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This adventurous, escorted, ALL-INCLUSIVE trip goes the distance – and elevation – to bring you face-to-face with the world's tallest peak: Mt. Everest. You'll travel to Tibet across the "rooftop of the world." Riding aboard the Qinghai-Tibet Train (the world's highest commercial railway) the scenery is spectacular. A comprehensive, unforgettable tour of historic Tibetan towns and sacred monasteries follows. Then, it's back to the heights with a high-altitude ride to the Everest Base Camp (near which you'll overnight). No question about it - your "Everest Explorer" itinerary truly earns its name!
Your trip, as with every Let's Travel China trip, begins in China's capital city of Beijing and includes visits to the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. Then you'll head west with your Let's Travel China tour group to view one of the 20th century's most important archeological finds: the Terracotta Warriors at Xi'an. Then, you'll board your train for Lhasa, Tibet, the remote provincial capital situated at the base of the soaring, snow-capped Himalayas. It's here where you'll tour the mountain temples and monasteries of Sakya, Gyantse and Rongphu before "setting up camp" below Mt. Everest.
Want to see dates and rates for this tour? -Click Here-
Want to see day-by-day trip details for this tour? -Click Here-
When comparing prices, please keep in mind...
Let’s Travel China Tours are All-Inclusive! |
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Trip Length:
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14 Nights/15 Days |
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| Begins
in:
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Beijing |
| Ends in:
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Shanghai |
| Departures:
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2010
Oct 24 |
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Highlights:
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Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu,
Xian, Gyantse, Lhasa,
Rongphu, Sakya, Tibet Train
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| Trip prices:
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From $5880 per person |
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| Beijing | 2 Nights | Orientation, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven, Hutong neighborhood | Xian | 1 Night | Terracotta Warriors, Xian City Wall, Lacquer Furniture Factory, Dumpling Dinner | Xining | 1 Night | Kumbum Monastery, Tu ethnic minority village | Qinghai - Tibet Train | 1 Night | Qinghai - Tibet Train (overnight), Kunlun Mountains, Kekexili Nature Preserve, Tanggula Pass | Lhasa | 4 Nights | Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, The Barkhor, Sera Monastery, Drepung Monastery | Shigatse | 1 Night | Tashilhunpo Monastery, Yamdrok Lake | Xegar | 2 Nights | Shigatse, Sakya Monastery, Everest Base Camp, Rongphu Monastery | Chengdu | 1 Night | Giant Panda Breeding & Research Center | Shanghai | 1 Night | Bund & Pudong districts, Farewell Dinner, Acrobatic Show, Shanghai Maglev airport transfer (optional) |
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The
World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.
~St. Augustine
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Travel: |
Arrive Beijing
Motorcoach to hotel |
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Cities:
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Beijing |
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Highlights:
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Arrival in Beijing
Free time |
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Overnight:
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Beijing Marriott City Wall |
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Meals:
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Beijing Duck Dinner |
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- Welcome to China! Following your flight arrival in Beijing you'll transfer to your hotel.
- The remainder of the day is at your leisure. Your flight arrival time may afford time for lunch (not included in your tour price). Your hotel offers excellent restaurants serving a variety of cuisines. If you'd prefer to dine away from your hotel your Tour Manager or Local Guide can offer alternate dining options.
- You may choose to relax at the hotel but if your arrival schedule permits you may also opt for some local sightseeing or shopping before dinner.
- A special evening is planned: a delicious Peking Duck Dinner! This meal will also afford you more time to get to know your fellow travelers as well as provide a brief Orientation of your tour.
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| More Beijing? |
| Learn more about Beijing City and its attractions |
| Click
here |
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| More Beijing - literally!
