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Exploring The Sacred Buddhist Land in Qinghai and Tibet
offered by supplier M17727 (view this supplier profile)
Key Information:
Tour Duration: 12
day(s)
Group Size: 2
- 26
people
Destination(s):
China
Specialty Categories:
Pilgrimage/Spirituality
Cultural Journey
Season: January - December
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: No
Minimum Per Person Price: 2640 US Dollar (USD)
Maximum Per Person Price: 3860 US Dollar (USD)
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China is home to a multiplicity of religious beliefs, with the world's three major religions - Buddhism, Catholicism and Islamism - all having large congregations, organizations and activity venues in the country. Buddhism in China mainly includes Han Chinese language Buddhism Tibetan language Buddhism Pali language Buddhism. also known as Lamaism, Tibetan Buddhism has exerted extensive and profound influence on the Tibetan race. Buddhism spread into Tibet in the 7th century, and gradually infiltrates Tibet's history, politics, economics, culture, exchanges and habits and customs to become the most extensively worshiped religion of Tibetans. The unique part of this trip will take you to see the former home of 14th Dalai Lama, the finest art as well as the most important monasteries in the Tibetan area.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive in Xinning
Fly to Xining. Meet up with local guide and start our trip from here. Time permitting; we stop at the Tibetan Medicine Cultural Museum which has a history stretching back thousands of years. Influenced by Tibetan Buddhism, it is often associated with religious rituals.
Day 2: Xining to Tongren
Early in the morning drive to Tongren, the center of Regong art culture and the focal point of our journey. The four-hour drive is dotted with interesting stops along the way including the visit to Dangcai Village in Pingan County. This village has successfully nurtured exceptional number of high lamas and living Buddhas, many of whom have gone on to assume the abbot ship of famous temples such as the Kumbun Monastery and Labrang Monastery. This village is also the former home of the 14th Dalai Lama, who is currently resides exile in India.
Day 3: Tongren
Go on a pilgrimage walk around Longwu Temple, one of the most important monasteries in the Amdo Tibetan area. At one time, it had 35 subordinate monasteries, including Labrang Monastery. The walk around the monastery is casual, and along the way search out opportunities to engage with monks to discuss about their daily rituals. The afternoon is spent at Nianduhu Monastery. Its large-scale barbola mural is considered the best in the area, and the monastery also houses a collection of other rare cultural relics. This monastery is best known for its embroidery art.
Day 4: Tongren
Spend a morning at the Upper and Lower Wudun monasteries. These monasteries are over a thousand years old and feature an organic tapestry of village and monastery, laymen habitat, as well as monk residents. Best known for their artistic prowess, the Tibetans here have a rich history recorders through murals, tangka and statues that abound in this area. The art school in the monastery, which was set up in the 16th century, is known for its craftsmanship and fancy colors and enjoys wide-spread fame across the Tibetan region till this day. Free afternoon with optional tours to see Tibetan art galleries or visit the Tibetan hospital.
Day 5: Tongren to Kumbum Monastery
Drive 5 hrs to Kumbum Monastery, one of the six most important monasteries of the Gelukpa (Yellow Hat) school of Tibetan Buddhism. Built in 1577 in honor of the founder of the Gelukpa School, Tsongkapa, this remarkable monastery is known for its numerous figurines carved out of yak butter and its many frescos and tangkas (silk tapestries). The compound consists of several temples built up and down a hill. The Da Xingtang, or meditation hall, is known for its beautiful and long tangkas adorning the sides of the hall.
Day 6: Kumbum Monastery to Xining
Morning Drive to Qinghai Lake (3.5 hours), long considered one of the Tibet’s holy lakes. Afterwards drive to Xining.
Day 7: Xining to Lhasa
Morning flight to Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, this vibrant and fascinating city has been the center of Tibet’s political, religious, economic, and cultural activities ever since the Fifth Dalai Lama moved the capital here in 1642. Free time for the rest day.
Day 8: Lhasa
Morning’s destination is the famous Potala Palace, an immense structure stacked atop Marpo Ri (Red Hill) high above the Lhasa Valley. The massive complex is comprised of the secular White Palace and the sacred Red Palace along with their ancillary buildings including dormitories for the large staff of each Dalai Lama, schools, chapels, a printing house and tombs. Afternoon visit the Drepung Monastery which Situated at the foot of the Mountain Gambo Utse, the Drepung Monastery is known as the most important monastery of the Gelugpa school in Tibetan Buddhism and also as the largest-scale monastery among the ones of the same kind.
Day 9: Lhasa
In the morning, we shuttle a short distance to the ancient and seldom-visited Pabongka Monastery. Local legend claims that the surrounding land was home to two divine tortoises, a male and a female—which now exist as two granite boulders at this site. Afterwards, we explore the Sera Monastery. One of the three main Gelupka monasteries in Lhasa, Sera is an important spiritual center for Buddhist monks.
Day 10: Lhasa to Shigatse
En route to Shigatse (3,900 m), the second largest city in Tibet, we will stop for a picnic lunch at the Yamdrok Tso Lake (4408 m), one of the three holiest lakes in Tibet. From the lake, we can enjoy the breathtaking views of its turquoise water surrounded by the mysterious Mt Donang Sangwari (5,340 m) and the snow peaks of Nojin Gangzang (7,191 m). Tibetans have regarded the lake’s various as having their own colors have spiritual meanings.
Day 11: Shigatse to Lhasa
Return to Lhasa. Free time for last minute shopping.
Day 12: Fly back home, Transfer day, trip ends.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Also see tour packages in:
Asia
China
Pilgrimage/Spirituality
Cultural Journey
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