Tibet: Culture and Adventure Treking Tour

Tibet: Culture and Adventure Treking Tour

The 8-days itinerary allows adventurers to be exposed to the breathtaking sacred lake lying aside NychenTanglha mountain rage after visiting the main attractions in Lhasa. You can see Tibetan nomads’ and their tents and flourishing grassland in summer time with flocks of sheep and herds of yaks... In this trip we offer things as simple as a home-cooked meal by local people or sharing a glimpse of the life of mountain peoples, we see local monks’ life ,View the Dungxumg grassland where the nomadic people live , stay overnight at the lakeshore; view sparkle milky stars, cycling around one of four particularly holy lakes and others - not simply getting from point A to point B, or ‘seeing the sights’. You will study local knowledge (writing tibetan words ) and experience culture ( painting Tangka ) and have genuine communication with locals.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Lhasa

Stop At: Lhasa Amusement Park, No.30-32 Sela Road, Chengguan District, Lhasa 850000 China
After arriving in Lhasa, your local tour guide will welcome you at the airport/train station, then transfer you to your hotel. Acclimatize to the high altitude in the hotel.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Dinner: Buffet Dinner In The St. Regis Lhasa Resort

Accommodation included: The St. Regis Lhasa Resort

Day 2: Lhasa City, Potala Place, Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street

Stop At: Potala Palace, No.35 Gongqian Alley, Beijing Middle Road Cheng Guan District, Lhasa 850000 China
The tour will begin with famous the UNESCO World Heritage site - Potala Palace, which is also the Winter palace of the Dalai Lama. It's situated at 12,139 feet above sea level and is a 13-story high building that contains over 1,000 rooms, various statues, stupas, murals and artifacts.
Potala Palace is the highest ancient palace in the world. The whole building covers more than 100,000 square meters. Potala Palace has played the function of residence of religious leadders in Tibet’s history as well as the Operations Center for Tibet , which combines politics and religion together. Some say the Songain Gambo built it to enhance his political power, by preventing enemies from outside. Others say Songzain Gambo,the King of Tubo, in order to marry the princess of Tang Dynasty, declared the start of this miracle. The Potala Palace has earned the name “heaven of arts”, for numerous invaluable treasures are collected within. It is the essence of the ancient Tibetan architectural and also is itself an art treasure in Tibet. In 1994, it was listed as one of the World’s Culture Heritages by UNESCO.


Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street, Chengguan District, Lhasa 850000 China
Then we’ll continue to Jokhang Temple, another UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s a spiritual center for Buddhists in Tibet.
The Jokhang Temple located at center of the old city quarter of Lhasa possesses a supreme status among Tibetan Buddhist temples as the most sacred in Tibet. According to historical record, estimated dates for Jokhang Temple’s founding range from 639 to 647 AD.
Jokhang Temple is the most splendid surviving building of the Tubo period in Tibet and also the earliest civil structural building in Tibet. It integrated the architectural styles of Tibet, Tang Dynasty of China, Nepal, and India, and has become a model of Tibetan religious architecture for thousands of years.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Barkhor Street, Chengguan District, Lhasa 851500 China
Next to the Jokhang temple, there is Bakhor Street, it is the oldest street in Lhasa . Your eyes will be busy when you walk around this street – there is so much going on.
This is a holy road for Tibetans. Filled with pilgrims and street vendors, here is always crowded with pilgrims from everywhere. Some come along the road by performing body-long kowtows, some are monks, and some are businessmen from Kham. You will enjoy different dresses, and languages. Even the similar-looking dresses of the monks vary depending on their different origins.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast: Breakfast in Hotel
• Lunch: Bangdacang Gujian
• Dinner: Makye ame Restaurant
Accommodation included: The St. Regis Lhasa Resort


Day 3: Lhasa –Yamdrotso Lake Cycling

Stop At: Yamdrok Yumtso Lake, Langkazi Country, Nagarze County 851100 China
oday we will to drive from Lhasa to Yamdrok Lake. On the way, we will pass over Gampala pass (4790 m),and will have a glimpse of Yamdrok-tso Lake (4400m) .The Lake is surrounded by many snow-capped mountains and in the distance you have spectacular views of Holy Mount Nyenchen Khangsar (7191m), the highest mountain near Lhasa. Then we will drive downhill to the lake. There is amazing route for cycling around the lake, Local animals are walking along with you and Tibetan villages can be seen in the valleys nearby.
It is located in the north of the Himalaya Mountains, it is one of four particularly holy lakes, thought to be divinatory; everyone from the Dalai Lama to local villagers makes pilgrimages here. According to local mythology, Yamdok Yumtso lake is the transformation of a goddess. You will be stunned by the natural beauty and amazing lake .The scenery appears a different color of blue each moment like a dreamland.
Duration: 5 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch: Picnic
• Dinner: Local traditional food
Accommodation included: The lake polar inn

Day 4: Yamdrotso Lake to Drak Yerpa monastery, Ganden monastery and Trubshi village

Stop At: Drak Yerpa, 40 km outside of Lhasa, Lhasa China
In the morning, we are going to Drak Yerpa which is one of the holiest sites in Tibetan Buddhism. It is located on a hillside in the Yerpa Valley, some 30 km northeast of Lhasa. This ruggedly beautiful site is riddled with more than 80 meditation caves, some think of these to represent pristine Buddhism. You have to trek to visit all the chapels and meditation caves
Among the many ascetics who have sojourned here are Guru Rinpoche and Atisha, the Bengali Buddhist who spent 12 years proselytising in Tibet . Here is deeply peaceful and has stunning views.

