The journey: The lush greenery and culture of the south of the Himalayas combined with the majesty and mysticism culture of the north high plateau of Tibet. This is the intense contrast you will find with us in this spiritual adventure in the Himalayas. Nepal and Tibet share the Himalayas and could be considered the two sides of the same coin of an ancient culture of wisdom, which has lasted until today. The north side sober and solitary, with plenty of sensual excitements in the southern side. What is going to be your decision on these two very different expressions of oriental culture? Come enjoy both and tell us.
The fixed departure for this programme starts in Kathmandu, Tuesday 2 August 2011 at noon at the designated hotel, meeting our representative and with a welcome dinner in the evening to present the complete programme, and ends in Kathmandu on Wednesday 17 august at noon.
This program can be combined with any of the other itineraries we have in the Himalayas, like Bhutan or extensions in Nepal or India, either individually or in groups. For more information please go to our website www.mysticalasia.com part of Dharma Adventure group or contact our team at sm@dharma.com.np
Selected hotels: On a tour like these so varied and visiting two different countries, we will meet with tourism standard and services very different. During the program in Tibet some hotels/Guesthouse are basic, because there are no other options, but in the major cities, we have selected hotels that although not deluxe, nevertheless offers high standards of quality and service.
Kathmandu: Malla Hotel Lhasa: Hotel Kyichu Drikung: Guest House or camping Samye: Guest House or camping Gyantse: Hotel Jian Zhang Shigatse: Hotel Mansarovar Shega: Hotel Shanghai Rongbuk: Monastery guest house Dhulikhel: Mirabel Resort
Note: For extra hotel nights in Kathmandu, please contact our team at sm@dharma.com.np
Visa information: For this program your clients can get the Nepal visa at arrival 30 or 90 days multiple entries, depending on how long before or after our program start they are planning to stay. For Tibet we can take care from here. Please refer to our Tibet visa information posted @ our website www.MisticalAsia.com if your clients are planning to extend their stay in India, it is very important to get the India visa, before departure, from their own countries.
Arrival at the desgnated hotel, check-in time after 12.00 pm, meeting with our representative to give an overview of the entire program with a welcome dinner in the evening.
Day 02: Kathmandu Sightseeing tour around the old part of town, with its pagoda-style temples and stunning wood carvings, we also will visit the holy stupas of Swoyambhunath and Boudhanath, revered since ancient times. In the afternoon a visit to Kopan Tibetan Monastery.
Day 03: Kathmandu Half day excursion to visit the city of Patan, also known as the City of Fine Arts, the traditional centre for carving and Newar Buddhist sculpture.
Day 04: Kathmandu - Lhasa Flight to Lhasa, where we will cross the Himalayas from south to north, with breathtaking views of the Everest region. Afternoon will be free in Lhasa to acclimatize to the altitude (3,658m).
Day 05: Lhasa Tibet's capital, the City of Gods, a place of pilgrimage par excellence, for all Tibetans. We will visit the Jokhang temple, in the heart of the city, which houses the most sacred statue of Tibet the JowoSakyamuni, we will also visit the Barkhor bazaar surrounding the temple, filled with pilgrims and merchants from all parts of Tibet. In the afternoon visit the stunning Potala Palace, the landmark of Tibet, the old palace of the Dalai Lamas.
Day 06: Lhasa Full day excursion to visit the monasteries around Lhasa, visiting Drepung, the largest, and Sera Monastery, and the Norbulingka Summer Palace.
Day 07: Lhasa Hike to visit the shrine and caves of Pabongkay and the monasteries around, where great saints of the past have meditated, perhaps one of the most important and oldest energy centers in the country (seventh century) and one of the places where you can have the best views of the whole of Lhasa Valley.
Day 08: Lhasa - Drikung Travel by road for about three hours north from Lhasa to visit the monastery of DrikungTil, one of the most spectaculars in the country and where nearby there is also one of the most important cemetery (sky burial) of Tibet. In the valley can be seeing nomad’s camps. Overnight stay in Drikung.
Day 09: Drikung - Samye Travel by road and river crossing by ferry to reach the Samye Monastery in the Yarlung Valley, the cradle of Tibetan civilization. Samye was the first Buddhist monastery built in Tibet in the eighth century under the auspices of King TrisongDetsen and the great monk, abbot and Indian scholar Shantaraksita, who had to seek help from the great saint Padmasambhava to remove obstacles to its construction. Built in the shape of a mandala is a representation of the Buddhist universe. Visit and overnight stay.
Day 10: Samye - Yandrok lake - Gyantse Depart from Samye to Gyantse via the famous monastery of Mindroling, belonging to the oldest order of Buddhism in Tibet, the Nyingmapa. The road goes through the mountain passes of Kamba La at 4,700 m, with wonderful views of lake Yamdrok (Turquoise Lake) and the Karo La pass, at 5,045m before descending to the town of Gyantse. In the afternoon visit to the important town of Gyantse, where the famous Choten of khumbum (100,000 images), one of the most important monuments of the country, with its countless frescoes and pictures, hidden in small chapels around the six floors that make up this impressive architectural model stupa.
Day 11: Gyantse - Shigatse Travel by road to the city of Shigatse, the second largest city of Tibet. Afternoon tour of the city, where the famous palace/monastery of the Panchen Lamas, the Tashilunpo, which houses a magnificent statue of the future Buddha Maitreya.
Day 12: Shigatse - Shega Travel by road on the magnificent Tibetan plateau, with breathtaking views of the north face of Everest and other major peaks of the Himalayas.
Day 13: Shega – Rongbuk Travel by road to Rongbuk Monastery, who at 4,900m asl and just two hours trek to the north face base camp of Mount Everest, is the highest monastery in the world and would represent one of those unforgettable experiences of this program. The trek to base camp is a 16 miles round trip, with a vast landscape of valleys and glaciers, inhabited by meditators and herds of deer and yaks. Guesthouse accommodation in the monastery.
Day 14: Rongbuk - Dhulikhel (Nepal) by road, visiting en route the cave where the great Tibetan saint and poet Milarepa meditated. The impressive road steeply descends from the Plateau with views of natural waterfalls as it enters into Nepal. After passing custom formalities between China and Nepal, we will experience the contrast of the foliage and greenery of the southern side of the Himalayas, with its gorges, along the river Bhotekoshi followed by the fertile terraced fields, until we reach the picturesque town of Dhulikhel. Overnight stay in Dhulikhel.
Day 15: Dhulikhel - Kathmandu By road visiting on the way, the medieval city of Bhaktapur. This city displays an impressive array of temples. In the main square we will have the opportunity to see the best example that exists in Nepal of the pagoda architectural style, the famous temple of Nyatapola. Arrive to the hotel and farewell dinner in the evening.
Day 16: Kathmandu Day free until 12 pm and end of our services
