ITINERARY
Day 01 Arrival, Chengdu (No Meals Included)
Arrive in Chengdu , your gateway city of this mysterious tour. Be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel for a good rest.
In China 's southwest basin, there lies one of the most leisurely and carefree cities in the country: Chengdu , the capital city of Sichuan Province . The city was founded in 3rd century BC, when the Qin conquered all of China within two centuries. Chengdu flourished in the Han Dynasty and picked up its name of brocade city as it grew rich from the thriving silk brocade industry. Also known as the land of abundance, Chengdu boasts its pleasant climate and plentiful products.
Day 02 Chengdu (B/L)
Today you will have a city tour of Chengdu covering from Du Fu Thatched Cottage , Wuhou Temple , Jinli Street and Wangjiang Park. Optional Hot Pot in Sichuan style is available. Chengdu is a very cultural city and has a lot of interesting and fascinating sights to offer, in the city and also in its surrounding areas, so you star your city tour today.
You firstly visit Du Fu Thatched Cottage , which is a beautiful garden and museum to honor Du Fu, one of the greatest Chinese poets of all times. Even though you do not have a clue who Du Fu was and you couldn't read the poems since all are only in Chinese, you have a great time there. You stroll through the huge garden area and find many awesome and picturesque places. Then you continue your trip to Wuhou Temple , which is another very beautiful spot. It also has a great garden and it is very graceful as well. It is special because it is a temple of honoring of an Emperor and his Minister. In Chinese history, there is strict grading between Emperor and minister, who are not supposed to set together. Moreover you find a nice tea house in the temple and have a cup of tea to relaxing and watching the locals chatting, playing MaJiang and Chinese poker. The Sichuan tea houses really have a very unique atmosphere. You see many old people, who seem to spend the whole day there, some Western tourists, Chinese families and even sometimes young people meeting up with friends. It is always very nice and interesting to watch the people having a good time and enjoying themselves. Next to Wuhou Temple , you will find Jinli Street where you could get the deep into the history of the local people and local food. Bamboo is the main food for lovely giant panda and Chengdu is a place where you find lot kinds of bamboo. The best example is your next destination- Wangjiang Park .
The big draw of Chengdu is the delicious Sichuan Cuisine and local snacks. Fortunately, you will have a chance to taste a hot pot dinner at night. Sichuan is famous for its spicy food, and one of its delicacies is the hot pot. It's where you have a pot of spicy broth boiling in front of you and you choose which ever food to cook. The Hot Pot in Sichuan style is a bubbling cauldron of extremely hot oil and water. You dip all kinds of food into the pot including meats, vegetables and tofu. It's a very social meal. People sit around to enjoy it and make a long evening out of it. As the saying goes, 'When in Rome , do as the Romans do', your trip of Chengdu is completed with eating the traditional spicy hot pot.
Sichuan Food
Day 03 Chengdu-Ya'an(B/L)
Drive to Ya'an by bus ( 120 km , about 2 hours). On the way to Ya'an, you will visit Shangli Ancient Town , which is the important tea-transporting hub in ancient time. Visit Han's Courtyard and Erxian Bridge inside the Ancient Town . Arrive in Ya'an in the afternoon and stay overnight at Ya'an.
Ya'an in Southwestern Sichuan province lies on a tributary of the Min River . It is a tea center for Western Sichuan and a highway hub for the Eestern Tibetan plateau. Ya'an held the key to the tea supply to Tibet and other minority areas since it held a monopoly over the trade, authorized by the imperial court. This is because of Ya'an's proximity to areas inhabited by ethnic groups, including Tibetan, Yi, Qiang and several other ethnic minority groups. Also, Ya'an has been a major tea producer thanks to its location on the fringe of the Sichuan Basin , which favors tea growth. Much of the tea produced in Ya'an historically went to Tibet . Statistics dating back to 1934 show that 2 tons of musk, 15 tons of Chinese caterpillar fungus (Cordyceps sinensis, a precious ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine), 2,750 tons of wool and 60,000 samples of medicinal herbs, worth more than 4 million taels of silver, were transported from Kangding to Ya'an annually. It was a considerable trade volume during that time.
