Footloose Adventure Travel: Tibet Encounter

TIBET ENCOUNTER

6 NIGHTS / 7 DAYS . FLY IN , FLY OUT

LEVEL: MODERATE REF:HJT - 03

This trip allows you to get a more "hands on" experience of Tibet. It is designed to show you more of this fascinating land and her people. Your visits to Tsetang, Gyangtse, Shigatse and Lhasa overland will take you must travel to the roof of the world to see, observing one of the most colorful and fascinating religions and cultures on earth. The difference being that you will be doing so in comfort..

After you are met off the flight from Kathmandu by a Himalayan Journeys representative, you will proceed directly to Tsetang; avoiding Lhasa which you will visit at the end of your sojourn in Tibet - after having travelled through Gyangtse and Shigatse. For some this is the ideal Tibet trip. Not long and with much time spent outside Lhasa.

day 1 A Air China's flight which departs Kathmandu in the mid - morning will wing you over the Himalaya in what must be one of the most spectacular flights to Gongar airport, 90 km from Lhasa. You will be met here by your guide and then proceed to Tsetang where you will have rooms reserved for you at the Tsetang Hotel. Rest of the day will be free.

day 2 Your encounter with Tibet will begin with a visit to the palace of Yambulakhang which was built by the first Tibetan king Nyatri Tsenpo in the second century BC. Local folk lore has it that the king was descended from heaven . Next you will visit Chedruk Temple to round off our visit to Tsetang.

day 3 You will drive to Gyangtse via Yamdrok Tso which transaltes to "Turquoise Lake". Overnight at Gyangtse Hotel. then proceed to Shigatse in the afternoon. Overnight at Shigatse Hotel.

day 4 In the morning you will visit Tashilunpo monastery. This is the official seat of the Panchen Lama, second in importance to only the Dalai Lama. The monastery itself was built in 1447 by Gendun Drup and once housed upward of 3400 monks. Of particular interest in the monastery is the nine foot statue of Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future. In the afternoon you will drive to Lhasa and check in hotel.

day 5 Today will be spent exploring palaces. First on your list will be the Potala Palace. The palace of the Dalai Lama a treasure of Tibetan culture was, till 1965, the seat of both religion and politics in Tibet and quite possibly, the singularly most important building in all Tibet. It was built in the seventh century by Tsongtsen Gampo as a fort and later renovated by the fifth Dalai Lama in the seventeenth century to its present specifications. Your next stop will be Norbulingkha, the winter palace of the Dalai Lama which was built in the eighteenth century.

day 6 Today you will visit the Drepung monastery. This is the largest monastery in the world and once housed 10,000 monks and nuns. It was built in 1419 and the second, third and fourth Dalai Lamas lived and were entombed here. Your next stop will be the Jokhang Temple. This is the holiest shrine in Tibet and houses a golden statue of the Buddha which was brought to Tibet by the Chinese princess "Wen Chen". You then stop off at Barkhor Bazaar outside the Jokhang monastery. This is a bustling flea market and is, generally, the place to buy souvenirs and meet other tourists.

day 7 Transfer to the airport and fly back to Kathmandu.

Prices Based on B&B basis.
Price includes Kathmandu-Lhasa airfare (£176 one way and £342 return). These fares are subject to change.
The current visa fee is US$48.00 which is also included in the price.