Ganden –
Samye Trek
/ TBT – 09 |
This trek provides a rich
variety of scenery: from high snowy passes to lush alpine
meadows — finally culminating at the barren, desert-like
surroundings near the Samye Monastery. Along the high passes
we discover secluded valleys — only inhabited by
high-altitude nomads and their yaks. This pilgrimage route
is well used by Tibetans, who find it convenient to combine
a visit to Ganden (the principal monastery of the Gelugpa)
with a reasonably direct but hard walk to Samye (Tibet's
first monastery). With a slow amble, this trek is fulfilling
and pleasant. Its two passes are moderate, while displaying
beautiful views. Though this trekking route is popular, the
walk is a challenge and the altitude gains are higher than
what is often recommended. We start our trek at 13,940 feet
at Ganden and head toward the Samye Monastery. The highest
pass we cross is Shogu La at 17,220 feet. |
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Featured
Pictures (Tibet) |
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Brief
Itinerary |
Day |
Activities |
01 |
Arrive in Lhasa (3660 m). Rest of
the day free to acclimatize. |
02 |
Visit
Potala Palace, Sera Monastery &
Norbulinka. |
03 |
Visit Drepung
Monastery,
Jokhang Temple &
Barkhor Market.
|
04 |
Drive to Ganden
(4500 m), short
visit of Ganden
Monastery. Then
trek to Camp 1. |
05 |
Trek Camp 1 to
Yama Do. |
06 |
Trek Yama Do to
Tsotup-chu
Valley. |
07 |
Trek Tsotup-Chu
Valley to Nomad'
Camps |
08 |
Trek Nomad Camp
to Village
Nyangpo |
09 |
Trek Nyangpo to
Sayme 2 hrs in
the evening
visit Samye
Monastery. |
10 |
Drive Samye to
Gyantse (3950 m)
via Yamdrok
Lake. |
11 |
Visit Phalkor
Monastery and
Kumbum Stupa and
drive to
Shigatse (3900
m). |
12 |
Visit Tashilunpu
Monastery and
drive to Tingri
(4300 m). |
13 |
Drive to Zhangmu
(2300 m). |
14 |
Drive to
Kathmandu (1400
m). |
|

Day
01: |
Arrive in Lhasa (3660 m). Rest of
the day free to acclimatize.
Fly to Lhasa, about 1 hour flight
offer panoramic Himalayan views
including Mt. Everest. And other
mountains ranges. Pick up from
Gonggar airport, after finished
immigration formalities it takes
about 1 hour 30 minutes drive along
93 km road leading to Lhasa. It is
advisable to rest in Hotel.
Overnight at Hotel. |
Day 02:
|
Visit Potala Palace, Sera Monastery
& Norbulinka.
Tour starts from the religious
Potala Palace built in the 7th
century by the famous Tibetan king-Songtzen
Gampo. The present one was
built by the 5th Dalai Lama in the
17th century. It became known as the
"Winter Palace" by the 1750, when
the 7th Dalai Lama built the
Norbulingka Park as his summer
residence. fter that, you will visit
Norbulingka Park. In 1752, the 7th
Dalai Lama built the first palace in
this
summer palace for successive Dalai
Lamas to carry out their political
and religious activities during the
summer season. Today
Norbulingka has become a public park
for picnicking, relaxing and
entertainment. Later, visit Sera
Monastery which is dedicated to the
Gelugpa or Yellow Hat Sect, a branch
of Tibetan Buddhism, founded by
Tsong Khapa. Jamchen Chojey, one of
Tsong Khapa's disciples
built the monastery in 1419 during
the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The
monastery was named Sera which mean
wild rose in the Tibetan
language, because the hill behind it
was covered with wild roses in bloom
when the monastery was built.
Overnight at Hotel. |
Day 03:
|
Visit Drepung Monastery, Jokhang
Temple & Barkhor Market.