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| Want more time in Beijing? Call a Tour Specialist
for details. |
| 800-801-3188 |
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Cities:
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Beijing |
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Highlights:
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Forbidden City
Tiananmen Square
Temple of Heaven
Hutong neighborhood
Peking Opera |
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Overnight:
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Beijing Marriott City Wall |
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Meals:
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Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
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- Tiananmen Square is your first stop on this first day. The square is the prime venue for both state-sponsored and unstaged events. It is vast – the largest such square in the world. From here you'll proceed to the Forbidden City.
- You'll have ample time to tour the 170-acre Forbidden City complex but still, you'll only be able to see a fraction of the site's nearly 9,000 rooms. The Forbidden City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site - one of the many featured on Let's Travel China tours.
- Not a single nail was used in the construction of The Temple of Heaven, one of the most beautiful temples in China. Here, emperors came to pray to ancestors for guidance and to the heavens for favorable weather and bountiful harvests. The temple park is busy with local retirees playing board games and playing traditional musical intstruments; kids flying kites, adults performing Tai Chi, Kung Fu and twirling flags.
- No visit in Beijing is complete without a pedicab tour through one of Beijing's quaint Hutong neighborhoods. Here, canals, alleyways and narrow streets provide a rare glimpse of a Beijing scene missed by most tourists. Your tour may include a visit with a family at a traditional, "courtyard-style" quadrangle home or perhaps drop in on a nursery or pre-school.
- Following dinner you'll be treated to an evening at the opera - the Peking Opera!
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Chinese
Firsts:
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Wheelbarrow,
papermaking, “India” ink, moveable-type printing, compass,
ship rudder, gunpowder, cannon & fireworks, gun, decimal system,
crossbow, cast iron, iron plow, porcelain, silk, umbrellas, kites,
stirrup, harness, spaghetti, hand-held fan, seismometer, abacus,
cargo ship, high-fired stoneware, brandy, whiskey, chess, and fish-farming!
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Travel: |
Fly Beijing to Xian |
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Cities:
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Xian |
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Highlights:
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Terracotta Warrriors
Dumpling Dinner
Night Markets |
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Overnight:
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Howard Johnson Ginwa Plaza |
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Meals:
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Breakfast, Lunch and "Dumpling Dinner" |
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- This morning you'll fly westward from Beijing to Xian, provincial capital of Shaanxi. Following your arrival, you'll stop in at a popular Xian restaurant for lunch.
- One of your most magical memories of China may well occur this afternoon with
your tour of the Terracotta Warriors. An entire subterranean Army stands ready to defend the tomb of China's first emperor – Qin Shi Huangdi. Discovered in 1974, the site ranks with King Tut's tomb as one of the 20th century's greatest archeological finds.
- Many historians maintain that the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 – 907) represented a "Golden Age" of Chinese civilization. It was - and remains - one of the tastiest, too. A traditional Dumpling Dinner is offered this evening.
- Following dinner you'll have ample time to explore the night markets and take in the beautiful evening views of Xian's massive city wall.
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Terracotta
Warriors:
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Known
for their creative reproductions (everything from "antique"
Ming Dynasty vases to Madonna CDs, enterprising Chinese have even
arranged illegal "knock-off" exhibitions of their own
Terracotta Warriors. Unauthorized reproductions - sometimes excellent,
sometimes shoddy - have cropped up at "exhibitions" in
China, without any reference to the word "replica." Local
authorities are doing their best to crack down on these fraudulent
exhibitions.
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Travel: |
Fly to Xining |
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Cities:
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Xian
Xining |
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Highlights:
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Xian City Wall
Shaanxi History Museum
Lacquer Furniture Factory |
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Overnight:
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Silver Dragon Hotel |
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Meals:
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Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
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- Built in 1992, the Shaanxi History Museum is a treasury of provincial and Chinese history. Thousands of relics dating from prehistoric times on through the Qing Dynasty (China's last dynastic chapter) fill the world-class museum.
