Destination:Chengdu-Ya'an-Luding-Kangding-Danba-Garze-Dege-Chamdo-Ranwu-Bomi-Nyingchi-Lhasa

Duration: 15 Days

Summary: The tea-horse trade between the inner land the remote southwest area in ancient China gave birth to this road of danger and mysteriousness. Winding across the mountains and forests of Sichuan-Tibet-Yunnan triangle area on the Roof of the World, this road was spreading and connecting the ancient civilizations and cultures at the highest altitude. In this 15 Days Tea-Horse Road Tour, we'll cover the part of northwest Sichuan and northeast Tibet, along which are the most breathtaking natural scenery and brilliant cultural spots. It's for all the artists, photographers and people who yearning for the ultimate discovery.

Day 1 Arrive Chengdu

Arrive in Chengdu, your gateway city of this mysterious tour, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel for a good rest.

Chengdu is the capital city of Sichuan Province. With a population of 11 million, it is an important commercial transportation, and communications hub of south-western China. The locals have a reputation for a laid back attitude and knowing how to enjoy life. Historically, Chengdu has a special place in the annals of finance. The world’s first paper money, the 'Jiao Zi' was minted in Chengdu in the year 1023.

Jinli street send strong ancient flavor

Day 2 Chengdu

Today you will have a city tour that covering from Thatched Cottage of Du Fu, Wuhou Temple and Jinli Street . If you are interested, you can taste famous Sichuan Hot Pot as an optional dinner.

Thatched Cottage of Du Fu is a beautiful garden and museum to honor Du Fu, one of the greatest Chinese poets of all times. Along with Li Po, he is frequently called the greatest of the Chinese poets. In 760 Du arrived in Chengdu, where he based himself for most of the next five years. He wrote more than 240 poems at this cottage.

Located in the southern suburb of Chengdu, Wuhou Temple was first built in 265 during the Western Jin Dynasty in memory of Zhuge Liang, prime minister in charge of the Kingdom of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280). It is the largest museum of the site left over from the Three Kingdoms Period, and a very quiet oasis in the city.

Jinli Street is located next to Wuhou Temple. The street is a surviving representation of the folk style in Western Sichuan and is lined with many old houses and shops of Ming and Qing dynasties style. Local food and products can easily be found here.

The big draw of Chengdu is delicious Sichuan Cuisine. Sichuan is famous for its spicy food, and one of its delicacies is the hot pot. Fortunately, you will have a chance to taste Sichuan Hot Pot today. The Sichuan Hot Pot is a bubbling cauldron of extremely hot oil and water. Dip your choice of the variety of supplied foods into the pot: meats, vegetables or tofu. It's a very social meal. People sit around to enjoy food and make a long evening out of it.poet of the Tang Dynasty.

Shangli Ancient Town is an important tea-transporting hub in ancient time

Day 3 Chengdu-Ya'an

Take about 2hours driving, you will reach Yaan (120km). On the way, you will have chance to visit Shangli Ancient Town, which is the important tea-transporting hub in ancient time. The short visit to Han Courtyard and Erxian Bridge will be included. Arrival Yaan in the afternoon and stay overnight there.

Ya'an in Southwestern Sichuan province is a tea center for Western Sichuan and a highway hub for the Eestern Tibetan plateau. Ya'an held the key to the tea supply to Tibet and other minority areas since it held a monopoly over the trade, authorized by the imperial court. This is because of Yaans proximity to areas inhabited by ethnic groups, including Tibetan, Yi, Qiang and several other ethnic minority groups. Also, Yaan has been a major tea producer thanks to its location on the fringe of the Sichuan Basin, which favors tea growth. Much of the tea produced in Yaan historically went to Tibet.
 

Day 4 Ya'an-Luding-Kangding

In the morning, take a driving to Kangding (180km), on the way, you will take a short stop at Luding and pass Erlang Mountain Tunnel. Arrive in Luding visit Luding Bridge. Then continue your driving and will arrival Kangding in the late afternoon. Stay overnight at Kangding.

