17 days Sichuan - Yunnan - Tibet Adventure Tour

Welcome to Chengdu, a well-known city in Sichuan Province. Upon your arrival, our tour guide and driver will meet you at the exit of the airport/train station and escort you to your hotel. After lunch, visit the People's Park, which is the perfect way to observe the locals playing cards and ear-cleaning service. The Tea-house with endless refills. You are walking around Kuanzhai Alley, which is a back alley adjacent to the broad (Kuan) and narrow (Zhai) lanes. It offers a variety of Sichuan foods, stage shows, souvenirs.

Morning get up early to drive to Dujiangyan (40 minutes). Get into the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, walking across a bridge, and climb up the hill to see Taoist temples on the mountain. Then continue driving to Wolong Giant Panda Natural Reserve, situated in Weichuan county, Aba Tibet, and Qiang autonomous prefecture. It is 134 km away from Chengdu and neighbors city of Dujiangyan. Afterward, end today's tour to Siguniang Mountain, which is the high peak of the Qionglai Mount Range and also one of the highest peaks on the east part of Qinghai - Tibet Plateau. The sunset of the mountain varies thousands of kinds.

Get up early to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Siguniang Mountain and visit the Shuangqiao. After visiting, visit Tibetan Residences. More than one hundred buildings keep the same architectural style with a complete and unique character of Gyarong (Jiarong) Tibetan residences. Under the blue sky, Tibetan residences decorated in red, white, and black are strewed at random but also in order from the bottom to the middle slope of the valley. Keep driving to Danba (1900 m), the most beautiful village in China. The local people are called Gyarong (Jiarong) Tibetans.

Today we will drive to Tagong, visit of Lhagang Monastery (Tagong Si) of Sayaka Sect, which is surrounded by three hills symbolizing three Bodhisattvas. Afterward, we will transfer to the city of yajiang for an overnight stay.

We will begin the tour at the Yajiang county which was once one of the important crossings of the Yalong river ravine, keep driving to the “world highland city" Litang (4014 m), which is the homeland of the 7th Dalai Lama. Upon arrival, we visit Changqingchunke'er Monastery (also admits as Litang monastery), developed by the 3.th Dalai Lama in the year 1580, has become the largest monastery of the Gelukpa Sect in south Kham.

Full day exploration Yading natural beauty. Drive of 30km to Longlongba – the entrance of Yading Nature Reserve. Start trekking tour at Chonggu Monastery, and next proceed to Xiannairi Mountain with mystery Dumu Lake at its mountain foot. Then trek to Luorong Cattle Farm, which located among Yangmaiyong, Xianuoduoji, and Xiannairi Mountains. Finally, back to Longlongba and drive back to the hotel.

Drive via Qingcheng Town and Xiangcheng county to Derong county, sightseeing of the landscape enroute, visit of Rural Tibetan White House in Xiangcheng.

Morning we will drive to the first bay of the Jinsha River in Benzilan, and visit Dongzhulin Temple, then looking at Baima Snow Mountain over the mountain pass of 4292 meters. The White Horse Snow Mountain stands in Yunnan and Tibet traffic arteries and is known as the kingdom of animals and plants.

Our next stop is Deqin county, located in the northwest of Yunnan Province, is under the jurisdiction of Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. It is adjacent to Tibet to the northwest and Sichuan to the southeast. We will pay a visit to Meili Snow Mountain, also known as Taizi Snow Mountain, is the most spectacular snow-capped mountain group in Yunnan. It is famous for the rare and beautiful "Golden Snow Mountains" scenery. It mostly occurs in the early morning and afternoon of a sunny day when the sunshine suddenly cast the golden light on the top of the mountains.

Morning gets up early to Meili Snow Mountain. It is famous for the rare and beautiful "Golden Snow Mountains" scenery. It mostly occurs in the early morning and afternoon of a sunny day when the sunshine suddenly cast the golden light on the top of the mountains. Then we will drive to Mingyong Glacier, which located at Deqin County of Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. It flows from the top of Kawagebo Peak, the highest peak of the Meili Snow Mountain which is considered a sacred mountain by Tibetans. A Prince Temple stands on the mountainside where people can get a good view of the glacier. To the left of the temple, a plank road winds high up into the cliff, leading visitors to a panoramic view of the beautiful scenery of the Mingyong Glacier.

