2024 Saga Dawa Festival

Description

2024 Saga Dawa Festival is the most important annual festival in Tibet. The 15^th day of the 4^th month in the Tibetan calendar is the day that Buddha Sakyamuni was born and also the day he attained Nirvana. During this period, Tibetan go to Mt. Kailash two or even three weeks before this date to prepare for the holy ritual. On the 15^th day of the 4^th month, the giant flagpole at Tarpoche is ritually taken down and being replaced by a new one, the prayer flags on the flagpole will be replaceed together in the sametime. During the ritual, as the pole’s tip is raised and pointed east toward Gyangdrak monastery, monks of that monastery perform a special ritual. Music from long trumpets, conch shells, and other instruments welcome the rising flagpole.

Itinerary

D1 Arrive in Lhasa

Arrive in Lhasa airport, meet your guide, and then drive to your hotel. En route, we’ll visit to Nie-Tang Buddha, a Buddha image engraved in the face of the mountain. In the afternoon we’ll take a walk to Norbulingka, the former summer palace of Dalai Lama.

Overnight: Tashi Nota Hotel — Include | Breakfast , Lunch and Dinner — Not include

D2 Lhasa Visit

We’ll visit Potala Palace, Jokhang temple and Barkhor Street.
Potala Palace , the winter palace of the Dalai Lama dominates the skyline of Lhassa atop the crest of Marpo Ri hill, the seventh-century Potala is considered Lhasa’s holiest destination for a pilgrimage. Going up the hill, a stone path leads to the 14-story, 1,000-room. Each day, thousands of pilgrims give the prayer wheels a clockwise spin as they make their way to the entrance.
The Jokhang Temple is the home of the statutes of the revered Buddha, Shakyamuni. While all Buddhist statues are adorned with colorful brocade, pearls, turquoise, coral, and silver, solid gold bowls of holy water rest before Shakyamuni as well as offerings of Yuan (money) and khatas (scarves) left by pilgrims. Then after we will stroll around in the Barkhor street

Overnight: Tashi Nota Hotel — Include | Breakfast — Include | Lunch and Dinner — Not include

D3 Lhasa Visit

Visit Sera monastery, Drepung monastery, and Nechung monastery.
Sera Monastery, one of the Six Great Monasteries of Gelug Pa, located at the foot of Hill Tatipu. It is as prestigious as Drepung and Ganden, which had a longer history. Sera in Tibetan means “Wild Rose Garden” since opulent wild rose woods once grew around it.
Drepung monastery once housed 10,000 monks and if we’re lucky, we’ll ease into a dark columned hall to see and hear the lilting, booming chanting of the sutras, or sit under a willow tree and watch the monks engage in theatrical debate.
Nechung Monastery the seat of Nechung, Tibet’s State Oracle. Major decisions of the state are made in consultation with the Nechung Oracle.

Overnight: Tashi Nota Hotel — Include | Breakfast — Include | Lunch and Dinner — Not include

D4 Lhasa to Shigatse via Gyantse

Depart from Lhasa, the first spot we will reach at after about 2 hours drive is Yamdrok Lake. We will have a unforgettable panorama view of this highland lake at Kangpa La (5,050 meters), then drive to visit Karola glacier via Simila then to Gyantse. There, you’ll visit the Gyantse Palcho monastery and Gyantse Kumbum ; after the visit,drive toward Shigatse for overnight.

Overnight: Tashi Choeta Hotel — Include | Breakfast — Include | Lunch and Dinner — Not include

D5 Shigatse to Saga

Today we will enter the West Tibet Plateau, which has an average altitude of 4,800 meters. This is where the road leads to the “Belly” of the earth that the Buddhist thought about. The first night in West Tibet will be Saga, a small town that provides shelter and food for those pilgrims in the ancient time. Today, it became a modern small town with features of the “wild west.”

Overnight: Local hostel — Include | Breakfast — Include | Lunch and Dinner — Not include

D6 Saga to Manasarovar lake

We will drive to reach the holy lake of Manarsaovar, which is a personification of purity per Hindu theology, and one who drinks water from the lake will go to the Abode of Lord Shiva after death. This holy lake lies at 4,556 meters above sea level making the highest freshwater lake in the world. The lake freezes in the winter and melts in the spring. It is the source of the Sutlej River which is the easternmost tributary of the Indus. Nearby are the sources of the Brahmaputra River, the Indus River, and the Karnali River (Ghaghara) which is an important tributary of the Gangdes River.

Overnight: Local guesthouse — Include | Breakfast — Include | Lunch and Dinner — Not include

D7 Manasarovar Lake to Darchen

It takes about an hour to cover the 30 kilometers from Manasarovar Lake to Darchen , where the trek begins. After arriving at Darchen, prepare for Saga Dawa ritual and the cora trek.

Overnight: Local guesthouse — Include | Breakfast — Include | Lunch and Dinner — Not include

D8 Darchen — Saga Dawa Day — 2024 May 23^rd

Today is Saga Dawa Festival Day. Darpoche, which is also the start point of the Kailash cora trek, is the place to hold the holy ritual of Saga Dawa. We will hike from Darchen to Darpoche Witnessing the whole process of Saga Dawa

Overnight: Local guesthouse — Include | Breakfast — Include | Lunch and Dinner — Not include

D9 Darchen to Shigatse

Today, we will drive along the Lhasa & Ali southern route, which we came through and arriving at Shigatse in the late afternoon, check in, rest

Overnight: Tashi Choeta Hotel — Include | Breakfast — Include | Lunch and Dinner — Not include

D10 Shigatse to Lhasa

This is pleasant drive that will take another 6 hrs on the road. Then, we will arrive at Lhasa early, you’ll have your time free, check in, rest

Overnight: Tashi Nota Hotel — Include | Breakfast — Include | Lunch and Dinner — Not include

D11 Lhasa departure

Your tour ends today, you will be driven to airport or train station for departure.

Overnigh — Not include | Breakfast — Include | Lunch and Dinner — Not include