Trip to the birthplace of Tibetan Buddhism

Day 1

Place & Transport: Arrive Chengdu
Today's Activities: Airport to Hotel Transfer
Meals: /
Detailed Itinerary: Arriving in Chengdu, you will clear Chinese customs and immigration. Exiting with your baggage, you will be met by our China operator, holding your names on a sign. He will transfer you to your hotel. At the same time, he will get your signatures on the relevant documents, process your Tibet permit, and return it to you at the hotel. Overnight at your hotel.

Day 2

Place & Transport: Chengdu
Today's Activities: Wenshu Yuan, Panda Breeding Center, Sichuan Opera School
Meals: B
Detailed Itinerary: This morning you can do some touring in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, and its administrative, cultural and educational center. The city is also a major industrial base and the economic, social and political heart and soul of Southwest China.

You will begin your day with a visit to Wenshu Yuan, the largest and best preserved Buddhist temple in the city. Wenshu dates back to the Tang Dynasty, and was renamed in the 17th century after a Buddhist monk who had made the monastery his home. The monastery is extremely active and constantly filled with worshippers. The alley nearby the monastery is also a "happening", with teahouses, vendors, fortune tellers, and all sorts of other things and people.

After the monastery, you will visit the Panda Breeding Center to see the adult and baby pandas.

Finally, in the afternoon, if you feel like it, your guide can take you to the Sichuan Opera School to see how the children are taught this ancient art of Chinese opera. Overnight at your hotel.

Day 3

Place & Transport: Chengdu/Lhasa/Tsetang
Today's Activities: Fly to Lhasa; drive to Tsetang
Meals: B,L,D
Detailed Itinerary: This morning, you will be picked up at your hotel and transferred to the airport, this time for your morning flight to Tibet. Exact flight times are often a function of weather, and are sometimes hard to determine.

Arriving in Lhasa you will be met and driven to Tsetang at the head of the Yarlung and Tsangpo rivers. Dominating the valleys, Tsetang was founded in 1351 by Jangchub Gyaltsen, an abbot of the Phagmo Drupa sect. In Tibetan mythology, human beings were descended from the union of a demoness and Avalokitesvara, the God of Compassion in the form of a monkey. Legend has it that the divine pair came down to earth to play at Tsetang, and the name literally means "playground." The monasteries were badly damaged during the Cultural Revolution. Perhaps the best preserved temple is the Sang‐ngag Zimche Nunnery, housing an old statue of Tibet's first Buddhist king, Songtsen Gampo. You will stay at the simple but clean Tsetang Hotel during your stay in the Yarlung Valley.

Day 4

Place & Transport: Tsedang
Today's Activities: Explore Yarlung Tsangpo Valley; cross the river to Samye and Yongbulakang
Meals: B,L,D
Detailed Itinerary: You will spend the next day exploring the beautiful Yarlung Tsangpo Valley, the cradle of Tibetan civilization. When you are ready in the morning, you will drive to Samye. Samye is Tibet's first monastery, built over 1200 years ago by Trisong Detsen under the auspices of the two Indian teachers, Padmasambhava and Shantarashita. Here, Buddhism was formally inaugurated as the state religion and Tibet's first monks were trained and ordained by the Abbot Shantarashita. The design of the monastery, like most monasteries and temples, is symbolic. Samye is a mirror of the Buddhist universe, with the main temple as Mount Sumeru, the mythical monument at the center of the cosmos. Side chapels represent the four continents and subcontinents. Samye has been damaged over time by fires and the Cultural Revolution. Nevertheless, it was not totally destroyed and one can sense its long history and appreciate the paintings and statues.

From Samye, you will travel to Yongbulakang, the oldest known dwelling in Tibet. Its history goes back to the semi‐mythical king Nyatri Tsenpo, who was said to have descended from heaven on a rainbow. Yombulakang, like many of the monasteries, was totally destroyed during the cultural revolution, and the present replica was rebuilt in 1982. You will have to walk very slowly for about 45 minutes (not easy at this altitude) up to the building. The ground floor shrine honors the ancient kings of Tibet and the upper story houses a beautiful chapel. Perhaps the highpoint of the visit will be the late afternoon views and the shades of colors stretching for miles across the barren Tibetan plateau as the sun is going down.