- One of Xian's notable attractions is its City Wall, still intact along its entire 9-mile rectangle around its former imperial palace. Over a span of some 4,000 years Xian has been the capital to 11 dynasties. Should you choose, bicycles are available for rent allowing you to travel along the top of the wall's perimeter for the finest views of this historic city.
- Following a stop at an interesting Lacquer Furniture Factory and showroom, you'll transfer to the airport for your westward flight to Xining.
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Athens. Rome. Xian.
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Most historians are in agreement that by 500 B.C., Athens had achieved the distinction as the world's most prosperous city. 500 years later, Rome had eclipsed Athens for the title. Yet, by 500 A.D., while Rome was being sacked by Vandals, Xian stood at its peak of power and influence - the wealthiest city in all the world.
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Travel: |
Qinghai-Tibet Train |
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Cities:
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Xining |
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Highlights:
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Kumbun Monastery (Ta'er Temple)
Tu ethnic minority visit
Train to Tibet! |
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Overnight:
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Qinghai-Tibet Train |
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Meals:
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Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner |
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- You'll have the morning to sleep in and relax at your hotel before starting the day's activities.
- A visit to the Kumbum Monastery (Ta'er Temple) follows today's lunch. Considered one of the finest merges of Han and Tibetan architectural styles, the monastery claims over 9,000 interconnect rooms: lofty temples, hallways and spacious courtyards. The monastery's famous "butter sculptures," the "barbolas" (embossed embroidery), and the mural frescoes are truly unique.
- Later in the day you'll also pay a visit with the Tu - one of China's 55 ethnic groups. Numbering less than 200,000, the Tu speak a unique language and their traditional clothes feature distinctive embroidery and high collars.
- In the late evening, following dinner, you'll travel to the Xining train station where you'll board your Qinghai - Tibet Train. This unique, 25-hour journey will carry you across the "roof of the world." Due to the high elevations (portions of your ride include travel at altitudes hovering around 16,000 feet) your railcar's air is enriched with additional oxygen - a unique amenity of this fascinating rail journey.
- Though cabin availabilities may vary, sleeping accommodations aboard the train generally include semi-private, quad-occupancy cabins. Restroom facilities are provided within each car.
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British
Invasion of Tibet:
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A
fear - later proved unfounded - that Czarist Russia's influence
was encroaching on Tibet, in 1903 the British dispatched troops
to the region to force the signing of a treaty ensuring open trade
with the mountain country. Moving north from India (still then a
British colony), they met with resistance by the Tibetans. The ensuing
battle was hopelessly lopsided; Tibetans suffered hundreds of losses
while the British forces - heavily armed with the latest weaponry
- reported but four casualties, easily capturing the Tibetan fort
at Dzong, outside Gyantse. The trade treaties sought by the British
were signed the following year.
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Travel: |
Qinghai-Tibet Train |
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Cities:
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Golmud
Lhasa |
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Highlights:
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Train to Tibet
Scenic views of Kunlun Mountains and Tibetan Plateau |
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Overnight:
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Jardin Secret Hotel (or similar) |
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Meals:
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Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner avaliable for purchase aboard the train |
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- From the windows of your train you'll see the majestic, snow-capped peaks of the Kunlun Mountains. Outside those windows lies some of the world's harshest environments: high, arid, salty plateaus with sparse vegetation. Yet the views are spectacular!
- You'll travel across miles and miles of Northern Tibet Grass, through the Kekexili Nature Preserve - home to just 16 mammal species and 30 bird species. All are acclimated to the dry, cold, high-altitude climate. Here roam snow leopards, yaks, Tibet antelope, and wild donkeys; golden eagles soar above.
- Today's journey carries you over the Tanggula Pass - traveling along the world's highest passenger railway tracks (elevation - 16,649 ft. or 5072m).
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner are available for purchase aboard your train as you travel southwest to Lhasa. Following your late evening arrival in Lhasa, you'll transfer directly to your hotel.
