DAY 01: Fly from Kathmandu to Lhasa. After custom formalities at Gongkhar airport, you will be transfer to Tsetang, 91 km. Tibet’s third largest town and largest town in the Lhoka region south of Lhasa. Built along the base of the Gangpo-Ri, the area claims the distinction of being the birthplace of the Tibetan race, the site where Avalokiteshvara descended to earth in the form of a monkey, mated with a demo ness, and produced the first of Tibet's children. Check into Hotel, and then you will visit the ancient 5th century’s Palace “The Yumbulakang” from where the Yarlung Dynasty was controlling the valley or over the Tibet. The original building, dating back to the 5th century, was associated with the semi-mythical king, Nyatri Tsenpo, but was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Rebuilt in 1982, the present building has been turned into a chapel with a shrine to the ancient kings. Tsetang. BLD
DAY 02:There is no better way to begin a tour of Tibet than with the Tibet’s first monastery built in the country, Samye, an hour-route and-another-hour ferry ride and bus ride. Of course, the ferry will only leave when the driver thinks he has enough passengers, and then there is another 30-minute ride up to the monastery. A monastery is actually a collection of buildings situated together in a way that represents the Buddhist universe. Samye was founded in the 770s under the patronage of King Trisong Detsen. In the center of the monastery buildings is Mount Sumeru, represented by the central temple. The four continents situated in the four oceans of the four directions surround the mountain. Side chapels represent sub-continents, and there are even temples to the sun and moon. It was here at Samye, near the end of the eighth century, that the first Tibetans were ordained as monks by the sage Shaantarakshita. After Cultural Revolution it was Re-built in 1989. On your way to Lhasa, you will stop at Mindroling, one of the largest and most important of the Nyingma-pa monasteries. Founded in 1676 by the renowned teacher of the fifth Dalai Lama, Terdak Lingpa, Mindroling became, according to Stephen Batchelor, "a center of learning where officials from the lay government in Lhasa would traditionally be sent to study." From Mindroling you will continue on to Lhasa. BLD
DAY 03: After rising early, you will grab a quick breakfast. Around 7:30 AM you head back to the Barkhor and the Jokhang, spiritual center of Tibet and destination of millions of Tibetan Pilgrims. The Jokhang, built in 767 AD by Tibet's first Buddhist King, Songtsen Gampo, is the heart of this Buddhist world. We walk the kora, or pilgrim route, around the Barkhor with the early morning pilgrims. After walking the kora, we enter the temple and walk the nangkhor, or inside of the temple. On the roof of the Jokhang, we can take beautiful pictures of the market and pilgrims below and the Potala on the hill across the square. From the Jokhang, we will head to the Potala, the former winter palace of the Dalai Lama, which was built on the escarpments of Red Hill and rises more than 1000 feet above the valley floor. We must be sure to enter through the pilgrim entrance up the long path rather than through the tourist entrance. Lunch will be at a local Tibetan restaurant. After lunch, you will visit the Norbulinka, once named Jewel Park and now People's Park. The Norbulinka was the former summer palace of successive Dalai Lamas from 1755, and suffered extensive damage during the Cultural Revolution. Much has been rebuilt, and it is fascinating to see how the Dalai Lama actually lived. Painted on one of the walls is a picture of the 14th Dalai Lama and his family - the only one still prominent in Tibet. Later in the day, if you are not exhausted, you can visit the Lukhang, set in the middle of a lake. At one time, one would take a boat across the lake. Now the area is a Chinese theme park, and it is fun to see how the people use the area. The temple is one of the gems of Lhasa, and contains artwork related to Tibetan medical practices. BLD
DAY 04: Today you travel to the suburbs of Lhasa to visit two of the most interesting of the Buddhist monasteries. The first, Phabonkha, served as a meditation site during the time of Songtsen Gampo and contains a plaque commemorating the first Tibetan script. The monastery also serves as a sky burial site, and if we are early enough, we can still see the great Himalayan vultures circling overhead and waiting for their dinner. In the last part of the eighth century, the very first seven Tibetan monks stayed here after receiving their ordination from the Indian GURU Shantarakshita. From here, we will go to have a simple lunch in a local restaurant and then head to Sera in time for the 3 PM debates. Sera are a 15th-century Gelugpa monastery founded by one of Tsong Khapa's disciples, and is famous for its Tantric teachings. The name Sera means "Merciful Hail." Years ago a rivalry existed between Sera and Drepung (which means "Rice Heap"). The monks from Sera thought their hail would destroy Drepung's rice, while Sera boasted the "dob-dobs," an elite corps of warrior monks much feared by other Buddhist leaders. BLD
DAY 05: After a 3 to 4 hour morning drive, you will arrive in the valley of Drigung Monastery, founded by the Khagyupas, descendants of Milarepa. The valley, cut by the Kyichu, is spectacular, boasting not only the monastery, but also a nunnery, and hot springs - wonderfully welcome in this cold land. Drigung Til was rebuilt in 1983 and boasts a large assembly hall with Drigung Kyapgon's footprint, his personal conch, and his trumpet. On the right side of the altar are images of Apchi, the protectress of the temple. Drigung and the nunnery, which you will see tomorrow, are primarily meditation monasteries. Additionally, Drigung Dundro, up the hill along the monastery kora, is one of the power places for sky burials and is considered identical to Sitavana, one of the most famous of the Eight Indian Charnel Grounds near Bodhgaya. Legend has it that a rainbow connects Sitavana and Drigung Dundro. Watch then, early in the morning for people climbing up the hill with a body to be devoured by Himalayan vultures in a traditional Tibetan burial. Camping. BLD
