Shoton Festival Iitnerary B: Lhasa, Shigatse,Mt.Everest Adventure

Tour Code: TFT-001-B
Tour Catalog: Private Tour
Trip Length: 10 days

Shoton(yoghurt) Festivals
"Shoton" in Tibetan means sour milk banquet. As Tibetan operas are performed and Buddha paintings are exhibited at this time, it is also called "Tibetan Opera Festival" or "Buddha Exhibition Festival".
Shotun festival is the most important and attractive for the Tibetans with full of ethnic songs and dances along with famous Tibetan opera performing at Norbulingka Palace. Hundreds of thousands of Tibetan gather at Drepung, Sera monastery to see the famous Buddha Thangka.

Origination of Shoton festival: Tsongkapa master had initiated a rule on monks to concentrate on meditation in monasteries from april to june according to Tibetan lunar calendar to avoid killings and earning demerits during that days. After finishing these days, the local Tibetan laymen use to serve them curds, perform Tibetan opera and will go for picnics and later strengthen to new festival in Tibet.

 
Schedule of Shoton Festival in 2009 and 2010
 
Year
Month
Day
2010
August
10-15, 10 is the main day
 
 
 

What you can observe during Shoton festival?

 

  • - Hundreds of Tibetan people gather at Drepung and Sera monastery with well ethnic dress up.

  • - Lamas carrying the giant Jampa Thangka and hanging on foot hill of Gebeiwotse mountain early in the morning.
  • - The sound of sutra bugle reverberating through the valley.
  • - Gaint hanged Jampa thangka at Drepung and Sera monastery.
  • - Tibetan opera performance at Norbulingka Palace.
  • - Woderful yak racing and horsemanship display.
  • - Hundreds of journalist from all over the world.
  • - Sangsol(burning of Tuja leaves along with Tsampa and butter) at the whole cities.
  • - Crowded Tibetan peoples throwing White Khada on the giant Thangka.
Detail itinerary

Day 1Arriving at Lhasa through Airplane or through trains.

Our agency will arrange yours tour guide and driver to pick you up from the train station or from airport to yours reserved hotel.
Overnight in Lhasa .

Day 2Visiting the famous Potala palace, Jokhang and Barkhor street(B)

In the morning section, you are going to visit the famous Patala palace, which is the land mark of lhasa and is recently considered one of the seven wonders of the world. Afternoon section, visiting Jokhang temple, built mainly for the"Jowoe" bring along with princess Wencheng from Xi'an during Tang dyansty and is grouped into world cultural heritage list by the UNESCO. Then exploring the famous old Barkhor street, enjoing shoping traditional Tibetan things around the street. Overnight in Lhasa.

Day 3The day before Main Day of Shotun Fastival(B)

Exploring chapels of Drepung monastery and Sera monastery.
Today, you will visit the whole chapels of Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery as it would be closed for the main day.

Drepung monastery is situated at the foothill of a mountain and was founded by Jamyang Choeje in 1416. the monastery is divided into two different colleges that is Drepung loselling and Drepung Gomang college. The Ganden podrang is famous among them as it is the government centre during fifth Dalai lama and later moved to the famous Potala palace during fifth Dalai lama.
In the afternoon exploring the Sera monastery which was founded in 1419 by Tsongkapa's disciple Jamchen Choeje. The whole monastery is divided into two colleges and there are Sera "jhe'and Sera 'may' respectively. Among them 'Tsokhang chenmo' where the monks from all the colleges assemble and pray together there.You can also see monks debaiting there in the courtyard at around 4-5:30 in the afternoon section.
Overnight in Lhasa

Day 4The Main day of Shoton Fastival(B)

A day is served for you along with your guide to celebrate Shoton festival.The chapels of Monastery will be totally closed at the main day, the buddha show and other activities of Shotun Fastival will be held outside of these monasteries. We should go Drepung and Sera again to take part in these wonderful acitivitesThe day is the busiest for you during your Tibet tour. Early in the morning, you can see Lamas hanging Tangka at Derpung monastry where thousands of crowded Tibetans waitng for Jampa Tangka. Then you can go towards the Sera to see the Tangka where crowded Tibetans throwing Khada on the Sacred Tangka. At Norbulingka you can see the active Tibetan opera dancing performed by the local Tibetans.
Overnight in Lhasa
 

Day 5Lhasa/Yamdrok tso/Gyantse(B)

Visiting Yamdrok tso, Gyantse khubum monastery (300km) with well designed smooth tar road upto day’s final destination

It is better to leave early in the morning and in about one and half hourway, there is a county called “chushor”quxu in chinese where have to move towards the lhokha(shannan) prefecture. A few kilometers from chushor is famous pass kangpa-la with4700m.from the top of the pass in clear weather, you can see the fabulous shade of deep torquoise. Yamdrok-yutso is shaped like coiling scorpion with deep blue in colour. Far in the distance is the huge massif of mount Nanchan kangtsang(7191m).. Leaving yamdrok-tso is a spectacular as arrriving, since you have to cross the 4960m karo-la with its awesome roadside views of the Nanchan- Kangtsang glacier. It was here that Younghusband’s british troops clashed with tibetan forces en route to lhasa.then reached to our day’s final destination Gyantse.
Relax a night in Gyantse.

