SCYTS-008: YUNNAN-TIBET OVERLAND TOUR (23DAYS)

This program promises an entirely different way to experience the great variety of cultures which are collectively called "Tibetan". The natural splendor of the route is unrivalled in terms of the diversity of landforms encountered. We follow four of Asia's major rivers: the Yangtze, Salween, Mekong and Brhamaputra, and experience the imposing mountain ranges that separate one from the other. The whole area has never really been open to foreigners, and as permits for the region are hard to come by it is not unusual for our groups to raise a few eyebrows amongst the locals.

From Kunming we travel to Dali where the ancestors of the Bai People made their home over three thousand years ago. There is enough time to see something of the peaceful lake side villages before heading north into the Tibetan tablelands and the fascinating Naxi People who live in the shadow of the Jade Dragon Mountain. We follow the upper Yangtze past Gyelthang and then cross over to the spectacular valleys of the Mekong where picturesque villages cling to the steep mountainside.

We stop for a day in Chamdo, the capital of eastern Tibet, and then hop from the valleys of the Mekong to the Salween, and finally the upper Brahmaputra and the old districts of Pome and Kongpo.

Roughly half of our time is spent on the road and we'll be able to make frequent stops are the monasteries, markets and high mountain passes, and alpine lakes along the way. While in Lhasa, we have left enough time to see the city's most important sites before flying to Chengdu and then to Hong Kong.

Day 1:Arrive Kunming: Kunming is the capital of Yunnan Province and
a "Ever Spring" City: Visit Green Lake and Old City Wall.
                                              Overnigt at Kunming Hotel
Day 2:Kunming: Sightseeing the Stone Forest located in Lunan County.
                                              Overnigt at Kunming Hotel
Day 3:Kunming to Dali (420km):Long drive through verdant hills to Dali,
      ancestral home of the Bai People.
                                                Overnight at Dali Hotel
Day 4:Dali: The old market, ancient city and visit the Three Pagoda Monastery                                  Overnight at Dali Hotel
Day 5:Dali to Lijiang (202km)Drive north into the Tibetan tableland, Close
encounter with the sacred Jade Dragon Mountain. Lijiang is the capital of
Lijiang Naxi Autonomous Prefecture. Naxi is so far the only ethnic
group with living pictographic characters. And that the local people here still plays the music of Tang Dynasty of more than one thousand years ago, and still maintain their traditional matriarchal culture.
                                            Overnight at Lijiang Hotel
Day 6:Lijiang: Sightseeing the old Square Town, the traditional market. 
                                             Overnight at Lijiang Hotel
Day 7: Lijiang to Zhongdian (195km):Following the Yangtze upstream to Zhongdian. Zhongdian is the capital of Diqin Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and the first gateway from Yunnan to Tibet with a elevation of 3288m.It is a very important junction site among Yunnan, Tibet and Sichuan. Since Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.C.)it has gradually become one of the trading center among Tibet, Yunnan and Sichuan Province: The Tibetans sold their horses and sheep here while bought tea back to their homes.                               
Overnight at Zhongdian Hotel
Day 8:Zhongdian to Dechen (184km):Stop in the pretty town of Benzilan before crossing the magnificent Yangtze Mekong devide to Dechen.
                                             Overnight at Dechen Hotel
Day 9:Dechen to Tsakhalo (110km)Stop to rest in the beautiful Mekong Valley at the ancient salt wells of Tsakhalo.    Overnight at Tsakhalo Hotel
Day10: Tsakhalo to Markham (112km): Continue our ascent along the Mekong and onto the Tibetan Plateau. Markham means "Lower Kham", sites on a broad grassy meadow.                Overnight at Markham Hotel
Day11: Markham to Drayab (206km): Cross the Mekong Salween divide to Dzogang and continue to Bamda in the Yuchu Valley. Visit Drayab Monastery.                            Overnight at Drayab Hotel
Day12: Drayab to Chamdo(176km):Arrive early afternoon in this important trading town at the confluence of two tributaries of the Mekong. In Tibet, this county is as famous as Lhasa and Shigatse. It has a history of more than two hundred years.And now it is the capital of Chamdo Prefecture. It is the Political, Cultural,Economy and Transportation center in eastern Tibet with a elevation of 3232m.Sichuan-Tibet Highway, Yunnan-Tibet Highway and Qinghai-Tibet Highway all go through here.                                                                 
Overnight at Chamdo Hotel
Day13: Chamdo: Explore the market and the 15th century Monastery.
                                             Overnight at Chamdo Hotel
Day14: Chamdo to Tsawa Pasho(267km):Cross the imposing Mekong Salween divide to the Po Valley system.      Overnight at Tsawa Pasho Hotel
Day15: Tsawa Pasho to Pome Tramu(218km):Spectacular alpine forests around Rawu Lake as we cross from the Salween to Brahmaputra watershed.
                                         Overnight at Pome Tramu Hotel
Day16: Pome Tramu to Nyingtri(214km):Along the upper course of the Brahmaputra, through Kongpo, and past Namche Barwa Mt. to the fertile valleys around Nyingtri.                   Overnight at Nyingtri Hotel
Day17: Nyingtri to Kongpo Gyamda(144km):Picnic lunch at the Pasum Tso with its island monastery.            Overnight at Kongpo Gyamda Hotel
Day18: Kongpo Gyamda to Lhasa(274km):Long drive into the Kyichu Valley and the Holy City with the elevation of 3650m.Lhasa has a history of more than 1300 years. "Lhasa" in Tibetan means "Holly Place or the Land of the Buddha." It has been the religional and political center of Tibet since 633 A.D.                   Overnight at Lhasa Hotel
Day19-Day21: Lhasa: Visit the Holy City's greatest sites: The Potala Palace, Norbulingk-the summer palace, Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery and of course the Barkor Market.We also offer short visits to the Art School, the hospital of traditional medicine.Overnight at Lhasa Hotel
Day22:(Flight)Lhasa to Chengdu.              Overnight atChengdu Hotel