Full day sightseeing takes you to
Drepung Monastery. "Drepung" means
"the hill of rice', because this
white Monastery looks like a big
hill
of rice in Tibetan. This monastery
occupies an area of 150,000 square
meters with 7700 lamas and becomes
the largest monastery in
Asia. After that, you will visit
Jokhang Temple, situated in the old
section of Lhasa. King Songtzen
Gampo built this temple in the
mid-7th
century A.D. Now it is the most
sacred place in Tibet. Pilgrims come
here to pay homage from all over
Tibet. Take a leisure walk at
Barkhor Street, located in the heart
of Lhasa circling the Jokhang
Temple. It means a pilgrim's inner
circuit, and is the earliest street
of old
Lhasa city.
Overnight at Hotel. |
Day 04:
|
Drive to Ganden (4500 m), short
visit of Ganden Monastery. Then trek
to Camp 1.
After going a short drive you will
reach Ganden where you will spend
the day acclimatizing further and
exploring this wonderful area.
Further, there are many attractions
in this ancient town among them the
highlight for the most is the first
Gelugpa Monastery. Although this
monastery has been destroyed over
the years, there is still much to
see. Many pilgrims wish to walk the
kora around this holy place and one
can enjoy the rituals along the way.
Then, we will trek to Camp 1.
Overnight at Camp. |
Day 05:
|
Trek Camp 1 to Yama Do.
Today you will walk for 5 hours
approx. The starting day of trekking
begins at the highest point on the
Ganden Kora. From here, you will
pace towards a saddle trail with
hypnotic views after which you
traverse the west side of the ridge
before passing through an ancient
Hepu village. Later in the day move
through Ani Pagong, a narrow
bottleneck in the trail and former
site of a nunnery. You will finish
the day climbing up to Yama Do,
where you will make camp to stay.
Overnight at Camp. |
Day 06:
|
Trek Yama Do to Tsotup-chu Valley.
As the day breaks, you will leave
the valley floor and launch your way
through a steep gully rising from
the stream bank. Finally, you will
ascend up the Shug La and begin to
descend through treacherous boulder
fields. Later, you will cross Tsotup
Chu, a large stream winding through
the valley floor. Finally, you will
set up in herder fields.
Overnight at Camp. |
Day 07:
|
Trek Tsotup-Chu Valley to Nomad'
Camps
Today, you will move through the
Tsotup Chu down along its tributary
and pace towards the Chitu La pass.
After ascending this rocky pass, you
will quickly climb down to reach a
suitable place to camp in the fields
surrounding the stream. To find our
campsite, you will hover through
quiet herder camps for nearly an
hour by which another day of our
trek will terminate.
Overnight at Camp. |
Day 08:
|
Trek Nomad Camp to Village Nyangpo
Today, the trail gets easier as you
move through scrub forests in the
main valley. Splashing streams and
lush forests entertain you as you
walk. However, the desert is close
by. The walk of next few hours is
arguably the most fascinating part
of your trek. More than 15 types of
scrub trees, blooming rhododendrons,
and vast meadow will wonder you
every step of the way! After passing
through this wondrous landscape you
will trek pass the Changtang
village. Less than an hour away
participants can choose to make the
one-hour hike to the Yamalung
Hermitage which is an ancient and
holy Buddhist meditation site
however it is completely up to you
whether you want to go or not.
Towards evening, you will encounter
the Samye valley along the splashing
tributary stream and close to Samye;
you will spend the night at
comfortable campsite.
Overnight at Camp. |
Day
09: |
Trek Nyangpo to Sayme 2 hrs in the
evening visit Samye Monastery.
In the morning, you will enjoy the
widespread charming sceneries from
Pisha. From where the entire Samye
valley can be glanced at once. After
reaching the summit of Dragmar you
will view the numerous temples
nearby. However, the Cultural
Revolution deteriorated the temples.
You will then prepare yourself for a
breathtaking site as you meet up
with the jeep trail and get even
closer to Samye. Samye monastery,
representing the Buddhist universe,
is the prime focus of the trip for
most of the visitors. There will be
plenty of time to explore this
mushrooming number of buildings. At
the evening, you will drive in Jeeps
and spend the night in Tibet's third
largest city; Tsethang. You can take
shower for making your sleep cosier.
