CYTC-025:YUNNAN-TIBET OVERLAND TOUR AND LITANG HORSE RACING FESTIVALS
(30DAYS)
The following itinerary is for those who are interested in special overland
tours to Tibet. In the past many people only know that it is very easy
to go from Qinghai to Tibet, but actually along that route you can not
see things as many as this Yunnan/Tibet hight way. Another thing is that
along this route you can see more minorities than Qinghai/Tibet road.
Besides Tibetans, you can also see Bai and Naxi people and their interesting
culture.
Day 1: Arrive Beijing. Overnight at Qianmen Hotel.
Day 2:Beijing/Kunming(flight): Kunming is the capital ot Yunnan Province and a "Ever Spring" City:Visit Green Lake and Old City Wall.
Overnigt at Kunming Hotel
Day 3:Kunming to Dali (420km):Long drive through verdant hills to Dali,
ancestoral 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 Dynastery of more than one thousand years ago,and stillmaintain their traditional matriachal 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 (Gyeltang) (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 sheeps here while bought tea back to their homes.
Overnight atZhongdian hotel
Day 8: Sightseeing Zhongdian: Tibetan Market, Hospital of Tibetan Medicine,The Assembly Hall of the "Old Temple", Gyseltang Sungtseling
Monastery--the largest Tibetan Buddhist Complex in the prefecture,
currently housing 600-700 monks, and originally constructed in the 17th century at the advice of Dalai Lama V, and it is traditionally comprised an assembly hall flanked by eight residentialcolleges.
Overnight at Zhongdian Hotel
Day 9:Zhongdian to Xiangcheng(Chaktreng)(222km):
Overnight at a Xiangcheng Hotel
Day 10:Xiangcheng to Litang (203km)--the second highest county in the world. Overnight at a Litang Hotel
(Please note that this day should be the 31st of July so that the next
we can attend the Horse Racing Festival ceremonies)
Day11-13: Litang Horse Racing Festival--The horse festival tradition in
Central Tibet is said to trace its origins back to King Rabten Kunzang Phak of Gyantse in Western Tibet, who in 1408 organized a religious and secular festival on behalf of his grandfather'smemory. It include wrestling, weightlifting, and horse racing,to which archery on horseback was added in 1447.However, the festival tradition in the Amdo and Kham areas of Eastern Tibet,where horses abound and horse-riding remains a skill acquired at a young tender age,may have had an even longer history.Most
festivals, with the exception of Gyantse which coincides with the forth month of the lunar calendar, are held in the autumn when the grasslands begin to turn yellow and the harvest has been gathered in the villages. Among the sites in Central Tibet, whick are renowned for their horse festivals, the Lhasa 4-day event coinciding with the Great Prayer Festival (Monlam Chenmo)is not presently held; but those of Damzhung and Kongpo are
still extremely popular. The Damzhung Festival is particularly grand, the 10km site being covered with the blue appliqued tends of the riders, traders, and locals. The Yak Tace is the comic highlight of the event.In Eastern Tibet,horse festivals nowadays tend to be organized according to the western or modern Chinese calendar. For instance,the well-known Jyekundo Festival begins on 25 July; and the Litang Festival on 1 Aug (National Army Day). In addition to speed-recing, there are other equestrain events, with riders stooping from their galloping steeds to pick up Kataks from the ground or twirling Tibetan muskets around their shoulders before shooting at a target on the ground. Tug-of-war and weightlifting add to the spectacle-sometimes with strongarm monks from the local monasteries
participating; and there are folk song and dance troupes representing the different regions. A brisk trade is conducted amid the copious drinking of beer, chang, and hard liquor.Sightseeing the Horse Racing Festival,
Traditional Tibetan Dance and Singings, Horse racing and other sports and activities. Visit the people, local market, trade fare and Litang Yellow-hat Monastery. Overnight at Litang Hotel
Day14: Litang to Batang(171km): Overnight at Batang Hotel
Day15: Batang to Markham(104km): Overnight at Markham County Government
Day 16: Markham to Zogang (158km): Overnight at Zogang Hotel
Day 17: Zogang to Chamdo (265km)--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
Day18: Chamdo: Explore the market and the 15th centuary Monastery.
Overnight at Chamdu Hotel
Day19: Chamdo to Tsawa Pasho(267km):Cross the imposing Mekong Salween
devide to the Po Valley system. Overnight at Pasho Hotel
Day20: Tsawa Pasho to Pome Tramu(218km):Spectacular alpine forests around
Rawu Lake as we cross from the salween to Brahmaputra watershed.
Overnight at Pome Hotel
Day21: 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
Day22: Nyingtri to Kongpo Gyamda(144km):Picnic lunch at the idylie Pasum
Tso with its island monastery. Overnight at Kongpo Gyamda Hotel
Day23: 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
Day24: Lhasa-Yamdok Yumtso Lake-Gyantze(260km) Overnight at Gyantze Hotel
Yamdok Yumtso Lake is one of the three largest lakes of Tibet, lies
about a hundred km distance to the southwest of Lhasa. The surface
of the lake, with its fathomless depth,covers some six hundred
square km. To the interior of the lake ten or so hilly islands stand
independently one form the other whick give homes to flocks of
wild ducks. There is plenty of fish in the lake.
Day 25: Visiting Palcho Monastery. Overnight at Gyantze Hotel
Palcho Monastery: Located in Gyantse town and founded jointly by Kedup Je
Of the Gelupa Sect in 1418.Palcho Monastery has a special influence over
Tibet's Buddhism owing to its being a unity of three different sects, the
Gelugpa, the Sakyapa and Bhuton Sect in one single monastery. The famous
Knmbom pagoda stands nine stories with its 108 doors and 77 chapels
containing clay sculptures and various murals. The pagoda is said to have
100,000 images, either sculptured or painted, this also earns its name to
"100,000-Image Pagoda."
Day26: Gyantse/ Shigatse: Tashilhunpo Monastery: It is the biggest Gelugpa
Monastery in the Tsang region of Tibet. It is located in the town of
Shigatse and was founded by Gedun Drup, a disciple of Tsongkapa, the
founder of the Gelupa Sect. Gedun Drup was later recognizes as the first
Dalai Lama.It was formerly built in 1447 and continuously expanded by the
successive Panchen Lamas. The Ngagpa College(Tantric College), one of its
four monastic colleges, was the residence of the Panchen Lamas. The most
amazing image in the monastery is the statue of the giant Maitreya (Future
Buddha)erected by the ninth Banchen Lama in 1914, and took four years for
its establishment. This giant statue stands 26 meters in height and 275kg
of solid gold, great quantity of precious things such a pearls, turquoises,
corals and amblers have absolved for its construction. The 4th Panchen Lama's funeral stupa was built in 1662 and it stands eleven meters high and is covered with gold and silver. Overnight at Shigatse Hotel
Day 27: Shigatse/Lhasa: Overnight at Lhasa Hotel
Day 28: Lhasa/Chengdu. Overnight at Chengud Hotel
Day 29: Chengdu/Beijing Overnight at Beijing Hotel.
Day 30: Beijing/Canada or other place. END OF TOUR |
