Start in: Kunming
End in: Kunming
Special Experience: Watch the sunrise at the Mt. Everest (Due to the upcoming Olympic Torch Relay, Mt. Everest has been closed to visitors. )
Absolute Yunnan and Tibet Adventure Tour
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive Kunming
Accommodations: Kunming Hotel 
Meals: D
Transfer via: International flight on your own arrangement
Upon your arrival at Kunming, "the Spring and Flower City", our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free at your own leisure.
Accommodations: Kunming Hotel
Meals: B,L,D
Sightseeing: Stone Forest,The bird and flower market
Today, you will have a trip to the Stone Forest which is about 90km to the south of Kunming. And then to visit the bird and flower market after come back.
- Stone Forest: a 270-million-year-old limestone karst formation of tightly bundled gray rocky outcrops, a natural wonder acknowledged as "World Karst Landscape Museum", the Stone Forest shows a variety of unique shapes, such as sword, mushrooms, tower, pillar and castle, representing the greatest miracle that nature can present to human beings.
- The bird and flower market: located in the old section of the city, it is a bustling market not just selling birds, flowers, but also jade, so-called "antiques", handicrafts and so on together with lots of food stands for local specialities.
Accommodations: Jiannanchun Hotel
Meals: B,L,D
Sightseeing: Lijiang Ancient Town,Lion Hill
Transfer via: China domestic flight on our arrangement
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Lijiang. Upon your arrival at Lijiang County, "an UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site", our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. In the afternoon, you will have an excursion to the Ancient Town and the Lion Hill.
- Lijiang Ancient Town: also called Dayan Town, built in the late Song dynasty and the early Yuan dynasty with a history of more than 800 years. This ancient town consists of clean streams flowing freely through the road network, the colorful cobbled streets, age-old swaying willow trees, age-old buildings and stone bridges. There are over 22 different ethnic minorities making Lijiang their home. Now and then you may see local folks in their own tradtional dress. Strolling around this charming ancient town, you will be attracted by the unique atmosphere and surprised by its ancient yet simple sense of "Harmony of Heaven and Man."
- Lion Hill: the name is derived from its resemblance of a lion playing a ball. The mountain is best known for its vast and green pines and cypresses planted mostly in Ming Dynasty with over 500 years old. From the Tower of Eternity (Wangoulou) on the top of the mountain, you can enjoy a bird's eye view of the ancient town and the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain far away.
Accommodations: Jiannanchun Hotel
Meals: B,L,D
Sightseeing: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain,Baisha Mural Paintings,Black Dragon Pool Park
Today, you will first visit the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and then the Baisha Mural Paintings, the Black Dragon Pool Park and Museum of Naxi Dongba Culture inside the park.
- Jade Dragon Snow Mountain: it is so called because it looks like a flying jade dragon from afar. The mountain consists of 13 peaks and sprawls 35 km from north to south. Its glacier is the closest to the equator in the Northern Hemisphere. By taking the cable car up to a certain height, you can enjoy the expansive mountains views and snowy scenery.
- Baisha Mural Paintings: located in Baisha Township, 8km north of Lijiang, there are altogether 53 groups of mural paintings in different temples with fine and smooth lines, bright colors,vivid patterns and harmonious composition. Painted from the early days of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911),these mural paintings are an artistic representation of the different religious cultures such as Buddhism, Lamaism, Daoism and the Naxi Dongba religion.
- Black Dragon Pool Park: where you can see the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain from afar and the reflection of the mountain in the pool in a clear day. This park is the source of the water system of the Old Lijiang Town as the clean spring from Jade Dragon Snow Mountain gathers here.
Accommodations: Holy Palace Hotel
Meals: B,L,D
Sightseeing: First Bend of the Yangtze River,Tiger Leaping Gorge,Shigu Village,Zhongdian
After breakfast, you will have a trip to the First Bend of the Yangtze River and Iron Chain Bridge in the Shigu (Stone Drum) Town, and then Tiger Leaping Gorge. Drive about 100km to Zhongdian (Shangri-la County) afterwards, where you will stay overnight.
- First Bend of the Yangtze River: formed by the Yangtze River rushing down from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with a sharp turn of 45 degrees at Shigu (Stone Drum) Town before the river continues running on to northeast.
- Tiger Leaping Gorge: This gorge is located 92 km north of Lijiang County, between peaks of over 3,000 meters above the Jinsha River (upper course of Yangtze River). The legend goes that tigers often leap to the other side of the river by a huge rock lying in the middle of the river at the entrance of the Gorge, hence the name. This 17-kilometer-long Gorge is honored as the deepest and one of the most marvelous gorges on the earth.