DAY 06: You will take a short drive over to Terdrum, the nunnery or "ani" gompa with its hot springs attended by residences of the goddess Apchi. Below the lakes is a limestone ridge that once contained a poisonous lake said to have fumes so strong that they killed the birds in the sky above. Guru Rimpoche, the teacher who brought Buddhism to Tibet, threw his dorje, or thunderbolt, at the ridge and drained the lake. The nuns see the shape of his dorje protruding from the rocks below the opening of the tunnel. After bathing in the springs, you might wish to visit the nunnery or even climb up to the Guru Rimpoche cave on the hill. Camping. BLD
DAY 07: After leaving Drigung, you will head next to Reteng, a Kadampa gompa founded in the 11th century by Dromton, the chief disciple of Atisha. The juniper trees around the monastery were said to have grown from the hairs of Dromton. Although much reconstruction is taking place, the monastery, with its extraordinary view of the Rong Chu valley, will never again be the small city it once was. Inside the lhakhang, or God House, are important relics, such as the statue of Jowa Jampa Dorje or the Talking Drolma. Camping. BLD
DAY 08 & 09: Today you cross the Nyanchhan Thangla Mountains, a range that parallels the Himalayas and is the home of the God of the North. Your destination is Tibet's second largest salt-water lake and a wonderful cave monastery. Few hermitages can rival the power and grandeur of the pre-Buddhist site of Tashiy Do, built into the red limestone cliffs and overlooking Lake Nam Tso. In reality, Tashiy Do consists of two separate hills with caves built within the rock walls - Tashiy Do Thuuije ("Merciful Lucky Rock") and Tashiy Do Chhungchhung ("Little Lucky Rock"). Camping beside a long Ladhaki-style Mani wall, you will have two days to explore the area and Nam Tso, Tibet's second largest salt lake. Because the lake lies on the migratory route across Asia, you are likely to see many flocks of birds - bar-headed geese, black-necked cranes and others - congregating along the shores of the bay. Also common are small members of the rabbit family, the black-lipped pikas that have dotted the ground with their burrows. These two nights are spent camping on the shore of the lake. BLD
DAY 10 & 11: Once again crossing the Nyanchhan Thangla Mountains, you have a long drive in front of you to Tsang province and its capital, Shigatse. Tashilhumpo monastery, the oldest and largest Gelugpa monastery in Tsang province and home to the Panchen Lama, is lovely, and your kora will take you past holes for dogs, thought of as "fallen monks," as well as places to earn merit by rubbing your body against holy rocks. You will have time to visit the Tibetan market. Hotel. BLD
DAY 13: You have about 50 miles to drive from Shigatse to Gyantse, which was once Tibet's third most important city. Gyantse lies at the head of the Nyangchu Valley astride the main routes from India and Nepal to Lhasa. Made wealthy in this major trading center from selling sheep and yak wool, the rich lords of the city pooled their resources in 1427 to build the Kumbum, a Nepalese-style stupa. You will tour the stupa, home to some of the most beautiful tantric pictures in all of Tibet. Be sure to climb to the top of the Kumbum and look out over the area. Hotel. BLD
DAY 14: You have a long drive back to Lhasa, stopping for a beautiful lunch by the shores of the turquoise green Yandrok Tso. A dead lake that has no constant flow of water in or out, Yandrok Tso is threatened with being drained - to protect a Chinese hydroelectric plant in the valley below. Once in Lhasa, The remaining hours of the day will be free to explore the Barkhor, or shopping around the main Tibetan market area, and the popular walk encircling the seventh-century Jokhang Temple. You might be able to watch sunset on the Potala from the top of the Jokhang Temple. Hotel. BLD
DAY 15: All too soon, you must catch the morning flight to Kathmandu and transfer to your hotel
Rates are in Euro per person basis:
COST:- 2 - 5 pax 6 - 9 pax 10 - 14 pax 15 & above
2,103 1,614 1,465 1,353
Single supplement: 524
Half board/S: US$ 189 / Full board/S: 378
Service Including:
1. All transfer as per the itinerary including one support truck.
2. All necessary permits, one good English-speaking guide through the entire trip with all sightseeing as per the itinerary, all monastery entrance fee.
3. Hotel accommodation on Bed & breakfast, MAP or AP Basis. Camping on EP Basis.
4. All Camping equipments, camping staff and three meals a day during Camp
Remark:
* Camping on EP basis: The guest will only be provided tents and all necessity but without all catering. |
Prayer flags fluttering from high temples, villages nestled in picturesque scenery and travel cross the high Tibetan plateau with its dramatic desert and majestic mountains. It was long closed to foreign travelers; but since last few decades any one can travel trough. Tibet exerted a strong pull on the imagination of the world. Tibet’s immense, stark, grand plateau, its warm cheerful people and its unique cheerful Buddhist tradition, imbued with mysticism, appeared to many the embodiment of the mythical Shangri-La. Tibet’s remoteness and its haunting beauty continue to captivate the imagination of travelers. This circuit combined with 5 nights camping.
