Tripology

Commercial Flight

International flight on your own arrangement.

Hotel

Upon your arrival at Kunming, "the Spring and Flower City", our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free at your own leisure. Accommodations: Kunming Hotel, Meals: D

Sightseeing

Today, you will have a trip to the Stone Forest which is about 90km to the south of Kunming. And then to visit the bird and flower market after come back. Accommodations: Kunming Hotel, Meals: B,L,D

Sightseeing

Stone Forest: a 270-million-year-old limestone karst formation of tightly bundled gray rocky outcrops, a natural wonder acknowledged as "World Karst Landscape Museum", the Stone Forest shows a variety of unique shapes, such as sword, mushrooms, tower, pillar and castle, representing the greatest miracle that nature can present to human beings.

The bird and flower market: located in the old section of the city, it is a bustling market not just selling birds, flowers, but also jade, so-called "antiques", handicrafts and so on together with lots of food stands for local specialities.

Commercial Flight

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Lijiang.

Hotel

Upon your arrival at Lijiang County, "an UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site", our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. In the afternoon, you will have an excursion to the Ancient Town and the Lion Hill. Accommodations: Jiannanchun Hotel, Meals: B,L,D

Lijiang Ancient Town: also called Dayan Town, built in the late Song dynasty and the early Yuan dynasty with a history of more than 800 years. This ancient town consists of clean streams flowing freely through the road network, the colorful cobbled streets, age-old swaying willow trees, age-old buildings and stone bridges. There are over 22 different ethnic minorities making Lijiang their home. Now and then you may see local folks in their own tradtional dress. Strolling around this charming ancient town, you will be attracted by the unique atmosphere and surprised by its ancient yet simple sense of "Harmony of Heaven and Man."

Sightseeing

Lion Hill: the name is derived from its resemblance of a lion playing a ball. The mountain is best known for its vast and green pines and cypresses planted mostly in Ming Dynasty with over 500 years old. From the Tower of Eternity (Wangoulou) on the top of the mountain, you can enjoy a bird's eye view of the ancient town and the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain far away.

Sightseeing

Today, you will first visit the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and then the Baisha Mural Paintings, the Black Dragon Pool Park and Museum of Naxi Dongba Culture inside the park. Accommodations: Jiannanchun Hotel, Meals: B,L,D

Sightseeing

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain: it is so called because it looks like a flying jade dragon from afar. The mountain consists of 13 peaks and sprawls 35 km from north to south. Its glacier is the closest to the equator in the Northern Hemisphere. By taking the cable car up to a certain height, you can enjoy the expansive mountains views and snowy scenery.

Sightseeing

Baisha Mural Paintings: located in Baisha Township, 8km north of Lijiang, there are altogether 53 groups of mural paintings in different temples with fine and smooth lines, bright colors,vivid patterns and harmonious composition. Painted from the early days of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911),these mural paintings are an artistic representation of the different religious cultures such as Buddhism, Lamaism, Daoism and the Naxi Dongba religion.

National Parks

Black Dragon Pool Park: where you can see the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain from afar and the reflection of the mountain in the pool in a clear day. This park is the source of the water system of the Old Lijiang Town as the clean spring from Jade Dragon Snow Mountain gathers here.

Sightseeing

After breakfast, you will have a trip to the First Bend of the Yangtze River and Iron Chain Bridge in the Shigu (Stone Drum) Town, and then Tiger Leaping Gorge.

Sightseeing

First Bend of the Yangtze River: formed by the Yangtze River rushing down from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with a sharp turn of 45 degrees at Shigu (Stone Drum) Town before the river continues running on to northeast.

Sightseeing

Tiger Leaping Gorge: This gorge is located 92 km north of Lijiang County, between peaks of over 3,000 meters above the Jinsha River (upper course of Yangtze River). The legend goes that tigers often leap to the other side of the river by a huge rock lying in the middle of the river at the entrance of the Gorge, hence the name. This 17-kilometer-long Gorge is honored as the deepest and one of the most marvelous gorges on the earth.

Sightseeing

Shigu Village: The hypsography is very rugged in Shigu Village, Which is located on the opposite of the First Bend on the Yangtze River.

Sightseeing

Zhongdian: The beautiful "Shangri-la" described in "The Lost Horizon" is, in fact, the city of Zhongdian, located in the Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province. Even today, Zhongdian County remains an untainted natural paradise.