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Train to Tibet:
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"I had a terrific, truly wonderful time in China and Tibet. Let's Travel China made the experience a productive and painless one for me and all other travelers. Every day I was pleasantly reminded how our guides and other agents from your company not only informed us, but cleared away obstacles at airports and facilitated access at otherwise busy tourist venues. You guys are great!."
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-G. Chialtas. Let's Travel China Tour Participant
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Cities:
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Lhasa |
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Highlights:
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Sera Monastery |
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Overnight:
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Jardin Secret Hotel (or similar) |
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Meals:
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Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
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- Tibet is a huge province that includes vast deserts sparsely populated by nomadic peoples. But its foothill region, framed by the magnificent Himalayas, is where you'll find the most scenic, most exotic attractions.
- Due to Lhasa's elevation (around 12,000 feet), the morning's yours to settle in, relax and acclimate to the altitude.
- In the afternoon your tour of Lhasa will begin with a visit to the Sera Monastery and it's open-air "debating courtyard." Here, Tibetan monks interpret Buddhist teachings, their positions often punctuated with highly-ritualized, often loud gestures, such as hand clapping and foot stomping.
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| More
Lhasa? |
| Would you like to learn more about Lhasa
and its attractions?
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| Click
here to read more... |
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Cities:
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Lhasa |
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Highlights:
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Potala Palace
Jokhang Temple
Barkhor Area |
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Overnight:
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Jardin Secret Hotel (or similar) |
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Meals:
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Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
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- Today you'll visit Tibet's most recognizable attraction: Potala Palace. It's a magnificent, hill-top structure of a thousand rooms. Once the residence of the Dalai Lama, Potala Palace is now a museum, though still used for important religious ceremonies and high-profile political events.
- The 1,300-year-old Jokhang Temple is Tibet's holiest shrine. For centuries it was the spiritual retreat for the Dalai Lamas. It's here, outside the walls of this temple, where pilgrims spin prayer wheels as they perform one of three Tibetan koras, or sacred circuits.
- The Barkhor is essentially a crowded and colorful neighborhood of shops, hawkers, teahouses and market stalls catering to visitors and devout Buddhists who perform their ritual clockwise kora around the Jokhang Temple (see above).
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Travel: |
Motorcoach to Shigatse |
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Cities:
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Lhasa
Shigatse |
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Highlights:
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Shigatse
Yamdrok Lake |
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Overnight:
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Shigatse Hotel |
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Meals:
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Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
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- This morning you'll leave Lhasa and travel westward to Shigatse. On route, you'll make a worthwhile detour to stop at Yamdrok Lake, one of four sacred Tibetan lakes. Weather permitting; the lake's deep, deep turquoise color will be dazzling!
- On arrival at Shigatse, you'll check into your hotel for an overnight stay.
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Travel: |
Motorcoach to Xegar |
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Cities:
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Shigatse
Xegar |
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Highlights:
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Shigatse
Tashilhunpo Monastery |
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Overnight:
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Xegar Hotel |
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Meals:
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Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
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- Through history, Shigatse (elevation: 12,800 ft.) has rivaled Lhasa as Tibet's principal center. Located just outside of town at the foot of a mountain rises the Tashilhunpo Monastery, an immense complex of palaces, temples, stupas and corridors covering over 3 million square feet. Founded by the first Dalai Lama in 1447, the monastery dazzles the eyes. One 86-ft. high Buddha is not to be missed; it's decorated in gold, copper, amber, diamonds and other precious stones.
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Travel: |
Motorcoach to Rongphu |
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Cities:
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Xegar
Rongphu |
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Highlights:
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Xegar
Rongphu
Sakya Monastery
Everest Base Camp |
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Overnight:
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Xegar Hotel or
Everest Base Camp |
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Meals:
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Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
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- Today's drive will bring you to Sakya Monastery. Sakya (in Tibetan, literally, "Gray Soil"), was the 13th-century capital of Tibet. Perhaps the most "Tibetan" of all Tibetan towns, Sakya features two important monasteries. One, the northern monastery, was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. The other, the southern monastery – a massive, fortress-like structure – remains.