Try to get up early in the morning. If you are lucky enough to have good weather, you could see the golden snow-covered Kawagebo peak (6,740m, the Peak of Mt. Meili). Then you travel along the north of the Mekong River valley into Tibet. Once into Tibet, your first stop will be in the town of Yanjing, which was once the primary source of salt for half of the Kham Tibetan area, which ranged from northwestern Sichuan down into Yunnan.

Drive to Zuogong County via Mangkang County. Afterwards, you cross two high passes in this section of the drive, one at around 3,900 m(12,795 ft), the other is Dongdashan Mountain Pass at 5,008 m(16,430 ft). Driving past local Tibetan houses scattered round the feet of snow-capped peaks, the expressions on innocent Tibetan girls would make you realize that you are one of the first foreign visitors to this isolated region.

Note: From Yanjing:

Honglashan Mountain （红拉山）Nature Reserve
Honglashan Mountain Pass (4220M);
 
          Mangkang County:
Lawushan Mountain（拉乌山） Pass (4293M)
 
          Cross Lancang-Mekong River from Zhuka Bridge:
Juebashan Mountain（觉巴山） Pass (3900M)
Dongdalashan(东达山）Mountain Pass (5008M)

You will drive along the deep valleys of the Nu River (the Salween River), which is a long and tough journey, but your destination, the Ranwu Lake, is another Shangri-la, stay in the tent beside the Lake.

Drive 35KM to the old Zuogong, then drive along the Yuqu River to Kuatiantuo Bridge, continue the driving along Yuqu River to Bangda Grassland, and Yelashan Mountain(业拉山）at 4828M. Cross the Nujiang-Salween River, you will visit the Hengduan Mountain Ranges and arrive at Basu County. After lunch, continue the driving to Yuqu River and arrive in Anjiula（安久拉山） Mountain (4468M), arrive at Ranwu Lake in the late afternoon.

A drive of 305km would take us about 5 hours to Bomi. You will wander along the Poto-chu Valley at Tramog (2,743 m/8999 ft), located deep in the thickly forested gorge of Parlung Tsangpo with glacial waterfalls streaming from the mountainsides.

And visit Midui Glacier, located at Yupu Town, Bome County in Nyingchi, a typical maritime glacier in Tibet as well as the lowest glacier in the world with its snow line no more than 4,694 meters (15,400 feet) high. It lies at the junction of the Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains and Boshula Mountain, where maritime monsoon glaciers are mainly distributed.  You will go down several hundred meters in altitude as you reach the lowland jungle settlement of Tang-me where the Tsangpo and Parlung Tsangpo rivers meet. Overnight stay in Lulang town.

Drive across Serkhyem La Pass (4,515 m/14813 ft), the last major pass before reaching Lhasa. You will have spectacular views of Mount Gyala Pelri (7,150 m/23458 ft) and Mount Namchak Barwa (7,756 m/25446 ft). On the way to Nyingchi, you pass through Niyang River, one of the branch river of the Brahmaputra river, the local people, see it a mother river for Kongpo rigion. Drive to Basongtso for overnight stay

Morning starts driving to Lhasa along the beautiful Niyang River, you will make a detour off the Sichuan-Tibet Highway to visit Draksumtso(Basumtso) lake en route. Overnight at Lhasa.

In Lhasa, you will find religion blended into every aspect of life - the city is the spiritual anchor of Tibet. 

Today we will visit the highest palace in the world - Potala Palace, which is the Dalai Lama's winter palace. It locates on the red hill, a good viewing point in Lhasa. In the afternoon, we will visit the renowned Jokhang Temple, which will provide us one of your first sights of devout Tibetans; furthermore, in the temple, we will see the glistening Sakyamuni statue which considered as Tibetan Buddhism's rarity. After then, you can also stroll around the bustling Barkhor Street.

Today is another day to explore Lhasa. We will climb the Palaupu Temple in Yaowang Mountain to have a panoramic view of the Potala Palace. Pay a visit to Norbulingka Palace, situated on the west side of Lhasa, is just around a km southwest of Potala Palace. Norbulingka meaning 'Treasure Park', which is considered to be the biggest human-made garden in Tibet. You will be amazed to know that there are more than 370 rooms inside its premises. It is called summer palace because, after the 7th Lama, Dalai Lamas used to visit here during summers to hold religious and government-related activities.

Then we will go to visit the Sera monastery, it is the best place where lively lama debating will be seen (except Sundays). Which is quite impressive. Many lamas sitting or standing in the yard debate a specific topic their teacher has given.

Today you will say goodbye to Lhasa, be transferred based on your flight or train schedule. Wish you a pleasant journey home!