In the evening, you will once again stay at your hotel.

Day 5

Place & Transport: Tsedang/Gyantse
Today's Activities: Tour Mindroling Monastery; continue to Gyantse; Views of Yandruk Tso
Meals: B,L,D
Detailed Itinerary: Leaving Tsetang, you will head west along the Tsangpo River. Your drive is quite spectacular. Your first stop will be Mindroling Monastery, founded by Terdak Lingba in 1676. Despite the relative "newness" of this monastery, it is the first of the Nyingmapa monasteries in Tibet and was rebuilt several times. The Nyingmapas are the oldest Buddhist sect in Tibet founded in the eighth century by Padmasambhava.

Your destination after Mindroling is Gyantse, and on the way, you will cross the 15,742 foot Kamba La Pass with its spectacular views of Yandruk Tso. Yandruk Tso is one of the holiest Lakes to inhabitants of the Lhasa area. The Chinese are building a power plant here, and locals are afraid their lake will be desecrated and dry up. Your road will also take you along a river that not too long ago was the site of the old road. Be sure to ask, as you drive, to see the castle where the British captain, Younghusband, stayed. Once on land, the area is now surrounded by water. In 1904, Younghusband, leader of the British expedition to Lhasa, waged a major battle, killing several hundred Tibetans. He stayed on for a month in the castle, before proceeding to Lhasa.

Late in the afternoon, you will arrive in Gyantse and head to your hotel. For what it is worth, you can actually get a good massage from the girls in the hotel, if you dare! Overnight at the Gyantse Hotel.

Day 6

Place & Transport: Gyantse
Today's Activities: Visit Kumbum and monastery as well as Peljor Chode Monastery
Meals: B,L,D
Detailed Itinerary: Gyantse, once Tibet's third most important city, lies at the head of the Nyangchu Valley astride the main trade routes from India, Bhutan, and Nepal to Lhasa. Made wealthy by selling sheep and yak wool, the rich lords of the city pooled their resources in the early 1400's to build the Kumbum, a Nepalese‐style stupa containing some of the best preserved and most unique art in Tibet, and Peljor Chode, the spectacular assembly hall. In the 15th century, there were actually nine major monasteries near or in the town.

The Kumbum is truly the synthesis of Nepali (Newari)/Tibetan art and architecture. The building itself contains 112 chapels each with spectacular statues and paintings in remarkably good repair. As one moves from the lower to the higher stories, the wall paintings themselves represent higher and higher Buddhist practices. If you have the energy, it is well worthwhile to climb to the top and survey the area.

Next to the Kumbum is a monastery that is a joy for those who enjoy Tibetan art. The paintings on the wall, very different in style from those in the Kumbum, are extraordinary. Additionally, since most tourists only stop to look at the Kumbum, the monks are thrilled to see visitors and love to show them around.

In the afternoon, you will visit the Peljor Chode Monastery at the other end of town. The monastery was built in 1418 by Rabten Kunzang. Excellently preserved, the monastery contains many statues and paintings that date back to its founding. Without doubt, the statues, paintings and thankas of Gyantse are among some of the most spectacular art of the trip. Once again, you will sleep at your hotel.

Day 7

Place & Transport: Gyantse/Shigatse
Today's Activities: Drive to Shigatse and participate in the kora
Meals: B,L,D
Detailed Itinerary: Rising early you will continue driving west to Shigatse. In the early days of Communism, some of the monks of Shigatse were in collusion with the security bureau and reported anyone accepting or distributing pictures of the Dalai Lama. They hoped that by cooperating with the Communists, they could save their temple from destruction. Sadly, it did not work completely. Nevertheless, Tashilumpo monastery, the oldest and largest Gelugpa Monastery in Tsang province and home to the Panchen Lama, is magnificent.

