CTS 14 Mystery of Tibet 12 Days

West coast - Beijing - Lhasa - Gyantse -Shigatse - Lhasa - Shanghai - West coast

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CTS 14 Mystery of Tibet 12 Days

Day 01 West coast - Beijing Take a deluxe flight to Beijing, and cross the international date line.

Day 02 Beijing
Arrive Beijing in late afternoon, met by CTS tour guide, and then you will be transferred to the hotel.

Day 03 Beijing
Beijing, the capital of China, served as the capital of 5 dynasties over a period of 800 years with each emperor identified as a dragon sent from the heaven. Begin your whole day city tour with a visit to the Forbidden City. This complex, the largest and most intact conglomeration of ancient structures of the imperial palace ever built in the world, features more than 800 buildings with 9999 rooms, resplendent golden-glazed roofs, red lacquered pillars and vermilion walls. Next stop is the Temple of Heaven, where the emperors used to pray for good harvest. You will also sightsee the Tiananmen Square, the largest square in the world, and the Summer Palace, the famous resort of Empress Dowager Ci Xi. Feast your eyes on the Long Corridor, Longevity Hill, and Kunming Lake. Tonight's special dinner gives you a real taste of the Peking Duck.

Day 04 Beijing
The highlight today is a trip to the astonishing Great Wall of China, one of the two man-made structure on Earth that can be observed from the moon. Later visit the Sacred Path of Ming Tombs and the Cloisonne Factory. You will attend an acrobatic show in the evening.

Day 05 Beijing - Lhasa
Take a morning flight to Lhasa, Lhasa is the capital city of Tibetan Autonomous Region, known as the city of sun. It is about 15,000 feet above sea level. Visit the Sera Monastery in the afternoon, which is built in 1419. Sera in Tibetan means "Hailstone". Legend tells that it hailed during the foundation of this famous monastery. It is proud of its glorious history during the Ming Dynasty.

Day 06 Lhasa
Visit the magnificent Potala Palace. This enormous palace was once the center of the Tibetan government and winter residence of the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibetan people. Then visit Norbu Lingka, known as Jewel Park, it was the former summer residence of the Dalai Lama. It is situated one kilometer west of the Potala Palace. Sightseeing the bustling Barkhor Market, which is the religious and social focus of Lhasa. Today it is a big free market where you can get a typical Tibetan souvenir here at a good price.

Day 07 Lhasa - Gyantse - Shigatse
Take a coach to Shigatse. On the way stop at Palkhor Monastery in Gyantse, which is notable for its superb Kumbum (10,000 images) stapu. The Dzong (old fort), which towers above Gyantse, offers a fine view over the valley.

Day 08 Shigatse
Visit Tashilhunpo Monastery - the official seat of the Panchen Lama, the chief spiritual and temporal authority of Tsang. It was founded in 1447 by Gendun Drup and the first Dalai Lama. It is the biggest Gelugpa monastery in the Tsang region of Tibet, which once housed 3,800 monks. The most amazing image in this monastery is the statue of the giant Maitreya (Future Buddha) erected by the ninth Panchen Lama in 1914. This giant statue stands twenty-six meters in height. A total of 6,700 ounces of gold and 115,875 kilograms of copper and a great quantity of precious things such as pearls, turquoises, corals and ambers were used for its construction. It is the biggest bronze statue in the world and one of the key relics to be preserved by the central government.

Day 09 Shigatse - Lhasa
Take coach back to Lhasa today. Visit the Jokhang Temple, which is the holiest shrine in Tibet, the temple houses Tibet's most precious religious relic, a pure gold statue of Sakyamuni Buddha which was brought as a gift by the Chinese Princess Wen Cheng on the occasion of her wedding to the Tibetan King, Songtsen Gampo.

Day 10 Lhasa - Shanghai
Fly all the way down to Shanghai - the largest city of China. Sightsee the Bund (Wai Tan) waterfront area, a sweeping area along the Huangpu River, which became the center of Shanghai's foreign business establishment and the symbol of Shanghai's identity as a modern city. Enjoy the local cuisine dinner in the evening.

Day 11 Shanghai
Visit the famous Yuyuan Garden, Jade Buddha Temple, and Pudong New Area to end you tour in China.

Day 12 Shanghai - West coast Tour guide will transfer you to the airport and home your sweet home.

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