Bus

Drive about 100km to Zhongdian (Shangri-la County) afterwards, where you will stay overnight. Accommodations: Holy Palace Hotel, Meals: B,L,D

Sightseeing

Your excursion today will bring you to Bita Lake, Napa Lake, Gedan Songzanlin Monastery.

Bita Lake: 35km away from the County, meaning "the place where roburs become felts", it is a lake surrounded by mountains with clear water and abundant fish resources. Due to the road condition, you need to walk 7km on your own or ride a horse before you can get to the lake.



Napa Lake: 8km away from the County, meaning "the lake beside the forest", it is a lake on the plateau in the depths of the Yila Grass with mirror-like water and lots of precious fowls.



The Songzanlin Lamasery: the most important Lamasery of Tibetan Buddhism in Yunnan province.

Performing Arts

In the evening, pay a visit to a Tibet family, where you will enjoy a local Singing and Dancing Show with some special snacks. Accommodations: Holy Palace Hotel,
Meals: B,L,D

Commercial Flight

After breakfast, our local guide escorts you to the airport for your flight to Lhasa.

Upon your arrival at Gonggar airport, you will be met by your local guide and transferred to the hotel in Lhasa city (2-hour drive), and you will view the Stone Giant Buddha engraved in the mountain face en route.

Hotel

After checking in the hotel, rest in the afternoon to get adapted to the high altitude. Accommodations: Tibet Hotel
Meals: B,D

Sightseeing

Your sightseeing today will include the Lhasa's cardinal landmark -- Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and flourishing Barkhor Street. Accommodations: Kunming Hotel, Meals: B,L,D

Potala Palace: the symbol of Lhasa, perched upon Marpo Ri Hill, 130 meters above the Lhasa Valley, it is the greatest monumental structure in Tibet and one of the most famous architectural works of the world. The construction was started in 641 AD and it was rebuilt by the Fifth Dalai Lama in three years, while the Thirteenth Dalai Lama extended and repaired it into what it is now. As the religious and political centre of old Tibet and the winter residence of Dalai Lamas, the palace witnessed the life of the Dalai Lamas and the important political and religious activities in the past centuries. The Potala Palace also houses great amounts of rare cultural relics including the gold hand-written Buddhist scriptures, valuable gifts from the Chinese emperors and a lot of priceless antiques.

Shopping

Barkhor Street: a circular street around the Jokhang Temple in the center of the old section of Lhasa, it is the oldest street in a very traditional style in Tibet, where you can enjoy bargaining with the local Tibetan vendors for the handicrafts which are rarely seen elsewhere in the world. Barkhor Street is one of the most important religious paths along which pilgrims walk around Jokhang Temple while turning prayer wheels in their hands. They have been doing this for countless centuries. Buddhist pilgrims walk or progress by body-lengths in a clockwise direction. This walk can continue all day and well into the night.

Jokhang Temple: located in the center of the old section of Lhasa, built in 647 AD by Songtsen Gampo and his two foreign wives, and later extended by successive rulers. It has now become a gigantic architectural complex and it is the spiritual center of Tibet.

National Parks

Today we will bring you to the Norbulingka Park, the Drepung Monastery and the Sera Monastery. Accommodations: Tibet Hotel,
Meals: B,L,D



Norbulingka Park: Norbulingka means "Jeweled Garden", built in 1751 AD as a summer palace for the Dalai Lama where they handled political affairs and practiced religious activities. It is now a large-scale palace complex and garden in Tibetan style covering an area of 40 hectares. The whole complex 370 rooms of different sizes and lawns shaded by green trees and enclosed by various flowers. Before 1959, commoners had no access to this park. Nowadays, on festivals and holidays, the local people in their colorful costumes come here with food and tents to sing and dance overnight.

Sightseeing

Drepung Monastery: the largest monastery of the Gelug Sect in Tibet, standing on the slope of the majestic Mount Gambo Utse; it was built in 1416 AD and is the place where each reincarnation of the Dalai Lama received his training. In its heyday, it had more than 10,000 monks. Now it is home to about 700 monks.