- Your day will include a number of "superlatives of the elevation kind." First up – a stop at the world's highest monastery – and in this Himalayan region, this means something! The interior of the monastery at Rongphu (elevation 16,500 feet) is secondary to the views from its promontory. On a good day, Mt. Everest's north face is visible.
- Throughout your entire day's drive you're traveling well above the tree line; were it not for the snow-capped Himalayas above you'd almost swear you've landed on the moon, so barren is the landscape. The Everest Base Camp, at 17,000 feet, is a plateau with the world's highest post office and some of the best views of Chomolungma, or "Mother of the Universe," as the mountain is called in Tibetan.
- For your overnight stay you'll have the option of "roughing it" at the Everest Base Camp (weather permitting) - or sleeping at the hotel in Xegar.
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Mallory
- did he make it to the top?
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The first attempt to reach Mt. Everest's summit was in 1921, by the
British climber, George Mallory. The attempt failed. He tried three
years later and was never heard from again. Did he and his climbing
companion, Andrew Irvine, perish on the way down from the top? We'll
never know. |
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Travel: |
Motorcoach to Lhasa |
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Cities:
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Xegar
Lhasa |
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Highlights:
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Scenic drive to Lhasa |
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Overnight:
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Jardin Secret Hotel (or similar) |
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Meals:
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Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
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- Your itinerary is all downhill from here! Most of your day will be spent aboard your motorcoach as it makes its winding way back down to Lhasa, where you'll overnight once more.
- There will be free time today and this evening for shopping, strolling and taking in the sights and sounds of Lhasa.
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| More
Tibet ? |
| Would you like to learn more about Tibet
and its attractions?
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| Click
here to read more... |
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Travel: |
Fly to Chengdu |
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Cities:
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Lhasa
Chengdu |
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Highlights:
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Chengdu
Chengdu Teahouse |
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Overnight:
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Shangri-La Hotel, Chengdu |
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Meals:
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Breakfast and "Hot Pot" Dinner |
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- Your morning is free for optional activities: shopping, touring or simply relaxing and enjoying the mountain views.
- An afternoon flight from Lhasa to Chengdu is scheduled, arriving in plenty of time for dinner. Your day includes a visit at a Chengdu Teahouse, of course, as this city is famous for its tea and teahouses! It's also famous for it's Sichuan-style "Hot-Pot" Dinner - a savory balance of sweet, sour and spicy - delivering a distinctive numbing sensation!
- After dinner you'll have free time to explore this beautiful, compact, easy-going city - the capital of the Sichuan Province.
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On Destinations...
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"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."
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- Henry Miller
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Travel: |
Fly to Shanghai |
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Cities:
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Chengdu
Shanghai |
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Highlights:
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Giant Panda Breeding Research Ctr.
Shanghai Arrival
Bund & Pudong district
Farewell Dinner
Acrobatic Show |
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Overnight:
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Hotel Pullman Shanghai Skyway |
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Meals:
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Breakfast, Lunch & Farewell Dinner |
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- It was in Chengdu where the world's first paper currency was printed, but today the city is most famous for its Giant Panda Breeding Research Center, located just a few miles from town. There's no doubt that this will be yet another highlight of your tour because you'll not only see Pandas, you may even see Baby Pandas! This is not just a zoo, as offered on some tours, but an actual habitat and breeding center for this endangered species (and the just-as-cute Red Pandas live here, too). Your morning visit coincides with feeding time - the best time to see the Pandas as it's when they're most active.
- Following lunch, you'll travel to the airport for your flight to Shanghai
- There's time to tour the city's Western-style Bund neighborhood and time for some shopping, too. Shanghai was a minor county seat until the British arrived in the mid-19th century, lured by the potential wealth of untapped trade markets. Across the river soars Pudong, the skyscraper, neon-lit skyline of postcard fame.