Day 04 Ya'an-Luding-Kangding (B/L)
Set off to Kangding, passing by Luding ( 180 km ). Pass Erlang Mountain Tunnel on the way. Arrive in Luding and visit Luding Bridge . Drive to Kangding( 49 km ) in the afternoon and arrive in Kangding the late afternoon. Stay overnight at Kangding.
Kangding is where mountains and clouds make friends and play together. It is the home of love songs as well. The Tibetan inhabited area of Sichuan Province includes the northern stretch of the ancient Tea Horse Road , and Kangding city was a very influential trade post along the route. It used to be the most important market of the tea-horse trade. Nomadic Tibetan peoples came here to exchange animals and animal products with Chinese Han people trading tea.
Day 05 Kanding-Xinduqiao-Danba(B/L)
Drive to Danba in the morning ( 460 Km ). Visit Tagong Monastery , Arrive in Danba in the late afternoon.
Tagong Monastery is a famous Nyingmapz monastery built in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to commemorate the Han Princess Wencheng and Phagspa, the Grand State Tutor of Tibetan Buddhism with Buddhism Institute inside, also named as "the small Lhasa Jokhang Monastery", is one of the 108 temples built during the reign of Songtse Gampo in ancient Tibetan times. This temple is distinctive for its four towers painted green, red, yellow and white respectively. About 100 chortens lie behind the monastery. The place miraculously escaped destruction during the Culture Revolution.
Tagong Monastery
Day 06 Danba-Ganzi (B/L)
On the way to Ganzi( 518 km ), you could enjoy the unique land-grass scenery of Danba. Visit the Dong Village Natural Bonsai Scenic Area and Kandze Monastery .
Ganzi,the capital of Kandze Autonomous Prefecture sits at 3800m in Cholashan mountain valley 385km northwest of Dardo, and is populated by mostly Tibetans and Khampas. Here has enjoyed a high prestige for several cultures and rich folk arts such as Tibetan opera, calligraphy, painting, engraving and clay sculpture, which are all very typical and famous. Additionally, the folk sports including equestrian skill, wrestling, and archery are very prevailing.
Kandze Monastery was originally constructed by the Qosot Mongols circa 1642 on a hilltop overlooking their castles of Mazur and Khangsar. It once had a population of 1500 monks, making it the largest in Kham alongside Chamdo; and the pilgrimage circuit around the monastery was nearly eight kilometres long.
Day 07 Ganzi-Dege (B/L)
Today you will keep on moving to another famous town in southwest Sichuan- Dege ( 207 km ). Visit Yulonglacuo Lake and arrive in Dege in the late afternoon.
Dege was named after the Dege clan. The city is famous for its lamasery which hosts an invaluable treasure of wooden printing blocks with Buddhist and Tibetan texts.
Day 08 Dege-Chamdo (B/L)
Drive to Chamdo ( 337km ), where you trace the foot of ancient horses from Sichuan to Tibet .
Chamdo Scenery
Chamdo is Tibet 's third largest city. It is located about 480km from Lhasa , and is at an altitude of about 3,600 metres. In Chamdo area, there are sceneries like “Three-Rivers-Join-Into-One”, high mountains and valleys, holy mountains and sacred waters, thermal resources and hot springs, grazing lands covered by wild flowers, tents emitting cooking smoke; so are there ancient religious ceremonies, Lamaist temples and towers, old religious engravings on mountains, ancient giant wall-paintings, and colorful local conditions and customs. All these are rich natural and cultural tourist resources.
Day 09 Chamdo-Ranwu(B/L)
Have a beautiful sightseeing along the road. Visit Nujiang Canyon and then continue your exploration to Ranwu( 335 km ) in the afternoon. Drive further 100 kilometers southward to Ranwu Lake .
