8 Day Hong Kong – Chengdu – Tibet Tour

Welcome to Hong Kong, the historic harbor city and gateway to your China adventure! Upon arriving at the Hong Kong airport, your tour guide will greet you and escort you to your private car to transfer to your hotel and check in. You will have the rest of the day free to rest up from your long trip or you can begin to explore the city around your hotel on your own.

Accommodation: Overnight in Hongkong

Today you will have the opportunity to explore this amazing city on your own. Hong Kong is easier than other Chinese cities to find your way around as English is widely spoken and most signage is bilingual (English and Chinese) due to its history as a British colony.

A good way to begin your day and to become oriented with the layout of Hong Kong is to take the tram to Victoria Peak for fantastic views of the Hong Kong skyline spread out before you. As the highest point in the city, Victoria Peak has an observation deck with panoramic views of the city and harbor.

For an inexpensive way to become more familiar with Hong Kong, take the Star Ferry across the harbor for some more wonderful views of the Hong Kong skyline.

You might also consider a visit to Repulse Bay – a more natural spot away from the noise and crowds of the city. With a white sand beach and gentle sea breezes, it’s an ideal way to spend a few hours just relaxing. After the beach, enjoy the nearby Stanley Market, where you can shop for souvenirs and local handicrafts in a nice, quiet atmosphere.

End the evening with a stroll along the Avenue of the Stars. From there you can witness the spectacular Symphony of Lights show at 8 p.m. that uses the entire Hong Kong skyline as a stage.

Accommodation: Overnight in Hongkong

Today you will depart Hong Kong for Mainland China and the hometown of the Giant Pandas – Chengdu, in Sichuan Province. There are numerous flights from Hong Kong to Chengdu with the flights usually taking around 2.5 to 3 hours for a nonstop flight. We recommend a morning flight to give you more time to explore Chengdu.

Upon your arrival at the Chengdu airport, your local tour guide will meet you to take you to your private vehicle and transfer you to your downtown Chengdu hotel. The rest of the day will be free for you to relax or begin to explore the city on your own.

Accommodation: Overnight in Chengdu

The city of Chengdu is famous in China and around the world for three things – the Giant Pandas, its ancient history, and its leisurely pace of living. Today you will be able to experience all of these features with this full day tour of the best highlights of Chengdu. First, and most importantly, we will visit the adorable pandas at the Chengdu Giant Panda Research Base & Breeding Center. It’s just about a 30-minute drive from downtown Chengdu so we’ll get an early start to catch the pandas during their most active phase in the morning. With more than 100 pandas living at the base, you will be able to see pandas of all ages, from still-nursing babies to older adult pandas. Bamboo lined paths lead you from one habitat to another as you observe the pandas eating, playing with each other, climbing trees – all of the things that pandas naturally enjoy doing in a much more natural setting than a zoo. There is also a very informative Panda Museum filled with interesting exhibits and everything you need to know about these wonderful creatures.

After an enjoyable morning with the pandas, we will take you back to the center of Chengdu and the ancient Wenshu Temple. Legend has it that the Buddhist temple was built more than 1,400 years ago during the Sui Dynasty (581 – 618 A.D.) Situated peacefully amidst the modern city of Chengdu, this temple serves as a repository for two international treasures – a finger bone from the Sakyamuni Buddha and a parietal bone relic from Xuanzang, the Buddhist monk immortalized in the epic novel “Journey to the West”.

After your visit to the Wenshu Temple, we will show you why Chengdu is famous for its laid back, leisurely lifestyle with a visit to Renmin Park. Renmin (People’s) Park is where the locals go for a relaxing walk, to meet friends or have a cup of tea. After a relaxing visit to the park, we will take you on to Old Jinli Street. Jinli Street, by contrast, is a street mainly for tourists but it does offer a view of the way things were in ancient times. You can wander along this traditional old street to absorb the special atmosphere of Chengdu while tasting the local snacks, watching street performers, etc.

Recommended evening activity:

Watch a wonderful performance of the traditional Sichuan Opera at the Shufengyayun Opera House, including folk opera, face changing, fire spitting, rolling lights performances and much more.