Be sure, when you are there, to do the kora or pilgrim circuit. As you walk, the path will take you past holes for dogs, thought of as "fallen monks," as well as places to earn merit by rubbing your body against holy rocks. You will find yourself sitting down and chatting with the local pilgrims, monks and nuns, and the walk will turn into a real happening. Overnight at your hotel.

Day 8

Place & Transport: Shigatse/Lhasa
Today's Activities: Drive back to Lhasa; walk in the Barkhor
Meals: B,L,D
Detailed Itinerary: This morning, before you leave, you can take a few minutes and explore the small Tibetan bazaar. When you are ready, you can complete your circle and drive back to Lhasa. When you arrive, you will be taken to the Dhood Gu Hotel near the Barkhor.

Here, you can wash and unpack. When you are ready, you can take a walk in the Barkhor, the shopping area surrounding the Jokhang. Tonight you will sleep in your hotel.

Day 9

Place & Transport: Lhasa
Today's Activities: Explore the Jokhang, Potala and the Lhukang
Meals: B,L,D
Detailed Itinerary: Rising early you will grab a quick breakfast. Around 7:30am you head back to the Barkhor and the Jokhang, spiritual center of Tibet and destination of millions of Tibetan Pilgrims. The Jokhang, built in 767AD by Tibet's first Buddhist King, Songtsen Gampo, is the heart of this Buddhist world. You can walk the kora or pilgrim route, around the Barkhor with the early morning pilgrims. After the outside kora you enter the temple and walk the nangkhor, or inside of the temple. On the roof of the Jokhang, you can take beautiful pictures of the market and pilgrims below, and the Potala on the hill across the square. From the Jokhang, you will head to the Potala, the former winter palace of the Dalai Lama, built on the escarpments of Red Hill and rising more than 1000' above the valley floor. If you can, enter through the pilgrim entrance, up the long path, rather than through the tourist entrance. Your visit to the Potala, complete, you will have lunch at one of the local restaurants.

After lunch, you can visit the amusement park and one of Lhasa's gems – the Lhukang, set in the middle of a lake. At one time, one would take a boat across the lake. Now the area is a Chinese theme park, and it is fun to see how the people use the area. The temple is one of the gems of Lhasa, and contains artwork related to Tibetan medical practices. Overnight at your hotel.

Day 10

Place & Transport: Lhasa
Today's Activities: Visit Norbulinka, Museum of Tibetan Culture and Sera
Meals: B,L,D
Detailed Itinerary: This morning, for your last full day in Tibet, you will begin with a visit to the Norbulinka, once named Jewel Park and now People's Park. The Norbulinka was the former summer palace of successive Dalai Lamas from 1755, and suffered extensive damage during the Cultural Revolution. Much has been rebuilt, and it is fascinating to see how the Dalai Lama actually lived. Painted on one of the walls is a picture of the 14th Dalai Lama and his family – the only picture of His Holiness still prominent in Tibet.

Near the Norbulinkha is a new Museum of Tibetan Culture, built by the Chinese and just opened several years ago. It is well worth a stop both to see the exhibits and to read the Chinese version of Tibetan history.

After visiting the museum, you can have lunch and then head over to Sera, in time for the 3pm debates. Sera, is a 15th century Gelugpa monastery, founded by one of Tsong Khapa's disciples, and is famous for its Tantric teachings. The name Sera means "Merciful Hail." Years ago, a rivalry existed between Sera and Drepung (means "Rice Heap"). The monks from Sera thought their hail would destroy Drepung's rice, while Sera boasted the "dob-dobs," an elite corps of warrior monks, much feared by other Buddhist leaders. Overnight at your hotel.

Day 11

Place & Transport: Lhasa to Chengdu, Flight No. TAB
Today's Activities: Fly back to Chengdu
Meals: B
Detailed Itinerary: Today, you will head back to the airport and catch a flight to Chengdu and connect with your onward flight.