Travel on the Roof of the World

This is one of the most exciting and challenging tours of the area, where you might face problems due to the unpredictability of the weather and the poor road conditions along the way. However, with sensational views of dramatic mountains, spectacular river gorges and pastures, it is more than worth the effort. Furthermore, lovely people await you…

Itinerary

Day 1, Arrive in Kunming and transfer to hotel
Kunming, also known as the Spring City, is the capital of Yunnan province, with mild weather throughout the year. It is nice to walk around the birds and flowers market in the old part of the downtown of Kunming. 100ms away from the market is the commercial center of Kunming, which is full of the modern buildings. Here you can see the different aspects of Kunming.

Day 2, Flight to Shangri-La
Shangri-La is inhabited by Tibetans. Tibetans live on the highest plateau on the earth and have the strong character and personality. From now on, we will travel through Tibetan region and all the way up to Lhasa on the Yunnan/Tibet & Sichuan/Tibetan Highways. We will learn more about them during the trip. Visit the old part of Shangri-La with wooden houses and see the biggest praying wheel in the world.

Day 3, Visit Ringsha Temple and Tibetan village
Visit Ringsha Temple, which is the first Tibetan yellow hat sect Buddhist temple. It was built on a hill in the area. It’s small and quiet. The tourists seldom visit it, but it’s very popular among the local Tibetans. At the Chinese New Year, thousands of people will come to worship and express their good wishes for the coming year. In the temple, we can see how Tibetans make the praying flags. You can also learn to make some praying flags by yourself and hang them over the mountain behind the temple to get your good luck. Visit some local Tibetan villages in the area, and if you like, we can get into a Tibetan house to taste some Tibetan Tsampa and Butter Tea.

Day 4, Drive to Feilaisi via Nixi and Baima Snow Mountain.
With a bird’s eye view of Lake Napa during the drive, Napa Lake is the seasonal lake with Tibetan villages nearby and many birds come from the north for the winter here. Carry on to Nixi Tibetan village where people are specialized in making pottery, and we can visit some masters’ workshops and see how they make pottery. Drive to Feilaisi via the Baima Snow Mountain at 4290m.
We provide bus service for the first four days and 4WD land cruisers for the next 7-day trip to Lhasa.

Day 5, Drive to Markham
Get up early to see the sunrise of the Meili Snow Mountain before breakfast. After breakfast, we drive north along Mekong River into the Tibetan area, with the views of the Mekong Gorge along the road. The first Tibetan town that we get to is Yanjing where we can drive down to the Mekong to see the old salt wells which are still in use today. Visit the Catholic Church built by French missionaries in 1880s, and it is the only Catholic Church in the whole Tibet. Carry on with the journey north up to the mountain pass and down to Markham where the Yunnan/Tibet and Sichaun/Tibet Highways meet.

Day 6, Drive to Zogong via the 99 Bends
Visit Markham Monastery. The new part of Markham is a little modern but the old part of the town is still old, with the traditional style houses built in wood structures and clay walls. After visiting the monastery, we will drive west on the Sichuan/Tibet highways up to the mountain pass and down the hill to the Mekong River on zigzags known as “99 Bends”. Cross the bridge and carry on to Zogong ,with visits to the villages along the road.

Day 7, Drive to Baxoi via Banda
Drive through a valley along a river to Banda, with visits to villages in the mountain along the road, going up hill from Banda to the Gama La Pass at 4,618m and travelling down hill on the zigzags to the upper reaches of the Salween River and crossing Nakchu Zampa Bridge. Mountains here are very high and without much forests just grassland. We also see many nomads along the road, with good stops to visit them.

Day 8, Drive to Rawok and visit Rawok Tso Lake
Short drive to Rowok via Ngajuk La Pass at 4,468m and visit the area of Rawok. Rawok is just a small Tibetan village on the Sichuan/Tibet Highways but very beautiful, with Lakes, snow mountains and villages around it. It’s nice to walk in the villages through the fields and then drive out to see the Rawok Tso Lake in front of the snow mountains.

Day 9, Drive to Nyingchi
As we drive toward Nyingchi, we can see the changes of the landscape. There are more trees on the mountains here compare with the last couple of days. For most of time, we will drive along the Rivers Purlung and Yilong Tsangpo, and then go over the Serkhyin La Pass over 5,000m. We will also see the Mt. Namcha Barwa (7,782m, the highest in the region) during the drive before arriving in Nyingchi.

Day 10, Day in Nyingchi
Day trip around Nyingchi to explore Pasum Tso Lake, a very beautiful lake up in the mountain with many fish in water, we will make a boat ride on the Lake. Visit a Tibetan monastery and the locality. Nyingchi is one of the most beautiful areas in whole Tibet which enjoys very diverse types of vegetations and weather conditions. You can find rivers, mountains, grasslands, forests and mild climate as well.

Day 11, Drive to Lhasa
Long drive to Lhasa but the road is very good. As we are getting closer to Lhasa, we will see the changes of the landscape and houses. The houses are smaller here, with the flat tops and the mountain are not so green as before, and there are more rocky and sandy mountains, without many nomads here but farmers.

Day 12, Lhasa
Visit the Potala Palace in the morning, which is the winter palace for Dalai Lamas to live and study. Potala Palace has the most valuable treasures in Tibet such as silver, gold, and jewels. Visit the Jokhang Monastery and Barkhor Streets known as the "Showcase of Lhasa". You will see thousands of Tibetan pilgrims here everyday to pray and worship. Visit a local Tea House which is said to be the reminiscence of the atmosphere described in the novels of Charles Dickens...

Day 13, Visit Drepung and Sera
Drepund Monastery is 5km away from the western suburb of Lhasa, and it is known as the most important monastery of Gelugpa in Tibetan Buddhism. Visit Sera Monastery where we can see the debating of the Lama. Starting from the monastery, we can walk up to a small hill and from there you can have a very good view of Lhasa.

Day 14, Fly to Chengdu and tour ends.

Seasonality: May, June, September and October

Departures:
Oct.17th to Oct.30th, 2010
May 23rd to Jun.5th, 2011

Price:
US$ 2,420.00 Per person
US$ 390.00 Single Supplement

The price includes:
Flight: Lhasa/Chengdu
Hotels with breakfasts
Sightseeing Programs & entry fees
English Speaking Guides
Transfers and transportation by private vehicles & 4WD

Group Size: 06 - 12

You may prefer a different date and time frame for this tour, or wish to adjust the itinerary to suit your interests. We will do all we can to meet your preferences. Please note that tours of less than six persons may cost more per person, and other expenses may increase as a result of customization of your tour. In all cases, however, we are committed to providing the best value for your experience.