- Shigu Village: The hypsography is very rugged in Shigu Village, Which is located on the opposite of the First Bend on the Yangtze River.
- Zhongdian: The beautiful "Shangri-la" described in "The Lost Horizon" is, in fact, the city of Zhongdian, located in the Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province. Even today, Zhongdian County remains an untainted natural paradise.
Accommodations: Holy Palace Hotel
Meals: B,L,D
Sightseeing: Bita Lake,Napa Lake,The Songzanlin Lamasery
Your excursion today will bring you to Bita Lake, Napa Lake, Gedan Songzanlin Monastery. In the evening, pay a visit to a Tibet family, where you will enjoy a local Singing and Dancing Show with some special snacks.
- Bita Lake: 35km away from the County, meaning "the place where roburs become felts", it is a lake surrounded by mountains with clear water and abundant fish resources. Due to the road condition, you need to walk 7km on your own or ride a horse before you can get to the lake.
- Napa Lake: 8km away from the County, meaning "the lake beside the forest", it is a lake on the plateau in the depths of the Yila Grass with mirror-like water and lots of precious fowls.
- The Songzanlin Lamasery: the most important Lamasery of Tibetan Buddhism in Yunnan province.
Accommodations: Tibet Hotel
Meals: B,D
Sightseeing: Lhasa
After breakfast, our local guide escorts you to the airport for your flight to Lhasa. Upon your arrival at Gonggar airport, you will be met by your local guide and transferred to the hotel in Lhasa city (2-hour drive), and you will view the Stone Giant Buddha engraved in the mountain face en route. After checking in the hotel, rest in the afternoon to get adapted to the high altitude.
- Lhasa: the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region with an elevation of 3650 meters (12,000 feet) above the sea level, is nicknamed Sunlight City. It is the highest city in the world. This ancient sprawling city, settled 1,300 years ago, is the region's political, economic and cultural center as well as a sacred place of Tibetan Buddhism.
Accommodations: Kunming Hotel
Meals: B,L,D
Sightseeing: Potala Palace,Barkhor Street,Jokhang Temple
Your sightseeing today will include the Lhasa's cardinal landmark -- Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and flourishing Barkhor Street.
- Potala Palace: the symbol of Lhasa, perched upon Marpo Ri Hill, 130 meters above the Lhasa Valley, it is the greatest monumental structure in Tibet and one of the most famous architectural works of the world. The construction was started in 641 AD and it was rebuilt by the Fifth Dalai Lama in three years, while the Thirteenth Dalai Lama extended and repaired it into what it is now. As the religious and political centre of old Tibet and the winter residence of Dalai Lamas, the palace witnessed the life of the Dalai Lamas and the important political and religious activities in the past centuries. The Potala Palace also houses great amounts of rare cultural relics including the gold hand-written Buddhist scriptures, valuable gifts from the Chinese emperors and a lot of priceless antiques.
- Barkhor Street: a circular street around the Jokhang Temple in the center of the old section of Lhasa, it is the oldest street in a very traditional style in Tibet, where you can enjoy bargaining with the local Tibetan vendors for the handicrafts which are rarely seen elsewhere in the world. Barkhor Street is one of the most important religious paths along which pilgrims walk around Jokhang Temple while turning prayer wheels in their hands. They have been doing this for countless centuries. Buddhist pilgrims walk or progress by body-lengths in a clockwise direction. This walk can continue all day and well into the night.
- Jokhang Temple: located in the center of the old section of Lhasa, built in 647 AD by Songtsen Gampo and his two foreign wives, and later extended by successive rulers. It has now become a gigantic architectural complex and it is the spiritual center of Tibet.
Accommodations: Tibet Hotel
Meals: B,L,D
Sightseeing: Norbulingka Park,Drepung Monastery,Sera Monastery
Today we will bring you to the Norbulingka Park, the Drepung Monastery and the Sera Monastery.
- Norbulingka Park: Norbulingka means "Jeweled Garden", built in 1751 AD as a summer palace for the Dalai Lama where they handled political affairs and practiced religious activities. It is now a large-scale palace complex and garden in Tibetan style covering an area of 40 hectares. The whole complex 370 rooms of different sizes and lawns shaded by green trees and enclosed by various flowers. Before 1959, commoners had no access to this park. Nowadays, on festivals and holidays, the local people in their colorful costumes come here with food and tents to sing and dance overnight.