Accommodation:

After a nice breakfast at your hotel, we will escort you by private vehicle to the Chengdu airport for your flight to Lhasa. Upon arrival at the Lhasa Gonggar Airport, your local tour guide and driver will meet you to take you on to your hotel in downtown Lhasa. The rest of the day will be free for you to relax and acclimatize yourself to the higher altitude of the Tibetan Plateau.

Tips for High Altitude Acclimatization:

1) Go for a leisurely walk in the fresh high altitude air, but avoid any strenuous activity after your arrival.

2) It's better to avoid taking a bath to avoid catching a cold.

3) Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration, and eat some fresh fruit.4) Get plenty of rest.

Accommodation: Overnight in Lhasa

Start your exploration of Lhasa today after breakfast with a visit to a world-famous landmark - the Potala Palace, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful examples of architecture in the world. Climb up to the palace along zig-zagging stone paths alongside the white and red walls to the top of the palace where you can gain a greater appreciation of the exotic Tibetan-style buildings as well as for a great view of Lhasa's entire urban area. After admiring the sweeping outside views, explore the inner spaces of the Potala Palace to find the stately chapels and learn more about the fascinating history of this special place.

From one historic landmark to another, your next stop will be at the Jokhang Temple, considered as the spiritual heart of Tibetan Buddhism. Every day thousands of pilgrims come from all over Tibet and other places to the temple to worship the Buddha. The Jokhang Temple is also known as the "House of Buddha" because it houses the precious Jowo Rinpoche, a life-sized (1.5 meter/5 feet) image of the Sakyamuni at the age of 12.

The last stop for today's Lhasa exploration is Barkor Street, the wide, circular street that surrounds the Jokhang Temple. Local residents enjoy walking on the street, completing several circuits known as “kora” around the temple as a daily tradition of pilgrimage. The street also has many small shops selling a wide variety of traditional Tibetan goods, religious items and handicrafts.

Tips for today's tour:

1) There are 1,080 steps to the top of the Potala Palace, so it's best to take it slowly to avoid high altitude sickness.
2) Taking photos is not allowed inside the Potala Palace.
3) Most of today will be spent outside, so please bring a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses and some water with you to protect yourself from the more intense sun at the higher altitude.

Accommodation: Overnight in Lhasa

After breakfast at your hotel, we will visit the beautiful Norbulingka Palace and Park, the location of the former summer palace of the Dalai Lamas from the 1780s up until 1959. It features the famous Potrang, the private palaces of former Dalai Lamas built in the grandiose style of traditional Tibetan architecture.

After visiting the palaces and park at Norbulingka, we will travel around 5 kilometers to the western outskirts of Lhasa to visit the Drepung Monastery. The word "drepung" in Tibetan language means "prosperity". Since its establishment in 1416, Drepung Monastery has served as one of the most important Buddhist monasteries in Tibet. During its prime, more than 10,000 monks lived and studied in the monastery. Throughout its history, many important and famous Tibetan leaders studied at this monastery, including the Dalai Lamas. Accordingly, Drepung Monastery is also respectfully known as the “Mother School of Dalai Lamas”.

In the afternoon, we will escort you on to another famous monastery in Lhasa - the Sera Monastery. Sera Monastery is famous for its spectacular “Buddhist Debates”. As a daily routine, the monks gather in a courtyard, and debate on the various Buddhist doctrines with exaggerated gestures, which is thought to be helpful in facilitating a better comprehension of the Buddhist philosophy to attain higher levels of study. After enjoying the "Buddhist Debates", we will take you back to your hotel with the rest of the day and evening to relax or explore on your own.

Tips for Proper Etiquette While Visiting Monasteries

1) For clothing, shorts and/or bare shoulders are not allowed.
2) Hats and sunglasses should be removed before entering the chapels.
3) Taking photos is usually not allowed inside the chapels.

Accommodation: Overnight in Lhasa

Today you will have free time until we meet you in the lobby of your hotel to transfer you to the Lhasa airport or train station for your departing flight or train.

Today's Tips:

1) Please take care to pack all of your belongings, particularly the small things that are easy to forget about, such as phone and camera chargers, power adapters, mobile phones, wallets, etc.
2) If your flight or train is in the afternoon, please be sure to check out of your hotel room by 12 p.m.

Accommodation: None