From $362-$453
From $438-$483
From $1,712
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Welcome to Tibet, the holy land of Tibetan Buddhism! Your tour guide will pick you up at the airport arrival hall and escort you to your downtown hotel in Lhasa while you enjoy the stunning views along the Yarlong Tsangpo River.
After check in, the rest of the day is for you to acclimate to the high altitude and weather of Lhasa. Avoid strenuous physical activities during this first day since that may cause high altitude sickness.
Orientation Tips: 1) avoid vigorous activities but do take some leisurely walks in the city to acclimatize to the air and high altitude of Lhasa city (altitude of 3,600m); 2) do not drink liquor in the arrival day, instead plenty of water and fruits are recommended.
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After breakfast, start an incredible day of exploration in Lhasa city. The grandiose Potala Palace will be the first site to discover. After more than 1300 years of historical changes, this colossal palace still dominates the skyline of Lhasa city. The Palace is the political and religious center of Tibet and has served as the governance and preaching site for the Dalai Lama. Climbing up the sacred steps to the Red Palace and White Palace you will explore their marvelous interiors full of exquisite Thangkas, numerous Buddha statues, vivid wall paintings, and other works of Buddhist art.
In the afternoon, first visit the holiest Buddhist temple in Tibet, Jokhang Temple, where the 12-year-old-like Shakyamuni statue is consecrated. With a history stretching over 1,300 years, this temple combines the architectural styles of Tibet, China, Nepal and India. As a spiritual center of Tibet, Jokhang Temple attracts hundreds of devoted pilgrims to worship there every day. Outside the door of Jokhang Temple is the famous pilgrimage circle, Barkhor Street, where you can join faithful Tibetans in colorful attires walking the circle around Jokhang Temple.
Tips for today: 1) wear suitable headgear and glasses to protect you from strong sunlight, but do not wear any hat while visiting inside the Tibetan monasteries; 2) photography is not allowed inside the chapels of monasteries; 3) have your passport with you all the time.
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After breakfast, we start our day with a visit to the summer palace of the Dalai Lamas and also the largest Tibetan garden - Norbulingka Park. The luxuriant trees and flowers, cool ponds and comfortable palaces make Norbulingka the best place for a summer retreat. Then drive about 5 km westward to Drepung Monastery. This monastery has played a crucial role in Tibet Buddhism as the school of the Dalai Lamas. As you walk along, immense temples and chapels leap to your eyes one after another. In its heyday, more than 10,000 monks lived and studied in the monastery. Various Buddhist rituals are performed in the monastery during festivals, most famous being the ceremony of Buddha Display in the annual Shoton Festival.
We will then visit the featured six hundred year-old Sera Monastery, famous for its grand ceremony of Buddhist debating and its beautiful temples with sensational icons, murals and history.
Tips for today: 1) please follow the Buddhist manners - talk in a low voice, always be respectful of others, reflect on the Buddha's teachings in these holy sites, and remain quiet and respectful when visiting temples 2) be sure to carry some water with you.
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Today you will be transferred from Lhasa to Gyantse (5.5-hour drive).
En route, you’ll stop to see Yamdrok Lake, one of three most famous holy lakes in Tibet. For Tibetans, it is one of the four holy lakes of Tibet and the home of the 'wrathful deities'. The scenery of turquoise blue water in the lake with the reflection of surrounding snow-capped mountains is awesome. Then another stop takes you to a Tibetan family where you can chat with common Tibetans and try some their self-made food.
After arrival in Gyantse, you will tour Palcho Monastery to admire fancy frescoes, statues and sculptures.
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After breakfast, you will be driven from Gyantse to Shigatse (1.5 hours). In Shigatse, you will visit Tashilumpo Monastery, the oldest and largest Gelugpa Monastery in Tibet. Here you will see a giant statue of Future Buddha, the largest one of its kind on earth, decorated with precious pearls, turquoises, corals and ambers. Then proceed to a free market to experience the stylish local life.
En route, visit Shalu monastery, which the construction was started in 1027. Its architecture is of typical combination of the Tibetan and Chinese styles with archways, carved pillars, tilled roofs and the Song and Yuan style murals.
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Today you’ll drive to Shegar and overnight here. En route visit Sakya monastery. It is of typical Yuan Dynasty style of resembling castles. There are a lot of historical articles in the monastery, among them are found a lot of the imperial certificates, gold signets, crowns, costumes bestowed by the Yuan Dynasty emperors. It has over 10,000 volumes of Tibetan books on astronomy, medicine, calligraphy, and history. So the Sakya monastery enjoys the title ‘the second Dun Huang Cave.’
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Although it's just 100km from Shegar to Everest Base Camp
(5200m), it takes about 4 hours since the cracked winding roads demand much
caution. But the views are stupendous on a clear day, and feature a huge sweep
of the Himalaya range including peaks over 8000, Makalu, Lhotse, Everest,
Gyachung and Cho Oyu. When you finally get to Base Camp, the first sight of the
mighty Everest simply leaves you speechless. All the hardship you bear along the
way makes sense at this while. The best moments to watch Mt. Everest's are early
morning and late evening when Everest is shining like a goddess in the sunglow.
Rongbuk Monastery is located at the foot of Mount
Everest, and has earned the title of the world's highest monastery standing at
4,980 meters high.
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After view the sunrise of the Mt. Everest, drive about 4 hours to back
Shegar. Have a luch here, then drive back to Lhaste. Tonight we
will have our accommodation here. In Lhaste, there is a quite characterized
Farmer's hotel, where they can offer Tibetan dancing and singing
show for free. You can have a funny night here after visiting the
stunning beautiful Mt. Everest.
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Today drive back to Lhasa.
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Today is free for you until to be transferred to the airport in time for your flight.
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Read what other travelers think about this China trip. We only accept reviews from actual, confirmed travelers who purchased the tour / activity from us, so you can be sure the reviews are unbiased and authentic.
Hi Wonder,
We are safely back in Guangzhou. Wonderful experience. All the planned events were highlights and the little extra side trips were a plus. Thank you for all your careful planning.
Hi Leo,
This is a very short customised arrangement during which the China border is not fully opened yet.
China Discovery charges a premium though, but it delivered without fail.
The VOA is very new to even the custom officers who were on duty when I cleared the immigration check at Shenzhen as well as the HK side. I must say that the agent did his professional service by always on the call to allow on-site changes of my arrival time because immigration clearance was so unpredictable. I can be assured that someone is just outside the arrival hall to pick me up and, I could tell the immigration officer that my local contact person is just waiting outside to pick me once I am cleared with this new procedure.
It is always safer to have a local contact to guide you and make arrangements for your local transfer when language ( Cantonese instead of Mandarin) is a problem in China .
Thx for the service . Thx to Matt too.
Rgds
Rita,
thank you for your arrangement. The tour and logistics were really good. We are very happy and look forward to the next trip in China with your company.
Here are recent candid photos of this China trip. If you want to share your own tour photos, simply email your photos to info@chinadiscovery.com with your Booking ID Number. Thanks in advance for sharing!
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Shanghai / Suzhou / Huangshan / Shanghai
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