Summary

Itinerary Highlights
Day 1 Arrive in Beijing
Day 2 Beijing: Mutianyu Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Beijing National Olmpic Stadium
Day 3 Beijing: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven
Day 4 Beijing: Beihai Park, Hutong, Summer Palace
Day 5 Beijing to Lhasa by Flight
Day 6 Lhasa: Potala Palace, Barkhor Street
Day 7 Lhasa: Drepung Monastery,Sera Monastery
Day 8 Lhasa to Namtso Lake
Day 9 Shigatse/Everest Base Camp/ via Lhatese,Shegar
Day 10 Shigatse to Lhasa
Day 11 Lhasa back to Beijing by Flight
Day 12 Beijing Departure

Day 1. Arrive in Beijing

Upon arrival, our local Beijing tour guide will pick you up at the exit of Beijing airport, you will find a welcome signage "China Private Tour". You will be escorted to your hotel directly, and the rest of the day is for you to recover your jetlag.

Day 2. Beijing

In the morning, our guide will pick you up at your hotel lobby. Your tour starts with visiting Mutianyu Great Wall, it about 70KM far way from downtown. There is an old saying "If you haven't climbed the Great Wall, you haven't seen China." Many of your friends who visited China before might have told you this. It is indeed an experience of life. As one of the best-preserved parts of the Great Wall, Mutianyu section of Great Wall used to serve as the northern barrier defending the capital and the imperial tombs. It's known for its beautiful surroundings - dense woods and rich pastures changing colors with the seasons of a year. 

Your lunch is offered near the Great Wall in a local Chinese restaurant.

After lunch, the Sacred Way, affiliated with the Ming Tombs, is a main attractions arranged for you. The Ming Tombs lie in Changping County, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) northwest from the urban area of Beijing. It is actually a tomb cluster of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), including thirteen emperor's mausoleums, seven tombs for concubines and one grave for eunuchs.  

In the afternoon, return to the downtown Beijing and visit the Olympic Green Park, constructed for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Visit the National Stadium ( bird's nest). Its located at the Olympic Green, the stadium cost US$428 million. The design was awarded to a submission from the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron in April 2003 after a bidding process that included 13 final submissions. 

Then continue to visit the "Water Cube" ( National Aquatics Center),  is one of the best venues of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, built with donations from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan compatriot and overseas Chinese. It was chosen through public appraisals as one of “China ten big new architecture views” by The U.S. magazine "Business Weekly". 

After dinner, you will be taken back to your hotel.

Day 3. Beijing

In the morning, you will be picked up at your hotel lobby.

Firstly, you will pay a visit for Tiananmen Square. It is the largest city plaza in the world. Tiananmen Square is the geographical center of Beijing City. It is the largest city square in the world, occupying an area of 440,000 square meters (about 109 acres), and able to accommodate 1000000 people at one time. Tiananmen Gate on the northern square was the site where the Chairman Mao announced the establishment of the People's Republic of China.

After sightseeing, walk into the Tiananmen you will meet the one of the world’s 5 most important palaces – Forbidden City, The Forbidden City, also named the Palace Museum, shares the honor of being one of five world-famous palaces with the Palace of Versailles in France, Buckingham Palace in England, the White House in the U.S. and the Kremlin in Russia. The incomparable palace occupies an area of 720,000 square meters (177.9 acres) and has approximately 8,700 rooms. A high red wall with a total length of 3,400 meters (3,718 yards) encases the palace. 

Have lunch at the local famous Peking Roast Duck restaurant, taste the most famous duck in Beijing and try some local cuisine in Beijing.Roast duck — or Peking Duck, as it's often known — has been served in Beijing for around 600 years, according to Liu. First served by palace chefs during the Ming dynasty, it has royal pedigree.

In the afternoon, drive about 6km to next imperial site - Temple of Heaven. The temple was constructed in 1420 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and was enlarged during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It is the grandest cult architecture complex in the world and a masterpiece of the Chinese people created in ancient times. It covers 2,700,000 square meters (667 acres). Emperors of the two dynasties used to worship the heaven and pray for rich harvests, as the feudal emperors thought they were the son of the heaven. 

You will be taken back to your hotel after dinner.

Day 4. Beijing

In the morning, our guide and driver will meet you at your hotel lobby. Today you will drive to the Beihai Park to visit the charming Beihai Park to appreciate the beautiful White Pagoda and the Nine-Dragon Screen. From here you will take a Rickshaw to Gulou area for a Hutong Tour, which covers the attractions that include the Drum Tower, courtyard neighborhoods.

Continue your tour to Nanluoguxiang. It's one of the best preserved historical areas in downtown Beijing, is famous for its hutong and siheyuan courtyards. Recently the popularity of Nanluoguxiang has increased noticeably with tourist numbers on the rise after 2008 Olympic Games. You will do a short walking along the authentic Beijing Hutong. will give you a deep impression of the local residents'live.

