419, sera is one the three largest monasteries in tibet (the other two being drepung and ganden). the comparatively rich and powerful monastery has 7000 monks, and is regarded as the museum of tibetan culture. after lunch in a local restaurant, we return to the hotel. if you still wish to see yet more monasteries, there will be an optional tour to the drepung monastery. built in 1416, the magnificent architecture is stunning. return to hotel where there's still time to take a walk to the summerpalace near our hotel. this summerpalace is used by dalai lamas, and has a beautiful garden.

d8 take a morning flight back to chengdu, china's richest agricultural province, dating back 2,500 years. a famous historic and cultural city, chengdu is situated in the west sichuan basin, with mild climate, abundant resources, and convenient transportation. the best way to enjoy chengdu is to stroll the narrow streets of the old town encountering centuries old local markets, silk brocade shops, and a wonderful variety of delicious food vendors. we'll visit the ancient dujiangya ancient irrigation system built 2,300 years ago and contemporary with the great wall. lunch at sichuan restaurant then we'll check into the holiday inn crown, a very comfortable deluxe hotel located in the business center of chengdu. after days of expedition and exploration in the remote countryside and mountains, you are given a free afternoon on your own "in town". perhaps you'd like to stroll past the temple of marquis we - the remains of the three kingdoms.

d9 today is our last full day in china. we'll take a rickshaw to visit du fu's cottage. du fu, a great poet of realistic styles from tang dynasty, is well known to every household in china. the bamboo park has several rooms for the introduction of the poet and his former residence, a thatch-roofed cottage. you will be treated with the best tea of this province, learning about tea drinking which originated from sichuanprovince. then, if time permits, you will be invited to visit the sichuan shu embroidery display. visit chengdu qingshiqiao market. this is the largest free market of the city, reflecting the life-style of the people live here. you will see eel, gold fish and food of all sorts (some will look funny to you) pets of birds, dogs, cats, even bonsai with many other surprises.

d10 after a relaxed breakfast in your hotel, we will transfer you to the airport and see you off.