7 Days Gyantse Damar Festival Tour
(TFT002) Lhasa - Lake Yamdrok - Gyantse - Lhasa
-
Tour Type:
Escorted by private guide and vehicle; leave 365 days a year!
-
Trip Level:
Easy - suitable for all levels of fitness, family with kids and senior groups.
-
Trip Level Guide:
- Easy - suitable for all level of fitness, family with kids and senior groups.
- Moderate - suitable for ones with average level fitness, family with kids bigger than 12 yrs.
- Moderate to Strenous - suitable for ones physically fit; have experiences of high altitude trek.
- Strenuous: suitable for adventures and individual with physically fit and healthy.
-
Season:春
Spring夏
Summer秋
Autumn冬
Winter
Overview
If you want to travel to Tibet around June, Gyantse Damar Festival is a must for you to experience. This festival is held in the fourth month of Tibetan calendar( or June in solar calender) and it can be accessed easily as it overlaps the hot Tibet travel route. You can see the entertaining horse racing, and archery performance and other celebration events.The celebration is expected to last for a week.
In this tour, tourists will visit major monasteries in Lhasa and head to enjoy the well-known Gyantse-Shigatse loop during which you can join the Damar festival.
At a Glance
Day 1Arrive in Lhasa
Day 2Lhasa Tour - Potola Palace, Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street (B)
Day 3Lhasa Tour - Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery (B)
Day 4Visit Yamdrok-Tso Lake and Pelkor monastery in Gyantse (B)
Day 5Enjoy Gyantse Damar Festival and Nomads’ Trade Fair (B)
Day 6Gyantse to Lhasa via Shigatse (B)
Day 7Departure fromLhasa (B)
Day to Day Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Lhasa
Upon your arrival at Lhasa airport or train station, you will be greeted by your Tibetan guide and escorted to your hotel in Lhasa.
Then check in at the hotel, and have a good rest to acclimatize the high altitude.
Stay overnight in Lhasa.
Day 2: Lhasa Tour - Potola Palace, Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street (B)
In the morning, we are about to visit the famous Potala palace and explore the grandest of this myriad chapels, and you will experience its audience halls, the jeweled and Golden burial chortens (stupa Tombs) of past Dalai Lamas, and tremendous number of Buddhist frescoes, thangkas, combinations of mandala, etc.
In the afternoon, we will tour the holist temple in Tibet, the Johkang Temple, built during Songtsen Gonpo's reign by princess Wencheng of Tang Dynasty, 647 A.D, and its famous Barkhor Kora (circling around Jokhang temple and Barkhor street) and bargain with vendors for Tibetan souvenirs on Barkhor street.
Stay overnight in Lhasa.
Day 3: Lhasa Tour - Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery (B)
Today, you will visit two important monasteries in Lhasa, the Drepung and the Sera. Drepung monastery was situated at the foothill of a mountain and was once home to 10000 monks and Ganden podrang in Drepung was famous for its role as the governmental centre during the fifth dalai lama and later was moved to the famous Potala Palace during the fifth dalai lama.
After having lunch, we continue to visit Sera Monastery founded in 1419 by Tsongkapa's disciple Jamchen Choeje. The most attractive scene is its monk debate held in the debating courtyard mostly around 3 - 5 in the afternoon.
Stay overnight in Lhasa.
Day 4: Visit Yamdrok-Tso Lake and Pelkor monastery in Gyantse (B)
Drive across Kambala Pass to the dazzlingly turquoise green Yamdrok-Tso Lake, one of the three great holy lakes in Tibet. After having an eyeful of the stunning scenery, move on to Gyantse, one of Tibet's most traditional towns. En route you will also enjoy spectacular vistas of Karo-la Glacier roadside at 4960m.
Another important attraction for today is Pelkor monastery, a walled monastery complex in Gyantse. Pelkor monastery is also known for its Kubum, a 35m-high chorten (stupa) with its white layers trimmed with decorative stripes and its crown-like golden dome.
Stay overnight in Gyantse.
Day 5: Enjoy Gyantse Damar Festival and Nomads’ Trade Fair (B)
Our focus of today is to enjoy the annual Gyantse Damar Festival lasting from April 15 of Tibetan calendar. Considered to be one of Tibet’s most traditional festivals, it offers us a chance to experience Tibetan Buddhism and folklore in an intimate way. Locals from the 19 townships in the Gyangze County gather to celebrate the festival, which also attracts people from everywhere.
Tourists can enjoy wresting, horse racing, shooting contest, etc. It is not only a folk festival but an exchange with a theme of promoting economy through cultural events like exchanging goods in the trade fair etc.
During the festival, nomads will drive their horse carts to bring their families to the annual festival. Some are fond of races, some like to watch performances, while still others will set up stands to sell home-made sweet milk dregs and other products. But most people will stay in their own tents and enjoy themselves until nightfall.
As tourists explore the exotic trade fair, you can also taste highland Tibetan delicacy and collect exquisite handicrafts and other souvenirs.
Stay overnight in Gyantse.
Day 6: Gyantse to Lhasa via Shigatse (B)
First follow the Nyang River northwest for an hour or so to Shigatse. On the way , we will stop to tour Shalu Monastery renowned as a center of scholarly learning and psychic training, and its ancient and beautiful mural paintings.
Later, we are going to visit Tashilhunpo Monastery, the seat of Panchen Lama (Tibet's second highest incarnation).
After lunch, start our drive back to Lhasa along the Sino-Nepal Highway for roughly four hours.
Stay overnight in Lhasa.
Day 7: Departure fromLhasa (B)
Transfer to Lhasa airport for your flight back home.
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.
Contact us for your dream trip now !
Enquire NowYou May Also Like
-
5 Days Shoton Festival Experience Tour
Lhasa
-
8 Days Tibet Nagqu Horse Racing Festival Budget Travel by Train
Lhasa - Nagqu - Lhasa
-
8 Days Yushu Horse Racing Festival Tour
Xining - Tongren - Madoi - Yushu - Xining
-
16 Days Kailash and Manasarovar Small Group Tour: Touching Mount Kailash with Spiritual Saga Dawa Festival Experience
Lhasa - Gyantse - Shigatse - EBC - Saga - Darchen - Kailash Trek - Darchen - Saga - Gyirong - Tingri - Lhasa
Most Frequently Asked Questions from our Clients
The easiest way to get to know the variety of Tibetans’ life is to take part in their various festivals, of which is Damar festival. You can see people from all walks of life who come to exchange their goods or compete in archery, horse racing and other events.
Tibetan Travel Guru,Kham Sang
Get A Quotation of this Tour
Get Started - 7 Days Gyantse Damar Festival Tour
You’re getting closer to your dream Tibet vacation! Fill out this form so our travel designers can start helping you plan a trip.
Privacy Policy: Your information is kept strictly confidential. Tibet Vista will never sell, trade, or give away your contact information to a third party.