Terra Nova Travel

Professional trip designing for the inquisitive, independent and intrepid

Women's Tibet Trek 2004

Namtso Lake, Gyama to Samye Lhasa and Central Tibet

Potola

7 nights camping, 11 nights in hotels/guesthouses

Day 1 Jun 21 Fly Portland, OR Seattle to San Francisco on United Airlines and then connect to United Airlines to Bangkok (one stop Tokyo.)

Day 2 Jun 22 Arrive Bangkok and overnight at the Amari Hotel.

Day 3 Fly Bangkok to Chengdu, China.

Rest and relax after a long flight. Take an afternoon flight to Chengdu. Transfer to the hotel, and if time permits, take a walk in this fascinating capital city of Sichuan Province, famed for its spicy foods and home of the Giant Panda.

Day 4 Fly Chengdu to Lhasa, transfer to Shambhala Hotel (12,000’)

Take a stroll to the nearby Barkhor, where Tibetan traders hawk their wares and Buddhists do kora around the Jokhang temple within.

 

Day 5-6-7 Lhasa

LhasaSightseeing in Lhasa, including the Potala and Norbulingka Palaces, Jokhang Temple, a small nunnery, and Drepung Monastery. Visit a carpet showroom, and enjoy a special Tibetan dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

Day 8 Namtso Lake

Drive (160mi/250 km, 4-5 hrs) to Namtso, a beautiful drive through the Yangpachen Valley and along the Nyenchen Thanglha range. Cross Largen La (16,300’), and camp near the lake at 15,000 ft. Explore the lake’s edge and wildlife reserve.

Day 9 Namtso Lake

Prayer wheelsLimestone cliffs guard a promontory dotted with holy cave sites, and form a giant “Namaste” figure like two hands praying. Spend the day leisurely walking and enjoying this dramatic landscape. Camp.

 

 

 

 

Day 10 Lhasa

Drive back to Lhasa and transfer to hotel. Prepare for the trek July 01 Day 11 Drive to Ganden Monastery, tour the large monastic complex, and walk the kora. Enjoy a picnic overlooking the stark landscape and the Kyi Chu (river). Camp at nearby Gyama Valley, 13,000’

Day 12

Begin the trek, considered “one of central Tibet’s finest moderate treks” (McCue, Trekking in Tibet). Ascend through pastures where yak herders camp in yak wool tents. Camp beneath the stars at 14,400’

Nepalese WomenAnnapurna

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 13 Trek

Continue gradually, through fragrant dwarf rhododendron and juniper. Magnificent views unfold. Camp close to 15,800’.

Day 14

Cross Tseb La (17,000’) and Kampa La (16,450’; “la” means pass) and descend alongside a river, through a series of meadows where nomadic herders camp. Camp at 14,000’.

Day 15

Camp below Emmaling, 13,000’, at a beautiful meadow campsite by the river. Optional hike up to an historical cave hermitage of the Fifth Dalai Lama. These caves once hid Guru Rinpoche religious texts, known as terma (hidden treasures), which were discovered centuries later.

Day 16 Trek to Samye

Descend through vales of flowers and rushing streams. Cross the dry plains to Samye, its chortens gleaming from a distance. Overnight at a guesthouse/hotel in Samye.

Day 17 Rest day in Samye

Enjoy a leisurely morning. Visit Samye monastery and compound, one of the most impressive in Tibet. Afternoon rest or explore the town and environs of Samye your own. Overnight at a guesthouse/hotel in Samye.

Day 18

Drive to Tsetang. Drive to Yarlung Valley (Tsetang), “Valley of the Kings” and visit the Yumbulakhang, oldest building in Tibet. Drive 2 hours along the Yarlung Tsangpo (river), which flows east and becomes the Brahmaputra in India: a lifeline of Asia. Overnight near the airport.

Day 19

Fly Lhasa-Chengdu-Bangkok. Fly to Chengdu, and transit to Bangkok. Overnight at the Amari Airport Hotel Bangkok.

Day 20

Transfer airport fly Bangkok-San Francico on UnitedAirlines (one stop Tokyo) and connect to United again to Portland or Seattle.

Pricing: Call Terra Nova Travel at 800-267-8002 or for current information.