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Lhasa Express (8 days/7 nights)
If you feel more adventurously inclined but, do not have a lot of time to spare then this eight day trip is for you.
Starting from Kathmandu on either a Tuesday or a Saturday, you will fly over the eastern Himalaya aboard a China Southwest Airline's Boeing 757 to the mystical Tibetan capital of Lhasa. The flight over the eastern Himalayan range will take you past , Mt. Everest (8848 m), Mt,Makalu (8478 m), Mt. Kanchejunga (8585 m) and a host of other mighty Himalayan peaks.
Your first three days are spent sightseeing in and around Lhasa. Then, you will begin your overland journey back to Kathmandu via Gyangtse, Xigatse, Tingri, Nyalam and Zhangmu. The distance covered is nearly 1000 km on four wheel drive vehicles and bus.
Through the road from Lhasa to Kathmandu was opened in 1984 it has not yet been metalled. But, neither can it fit the initial description of travelling inside a vacuum cleaner dust bag. Since the road is mostly over a mountainous and remote area repairs are difficult and costly and landslides and floods frequently damage major portions, which are usually repaired as soon as possible.
Day 01 : Tuesday/Saturday
A mid - morning flight from Kathmandu will take you over the Himalaya to Lhasa, the exciting capital of Tibet. You will be met at the airport by a representative of Himalayan Journeys in Lhasa and transferred to hotel, where rooms will have been booked for you in the North Wing. Evening free.
Day 02 : Wednesday/Sunday
Today will be spent exploring palaces. First on your list will be the Potala Palace. The palace of the Dalai Lama a treasure of Tibetan culture was, till 1965, the seat of both religion and politics in Tibet and quite possibly, the singularly most important building in all Tibet. It was built in the seventh century by Tsongtsen Gampo as a fort and later renovated by the fifth Dalai Lama in the seventeenth century to its present specifications. Your next stop will be Norbulingkha the winter palace of the Dalai Lama which was built in the eighteenth century.
Day 03 : Thursday/Monday
Today you will visit the Drepung monastery. This is the largest monastery in the world and once housed 10,000 monks and nuns. It was built in 1419 and the second, third and fourth Dalai Lamas lived and were entombed here. A visit to the kitchen of this monastery is a must. Look out for the washing machine in which the monks mix their butter tea! Your next stop will be the Jokhang Temple. This is the holiest shrine in Tibet and houses a golden statue of the Buddha which was brought to Tibet by the Chinese princess "Wen Chen". You then stop off at Barkhor Bazaar outside the Jokhang monastery. This is a bustling flea market and is, generally, the place to buy souvenirs and meet other tourists.
Day 04 : Friday / Tuesday
An early morning start from Lhasa and a 259 km drive will get you to Gyantse via Yamdrok Tso or the "Turquoise Lake". Overnight at Gyangtse Hotel.
Day 05 : Saturday/Wednesday
A short drive of 95 km will see you at Xigatse at an elevation of 3810 m. Xigatse is the second largest city in Tibet and the capital of the province of Tsang. The rulers of this province had domonion over all of Tibet prior to 1642 AD. At Xigatse you will visit Tashilunpo Monastery which is the seat of the Panchen Lama who is second in spiritual importance only to the Dalai Lama. The monastery was built in 1447 by Gendun Drup and once housed upward of 3400 monks. Of particular interest at Tashilunpo is a nine story gilded statue of Maitreya - the "Future Buddha".
Day 06 : Sunday/Thursday
From Xigatse you will drive to Xegar via Sakya Monastery. The Monastery is 143 km south of Xigatse and was built in the thirteenth century by Konchok Gyalpo and houses some 30,000 volumes of ancient Buddhist scriptures or Sutras. The total distance between Xigatse and Xegar is 245 km. Overnight Xegar Hotel.
Day 07 : Monday/Friday
From Xegar, it is a 251 km drive to Zhangmu which is a bustling trading town near the Nepalese border. Overnight at Zhangmu Hotel.
Day 08 : Tuesday/Saturday
A representative of Himalayan Journeys will meet you a Kodari, on the Nepalese side of the border across the Friendship Bridge. You will board the waiting vehicle and drive the 114 km to Kathmandu. |