- A special evening is planned for tonight: a delicious Farewell Dinner followed later with an Acrobatic Show.
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| Stunning Suzhou! |
| Suzhou and its gorgeous gardens remains one of China's must-sees. |
| Click
here to read more... |
| ...add on Suzhou! |
| Would you like to add on Suzhou to your tour? Call a Tour Specialist
for details. |
| 661-272-3767 |
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Travel: |
Departure from Shanghai |
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Cities:
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Shanghai |
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Highlights:
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Shanghai Maglev airport transfer
Farewells! |
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Overnight:
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N/A |
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Meals:
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Breakfast |
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- Depending on your flight plans, you may have time for some last-minute shopping in nearby shops and markets. Your Tour Escort can offer money-saving suggestions.
- Today, if your return flight schedule permits, you can "fly" to Shanghai's international airport aboard the world's fastest commercial train: the Shanghai Maglev! Speeding at up to 430 kph (almost 270 mph) it'll make fast work of your airport transfer!
Shanghai is hosting the World Expo 2010 from May thorugh October (May 1 - Oct. 31, 2010). It is a scheduled World Expo in the tradition of international fairs and expositions. The theme of the exposition will be "Better City – Better Life" and signifies Shanghai's new status in the 21st century as a major economic and cultural center. We will offer packages that include extended stays in Shanghai as well as admission tickets to the Expo. |
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Shanghai Maglev:
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"The doors shut, and the train accelerates like a skyscraper elevator, silently, smoothly, and rapidly, and by the time the last car leaves the station you already seem to be going 50 miles per hour. Four minutes of gravity-simulator-style acceleration later...you reach the peak speed of 270 miles per hour for the tiny 20-mile run."
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- Henry Blodget - Slate.
March 21, 2005
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| Single Supplement:
Add $1210 to above prices
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3rd Guest (age 9 to 12) Land + Air:
70% of Land Only price, plus applicable Air cost
3rd Guest (age 9 to 12) Land Only: 70% of Land Only price
3rd Guest (age 12+) Land + Air:
85% of Land Only price, plus applicable Air cost
3rd Guest (age 12+) Land Only: 85% of Land Only price
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*Land + Air: Land + Air prices include all tour features as noted below in “All-Inclusive Pricing” as well as Roundtrip International Air Travel from Los Angeles (or selected departure city, where applicable and available) to/from China. In all cases prices are subject to change without notice due to airline seat availability.
*Land Only: Land Only prices include all tour features as noted below in “All-Inclusive Pricing.” Please note that Land Only prices include all travel within China as noted in the tour’s Trip Itinerary.
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All prices listed above are quoted in
USD, per person, and based on double occupancy. Single Supplement prices are shown above.
Prices are subject to change without notice and are capacity controlled.
"ALL-INCLUSIVE Pricing" includes: Tour Gratuities for guide services (Tour Manager, City Guides, Drivers, and Baggage Handling); Accommodations; Meals as noted in Trip Details; Admission fees to attractions as noted in Trip Details; Air, Train & Motorcoach travel within China as noted in Trip Details; Airport Transfers in Beijing on arrival and Shanghai on departure (provided transfers dates coincide with tour “Departs On” or “Returns On” dates or if transfer dates coincide with pre-tour or post-tour hotel extension purchased through Let’s Travel China); Tour Guide services; Air Taxes and Fees.
Not Included: Above prices do not include Excess Baggage Fees; Travel Passports or Visas; Expenses of a personal nature; Airport Transfers in Beijing and Shanghai which do not coincide with tour “Departs On” or “Returns On” dates or pre-tour or post-tour hotel extensions purchased through Let’s Travel China. Airport Transfers not otherwise included are available for purchase at $40.00 per person per transfer.
Terms & Conditions: Click here to view
standard Terms & Conditions.
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