* Land prices are per person, double occupancy in deluxe/best available hotels. Prices include coach class China domestic airfare, most meals, all transfers, and Chinese visa processing. As of Jan 21, 2008, the Chinese authority has increased visa processing  fees for all US citizens by $80 US dollars, this fee will be added as extra  to your total land price.

* This tour is fully escorted* within mainland China by an English-speaking professional tour manager and is guided by an English-speaking local tour guide in each city.

* For international airfare, please contact your own travel agent or Access China Tours.

Day 1   Beijing

Arrive Beijing in afternoon or evening today. You are met by the tour guide at the airport and transferred to the hotel in downtown.

Meet fellow travelers at an Evening Reception.
Grand Hotel Beijing

Day 2   Beijing

Today is unscheduled for your own exploration or relaxation.

Optional tours are available for those who are in China's capital for the first time.
Grand Hotel Beijing   <B>

Day 3   Beijing g Lhasa Travel to Lhasa, capital of Tibet, by air via Chengdu. Upon arrival, you are met by your local Tibetan guide and transferred to the hotel. Lhasa is located at 3,800 meters (about 11,600 feet) above sea level. It takes some time for most people to adjust to the thin air on the high plateau, so be sure to slow down and have longer rests. Brahmaputra Grand Hotel   <B-D> Day 4   Lhasa

Begin your sightseeing with a visit to the magnificent Jokhang Monastery. The golden-roofed shrine is 1,300 years old and its labyrinth of rooms contains a beautiful gold statue of the Buddha Sakyamuni (the most venerated statue in Tibet) plus some of the finest and oldest treasures of Tibetan art.

Coming out of the Jokhang, you are right in the center of the fascinating Barkhor area, lined with the stalls of an outdoor market selling all kinds of goods including saddles, thangkas, jewelry, blankets, cassette tapes, carpets, tin utensils, to mention just a few.

See the Sera Monastery, founded in 1419 by Sakya Yeshe, a prominent disciple of Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gelupa order. You may also see the young monks practicing their debating skills in small, animated groups in the courtyard.

Enjoy a Tibetan Song & Dance Performance after dinner this evening.
Brahmaputra Grand Hotel   <B-L-D>

Day 5   Lhasa Visit to the monumental Potala Palace will be the highlight of your tour to Tibet. Potala Palace, an imposing white and ochre fortress with gilded roofs, has heralded the marvels of the holy city to travelers for three centuries. Once the site of Tibetan religious and political power and winter residence of the Dalai Lama, the great 13-storey palace encloses private quarters as well as countless prayer

halls, chapels and shrines where monks chant and devotees offer ceremonial scarves or yak butter lamps. The view of the city below is fantastic.

Take an afternoon excursion to the extraordinary Drepung Monastery, which was founded in 1416 by Jamyang Choje, a leading disciple of Tsongkhapa.

Return to the city in late afternoon and the rest of the day is at leisure.
Brahmaputra Grand Hotel   <B-L>

Day 6   Lhasa g Gyangze

Depart Lhasa today and travel by land to Gyangze. This journey goes through high mountain passes and along the beautiful shorelines of Yamdrok Tso Lake.

Visit a couple of villages on the way to experience the local daily life.

Arrive in Gyangze in late afternoon and stop by the historic Gyangze Dzong.
Gyangze Hotel   <B-L-D>

Day 7   Gyangze g Shigatse This morning, visit the Pelkor Chode Monastery and Gyangze Kumbum, famous among scholars of Tibetan art throughout the world for its fine architecture and the 15th century murals, which remain largely intact throughout the centuries. By road you continue the adventure to Shigatse, and on the way, stop by the well-known Zhalu Monastery, which was originally built in the 11th century. It has a finely colonnaded courtyard decorated with luck symbols, but the temple is most remarkable for the green-glazed tiles that line the roof. Hotel Manasarovar   <B-L-D>

Day 8   Shigatse

Shigatse is the second largest city in Tibet and it is a popular destination for both pilgrims and tourists. Head west of the town for the gleaming and golden roofs. That is the magnificent Tashilunpo Monastery, founded in 1447 by Gendun Drup, Tsong-khapa's nephew and disciple, who was later recognized as the First Dalai Lama. The monastery has some of the most fabulous chapels outside Lhasa and it takes several hours to do it justice.

In the afternoon, visit a local carpet factory where exquisite Tibetan carpets are produced. Also take a look at the town's market and wander through the alleyways of the old section of the city.
Hotel Manasarover   <B-L-D>

Day 9   Shigatse g Lhasa Return to Lhasa following the northern route and enjoy the dramatic scenery along the way. Arrive in Lhasa in the afternoon, and the rest of the day is free for relaxation or more exploration of the city on own. Brahmaputra Grand Hotel   <B-L> Day 10   Lhasa g Shanghai Transfer to Lhasa airport and fly to Shanghai via Chengdu. You are met and transferred to hotel and balance of the day is free. Portman Ritz-Carlton Shanghai   <B-L> Day 11   Shanghai Today is free for your own exploration. Enjoy a Shanghai Cuisine Dinner in a local restaurant in the evening. Portman Ritz-Carlton Shanghai   <B-D>

Day 12   Return Home

Transfer to the airport and board your homebound flight.
<B>