Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive at Beijing. Today you will arrive in China’s capital, a modern city that retains much of its past. Your English-speaking local guide will meet you at the airport and escort you to your deluxe hotel.
Day 2: Beijing/Chengdu. Morning is at leisure. Take an afternoon flight to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, the habitat of giant pandas. Spend the rest of your day in Chengdu enjoying the famous Sichuan cuisine as well as the culture and having tea at a local teahouse.
Day 3: Chengdu. Visit the Panda Breeding and Research Center and then the Thatched Cottage of Du Fu, one of the most famous poets in Chinese history who lived a thousand years ago. After lunch, drive to Qingyang Temple, one of the most famous Taoist Temple in China.
Day 4: Chengdu/Lhasa. Take an early morning flight to the "roof of the world" – Tibet. After arrival in the Sacred Land at Lhasa, also known as the "Place of the Deity", you will be transferred to your hotel. Relax in the hotel to acclimatize yourself to the high altitude.
Day 5: Lhasa. Visit the Potala Palace, the legendary palace that is globally synonymous with Tibet. Built on Mt. Marpori in 637 A.D. by King Songtsen Gampa, it was reconstructed and expanded to its present size during the 17th Century by the 5th Dalai Lama. This 13-story citadel with its 1,000 rooms served as the headquarters of the "religious-state" of Tibet and was home to successive Dalai Lamas. Later in the day, Visit Norbulingka, the summer palace of the Dalai Lama.
Day 6: Lhasa. Full-day tour of Drepung Monastery, characteristic of the Yellow sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Then tour Jokhang Temple, Tibet’s most sacred shrine. The Jokhang houses Tibet’s most precious religious relic, the 1.5- meter-tall image of Jowo Rinpoche. Encircling the Jokhang Temple is Barkhor Square, the center of the old town. Walking along the streets that radiate from the square, you will get a glimpse of local life, largely unchanged for centuries. You can negotiate for handicrafts as you walk through history. Have tea with a local Tibetan family.
Day 7: Lhasa/Gyantse. Drive to Gyantse via the sacred Yamdrok Yutso Lake - Tibet’s talisman. You will cross your first pass – Kampala Pass, which is 4,800 meters above sea level, and get a magnificent view of this sacred lake embraced by a chain of snow-clad peaks. You will have a picnic at lakeside. Cross the second pass, Karola Pass, which is about 5,000 meters above sea level, where you will take a break to enjoy the breathtaking scenery and take pictures. Arrive Gyantse in the late afternoon.
Day 8: Gyantse/Shigatse. Visit Pelkhor Monastery and Kumbum Pagoda, one of Tibet’s most outstanding artistic achievements. Then be driven 59 miles to Tibet’s second largest city, Shigatse, stopping to see Shalu Monastery en route. In Shigatse, you will visit Tashilhunpo Monastery and a bustling local market.
Day 9: Shigatse/Lhasa. Drive 178 miles along the Yarlung Tsangpo River (a headwater of the mighty Brahmaputra and the other river of Tibet) back to Lhasa. Along the way, view the deep gorges of the highest river in the world. You will stop to see how the local people make Tibetan incense in their traditional way.
Day 10: Lhasa/Chengdu/Shanghai - Suzhou. Fly from Lhasa to Chengdu for your connecting flight to Shanghai. Upon arrival at Shanghai airport, you will meet your local tour guide and be transferred to Suzhou. Check into your deluxe hotel.
Day 11: Suzhou - Shanghai. Suzhou, proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its 2,000-year-old gardens that have been described as living poems, is a charming water town. You will visit Tiger Hill and the Master’s Nets Garden. Then visit a silk weaving factory to see silk fibers being separated from cocoons and wound onto spools, and admire fine-intricate designs at Silk Embroidery Research. Drive to Shanghai and check into your 5-star hotel.
Day 12: Shanghai. Today you will stroll along the Bund, a riverside promenade with grand colonial buildings, then visit Yuyuan Garden and the Shanghai Museum which houses a collection of 120,000 cultural relics. Enjoy a thrilling Acrobatic Show after the farewell dinner.
Day 13: Depart Shanghai. After breakfast at the hotel, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back home or to your next destination.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Prices:
- January, February - $3,296 (Land only)
- January, February - $865 (Single Supplement)
Price Includes:
- Airport transfers
- All land and riverboat accommodations
- Hotel and Riverboat Accommodations
- Professional Tour Guide
- Meals
- Airfare While on Tour
- Tibet Entry Permit
Price Excludes:
- Airfare to the tour departure point and from the tour ending point
- Tips to drivers and tour guides
- Personal Expenses – Phone calls, room service, alcoholic and bar beverages, laundry, airline excess luggage charges, vaccinations, and other optional incidental extras
- China Visa application fee
- Travel Insurance
Also see tour packages in:
Asia
Tibet
Archeology/History
Sightseeing
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