Itinerary
Days
1-2 Chengdu
Days 3-6 Lhasa
Day
7 Gyantse
Days 8-9 Shigatse
Day
10 Lhasa
Day 11 Ganden
Day 12
Depart.
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Tibet Tour: Explore
Central Tibet -
12 Days
 Chengdu, the bustling capital of Sichuan Province
is home to some of the best (and spiciest!) food in the world. It
is also a city of temples, gardens and teahouses. An early morning
visit to the Panda Breeding and Research Center allows you to see
the magnificent Giant Pandas and Red Pandas at their most active;
on the way back you can be dropped at the Wenshu Temple with its
excellent vegetarian restaurant and extensive tea-houses filled
with people chatting and playing cards and Mah-Jong - a taste of
old China. In the evening there is the option to discover a little
of Sichuan’s rich cultural heritage at a tea-house performance
of opera, acrobatics, puppetry and ‘eating fire and changing
faces’.
Colorful
and historic, the holy city of Lhasa lies in a small valley 3700
meters above sea level. Lhasa rose to importance over 1300 years
ago as attempts were made to unify Tibet. At this time the grand
temples of Ramoche and Jokhang were built to house the Buddha images
and religious artifacts brought to Tibet as dowries from China and
Nepal. Although little of 7th century Lhasa remains intact, the
1600s saw a second stage of renovation and development, which included
construction of the Potala Palace. Perched on a hilltop overlooking
the town, this massive structure dominates the landscape with grace
and dignity, confirming the suggestion that this palace is a true
wonder of the architectural world.
During your time in the heart of Tibet, you will visit the Potala
Palace, the Jokhang, the huge university monasteries of Drepung
and Sera and the Barkhor pilgrim circuit. There is free time to
explore other sights.
The Jokhang Temple is the spiritual heart of Tibet and also the
most active. Prostrating pilgrims circle the temple endlessly day
and night; some traversing the extremes of the country by foot to
celebrate their beliefs. The Barkhor, the holiest devotional circuit,
circumnavigates the Jokhang and houses a market bazaar. Here, Buddha
images, yak skulls with ruby eyes, woodcarvings, carpets and prayer
wheels are bargained for.
It is a long,
yet spectacular drive to Gyantse. From the top of the Kamba Pass
(4794m) the views of the turquoise lake, Yamdrok-Tso are unforgettable.
The road winds down and along its shores via the small town of Nangartse
before climbing again to the Karo La (5054) and the glaciers of
Mt Nojin Kangtsang. Gyantse was once of major importance as a trading
center on the routes between India, Sikkim, Bhutan, Tibet and China,
its imposing fort, Gyantse Dzong, dominates views of the town.
Gyantse is
also the site of the great 15th century monastic complex - Pelkor
Choede which includes the fascinating Gyantse Kumbum. From Gyantse
the Nyang-chu valley leads towards Tibet’s second largest
town, Shigatse.
Shigatse is
site of Tashilhunpo Monastery, seat of the Panchen Lama and one
of the most important monasteries of the Gelukpa order. The enormous,
elaborate reliquary chorten are an incredible sight. Here there
is also the option to visit the local carpet factory where handwoven
carpets are produced using traditional designs.
Return to
Lhasa via the northern (Yangpachen) road, a much greener route than
the southern route. For the last couple of hours to Lhasa the road
follows the route of the new high-altitude rail line from Golmud,
well on the way to completion.
 Ganden Monastery, only 35kms outside Lhasa,
is the seat of the head of the Gelukpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism.
Almost completely destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, it is
slowly being rebuilt. Its position is a dramatic one, with fantastic
views across the valley - join the pilgrims on the kora (circumambulation).
Enjoy a last night in Lhasa before an early transfer to the airport
for your return flight to Chengdu or elsewhere in China.
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Pandas
China's most iconic symbol are well aware of
how cute they are - especially the young ones whose clumsy antic
can entertain for hours. |
Potala
Palace
The symbol of Tibet, this awesome palace containing
over 1000 rooms and 200,000 images dominates the city. The original
7th century building was replaced by the current 130,000square
meter structure in the 17th century. |
| Jokhang
Temple
This 1300-year-old, golden-roofed building at the center of
the Barkhor is the spiritual heart of both the city and of
the Tibetan world. The most sacred and active of Tibetan temples,
it is the principal geomantic power-place in Tibet. The courtyard
in front of the entrance is almost constantly filled with
prostrating pilgrims – inside the labyrinth of shrines,
halls and galleries are dimly lit by butter lamps and filled
with pilgrims and incense and house some of the finest treasures
of Tibetan art including a pure gold statue of Sakyamuni.
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Gyantse
‘The Royal Summit’ is named after a crag rising
suddenly from the plane, which has been fortified since early
antiquity – the fort (dzong) which crowns the crag dates
from the C14th. Gyantse quickly emerged as center of a fiefdom
with powerful connections to the Sakyapa order and dominated
the wool and timber trade routes from Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan
for centuries. By 1440 Gyantse’s most impressive architectural
achievements had been completed – the Kumbum, the dzong
and Pelkor Chode monastery. |
Tashilumpo
Founded
in 1447 by a nephew and disciple of Tsongkhapa who was retroactively
named the first Dalai Lama. The original building was built
above a sacred sky-burial site, the stone slab of which can
still be seen on the floor. Tashilhunpo is one of the four great
Geluk monasteries in Tibet and at its peak housed 4700 monks
and is still the largest functioning monastic community in Tibet.
The most amazing image is the 26m Maitreya, erected in its own
Lhakhang by the 9th Panchen Lama in 1914 and covered with 279
kg of gold. |
Ganden
Join
pilgrims on the high kora around this spectacularly situated
monastery - almost completely destroyed during the Cultural
Revolution, restoration is well under way. |
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