Overnight at Camp. |
Day 10: |
Drive Samye to Gyantse (3950 m) via
Yamdrok Lake.
Immediately after leaving Samye, we
have to drive through a long tunnel
that goes under the mountain range
between Samye and Lhasa valley. The
highway then climbs steeply to the
Kamba – La with its magnificent
views of the turquoise lake Yamdruk
Tso. Continue to Gyantse to the
Kumbum, Palkor Chode Monastery and
fort. On reaching, check in to the
hotel.
Overnight at Hotel. |
Day 11: |
Visit Phalkor Monastery and Kumbum
Stupa and drive to Shigatse (3900
m).
In the morning, visit Kumbum Stupa
and Phalkor Chode Monastery. The
Phalkor Monastery, the only
monastery that houses monks from
different rders (Gelupa, Sakyapa and
Kahdampa) in harmony. Phalkor also
features its Bodhi Stupa or Kumbum
Stupa, which consists of hundreds of
chapels in layers, housing about a
hundred thousand images of Buddha,
so it is called Myriad Buddha’s
Stupa as well. The Gyantse Town is
located 100km southeast of Shigatse.
It takes about 2 hours to drive from
Gyantse to Shigatse. Check in to the
hotel.
Overnight at Hotel. |
Day 12: |
Visit Tashilunpu Monastery and drive
to Tingri (4300 m).
In the morning, visit Tashilunpo
Monastery. It is the seat of Panchen
Lama. Each year, there is a display
of a gigantic thangkas of Buddha
will on its Thangka Wall. Beside the
trove of thangkas, its murals and
other religious and artistics
treasures certainly will impose an
indelible impression upon visitors.
You will also pay a visit to the New
Palace of Panchen. Drive to New
Tingri (4100 m). The distance
between Xigatse and New Tingri is
270 km and it takes 6 hours approx.
by land. On reaching, check in to
the guest house.
Overnight at Guest House. |
Day 13: |
Drive to Zhangmu (2300 m).
Drive to Zhangmu for night, and make
a visiting in Nyalam town on the
way. Nyalam is a small Tibetan town
near the Nepal border. It is 35 km
from Zhangmu town in the same
county, which is the point of entry
of Nepal. Nyalam is situated at
3,750 m above sea level. A town of
stone building and tin roofs, it is
nickmaned "The Gate of Hell" by the
Nepalese trader because the trail
between Nyalam and the Nepalese
border was so treacherous to
negotiate.
Overnight at Guest House. |
Day 14: |
Drive to Kathmandu (1400 m).
Today is the end of your trip. As
the day breaks, you we will cross
the Friendship Bridge and return
Nepal. You will express your fond
farewell and thanksgiving to your
Tibetan crew and go through all the
necessary border paperwork. Then you
will meet our Nepalese guide on the
other side and by nearly five hours
scenic drive you can reach
Kathmandu. |
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Note: Airfare, taxes and schedules are
subject to change without prior notice. |
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Cost
Include |
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All necessary
airport transfers |
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Twin sharing
accommodation on breakfast basis in hotels |
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All
sightseeing with English speaking local
Tibertan
guide |
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All
activities & excursions as per itinerary |
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Monument
Entrance fee. |
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All
Applicable surface transfer by private non
AC vehicle |
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All
applicable permits in Tibet |
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Cost
Exclude |
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Any
international airfare and airport taxes |
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Nepal entry
visa fees |
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Tibet/China
visa feed |
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Meals
(Lunch/Dinner) except during trekking |
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Insurance and
Tips |
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Bottled
drinks |
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Emergency/Rescue in any form |
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Expenses of
personal nature such as bar bills, laundry,
telephone calls etc |
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Any cost
arise due to flight cancellation, landslide,
road blockage, political disturbance etc |
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Any other
arrangements not mentioned in the above cost
include section |
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