Tours
TIBET FESTIVAL TOUR 2010
US$ TBA
21st May - 5th June, 2010
For the first time we are able to offer the spiritual festival of Saga Dawa where we can see the huge thankas (spiritual pictures approx. 9 stories high) hung outside the monastery, see the famous sand mandalas inside the monastery, and experience the fun of a Tibetan Horse Show all in one tour.
Tour Detail
This tour offers a wonderful journey with a variety of scenery as we explore two Himalayan countries. We spend some time visiting the major sites of Kathmandu, including famous, historical, spiritual, cultural and beautiful places. The Nepalese people are delightful and their handicrafts are amongst the finest in the world. Excellent shopping! Our Nepal part of the tour will also include staying in a lovely country hotel and for another highlight we will overnight in a canyon where we stay in a tented camp and have the add-on option of bungi jumping, not for the faint-hearted!
For the Tibetan section of the holiday we fly over the Himalayas, with Mount Everest on our left, and drive to Lhasa, for so long The Forbidden City. We will visit the major sights of interest including the magnificent ‘Potala’, winter palace of the Dalai Lama, and ‘Norbulinka’, the Jewel Park – His summer palace. A highlight is Tibet’s most sacred temple, the Jokang, which houses a statue of Buddha said to have been made during His lifetime 2500 years ago. Pilgrims prostrate right across Tibet to this temple and join with the locals doing a circumnambulation around the Barkor, the local vibrant marketplace that encircles the Jokang. Time permitting we will pay a visit to the traditional Tibetan Medical Centre, which shows us a line of medicine little changed since the 8th century and teaching things we are only now learning in the West.
Our journey out takes us west through magnificent scenery, turquoise lakes, glaciers and outlying villages en route to Gyanste, an old trading town where the British invaded Tibet in 1904. Here we will spend 2 nights to see the monks' famous 'sand mandalas' and the huge 'thankas' being displayed for the Saga Dawa Festival, celebrating the birth, death and enlightenment of Buddha. We will also participate in the craziness that is embodied in the Tibetan Horse Festivals, where the horsemen stand on the horses back, ride horizontally, and pull lots of wild stunts.
Leaving Gyantse we will visit Shigatse, and the Monastery town of Tashi Lhunpo, the seat of the Panchen Lama, and see the 26m high statue of the Future Buddha. We travel on across the Tibetan plateau and stay in a simple Tibetan Inn for a night, affording us the best chance to see Mount Everest. We then drive to a point where the Himalayan Range stretches as far as the eye can see and then begin our descent leaving the moonscape back into the trees and through one of the most spectacular roads in the world. On returning to Nepal we stay in a tented camp crossing to it over a high suspension bridge that is safe and totally spectacular. History, culture and raw nature in all her splendour.
Bookings and information
All tours start and end in Kathmandu. Prices are ex. Kathmandu and based on twin sharing, single supplement available. Please email us for full itineraries and details of price inclusions and exclusions.
An indemnity form needs to be signed by all participants. Every effort is made to keep to the itinerary, however no responsibility or liability is accepted by Himalayan Adventures for any itinerary changes that may become necessary for any reason whatsoever, including political unrest, or for your safety or best interest, e.g. strikes or rerouting due to landslides. Signing up for this tour indicates your acceptance to this.
Travel insurance such as Europ Assistance (www.europ-assistance.com) is recommended in case of emergency and is compulsory on certain tours. Flexibility and a sense of humour are vital due to the nature of adventure travel!
Should you wish to join us on any tours please book early to avoid disappointment. This is high season and flights book up early.
To book or receive more information please contact us:
Phone:
Jill +27 79 923 2291
Mary-Jane +27 82 660 6462
Email:
tours@himadv.com
jillpers@netactive.co.za
jillpersson@netactive.co.za