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Detail Itinerary:
DAY 01: Arrive in Kathmandu:
Upon arrival at Tribhuwan
international airport, welcomed
by our representative and
transfer to hotel. The remainder
of the afternoon is at leisure.
A pre-trek briefing will be
given in the evening at hotel
about the daily program
activities by your Group
Leader/Guide.
DAY 02: Kathmandu Excursion:
After breakfast the day will
start with a guided tour of Kathmandu's historical and
spiritual key attractions;
including the historic Kathmndu
Durbar Square, the famous
'Monkey Temple' (Swayambunath)
and then finally visit to Patan
Durbar square which is situated
the heart of the city
constitutes the focus of
visitor's attraction. In the
evening there will be pre-trip
discussion where you can meet
your group leader/guide then you
can ask any questions you may
have.
DAY 03: Kathmandu fly to Lhasa:
After official procedure, this
day we have 90 minute schedule
flight take you to the Lhasa
(3658m). On arrival Gangkar
airport, you will be warmly
welcome by our Tibetan guide and
after immigration formalities we
drive approximately 2 hour to
the holy city of Lhasa along
with the view of Bharmaputra,
known as Yarlung Tsangpo in
Tibetan and a giant stone carved
Buddha with more than a thousand
years history.
DAY 04-05: Excursion around
Lhasa City: Our guided tour will
follow by visiting - Jokhang
Gompa - Jokhang is the holiest
Gompa in Tibet. Shuffle among
the pilgrims, butter lamps
permeating the air, and find
gruesome Gods in hidden annexes.
There is always a procession of
devout Tibetans through the
complex. After walking the holy
inner circle complete a circuit
of the Barkor, the market
surrounding the Jokhang, for
good luck. It is the best market
to shop for all things Tibetan.
Drepung and Sera Monasteries –
Sera is one of the best
preserved monasteries in Tibet,
renown for its lively debating
sessions in the courtyard each
afternoon. Within its
whitewashed walls and golden
roofs, several hundred monks
live and study. Drepung was
founded in the 14th century and
was once the largest Gompa in
the world. These days the figure
has been reduced to several
hundred, but there is still much
of interest to see here, as the
structure escaped relatively
unscathed during the Cultural
Revolution. Norbulingka -
Norbulingka is the summer palace
of the Dalai Lama and is in a
quiet and relaxing garden. One
particular mural inside depicts
the history of Tibet and all the
Dalai Lamas. Potala Palace - The
magnificent Potala Palace
dominates the city of Lhasa. It
contains the winter quarters of
the Dalai Lama, the
jewel-encrusted gold and silver
Stupas of previous Dalai Lamas
as well as numerous grand state
rooms and many important
chapels. There has been a palace
on this site since the 5th or
6th century, but the present
palace was constructed in the
17th century.
DAY 06: Lhasa to Ganden
Monastery: Morning we drive head
along the south bank of the Kyi
Chu to Medro Gongkar, towards
Ganden. On continuing eastwards
you will drive past the Tibet
University crossing the Lhasa
east bridge to the gas station.
After a 40-kms drive from Lhasa,
you arrive at Ganden. Ganden
Monastery is the first Gelugpa
monastery and has remained the
main seat of this major Buddhist
order ever since. Of all the
other monasteries in Tibet, it
is Ganden that has suffered the
most at the hands of the red
guards. Ganden has stupendous
view of the Kyi-chu Valley and
fascinating kora. The mountains
round Ganden provide you a good
warming up before the trek. At
the south-west corner of Ganden
is a large rock draped with
prayer flags. Ganden is an
interesting place to explore.
The ochre walls of many of the
buildings make a great backdrop
for photographs. A large rocky
cleft draped with colorful
prayer flags, a religious
destination among the locals of
Ganden, is worth a visit. The
locals can be seen
circumambulating (Kora)
clockwise around this cleft. You
will further spend nights here
to acclimatize and prepare for
your forthcoming adventure.
DAY 07: Trek to Yama Do: You
resume your trekking adventure
as you trek away from Ganden
towards south along the Angor Ri.
After ascending for 2 hours, you
see several cairns near a
saddle. The trail further leads
westwards descending to Hepu
village. Here several houses
become visible. 3 ½ hours of
trekking brings you close to
Shug-La pass. Ani Panong lies 1
hour away from Hepu. An hour of
continuous ascent leads to lush
meadows and soon appears Yama
Do.
DAY 08: Trek to Tsotup Chu
Valley across (5250m) Shug-La:
Leaving behind Yama Do, you
climb eastwards negotiating
boulders along the final climb a
top 5250 meters of the Shug-La,
the highest point on this trail.
The pass is distinctively marked
with its large cairn wrapped in
prayer flags and yak horns.
After a brief stop at the pass
to savor the grand vistas you
make a sharp descent walking
past a boulder field. The trail
eventually opens into the
valley. Up ahead in a distance
the trail crosses the Tsotup
Chu, a large stream with rich
pastures of yaks, goats and
sheep. You encounter several
herders on the way. After
trekking for 4-5 hours, you
reach the Tsotup Chu Valley.
