2008 Tibetan New Year 7 days Tour A

Day 1

Place & Transport: Arrive in Lhasa, Flight No. TBA
Today's Activities: Airport to Hotel Transfer (Lhasa)
Detailed Itinerary: The guide will meet you at Gonggar Airport or Tibet Rail Station, and transfer you to Lhasa city. After arrive in Lhasa, rest and acclimatize. We strongly recommend that you arrive in Lhasa on 4th, Feb to totally experience Tibetan New Year.

Day 2

Place & Transport: Lhasa
Today's Activities: Potala Palace, Tibetan family visit
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
Detailed Itinerary: The last two days of the old year are called Gutor. If you arrive in Lhasa on 4th, Feb, today is the first day of Gutor. Tibetan people will clean the house from top to bottom. The kitchen is especially cleaned as it is the heart and the most important room in the house. The chimney is also cleared of soot. There are special dishes cooked ready for the New Year. One dish is the nine soup which is made from meat, wheat, rice, sweet potatoes, cheese, peas, grean peppers, vermicelli and radishes. This dish is served with small dumplings. These dumplings contain such things as scraps of wood, paper or pebbles. These are to foretell the future ahead with it being good or bad. Charcoal meant a black heart. After dinner, you will see the new year activity ,called drive away the ghost.

--Potala Palace:The Potala Palace, which is now on the list of Chinese national key protected cultural relics, is the most valuable storehouse in Tibet. It is a huge treasure house for materials and articles of Tibetan history, religion, culture and arts. The Palace is widely known for the precious sculptures, murals, scripture, Buddha figures, murals, antiques, and religious jewelry treasured up, they are of great cultural and artistic value. In 1994, the Potala Palace was declared the United Nations World Cultural Heritage site.Perched upon the Marpo Ri Hill, 130 meters above the Lhasa valley, it is the greatest monumental structure in Tibet.

Day 3

Place & Transport: Lhasa
Today's Activities: Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
Detailed Itinerary: If you arrive in Lhasa on 4th, Feb, today is the second day of Gutor also the New Year's Eve. It will be spent on religious ceremonies. Tibetan people will go visit the monasteries to give gifts to the monks. They let off firecrackers and touches are used to rid of homes of evil spirits which may be lurking. In the evening we will have New Year's Eve Dinner with Tibetan characteristic and make firework to celebrate the new year.

--Jokhang Temple:Constructed in the 7th century AD to house the statues of Buddha that princesses Bhrikuti from Nepal and Wen Cheng from Tang Dynasty China brought as gifts for their future husband, King Songtsan Gampo. The temple has been enlarged many times over the centuries and now also houses statues of King Songtsan Gambo and his two famous foreign brides. However, the original statue of Jowo Sakyamuni Buddha that Princess Wen Cheng brought from Chang'an over 1300 years ago is definitely it's most sacred and famous possession, and is perhaps the most venerated religious artifact in all of Tibet. The temple, a splendid four-floor building facing west under a gilded rooftop, is located on Barkhor Square in the center of the old section of Lhasa.

-- Barkhor Street:The Barkhor is the oldest street in Lhasa as well as the center of old Lhasa and remains very traditional. It is a place where Tibetan culture, economy, religion and arts are assembled.

Day 4

Place & Transport: Lhasa
Today's Activities: Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
Detailed Itinerary: If you arrive in Lhasa on 4th, Feb, today is the New Year's Day. Tibetan people will rise early and bath, put their clothes on. They then honor the Gods in their household shrines and place offerings before them. The offerings may consist of an animal and demons from a kind of dough and known as torma. This day is also kept as a family day when gifts are exchanged and meals shared. The foods may consist of a cake calld a Kapse and also an alcoholic drink called chang which is served warm.

-- Drepung Monastery:Drepung Monastery lies in west of Lhasa under Mt. Gambo Utse, clustered round by the black mountain, its white grand buildings shining under the sunlight. Built in 1416, it is considered as one of the largest monasteries in the six principle monasteries of Gelu Sect in China. Drepung Monastery used to be the living palace of Dalai Lamas before the reconstruction of Potala palace (after the 5th Dalai Lamas was bestowed by Qing emperor Qianlong).

-- Sera Monastery:It is known as one of the three greatest monasteries of Tibet. As one of the three main monasteries of Lhasa, it is here that the monks 'famous daily debates' take place.

Day 5

Place & Transport: Lhasa to Shigatse
Today's Activities: Tashilunpo Monastery, Yomdrok Lake
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch

-- Yamzhoog Yumco Lake: Yamzhog Yumco covers an area of 678-square kilometers, at 4,441 meters above sea level. It is one of three holy lakes, the others being Namtso and Mampang Yumco. it is the largest inland lake at the northern foot of the Himalayas. Yamzhog means upper pastureland and 'co' mans Lake in Tibetan. When overlooking the Yamzhog Yumco Lake, one might envision a gigantic sapphire within surrounding mountains.

--Tashihungpo Monastery: As an important cultural relic protection site,the Tashilhungpo Monastery is located on the southern slope of the Nyimari Mountain northwest of the city of Xigaze It is the largest monastery of the Gelug Sect in western Tibet,and the main stage where generations of the Panchen Lama carried out religious and political activities.It is one of the four main monasteries in Tibet with the other three in Lhasa.

Day 6

Place & Transport: Shigatse to Gyantze to Lhasa
Today's Activities: The Palgor Chorten, Pala Mamor, Dzong Hill
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch

--Gyantse:Gyantse lies in the south of Tibet Autonomous Region, east of the Xigaze prefecture and the upper part of Nianchu River, covering 3,771 kilometers with a population of 56 thousand. Gyantse means in Tibetan 'peak of success'.

-- Palkhor Monastery:Lying about 230 kilometers (143 miles) south of Lhasa and 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of Shigatse, Pelkhor Choede (Palkhor Monastery or Palcho Monastery) is a monastery having the characteristics of Han, Tibetan and Nepali architecture.Pelkhor Choede enjoys a high status in Tibet Buddhism history because it houses three sects -Sakyapa, Kadampa and Gelugpa together. Those three sects get along well with each other though hey once quarreled and fought. The Bodhi Dagoba, the Main Assembly Hall, murals and Zhacang (hall for the monks) in the monastery are the most renowned.

-- Palha Manor:Palha located in the Banjorlhunbo Village of Jangra Town 4 kilometers southwest of Gyangze County. Palha was originally the chief of a tribe in Budan. Palha Manor is only the best-preserved noble manor in Tibet.There are 57 rooms,including prayer room.bedroom,guesthouse,etc.,and all of them are decorated with gold,jade articals and silvers,making it looks grand and magnificent.In addition,many precious foods,dishwares,import liquors & white vinegars,rare costumes exhibiting there take on a vivid picture of Palha's luxury

Day 7

Place & Transport: Depart Lhasa, Flight No. TBA
Today's Activities: Hotel to airport Transfer (Lhasa)
Meals: Breakfast
Detailed Itinerary: Pack your luggage and get ready for leaving. The guide will transfer you to the airport. Say goodbye to Tibet .