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7 Days Tibet New Year Festival Tour

7 Days Tibet New Year Festival Tour

(TFT013) Lhasa - Gyangtse - Shigatse - Lhasa

Overview

In this one week touring in Tibet, you will visit all major Tibetan culture centers, namely, Lhasa - the heart of Tibetan culture, Gyangtse - the most popular trade center between Tibet and India in the past time, and Shigatse - the second largest city in Tibet. And you will learn the essence of Tibetan Buddhism, how it influences in their life as well as real lifestyle of Tibetan farmers. The most interesting thing is to experience the authentic New Year celebration, the most important annual festival of Tibet. During Losar Festival, tourists will visit locals’ family, eat traditional food such as “Gutu”, i.e. dough drops, join in their dancing and singing ceremony, and circle around religious sites.

What’s more, you will see the special geographical feature with brilliant natural sceneries such as beautiful lakes, majestic glaciers and so on. The highest elevation that you will challenge in this tour is Karola Pass (5,050m) where you see a massive glaciers just in several hundreds meters away.

The entire celebration is expected to last 15 days. As the Losar is celebrated in winter, when there will be no too many crowds. So, it’s a great chance to join in some events and you will have ample time to explore various aspects of New Year celebration, like praying in monastery, and circling religious route with your tour guide.

Day to Day Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival to Lhasa airport or railway station and transfer to hotel

Arrival to Lhasa airport or train station where you will be picked up by our local guide and driver then transfer you to hotel. Main highlights on the way to Lhasa, you will see the biggest river in Tibet called Yarlung Tsangpo or Barmaputra in Indian language, the unique architectural village houses of Tibetan farmers and the first glance of Potala Palace.

Free sightseeing or take rest in your room in late afternoon to acclimatize.Your guide will give you more detail advice on acclimatization.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Note: If your Arrival is by train, then you don’t have the chance to see the river view and Tibetan village houses because the train station is next to the city.

Day 2: Sightseeing in Lhasa, Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and Barkor Street

In the morning your guide and driver will meet you at hotel lobby and drive you to the Potala this majestic palace, the land mark of Tibet, the first construction ever built in Lhasa by the most well known and outstanding Tibetan king Tsongtsen Gambo in seventh century as his residence and central government official. And in seventeenth century the fifth Dalailama began to extend it into current style. It is listed into the UNESCO’s World Heritage in December 1994. More than three hours visiting outside and inside the palace, you will learn all detail history about the palace by your guide.

After marvelous visiting and climbing hundreds of stairs there, your driver will pick you up at the exit of Potala and transfer you to local restaurant near by Jokhang, you will feel bit exhausted and tired but no matter you can have good relax during the lunch time and ask for your guide to order a glass of Ginger Lemon Tea+honey that will give you more energy and feel fresh again.

After lunch break, your guide will lead you to Jokhang Temple and Barkor Street by walking to explore the culture center of Tibet, the heart of Tibetan Buddhism and the main destination of the pilgrims coming from all over the Tibetan territories and the Barkor Ancient Street with local bazaar and art workshops.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Day 3: Sightseeing in Lhasa, Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery

Today your guide will take you to Drepung Monastery once the world's largest monastery with about 10,000 attending monks and the home of second till fifth Dalailama. The main attraction there will be a huge assembly hall that could accommodate more than 5,000 monks once in the previous time, if you are lucky, you will have a chance to see the monks’ prayer meeting inside the assembly hall and a huge kitchen that you will have ever seen where it provides thousands of monks daily meals and it still keeps in traditional style.

After having quick lunch not in that kitchen, drive to Sera the second largest monastery in Lhasa where you will enjoy to see a very exciting monks’ debate on Buddhist philosophy same mode practice of ancient Indian philosophers did thousand years ago, what more, you will visit sand mandalas the Buddhist Cosmology and printing house where they publish the sutras and mantras in very traditional way by stamping from wooden blocks, you can also buy small old type sutras blessed by monks.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Day 4: Drive to Gyangtse(250km) via Yamdrok Lake and Karola Glacier and Palchoe Monastery

Today you drive to Gyangtse one of the most well known towns in Tibet. It’s not so long drive but full of highlighted scenic spots on the way, such as Yamdrok Yumtso the turquoise color like lake is the third largest holy lake in Tibet, Karola Glacier of Mount Nochen Kangsang 7,300m which is a branch range of the Himalaya is just 400m away from you, by the mountain road the artificial lake of Manak dam is isolated from special geographical feature like in the moon will make your journey even more exciting.

In Gyangtse late afternoon, you will visit one of the oldest monastery called Palchoe and Kubum pagoda the largest pagoda in Tibet, what more you can explore further in Gyangtse old town.

Stay overnight in Gyangtse

Day 5: Gyangtse to Shigatse and visit Tibetan family and see the New Year Festival

In the morning hike up the Gyangtse Castle one of the oldest castle in Tibet, from there you will see whole panoramic view of Gyangtse old town and Palchoe monastery, then drive to Shigatse, on the way visit Tibetan villages to enjoy their annual New Year Festival. People are very friendly and welcome hospitality to you. With local villagers you can drink their homemade barley beer, singing and dancing with them in full afternoon to experience the real life style and culture.

Stay overnight in Shigatse

Day 6: Visit Tashi Lhunpo Monastery then drive back to Lhasa

Today you will visit Tashi Lhunpo the largest monastery in Tsang area of Tibet autonomous region which is also the home of successive Panchen Lamas. After about two hours visiting, drive back to Lhasa along the friendship way passing through Nyimo Canyon one of the deepest canyon of Yarlung Tsangpo river/ Barmaputra. Free sightseeing in Lhasa late afternoon.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Day 7: Departure from Lhasa

Departure to your next destination, your guide and driver will transfer you back to airport or railway station and help you to get the boarding pass. Say good bye Tibet!

Service Guide

Service Included:

  • Tibet travel permit and all other necessary permits to Tibet;
  • All entrance ticket fees for all tourist sites listed in the itinerary;
  • Personal knowledgeable English-speaking Tibetan local tour guide;
  • Personal comfortable, clean and safe vehicle with reliable Tibetan local driver; vehicle ranging from 4WD land cruiser to minibus depending on your group size;
  • All lodging listed in the itinerary; it’s your decision about the accommodation class: luxury 5-star international hotel, comfortable 4-star hotel, economic 3-star hotel or budget hostel, guesthouse or tent. Please tell us your accommodation preference when submitting the enquiry; we will arrange the best-value hotels for you.
  • Domestic flight/train tickets listed in the itinerary;
  • All meals listed in the above itinerary;
  • Tourist accident/casualty insurance;
  • First aid kit;

Service Excluded:

  • International flight to and out of China;
  • Chinese visa (Note: we could help you with the Chinese visa application, like providing the invitation letter, presenting the hotel or domestic flight reservation copies, etc that you may need. )
  • Domestic flight/train not listed in the itinerary. (We can provide you the domestic flight/train ticket booking service at the BEST discount price; please contact us our travel experts for the details.)
  • Meals not specified in the itinerary; usually it costs about USD3-15 per person for one meal in TAR (Tibet Autonomous Region).
  • Tips and gratitude to tour guide and driver;
  • Personal expenses, like laundry, phone call, snacks, soft drinks (please do the best to avoid the alcoholic beverages during your Tibet trip), optional tour activities, etc.

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