DAY 09: Trek to Herder's Camp:
As you turn away from Tsotup Chu
Valley, you come across main
water course following from the
south-east and a tributary from
the south-west. You take the
route along this tributary
followed by steep ascents for 30
minutes to a large basin and
thereafter, the tributary
disappears out of sight. The
trail further opens into the
valley progressing south to the
Chitu-La at 5100 meters capped
with several cairns. The trail
further brushes past a sheer
rock wall on its south flank.
Thereafter, follows a descent
into a basin showcasing three
turquoise lakes. Further on, the
trail moves on to the west side
of the stream and thereon, after
30 minutes approaches campsite.
Many herders’ camps can be seen
at the nearby locations.
Following the rock-strewn valley
floor, you will head to a flat
seasonal herder's camp in the
east side of the valley. Soon
after returning to the west side
of the valley, you will near
another seasonal herders' camp.
DAY 10: Trek to Wango:
Traversing through the lush
scrub forest along the wide
trail, you trek ahead, taking in
the refreshing sights of verdant
vegetation. The trail is dotted
with fragrant junipers growing
on southern slopes and
rhododendron on the shadier
slopes. Further ahead the
village of Changtang comes into
view, where the majority of the
local villagers are engaged in
animal husbandry. Yarlung
Tsangpo valley can be viewed on
the south. You can ascend
steeply up to Yamalung Hermitage
for one hour. But if you choose
not to climb this ascent, you
can simply wait near the bridge.
Ancient history has it that Guru
Rinpoche, after rigorous
meditation attained spiritual
enlightenment with the blessings
from the deity of Amitayus at
Yamalung. This hermitage houses
small temples which shelters
monks, sacred springs and stone
carvings of 8th Guru Rinpoche,
King Trisong Detsen and Indian
pundit Shantarakshita. Stone
houses come into sight after
walking for one hour to the
village of Nyango. The trail
overlooks the tributary streams
cascading from the north-west to
join the Samye valley. The old
trade route from Lhasa to Samye
via the Gokar-La follows this
valley. The trail further
proceeds towards Wango. You
further head towards Pisha.
DAY 11: Trek to Samye and drive
to Tsedang: Pisha offers
picturesque view of the lower
Samye valley. At its lower end
an undulating hill called Hepo
Ri appears into picture. This is
regarded very sacred. The trail
winds through the ridge of
Dragmar towards verdant fields
and villages of Samye reviving
ancient history. A partially
rebuilt palace is nestled on the
summit. History boasts that the
palace is the birthplace of King
Trisong Detsen and had a grand
temple in the ancient time.
Further off the road, you will
find a small red and white
temple which is believed to have
been built under the shade of
white sandalwood tree and
nourished by the buried placenta
of King Trisong in the ancient
time but was chopped off during
Cultural Revolution. Further on,
the trail overlooking amazing
spires leads to Sangbu village.
You will find a well trodden
track to Samye.
DAY 12: Explore the Yarlung
Valley: As you approach Samye
Valley, you can visit the Samye
monastery bearing panoramic
picture. Shortly after this
insightful visit, you will drive
to Tsedang, the third largest
city in central Tibet. On the
Southeast of Tsedang, you will
get to observe mesmerizing views
of mountain Gangpo Ri standing
at 4,130 meters above sea level.
Tibetans regard this mountain as
their legendary birthplace and
consider it to be immensely
significant. You can eventually
rest for the night at a
comfortable guest house. You get
to explore the Yarlung valley,
which is also known as the
Valley of Tombs. Ancient Tibetan
history boasts that Tibetan
civilization was originated from
Yarlung valley. You can spot
massive burial mounds of Tibetan
Kings. This day’s sights include
Tandruk (Trandruk) Monastery, a
7th century monastery, which
holds fantastic wood carved
altar, interesting relics and
murals. Yambulakang, the castle
perched dramatically on a
pinnacle above the valley is the
oldest known dwelling in Tibet,
reputedly the home of the
Yarlung Kings. The view from the
castle is awesome. The tour
continues to the west of
Tsedang, crossing the Tsangpo
River on a boat to Samye
Monastery, founded in 779 AD, is
in a green valley among barren
mountains surrounded by a
village. Samye Monastery is one
of the most imposing sights of
Tibet. Built between 763 and 75
AD modeled on the University of
Otantapuri in India and planned
as a representation of the
universe, it has a collection of
pagodas and temples.
DAY 13: Tsedang drive to Gangkar
airport: This day drive to
Gongkar airport according to
your flight estimate time of
departure, it is time to say
your farewells to your guide and
driver.
DAY 14: Leisure day: This full
day at leisure to rest, relax or
explore the local area in
Kathmandu or do a bit of last
minute shopping. You also have
the option of doing some
sight-seeing. Evening will have
farewell meeting & dinner at
Nepali typical restaurant.
DAY 15: Departure day: After
breakfast you will have some
free time until the time to
leave the international airport
for your final departure. |