Day 6Shigatse/Sakya(B)

Driving towards Shigatse(90km)with black tar road upto the monastery and rest a night in Sakya

Morning section for Kubum monastery is the town’s foremost attraction. The 35m-high chorten(stupa) with its white layers trimmed with decorative stripes and its crown-like goldendome, is awe-inspiring.you can visit every chambers in the monastery. Kubum means 100,000 images in Tibetan. Then experince the life of common tibetan people’s life around the town and also the Gyantse fort. Then moving towards the shigatse city. After finished up yours lunch, you can visit the famous Tashi lhunpo monastery and is one of the the six great Gelukpa institutions and was founded in 1447 by a disciple of Tsongkapa, Genden drup who was first dalai lama. Jamkhang Chenmo, containing the world’s largest gilded copper image(26m high) of future god Jampa. The monastery was later become the abbot place for the successive Penchen Lamas.

Relax a night in Sakya County.

Day 7Sakya/Tingri/Rongpuk(B)

Visiting Sakya monastery and then advancing towards Everest base camp(245km) with bumpy road from Tingri.
The sakya tridition is one of the four main Buddhist schools in Tibet. it was from here that the whole of tibet was governed during the period of Sakya hegemony and even now there are buildings of historic importance to be seen here. You can see the largest book in the world in Sakya’s great library written in gold. The most interesting thing in Sakya sect is that the sect donot believe in reincarnation and the head of sakya sect will wear white cassock and also marry to birth their child for next generation. Take a good rest the hotel in Sakya.Then forwards to world highest pass Gyatso-la pass with 5200 m above sea level to Rongpuk Monastery.

Relax a night in Rongpuk Gusthouses

Day 8Rongbu Monastery/Everest Base Camp/Tinggri(B)

Sightseeing at mount Everest in morning section and return back to Shekar(new Tingri)110km same with above
You can see rising sun on the top of the everest and can enjoy the views of natural beautiness there. Then returning back to Shekar where rest a night.

Day 9Back to Lhasa for a Whole Day(B)

Overnight in Lhasa

Day 10Leave Lhasa(B)

Return back to Lhasa Airport and flew towards yours home town. Our agency tour guide and driver will see you off to the airport and flew back to your hometown.

If you just want to take a short tour and experience around Lhasa City during Shotun Festioval, please go to
Shoton Festioval Iitnerary A:   Lhasa and Namtso Lake Sightseeing

Activities During Shoton Festivals

    
Left photo: Monks carrying the huge Tangka to diaplay near by Drepung monastery.    
Right photo: Monks hanging the huge Tangka  vertically.    

Monks along with Tibetan peoples hurriedly carrying the buddha Tangka early in the morning.    
Left Photo: Tibetans enjoying the giant Tangka show at the foot hill of a mountain back to Drepung monastery.
Right Photo:The whole street arond the Drepung monastery is busy with selling some ethnic items. Lhasa city is full with people from everypart of Tibet and cause a traffic jam for that particular day.

What CITS Tibettravel.Org Provide for Your Tour?

Included Service
1. All Breakfast (Remarked with B in the itinerary)
2. Transport:
Airport/train station pick up and drop off, Comfortable Mini Van
Lhasa City transportation: Group size 1-2, taxi; Group size 3-4, Comfortable Mini Van
Day05-Day09 Comfortable 4 wheel Drive, Toyota Land Cruiser or Mitsubishi
3. Accommodation: Tibetan Style Inn in Lhasa, comfortable and clean hotels in other cities or counties(9 nihgts twin room)
4. Guide: Local Tibetan English-speaking Tour Guide
5. Entrance tickets of tourist sites,including the reservation service of entrance tickets of Potala Palace
6. All necessary permit
7. Travel Insurance
8. Oxygen supply on 4WD
9. Government Tax
10.Entrance fee of Mt.Everest for tour guide, Parking fee of Mt.Everest for Vehicle
11: A Tibetan style dinner serviced in Lhasa at local Tibetan Restaurant.

Excluded Service
1. Internatinal and Domestic Flight
2. Your own expense like drinking, shopping
3. Tips for the guide and driver
Standrad: normally 50-80RMB/day for the guide, 30-50RMB/day for the driver
4. Lunches and Dinners
5. Single room suppement
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