QTT02 Trans Qinghai – Tibet Railway Train Travel + Jiuzhaigou National Park, Panda Base, Lhasa and Shigatse 12 days Tour

River-Viewing Pavilion Park (Wang Jiang Lou Gongyuan) has more than 150 kinds of bamboo brought from all over Asia, and the lush bamboo forests provide plenty of shade in the summer. There is a four-story wooden ’river-viewing pavilion’ that was built in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in memory of Xue Tao, a Tang Dynasty poetess who often wrote about bamboo (thus bamboo is the park’s specialty). The pavilion overlooks the Jingjiang River. It is a good place for the local people to drink tea and play Taichi or Chinese Gongfu. Back to hotel. Take flight (45 minutes) from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou in later afternoon.

After breakfast, head to the Jiuzhaigou National Park where you will board environmentally friendly buses to sightsee the Park. Visit the Shuzheng and Zezawa Valleys; Pearl Sands and Shuzheng Waterfall; the Tibetan village of Shuzheng, and numerous picturesque lakes including Panda Lake, Long Lake, Rainbow Lake, Tiger Lake and Rhinoceros Lake. Then summon your energy for a Tibetan folk customs show at night, consisting of singing, dancing and other programs. (The entrance fee of 180 RMB is not included in the tour price).

Drive to visit Huanglong National Park, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, with beautiful mountains, lush woods, colourful flowers, and crystal clear waters. (Note: If the road is icy , the tour will visit Munigou National Park instead) Then take flight back to Chengdu

Visit The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in the morning. It is located in the northern suburb of Chengdu on Futou Hill about 10 km from downtown Chengdu. Giant pandas live in large naturalistic habitats, which help the visitor to understand how these animals live in the wild. The Research Base is one of the important centers in China for the captive conservation of giant pandas. After lunch, we drive 40km to visit Sanxindui Museum, it is situated in the northeastern part of the state-protected Sanxindui ruin by the bank of the Yazi Rive. Two large sacrificial pits were found in 1986 boast the most important archaeological finds on the Sanxindui Ruins for the past half century. The exposure of a large number of spectacular relics created a great sensation, making the Sanxindui site well known to the world.

The building of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway started on 29th June 2001. The 1142 kilometre-long railway extends between Golmud in Qinghai Province and Lhasa in Tibet Autonomous Region. Its sections over 4,400m above sea level total 960km, and the highest section, which crosses the Tanggula Mountain, is at 5,072m above sea level. The railway passes 550km of ever-frozen land. The construction of the railway, the highest and longest one on plateau in the world , is planned to be finished in six years. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway is a representative project in China’s implementation of its strategic decision to develop China’s west at the beginning of the 21st century. The significant project is a magnificent task in the world history of railway construction and has drawn the attention of the world.

Tibet is truly beyond your imagination. The blue sky, the highest mountain, lake and train, religious people, harmony between people and nature will give you a deep impression. Pickup and transfer to hotel in Lhasa . In order to acclimatize to the high altitude. No program will be arranged for the rest of the day

An extraordinary day of sightseeing shows the spectacular architecture at the world famous Potala Palace. Former home of the Dalai Lama, its massive 1000-room structure towers over this mountain city. The tour is followed by Jokhang Temple . Then visit famous Barkhor Market, where you can shop for rare Tibetan items.

Drive to Yangbacheng Hot spring 92km north of Lhasa, view the Northern Tibet grassland and NyanchengTanggula Snow Mountain on the way. Continue to Namutso lake, one of the three holiest lakes in Tibet, called “Heavenly lake”. Taking photo, yak riding lakeside, then back to Lhasa.

Yamdroktso(4441m), one of Tibet’s three holy lakes, is located 110km outside of Lhasa. It’s mostly mountain road, winding and bumpy, even thrilling somewhat. After about 3 1/2 hours’ driving, climbing over the snow pass of Kambala(5030m), the dazzling Yamdroktso just lies several hundred meters below the road, and in clear weather is a fabulous shade of deep turquoise. Far in the distance is the huge massif of Mt. Nojin Kangtsang(7191m).After down from the mountain, there’s about 30km road along lakeside, with barley fields on the other side of the road. A nice walk by the lakeside can be a great joy. Leaving Yamdroktso is as spectacular as arriving, since you’ll cross the 5045m Karola, with its awesome roadside views of the Nojin Kangtsang Glacier. With the Glacier scene still exciting you, after about 90km, you get to Gyantse. There stands the 35m-high famous Kumbum, packed with exquisite Tibetan sculpture and paintings, a stunning architectural wonder in Tibet. Just 4km to Gyantse, there’s the Pala Farmland which used to belong to the slave-owner family of Pala. The well-kept Farmland can bring the family’s luxurious life back to your eyes. This site deserves a quick visit of 30 minutes. Then you can leave the small town of Gyantse. With Gyantse just fades away from your sight, Shigatse becomes clearer cause it’s just 1 1/2 hours’ driving (98km).

Miles away from Shigatse, you can already see the gold tops of Tashilhunpo shinning under the sun. While Tashilhunpo’s magnificent outside leaves you gasp in admiration, the inside of this monastery introduces you more religious tranquility and sincerity. Just close Tashilhunpo is the Old Town of Shigatse, a great place to wander around: Nicely decorated Tibetan houses and interesting market and bazaar give you a vivid picture of local people’s life. Drive back Lhasa.

Airport drop off to Lhasa airport, Service end.