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Ganden Monastery, Wangori Mountain, Dazi County, Lhasa 850100 China
In the afternoon, we drive to Ganden Monastery which is one of the “Three Great” Gelugpa monasteries, founded by the Great Tsongkhapa in 1409. It is very interesting to trek Lingkor(circle) around the monastery and you will see hundreds of monks debating Buddhist scriptures. You can also see the crack in a rock, magically made by Great Tsongkapa and his meditation cave with a beautiful view of Lhasa valley.

Then the team drives to the Tibetan village Trubshi with an altitude of nearly 3400m where you can experience the Tibetan countryside, local life and have dinner.
Duration: 4 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch: Local traditional food
• Dinner: Trubshi village BBQ
Accommodation included: The St. Regis Lhasa Resort

Day 5: Lhasa – Norbulingka Summer Palace - Thangka Painting/Tibetan language writing- Tibet food cooking

Stop At: Norbulingka (Precious Stone Garden), No.21 Luobulinka Road, Chengguan District, Lhasa 850000 China
This morning we are going to Norbulingka, literally "Garden of Treasure" in Tibetan. It was originally built in the 1740s (era of the Seventh DaLai Lama). Every summer Dala Lamas moved from the Potala Palace to Norbulingka to handle official business, hence it is also seen as "the Summer Palace of Lhasa".
This has the biggest man-made garden in the Tibet Autonomous Region, It is called the Summer Palace because after the 7th Lama, the Dalai Lamas used to visit here during Summers. In total 301 murals are displayed.
As a part of "Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace", UNESCO added Norbulingka in its list of world heritage sites.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Barkhor Street, Chengguan District, Lhasa 851500 China
This afternoon, we will be going Thangka Painting. A local painting teacher will teach you painting Tangka（a Tibetan Buddhist painting on cotton with silk appliqué, usually depicting a Buddhist deity, scene, or mandala.）and then a teacher will teach you to write Tibet language by Writing brush. Experience local culture .
In the evening , our cook will take you to the local market to buy food ingredients and will teach you to cook simple local food. You will enjoy being a “local person “.
Duration: 3 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch: Local traditional food
• Dinner: Tibetan food home-made class
Accommodation included: The St. Regis Lhasa Resort

Day 6: Lhasa - Namtso Lake

Stop At: Namtso Lake National Park, Namtso Lake, Damxung County China
Today we drive from Lhasa to Lake Namtso. On the way, we will see Nyenchen Thanglha (Snow Mountain ranges) and lots of nomads with yaks and sheep grazing nearby. Visit a local ancient village. Namtso Lake is the "Heavenly Lake" which is one of the four holy lakes of Tibet and also the highest salt-lake. The sunset and sunrise are most exciting moments, You can do a very relaxing trek around lakeside and Tashi Island. You may catch sight of the Milky stars clearly in the night as we camp near the holy lake. Enjoy this unforgettable night.
This is one of the highest lakes in the world. Local people call it a giant sapphire on the pure land of Qinghai Tibet plateau. It is also heaven for animals, natural pasture for nomads of northern Tibet. Travelers can’t help being attracted by its fascinating landscape and the holiness and beautiful legends.
Namtso features stunning landscape. The lake is very clear and limpid. Lake and sky seem to be one and undivided, which may make visitors feel themselves in a fairy land .
Duration: 3 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch: Local traditional food
• Dinner: Namtso picnic
Accommodation included: Overnight in Camp

Day 7: Namtso Lake - Lhasa via Yampachen

Stop At: Yangpachen Hot springs, Yangpachen Town, Lhasa China
View sparkling milky stars & sunrise in the morning
After breakfast we will enjoy morning at the lake shore and trek along to Tashi Dor Island to explore the meditation caves. In the afternoon, enjoy Yangpachen hot spring and both indoor and outdoor swimming pools filled with hot spring water. Then head back to Lhasa.
This was originally grazing land. It is lies in a plateau basin in a geothermal field covering 40 square km. The grandest sight appears when the throttle is turned on
- boiling water and steam burst straight into the sky.
On the background of the great Nyenchen Tangula Mountains and the vast green pasture, the white steam dragon is clearly visible several kilometers away. It is like being in the clouds .
Sometimes people are lucky enough to experience snow falling while having a bath. Water in the hot spring is rich in hydrogen sulphide, which is beneficial to health. However, vigorous sports are not recommended because a large amount of oxygen is needed
Duration: 3 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch: Local traditional food
• Dinner: Tibetan hot pot
Accommodation included: The St. Regis Lhasa Resort

Day 8: Depart from Lhasa

Stop At: Lhasa Amusement Park, No.30-32 Sela Road, Chengguan District, Lhasa 850000 China
Transfer clients to the airport or train station
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.