Ranwu Lake , the largest in southeast of Tibet , is in the Village of Ran about 90 km from the Baiba Town neighboring the Nyingchi Prefecture . Ranwu Lake is a perfect blending of the Swiss Alps snow peaks and glaciers and the streams in Jiuzaigou.
Day10 Ranwu -Bomi (B/L)
Today you will enter the most magnificent spot during the Sichuan-Tibet Road from Ranwu to Bomi . Arrive in Bomi in the late afternoon. The distance between Rawu to Bomi is 129 kilometers.
Day 11 Bomi - Nyingchi(B/L)
Approach our final destination to Nyingchi( 216 km ). It is a paradise with the least human trace on this planet enjoying advantages in natural resources for tourist, scientific research and exploration. Drive from Pomi to Nyichi via Lulang Forest Area . Visit the Gigantic Cypress Wood in Nyingchi .stay overnight at Nyichi.
The most impressive in Lulang Forest Area is the forest of Tibetan cypresses of about 10 hectares at the Bagyai Village in Nyingchi County at 3,040 meters above sea level.
The Gigantic Cypress Wood in Nyingchi is in the valley of the lower reaches of the Yaluzhangbu River and the Niyang River at the latitude of 3,000 to 3,400 meters. In the Giant Cypress Nature Reserve of the Bajie Township, there scatter hundreds of such huge cypresses only seen in Tibet, which are noted for their huge tree crowns and upright trunks.
Day 12 Nyingchi-Lhasa(B/L)
Drive from Nyichi to Lhasa , via Lake Basumto . Stay overnight at Lhasa .
Covering 26 square kilometers (10 square miles), Basumto , the pristine waters of the green lake reflect the picturesque snow-capped peaks surrounding the lake.Basomtso lies in the Cuogao Village Gongbujiangda County , Nyingchi. It is in the valley of the upper reaches of the Ba River, 50 km from the Town of Gongbujiangda , 39.6 km from the National Highway No. 318 and 370 km from the Tibetan Capital Lhasa.
Buddhist Ceremony In Tibet
Day 13 Lhasa (B/L)
Take a whole day tour to visit Drepung Monastery , Sera Monastery and Norbulingka.
The second day in Lhasa , you'll visit the Drepung Monastery, the largest and richest of the three major Yellow Sect monasteries in Lhasa . It is one of the largest monasteries in the world. As the most powerful of the Gelukpa monasteries, Drepung has seven colleges and houses over 10,000 monks. It owns many splendid murals, elaborate statues and other valuable treasures. A giant golden statue of Buddha 'Jiangba Tongzhenma' sits near the precious conch shell.
The Norbulingka, the summer palace of the Dalai Lamas in the western part of town, is your next spot. This complex was first built in 1755 as a palace and retreat; the procession of the Dalai Lama and his entourage from the Potala to here is quite a highlight for the locals. Inside the Palace, there are many interesting murals which definitely are the highlights of the Norbulingka. Whenever there are festivals, the dressed-up people gather here with their food and tents singing and dancing.
In the afternoon, the Sera Monastery will be a good choice as well. Sera means ‘Hailstone' in Tibetan, and legend tells that it hailed during the foundation of this famous monastery. The Sera Monastery is the last of the three principal Yellow Sect monasteries built in Lhasa . It is destined to be one of the most enjoyable afternoons of the whole trip. The setting itself is very beautiful and there are many cobbled alleyways, temples and colleges on a hill. The highlight will be watching a monks debating inside the shady courtyard behind the main temple. Every day, hundreds of red-robed monks assemble in small groups and practice their debating skills. It is a highly entertaining spectacle, during which they strike poses not dissimilar to hip hop rappers. They are clap, turn, and finger point, whoop, holler, and throw their prayer beads about. In most cases, one monk sits on the floor, while another one stands, and between them, they argue about Buddhist rituals - immensely enjoying their debates. As tourists you are allowed to walk around the edge and observe the very dynamic and animated monks asking and answering questions like ‘why', ‘what came first the chicken or the egg' and ‘who is your favorite Buddha'. The spectacle is just so fun-filled and high energy. It's a bit like a Sicilian market place, or a football match, increasing in volume all the time, and some of the monks are really good showmen, sometimes mischievously involving you in their debates, as if trying to get you onto their side.