Kangding is where mountains and clouds make friends and play together. It is the home of love songs as well. The Tibetan inhabited area of Sichuan Province includes the northern stretch of the ancient Tea Horse Road, and Kangding city was a very influential trade post along the route. It used to be the most important market of the tea-horse trade. Nomadic Tibetan peoples came here to exchange animals and animal products with Chinese Han people trading tea.

Charming Danba with distinctive architecture watchtowers

Day 5 Kanding-Xinduqiao-Danba

Spend hours driving you will reach Danba (460km). On the way, enjoy your visit to Tagong Monastery. Arrive in Danba in the late afternoon.

Tagong Monastery is a famous Nyingmapz monastery built in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to commemorate the Han Princess Wencheng and Phagspa, the Grand State Tutor of Tibetan Buddhism with Buddhism Institute inside, also named as "the small Lhasa Jokhang Monastery", is one of the 108 temples built during the reign of Songtse Gampo in ancient Tibetan times. This temple is distinctive for its four towers painted green, red, yellow and white respectively. About 100 chortens lie behind the monastery. The place miraculously escaped destruction during the Culture Revolution.
 

Day 6 Danba-Garze

On the way to Garze (518km), you could enjoy the unique land-grass scenery of Danba. Visit the Dong Village Natural Bonsai Scenic Area and Kandze Monastery.

Garze, the capital of Kandze Autonomous Prefecture sits at 3800m in Cholashan mountain valley 385km northwest of Dardo, and is populated by mostly Tibetans and Khampas. Here has enjoyed a high prestige for several cultures and rich folk arts such as Tibetan opera, calligraphy, painting, engraving and clay sculpture, which are all very typical and famous. Additionally, the folk sports including equestrian skill, wrestling, and archery.

Kandze Monastery was originally constructed by the Qosot Mongols circa 1642 on a hilltop overlooking their castles of Mazur and Khangsar. It once had a population of 1500 monks, making it the largest in Kham alongside Chamdo; and the pilgrimage circuit around the monastery was nearly eight kilometres long.

Dege Scripture Printing House is regarded as the inheritor of Tibetan buddism culture

Day 7 Garze-Dege

Today you will keep on moving to another famous town in southwest Sichuan- Dege (270km). Visit Yulonglacuo Lake and arrive in Dege in the late afternoon.

Dege was named after the Dege clan. The city is famous for its lamasery which hosts an invaluable treasure of wooden printing blocks with Buddhist and Tibetan texts.
 

Day 8 Dege-Chamdo

Drive to Chamdo (337km), where you trace the foot of ancient horses from Sichuan to Tibet.

Chamdo is Tibet third largest city. It is located about 480km from Lhasa, and is at an altitude of about 3,600 metres. In Chamdo area, there are sceneries like "Three-Rivers-Join-Into-One", high mountains and valleys, holy mountains and sacred waters, thermal resources and hot springs, grazing lands covered by wild flowers, tents emitting cooking smoke; so are there ancient religious ceremonies, Lamaist temples and towers, old religious engravings on mountains, ancient giant wall-paintings, and colorful local conditions and customs. All these are rich natural and cultural tourist resources.
 

Day 9 Chamdo-Ranwu

Have a beautiful sightseeing along the road. Visit Nujiang Canyon and then continue your exploration to Ranwu( 335 km ) in the afternoon. Drive further 100 kilometers southward to Ranwu Lake.

Ranwu Lake, the largest in southeast of Tibet, is in the Village of Ran about 90 km from the Baiba Town neighboring the Nyingchi Prefecture. Ranwu Lake is a perfect blending of the Swiss Alps snow peaks and glaciers and the streams in Jiuzaigou.
 

Day 10 Ranwu-Bomi

Today you will enter the most magnificent spot during the Sichuan-Tibet Road from Ranwu to Bomi. Arrive in Bomi in the late afternoon. The distance between Rawu to Bomi is 129 kilometers.

