7 days tibet opera festival tour

includes: chengdu & lhasa

the xuedun (or shoton) festival is one of the liveliest and most important holidays in tibet. prior to the 17th century, lamas were forbidden to leave their monastery for a period of three months. at the beginning of july, when the lamas were free to leave the monastery, alms of yogurt (sho in tibetan) were given out by local residents to welcome their return. the lamas are no longer locked away today, and the festival, which has since been renamed the tibetan opera festival, is now an occasion to perform operas and folk amusement. however, the yogurt, from which the name of the festival is derived, is still drank throughout the festival. the relic of its religious connotation is left in the custom of shining buddha's portrait during the celebration. we will take you to the holy tibetan capital of lhasa to enjoy the festival and to visit some of its important temples and monasteries. we will then take a short trip to lake yamdrok tso to escape the hustle and bustle of the city to relax your mind in its serene wilderness

d1 arrive in chengdu, meet you at the airport and transfer to your hotel. chengdu is a prosperous and lively metropolis famous for its delicious spicy food and attractive tea houses. there will be a welcoming dinner.

d2 board an early morning flight to lhasa, the capital of tibet. allow yourself plenty of rest after arrival to ease acclimatization to the high altitude in lhasa (3700 m/12,210 ft).

d3 after breakfast we will drive to drepung monastery, which lies 8km (4.96 mi) west of lhasa. the monastery, which was founded in 1416 and miraculously survived the ravages of civil wars and the cultural revolution, still stands as tibet's most important buddhist monastery with 700 monks residing in its 20,000-sqm (65,600-sqft)complex. we will get off the car to join a crowd of pilgrims - most of whom have arrived from their distant homes by foot - for a 30-minute walk on the main approach to the entrance of the walled monastery. the first image you are likely to see upon arrival is the enormous 40m x 37m (131ft x 121ft) silk scroll of buddha shakyamuni spread along the hillside behind the monastery for the annual 'sunning of the buddha' ceremony. we will continue touring around the monastery in the afternoon.

d4 in the morning we will visit the potalapalace, landmark of lhasa and once the center of the tibetan government. perched on top of the slopes of mt.mapori, this 13-storey architectural wonder is reputed to contain more than 1,000 rooms. after lunch we will visit norbulingka, the summer residence of the dalai lama, as well as the jokhangtemple, the principal buddhist temple in lhasa.

d5 in the morning we will drive to the saint lake of yamdrok tso (4,408 m/14,546 ft), the largest limnetic lake in tibet and the largest bird-inhabited area. many tibetans believe that tibet will no longer survive when the lake dries up. we will return to lhasa in the late afternoon.

d6 take a morning flight back to chengdu, visit the zoo to see the lovely grand pandas. then go to taste some of the famous chengdu snacks. after dinner, take a walk in the night market.

d7 after a relaxed breakfast in your hotel, we will transfer you to the airport and see you off.