THE TIBET ADVENTURE
Visit Beijing, Lhasa, Gyangtse, Shigatse, Chengdu & Shanghai (14 Days)

Day 1 Arrival in Beijing Capital Hotel or similar
Upon arrival at the Beijing airport, passengers on this tour will be met and greeted by our attentive local guide, and then transfer to the centrally located hotel. The rest of the day will be at your own disposal for either relax or taking a walk.

Day 2 Beijing
Full day sightseeing is planned to visit the world largest Tiananmen Square, then the splendid Imperial Palace, well known as the "Forbidden City". After lunch, visit the enchanting Summer Palace, the best-preserved imperial garden served as summer resort in Qing dynasty. In the evening, a delicious Peking Duck dinner is arranged. (BLD)

Day 3 Beijing
The highlight today is to visit the awesome Great Wall, the symbol of China's ancient civilization with a history of over 2000 years. Afterwards, stop by the Sacred Road to see 24 marvelous stone sculptures of animals and guards and visit the third Ming emperor's Tomb - Changling. In the evening, a famous Peking Opera show is planned. (BLD)

Day 4 Beijing
This morning, we take an interesting tour of Hutong with a ride on pedicab to visit the old Beijing"s courtyards and call on the local homes. Later on, go to visit the well-preserved Lamasery - Yonghegong. After lunch, tour The Temple of Heaven, the most famous ancient architecture in China. Then it is free for relax or make your further exploration. (BLD)

Day 5 Beijing / Lhasa Tibet Hotel
Today, we take the morning flight at 9:45 for Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet, known as the world rooftop with the elevation of 3800 meters, and arrive there by 2:50pm at Gonggar airport, about 100 km from Lhasa. Along the way to the city, you can enjoy the beautiful natural scenery of Yarlung Zangbo River. There will be no special sightseeing programs arranged today so that you may take rest and get used to the highland weather and the altitude. (BLD)

Day 6 Lhasa
This morning, we take a visit to the grand mysterious Potala Palace, the real symbol of Tibet and the highest castle in the world. After lunch, visit the famous Sera Monastery, built in 1419, used as treasure house to keep the Buddhist sutras with a typical style of Tibetan architecture. Afterwards, go to visit once the Dalai Lama's Summer Palace - Norbulingkha Park. We may also pay a visit to a local Tibetan home if time permit. Dinner will be at the hotel. (BLD)

Day 7 Lhasa
Today, we go to visit another famous Buddhist collection - Drepung Monastery that was once the world largest monastery with a total of 10,000 monks lived inside. After lunch in a local restaurant, we take a visit to the Jokhang Temple that is followed by an interesting walk along the city's busiest shopping street - Barkhore Street Bazaar where you may find some lovely souvenirs. A special Tibetan style Song & Dance performance is arranged tonight. (BLD)

Day 8 Lhasa / Gyangtse Gyangtse Hotel
Today, we take the morning drive to Gyangtse, another major urban center in Tibet, which is about 280 km south of Lhasa. En route, you can enjoy the marvelous natural scenery of Karola snow-capped mountains and the Yamdrok Lake, regarded as the holy lake of Tibet. Upon arrival, we take a visit to the unique Buddhist architecture Baijusi Monastery built in 1414 with its stunning Kumbum, a stupa temple with a golden dome shaped as an umbrella and piled up by chapels of 9 layers, which is entirely decorated with over 10,000 Buddha sculptures and murals. Dinner will be at the hotel. (BLD)

Day 9 Gyangtse / Shigatse Shigatse Hotel
Check out the hotel in the morning and take a short ride of 90 km to Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet with a history over 500 years. It is 3800 meters above sea level with the Mt. Everest standing to the south of the city. After lunch, we'll visit the renowned Tashilhunpo Monastery, built in 1477 as the seat of Banchen lamas, which covers a floor space of 300,000 square meters and severed both as the residence and the place for regional administration. After the death of the tenth Banchen Lama in 1989, about 64 million Yuan in RMB and lots of gold, silver and gems were immediately allocated by the central government to build his stupa. In 1993, the 11 meter-high Stupa was completed and his body was placed inside. (BLD)

Day 10 Shigatse / Lhasa Tibet Hotel
Today, we'll take a long distance ride with 220 miles all the way to Lhasa. En route, you may get relaxed and enjoy the spectacular highland sceneries. By noontime, we make a stop to have a picnic lunch on top of the mountains and about 4pm, we'll be back to Lhasa, (BLD)

Day 11 Lhasa / Chengdu Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza
Take the morning flight to Chengdu and upon landing, you may feel much comfortable with the moistened air and the low elevation. After lunch, we'll take an unforgettable visit to the Giant Panda breeding center, where about 25 active pandas will amuse you with a lot of fun. Later on, we tour around the local food market to know more of people's daily life. (BLD)

Day 12 Chengdu / Shanghai Broadway Mansion Hotel
We fly to Shanghai in the morning and will take visit of the marvelous Shanghai Museum, rich-stored and newly built on the People's Square, which is considered as one of the best arts and historical museums in China. Late on visit the Children's Palace to find how the pupils are trained with all kinds of arts. A fantastic Acrobatics Show is arranged in the evening. (BLD)

Day 13 Shanghai
Today's sightseeing includes the famous Jade Buddha Temple, the exquisite Yu Garden, built in Qing dynasty and The Bund, a lovely waterfront regarded as the symbol of Shanghai. In the afternoon, you can take a walk along the well-known shopping street - Nanjing Road. A farewell dinner is planned in the evening to highlight our China trip. (BLD)

Day 14 Shanghai / Return Home
This morning is at leisure and check out before noon. Our guide will come to meet you at the hotel lobby and help arrange transfers to the airport for your return home flight. (B)

TOUR PRICE: All in US Dollars
Seasons	2 - 5 persons	6 - 9 persons	10 persons & up	Remarks
Low SeasonDec. / Jan. / Feb. / Mar.	2210	1930	1650
Shoulder SeasonApr. / Jun. / Jul. / Aug.	2270	1980	1710
Peak SeasonMay. / Sep. / Oct. / Nov.	2310	2020	1750

TOUR PRICE INCLUDES:

· 3 or 4 star rated hotel accommodation based on twin sharing with western breakfast
· All domestic air & land transportation
· Private car / mini-bus or coach services with English speaking guide
· All sightseeing entrance fee mentioned in the itinerary
· All meals specified in the itinerary ( B = Breakfast / L = Lunch / D = Dinner )
· Evening entertainment arranged in the itinerary
PRICE EXCLUDES: The airport tax of US$ 6 for each domestic flight & US$11 for int'l flight.
Please note that the tour payment must be made by Bank Wire Transfer 15 days before the group arrival or paid by cash / credit cards before the tour commencing.
For payment made by credit card, 4% surcharge required by the Bank of China will be added upon the total tour price.