Spring is the best season for Nyingchi  when the Peach Blossom all over the mountains and plains

Day 11 Bomi-Nyingchi

Drive from Bomi to Nyingchi (216 km). It is a paradise with the least human trace on this planet enjoying advantages in natural resources for tourist, scientific research and exploration. Drive from Pomi to Nyichi via Lulang Forest Area. Visit the Gigantic Cypress Natural Reserve in Nyingchi. Stay overnight at Nyichi.

The most impressive in Lulang Forest Area is the Gigantic Cypress Natureal Reserve of about 10 hectares at the Bagyai Village in Nyingchi County at 3,040 meters above sea level.

The Gigantic Cypress Natureal Reserve in Nyingchi is in the valley of the lower reaches of the Yaluzhangbu River and the Niyang River at the latitude of 3,000 to 3,400 meters. In the Giant Cypress Nature Reserve of the Bajie Township, there scatter hundreds of such huge cypresses only seen in Tibet, which are noted for their huge tree crowns and upright trunks.
 

Day 12 Nyingchi-Lhasa

From Nyingchi, you can drive to Lhasa, via Lake Basumto.

Covering 26 square kilometers, Basumto, the pristine waters of the green lake reflect the picturesque snow-capped peaks surrounding. Basomtso lies in Cuogao Village, Gongbujiangda County, Nyingchi. It is in the valley of the upper reaches of the Ba River, 50 km from the Town of Gongbujiangda, 39.6 km from the National Highway No. 318 and 370 km from the Tibetan Capital Lhasa.

Drying the buddism portrait in Drepung Monastery

Day 13 Lhasa

Today, enjoy a whole day tour covering Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery and Norbulingka.

Tips: When you enter into a temple or monastery in Tibet, please take off your hats at the entrance to show your respects and follow the clockwise direction for visiting. No smoking, do not touch the Buddha statues, turn the Buddhism scriptures or toll the bell.

Located 5 km from Lhasa, the Drepung Monastery is considered one of the three great monasteries in Tibet. It was first built in 1416, and held 7,700 monks in its heyday. In Tibetan language, Drepung Monastery means monastery of collecting rice.

The Sera Monastery is the last of the three principal Yellow Sect monasteries built in Lhasa. The setting itself is very beautiful with cobbled alleyways, temples and colleges. The highlight of visiting Sera Monastery will be watching monks debating inside the shady courtyard behind the main temple. Every day, hundreds of red-robed monks assemble in small groups and practice their debating skills.

Norbulingka means Jewel Garden. First built in 1751, it borrowed architectural style from the inland areas of China while maintaining local ethnic and religious features. Norbulingka served as a traditional summer palace and residence starting with the 7th Dalai Lama, and now it is the largest garden in Tibet.

Devout pilgrims are praying in front of Jokhang Monastery

Day 14 Lhasa

 A trip to Lhasa could not miss a visit to Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street. So, today, just indulge yourselves in this spiritual tour.

The awe-inspiring Potala Palace, perched high above much of Lhasa, is the landmark of the city. The palace which consists of the Red Palace, the White Palace and some attached buildings was a complex of political and religious function. Now it is a huge treasure house for materials and articles of Tibetan history, religion, culture and arts.

Located at the center of the old Lhasa, Jokhang Temple is the spiritual center of Tibet. Built in 647 by Songtsen Gampo, it has a history of more than 1,300 years. The temple is the fine product of Han, Tibetan and Nepalese architecture techniques. Visitors will be treated to the sight of various exotic and sacred sculptures. Jokhang Temple also houses many invaluable cultural relics. Every year, the Great Prayer Festival is held here.

Barkhor Street is a famous commercial and commodity-distributing center in Lhasa, consisting of more than 120 handicrafts shops and more than 200 stalls. It is a good choice that should never be missed by tourists coming to Lhasa, for you can buy anything Tibet-related, from sacks of incense, chunks of yak butter to monk outfits. Barkhor is the road that pilgrims tramped out around Jokhang Temple through centuries. When walking along Barkhor Street, you should move in the clockwise direction.
 

Day 15 Departure Lhasa

Transfer to the airport and depart from Lhasa for your flight home.