Sightseeing

Sera Monastery: Sera means "Wild Rose Garden" in Tibetan because lush wild rose woods once grew around it. The monastery is one of the three largest monasteries in Tibet. Located at the northern outskirts of Lhasa, it was built in 1419 AD by Jamchen Choje (or Sakyayeshe), one of the eight disciples of Tsong Khapa who was the founder of the Gelugpa Sect. The Sera Monastery houses three colleges built in the 15th and 16th centuries, and it is famous for the "Buddhism Scriptures Debating".

Sightseeing

Today's drive is from Lhasa to Gyantse (about 256km, 5.5-hour drive) first. Along the way you will visit Yamdrok Lake and a Tibetan family. Tour Palcho Monastery in Gyantse before the drive to Shigatse (about 90km, 1.5-hour drive).

Sightseeing

Gyantse: an important wool trading post between Tibet and India in medieval times

Sightseeing

Yamdrok Lake: one of the three largest lakes of Tibet and one of the three holy lakes. It covers an area of 638 square kilometers with a coastline of 250 kilometers. The deepest point is 60 meters. The coast of the lake is an ideal pasture where you can enjoy the intoxicating, picturesque, and natural scenery.

Private Tour

Tibetan Family: where you will be greeted and warmly welcomed by common Tibetan people in their traditional way and entertained with their typical food.

Palcho Monastery: built in 1414 AD, it is unique because three Sects of Buddhism-Sakya, Gedan and Gelug are living harmoniously under one roof. The Palcho Pagoda beside the Monastery has 9 stories, 108 doors and 77 rooms housing some 100,000 statues of Buddha, so it is famed as the "100,000-Buddha Pagoda." The frescoes, statues and sculptures in the monastery are exquisite, succinct and life-like.

Hotel

Overnight at Shigatse. The Shigatse Hotel is a three-star tourist hotel founded in 1985. The structure was in typical Tibetan style with modern equipment in guest rooms. The 123 guestrooms at the hotel are medium size and are well decorated with latest amenities. The ballroom style restaurants at the hotel provide authentic local-style food.

Sightseeing

In the morning, you will visit Tashilumpo Monastery and free market. Tashilumpo Monastery was built in 1447, it is the oldest and largest Gelugpa monastery in Tibet and is the seat of Banchen Lama. It is painted in red and white and the buildings in the monastery stand closely together in terraced rows. This presents a grand and majestic view. The most amazing image in this monastery is the giant statue of Maitreya (Future Buddha). It is the largest such statue in the world and was erected by the 9th Panchen Lama in 1914. It stands 26 meters in height and is 275 kg in weight. It is covered in solid gold and inlaid with a number of precious jewels such as pearls, turquoises, corals and ambers. The image of the Buddha is kind, generous and vivid.

Bus

After the tour in Shigatse, drive to Tingri (245km).

Hotel

Overnight at Tingri Mt Ever Hotel. It is a very simple hotel in Tingri. The establishment there is not as convenient as in big cities because it is remote and at the high altitude place.

Sightseeing

Today, drive to the Mt. Everes)(100km, about 3-5 hours driving), pay a visit to Rongbu Monastery first, then continue driving to the Base Camp of Mt. Everest for you to take a close look at this great mountain and enjoy seeing the biggest and the most well perserved glacier--Rongbu glacier.

Sightseeing

Mt. Everest: At an elevation of 8,848.13 metres, Mount Qomolangma (Mt. Everest) is the main peak of the Himalayas. The shape of the Mt.Qomolangma like a majestic pyramid stretch to the sky. With snow--clad throughout the year, Mt. Qomolangma lies at the border between China and Nepal. The peak is reputed as the Third Pole on the Earth and has been a hot climbing destination for mountaineers from all over the world. Mt.Qomolangma's spectacular natural view attracts countless people to come for sightseeing, exploring and conducting scientific investigations.

Bed & Breakfast

Overnight at guesthouse in Rongbu Monastery. There is no hotel with star in Rongbu. The Rongbu guest house is simple and also the only accommodation available there. Meals: B,L,D

Relaxation

In the morning, enjoy the sunrise from Mt. Everest.

Bus

Then drive back to Lhasa (about 10-12 hours driving).

Commercial Flight

Free in the day until our local guide escorts you to the airport for your onward flight to your next destination--Kunming.

Hotel

Upon your arrival at Kunming, "the Spring and Flower City", our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. Accommodations: Kunming Hotel, Meals: B,L,D

Relaxation

The rest of the day is free at your own leisure.

Free in the day until our local guide escorts you to the airport for your flight to your sweet home.