- Drepung Monastery: the largest monastery of the Gelug Sect in Tibet, standing on the slope of the majestic Mount Gambo Utse; it was built in 1416 AD and is the place where each reincarnation of the Dalai Lama received his training. In its heyday, it had more than 10,000 monks. Now it is home to about 700 monks.
- Sera Monastery: Sera means "Wild Rose Garden" in Tibetan because lush wild rose woods once grew around it. The monastery is one of the three largest monasteries in Tibet. Located at the northern outskirts of Lhasa, it was built in 1419 AD by Jamchen Choje (or Sakyayeshe), one of the eight disciples of Tsong Khapa who was the founder of the Gelugpa Sect. The Sera Monastery houses three colleges built in the 15th and 16th centuries, and it is famous for the "Buddhism Scriptures Debating".
Accommodations: Shigatse Hotel
Sightseeing: Gyantse,Yamdrok Lake,Tibetan Family,Palcho Monastery
Today's drive is from Lhasa to Gyantse (about 256km, 5.5-hour drive) first. Along the way you will visit Yamdrok Lake and a Tibetan family. Tour Palcho Monastery in Gyantse before the drive to Shigatse (about 90km, 1.5-hour drive). Overnight at Shigatse.
- Gyantse: an important wool trading post between Tibet and India in medieval times.
- Yamdrok Lake: one of the three largest lakes of Tibet and one of the three holy lakes. It covers an area of 638 square kilometers with a coastline of 250 kilometers. The deepest point is 60 meters. The coast of the lake is an ideal pasture where you can enjoy the intoxicating, picturesque, and natural scenery.
- Tibetan Family: where you will be greeted and warmly welcomed by common Tibetan people in their traditional way and entertained with their typical food.
- Palcho Monastery: built in 1414 AD, it is unique because three Sects of Buddhism-Sakya, Gedan and Gelug are living harmoniously under one roof. The Palcho Pagoda beside the Monastery has 9 stories, 108 doors and 77 rooms housing some 100,000 statues of Buddha, so it is famed as the "100,000-Buddha Pagoda." The frescoes, statues and sculptures in the monastery are exquisite, succinct and life-like.
Accommodations: Tingri Mt Ever Hotel
Meals: B,L,D
Sightseeing: Tashilumpo Monastery
In the morning, you will visit Tashilumpo Monastery and free market. After the tour in Shigatse, drive to Tingri (245km). Overnight at Tingri.
- Tashilumpo Monastery: built in 1447, it is the oldest and largest Gelugpa monastery in Tibet and is the seat of Banchen Lama. It is painted in red and white and the buildings in the monastery stand closely together in terraced rows. This presents a grand and majestic view. The most amazing image in this monastery is the giant statue of Maitreya (Future Buddha). It is the largest such statue in the world and was erected by the 9th Panchen Lama in 1914. It stands 26 meters in height and is 275 kg in weight. It is covered in solid gold and inlaid with a number of precious jewels such as pearls, turquoises, corals and ambers. The image of the Buddha is kind, generous and vivid.
Most monasteries in Tibet extend a warm welcome to guests and in remote areas will often offer a place to stay.
Accommodations: Tibet Hotel
Meals: B,L,D
In the morning, enjoy the sunrise from Mt. Everest. Then drive back to Lhasa (about 10-12 hours driving).
Accommodations: Kunming Hotel
Meals: B,L,D
Transfer via: China domestic flight on our arrangement
Free in the day until our local guide escorts you to the airport for your onward flight to your next destination--Kunming. Upon your arrival at Kunming, "the Spring and Flower City", our local guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free at your own leisure.
Meals: B
Transfer via: International flight on your own arrangement
Free in the day until our local guide escorts you to the airport for your flight to your sweet home.
China domestic flights as specified in the itinerary 
Accommodations for 14 nights, including
11 nights at four star or higher hotels, 1 night at three star hotels, 1 night nights at two star hotels
37 meals, including 13 full breakfasts, 11 lunches and 13 dinners
Round-trip transfers---between airports, hotels and scenic spots in each city by private air-conditioned motor coaches with experienced drivers
A local English-speaking guide in each city
Entrance fees to scenic spots listed in the itinerary
Luggage transfers between airports and hotels
China Life Tourist Accident/Casualty insurance
Government taxes and service charges except tips for tour guides and drivers
At every part of the trip we were met by competent and friendly guides and drivers. The guides all speak good English and were enthusiastic, knowledgeable and flexible with the basic arrangements to meet our wishes.
- Alan Stansfield,Britain
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