Trip Details at-a-Glance
| Cost From: | $3495 |
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| Length: | 8 days |
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| Activity: | Hiking / Trekking, Cultural Adventures |
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| Difficulty: |
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Enjoy a Private Journey on the Roof of the World! Journey into the cultural heartland of Tibet, including the peerless monasteries of the Holy City of Lhasa, then visit Gyalthang, a Shangrila world on the eastern edge of the Himalayas, home to traditional Khampa culture. Along the way, meet monks in their monasteries, Tibetan nomads on pilgrimage paths, and Khampa villagers in their magical homeland.
May to mid-October
For our Private Journey trips, you choose your own group and your preferred dates—there are no set departure dates. Private Journeys are available to groups as few as two people or as large as you like. Contact us for availability, questions, or to book your adventure!
Reading list, click here.
$3795 per person double occupancy
Single Supplement: $375
$4295 per person double occupancy
Single Supplement: $825
Internal Airfare: $425 (subject to change)
Optional Lijiang Extension: from $795
Groups of 4 or more: Call for discounts
*Prices valid through 2010
Includes all land transportation and private guides throughout
In Tibet’s sacred city, join pilgrims who gather at the candle-lit altars of the Jokhang, holiest of temples, and walk the Barkhor kora (pilgrimage route). Visit with monks at Sera Monastery, explore the extraordinary Potala Palace, and discover the Norbulingka, official summer residence of the Dalai Lamas. Hike with your guide to a hilltop hermitage for spectacular vistas of the Lhasa Valley.
Tibet’s oldest monastery is 8th century Samye, set between the legendary Tsangpo River and beautiful dun-colored hills. Samye was built to represent the Buddhist cosmos, its 108 chapels surrounding the massive central chanting hall. In the Yarlung Valley, birthplace of the Tibetan dynasty, explore Yumbu Lakhang, Tibet’s first palace, and see a precious thangka painting protected in 7th century Trandruk Monastery.
Fly to Gyalthang, a historic trading post and enclave of Tibetan culture on the eastern edge of the Himalayas. This is the heartland of the Khampa people, with their age-old traditions as swashbuckling horsemen and caravan traders. Meet the welcoming Khampas in their homes, and walk up to Ringha, a sacred 13th century temple on a hill. At Sumtseling Monastery, join monks for morning prayers, sip tea with a high lama, and enjoy a fascinating guided exploration of this remote monastery including areas typically closed to tourists.
Join your guide for a stroll in the quaint neighborhood on the shores of Kunming’s Green Lake and savor a dinner of Yunnan specialties. Depart on Day 8.
This is the Itinerary-at-a-Glance. For the complete trip description, Download Full Trip Brochure
From Gyalthang, journey to Tiger Leaping Gorge, where the mighty Yangtze courses between two grand mountain ranges, forming one of the deepest gorges on earth. The glorious World Heritage Site of Lijiang, nestled beneath the protective gaze of Jade Dragon Mountain, is the ancient capital of the matriarchal Naxi people. Explore cobblestone lanes of Lijiang’s Old Town, and Naxi villages where life has remained unchanged for centuries.
Please call us or Download Full Trip Brochure for more information
Note: Listed above are our signature accommodations for this trip. Although it is highly unlikely, we may make substitutions when necessary.