Upon arrival in Chengdu, you will be met and transferred to hotel.

Ovenright Chengdu.

Morning take an optional tour of Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Center which is located just 10 KM (6 miles) from the city. These pandas are found only in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Ghansu provinces. Besides the Pandas, black-necked cranes, white storks and other more than 20 species of rare animals are fed and bred in this center throughout the year.

Fly to Lhasa. Upon arrival at Gongar airport, 90 km from Lhasa. You will be met here by your guide and then proceed to Tsetang where you will have rooms reserved for you at the Tsetang Hotel. Rest of the day will be free.

Overnight Tsetang.

Your encounter with Tibet will begin with a visit to the palace of Yambulakhang which was built by the first Tibetan king Nyatri Tsenpo in the second century BC. Local folk lore has it that the king was descended from heaven . Next you will visit Chedruk Temple to round off our visit to Tsetang.

Overnight Tsetang.

You will drive to Gyangtse via Yamdrok Tso which transaltes to “Turquoise Lake”, sightseeing tour of Gyangtse then proceed to Shigatse in the afternoon.

Overnight Shigatse.

In the morning you will visit Tashilunpo monastery. This is the official seat of the Panchen Lama, second in importance to only the Dalai Lama. The monastery itself was built in 1447 by Gendun Drup and once housed upward of 3400 monks. Of particular interest in the monastery is the nine foot statue of Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future.

In the afternoon you will drive to Lhasa and check in hotel.

Overnight Lhasa.

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.

Overnight Lhasa.

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. 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.

Overnight Lhasa.

Trasnfer to airport and fly back home or extend a trip to Nepal or Yunan, China.