Footloose Adventure Travel: Tibet

THE LHASA EXPRESS Revised

5 NIGHTS / 6 DAYS. FLY IN DRIVE OUT

LEVEL : Moderate REF : HJT - 04

If you feel more adventurously inclined but, do not have a lot of time to spare then this six day trip is for you.

Starting from Kathmandu on either a Tuesday or a Saturday, you will fly over the eastern Himalaya aboard a Air China's Boeing 757 to the mystical Tibetan capital of Lhasa. The flight over the eastern Himalayan range will take you past , Mt. Everest (8848 m), Mt,Makalu (8478 m), Mt. Kanchejunga (8585 m) and a host of other mighty Himalayan peaks.

Your first three days are spent sightseeing in and around Lhasa. Then, you will begin your overland journey back to Kathmandu via Gyangtse, Xigatse, Tingri, Nyalam and Zhangmu. The distance covered is nearly 1000 km on four wheel drive vehicles and bus.

day 1 A mid - morning flight from Kathmandu will take you over the Himalaya to Lhasa, the exciting capital of Tibet. You will be met at the airport by a representative of Himalayan Journeys in Lhasa and transferred to hotel, where rooms have been booked for you. Evening free.

day 2 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 3 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. A visit to the kitchen of this monastery is a must. Look out for the washing machine in which the monks mix their butter tea! 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 4 An early morning start from Lhasa and a 259 km drive will get you to Gyantse via Yamdrok Tso or the "Turquoise Lake". Sightseeing tour of Gyangtse and a short drive of 95 km will see you at Xigatse at an elevation of 3810 m. Xigatse is the second largest city in Tibet and the capital of the province of Tsang. The rulers of this province had domonion over all of Tibet prior to 1642 AD. At Xigatse you will visit Tashilunpo Monastery which is the seat of the Panchen Lama who is second in spiritual importance only to the Dalai Lama. The monastery was built in 1447 by Gendun Drup and once housed upward of 3400 monks. Of particular interest at Tashilunpo is a nine story gilded statue of Maitreya - the "Future Buddha".

day 5 From Xigatse you will drive to Xegar via Sakya Monastery. The Monastery is 143 km south of Xigatse and was built in the thirteenth century by Konchok Gyalpo and houses some 30,000 volumes of ancient Buddhist scriptures or Sutras. The total distance between Xigatse and Xegar is 245 km, From Xegar, it is a 211 km drive to Nylam which is a old trading village between Nepal and Tibet. Overnight at a Guest House.

day 6 From Nylam drive down to Zhangmu which is a bustling trading town near the Nepalese border, go through immigration and continue to Kodari, border between Tibet and Nepal. A representative of Himalayan Journeys will meet you a Kodari, on the Nepalese side of the border across the Friendship Bridge. You will board the waiting vehicle and drive the 114 km 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.