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
Sightseeing 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
Limestone 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’
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.