| Cost From: | $5295 |
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| Length: | 15 days |
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| Activity: | Hiking / Trekking, Cultural Adventures |
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| Difficulty: |
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Gary’s love for Tibet, its people and culture, are apparent in the way he conducts his trips.H. Kelly—Monroe TWP New Jersey
By adding trips to your “Wish List” (above), you can easily make a side-by-side detailed comparison of as many trips as you like.
The ultimate way to explore Italy—on foot! Discover jewel-like towns of the southern Tuscan countryside, from remarkable Siena to the enchanting villages of the sun-splashed Maremma, with its hidden coves and vineyards producing “super-Tuscan” wines.
The wild and untouched region of the Tibetan Plateau known as Kham is home to magnificent monasteries set amid emerald hills, dazzling displays of wildflowers, and snow-capped peaks soaring over turquoise lakes. This is the land of the famous Khampa warriors, with their tall leather boots, turquoise jewelry, and swashbuckling style. Our cultural journey is a spectacular one as we head out across these remote mountain highlands to explore ancient trading towns, ethereal temples, and pilgrimage paths along exquisite holy lakes. Camping allows us to experience a region far from the traveled routes. Our June departure visits the holy peak of Mt. Genyen and our July departure witnesses the spectacular annual Litang Horse Festival.
$5295 (12-15 members)
$5595 (9-11 members)
$5895 (6-8 members)
Single supplement: $495
Lhasa Extension from: $985
Prices are for 2010 date
Jul 29-Aug 12, 2010 Kathy Butler
Reading list, click here.
From Chengdu, we drive from rice-growing plains to the mountainous foothills to the small city of Kangding (8,580'). Here we begin to sense that we have reached the cultural boundary between China and Tibet.
Passing through the historic old Tibetan trading towns, we camp at ancient Pha Lhagang Monastery (11,400'), with its fine examples of sacred art, and enjoy a day hike in the mountains.
We ascend further onto the Tibetan Plateau, crossing the Gye La (14,100') to arrive at our camp on the vast grasslands of mountain-ringed Litang (13,169'), one of the highest towns in the world. Khampas from across eastern Tibet come to Litang to trade all kinds of goods from sheepskins to yaks to large pieces of turquoise. Our June trip heads out to the holy peak of Mt. Genyen, an important pilgrimage site at the head of the sublime Genyen Valley, while our July trip enjoys the horse races and folk dancing of the Litang Horse Festival.
We visit ancient Nyarong Gompa en route to Kandze (11,770'). We explore Kandze’s lively bazaar then ascend on foot through the many temples of Kandze Gompa, set on a hill with spectacular views of snow-capped peaks, and hike further to the lovely setting of Lamdrak nunnery.
On the shores of the holy lake of Zhara Yumtsho (12,000'), we camp and hike the pilgrim circuit (kora), the perfect setting for enjoying Kham’s incredible displays of summer wildflowers and meeting the nomads and pilgrims that visit this exquisite mountain setting.
We enjoy a walk to the town of Shol, where dozens of 18th century defensive stone towers rise from the mountain slopes, and hike in the forested valleys below the holy peak of Siguniang. At journeys end, we descend back to the lowlands to Chengdu. Depart from Chengdu on Day 15.
This is the Itinerary-at-a-Glance. For the complete trip description, Download Full Trip Brochure
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