Potala Palace
Day 14 Lhasa(B/L)
A trip to Lhasa would be incomplete without a visit to Potala Palace , Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street .
Religion is such an important element of Tibetan life that it's hardly surprising most of the attractions are monasteries, temples and palaces. The awe-inspiring Potala Palace perched high above much of Lhasa , is definitely your good choice. The palace is a complex of political and religious function, which consists of the Red Palace , the White Palace and some attached buildings.
The Red Palace contains various chapels and mausoleums for previous Dalai Lamas. The White Palace contains the living quarters of successive Dalai Lamas and their tutors. The offices of the old Tibetan government and their assembly halls are also located here. The Potala is full of elaborate artwork and frescos that tell many stories. They portray religious subjects as well as the customs and traditions of Tibet .
Although you need to climb up, it will be richly rewarded for your efforts. Words may fail you to convey the scope of gold, pearls, carvings, gems, incense, monks, rooms, stairs that are in this incredible place. It is a pity that there are no photos allowed in the palace. However you would take photos by your eyes and embed them into your minds forever.
The local Tibetan lunch is very different from the previous cities, but you will find its specialist and enjoy it. In fact, the most popular cuisine in Tibet now is Sichuan Cuisine. Moreover there are also western-style restaurants in Lhasa . You are delighted to eat what Tibetan eats in Tibet . Then you will visit the Jokhang Temple in the afternoon. According to Legend the Jokhang Temple was built on the former site of a lake. However, every time a temple was built, it would collapse later. Confused by this phenomenon, Princess Bhrikuti turned to Wen Cheng, the Princess of Tang Dynasty, for help. Being a well-educated woman, Wen Cheng told the Princess that the geography of Tibet was very much like a hag, with the lake at the heart. In order to build the temple, Wen Cheng advised they must demolish the hag by filling and leveling the lake using 1,000 sheep to carry soil from a mountain far away. When the temple was done, it was called Ra-Sa-Vphrul-Snang ('ra' meaning sheep and 'sa' meaning earth in Tibetan) to commemorate those sheep. It was built by craftsmen from Tibet , China and Nepal and thus features different architectural styles. The three-level roof of the Jokhang offers splendid views of the Bhakhor Streets across to the Potala Palace . The golden roofs are superbly crafted with many birds, beasts, bells and other intricate figures. The Tibetan people are absolutely beautiful - very warm, friendly and welcoming. There are so many impressions and interesting and bizarre things happened every day in Lhasa .
Then you will spend a whole afternoon exploring Barkhor Street . The markets in Lhasa are on a scale quite unlike anything else you have seen. You can buy anything Tibet-related, from sacks of incense, chunks of yak butter to monk outfits. When walking along the Barkhor Street , you need to follow the clockwise direction. You see many Tibetan pilgrims in town taking part in the various koras (pilgrimage circuits): the Nangkor, Barkor, Lingkor and Potala. Maybe there are even others associated with various monasteries. They are devout Buddhists who perform these koras as a part of their lives and a means of gathering merit. They are from different parts of Tibet but still have a distinctive look - heavy, colorful clothes, dark-haired, hair plaited and braided with beads. They travel in family groups with a prayer-wheel in constant motion. Among these various koras you see many prostrating themselves, some doing this repeatedly on the spot and others prostrating every 3 paces until they have circumambulated the route.
Day 15 Departure, Lhasa (B)
Transfer to the airport and depart from Lhasa for your flight home
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