You will have a simpe home-made lunch at local family, to know what are they eat every day.

Then drive to Summer Palace; The Summer Palace in Beijing integrates numerous traditional halls and pavilions into the Imperial Garden conceived by the Qing emperor Qianlong between 1750 and 1764 as the Garden of Clear Ripples. Using Kunming Lake, the former reservoir of the Yuan dynasty’s capital and Longevity Hill as the basic framework, the Summer Palace combined political and administrative, residential, spiritual, and recreational functions within a landscape of lakes and mountains, in accordance with the Chinese philosophy of balancing the works of man with nature.

Next, you will pay a visit for Wangfujing Food Street. A dazzling array of snacks from all corners of China can be found in this Beijing night market. The majority of diners here are foreign, and the cost is not low. However, for a comfortable and relaxing meal, Xin Dong An Restaurant comes highly recommended. After Donghuamen Night Market was closed, Wangfujing Snack Street has become the most popular one which attracts more and more tourists every year.

After dinner, you will be taken back to your hotel.

Day 5. Beijing-Lhasa

Free on your own in the morning, you will be picked up by our guide and driver at pointed from your hotel. Transfer to Beijing Capital Airport for the flight to Lhasa. Upon on your arrival, our Lhasa local guide will meet you at the exit of airport with a welcome sign "China Private Tour". Drive you to your hotel.

(The best way acclimatize to the increased elevation, to prevent altitude sickness is rest in the hotel and minimizing any physical exertion for the first-time traveller.)

Day 6. Lhasa

In the morning, our local guide will meet you at your hotel lobby. Today you will visit Lhasa’a cardinal landmark Potala Palace; the highest palace in the world. It well worths visiting for its artistic value, historic purposes, and cultural awareness, has been regarded as the No. 1 must-see attraction in Tibet. It is one of the world culture heritages. You can explore its audience halls, the jeweled and Golden burial chortens (stupa Tombs) of past Dalai Lamas, and tremendous number of Buddhist frescoes, Thangkas, combinations of mandala, etc.

You will have lunch at local reataurant with authentic Tibetan food.

Next, head to the holiest temple in Tibet, the Jokhang Temple, built during Songtsen Gampo's reign by princess Wencheng of Tang dynasty, 647 A.D. Here you can observe sincere pilgrims making prostration in front of Jokhang Temple. While entering inside the temple, you can see the holiest statue of Buddha. 

And then walk along the famous street in Lhasa-Barkhor Street, where you can do the kora with pilgrims and locals. And then we’ll go to explore the old market and you may have chance to see the traditional jewelry trading between people from different part of Tibet.

Finally, you’ll taste Tibetan tea with locals in tea house and enjoy a welcome dinner at night.

Day 7 Lhasa

The activities for today is Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery. Our guide will take you to visit these two prestigious Gelugpa monasteries in Lhasa. Founded by Jamyang Choeje in 1416, Drepung Monastery is the largest monastery in Tibet. Situated at the foot of Gambo Utse Mountain, Drepung was once home to more than 10000 monks. Here you can see the biggest monastery kitchen inside and then pay a visit to the Buddhist Sculpture Carving near Drepung.

After having lunch, you’ll continue to visit the Sera Monastery, which was founded in 1419 by Tsongkapa's disciple Jamchen Choeje. The highlight is the monk debate held in the courtyard at around 3-5 in the afternoon. Besides, you can also see the colorful Rock Painting of Buddha and the three sand Mandalas and then visit the Tibetan scripture printing house.

You will have a dinner at a suitable time. After dinner, you will be taken back to your hotel

Day 8: Lhasa

In the morning around 08:00am, our guide and driver pick you up from your hotel, and then leave Lhasa to Namtso Lake. Nyenchen Thanglha snow mountain ranges appear in front of you all the way. In summer (May to August), the sheepherders and their family move to grassland and set up their tents, you could see green grassland, groups of sheep and yaks, nomad tents by the road.

Namtso Lake is the Heavenly lake which is one of the three holy lakes of Tibet and also the highest salt lake. You can do a very relaxing trekking around the lake side and Tashi Island.

Spending a night at lake shore is fantastic. The night sky is so clean that you could see all the stars twinkling on the sky, which are so close to you as if you could stretch your hands to pick them. Namtso lake is actually the lake in the sky, and it is about 5000m high lies on the highest plateau in the world.

Stay overnight at Lake Shore Tent Guest House, dorm bed.

Day 9: Shigatse-Everest Base Camp-Via Lhatese-Shegar

We’ll leave Shigatse after getting your Alien’s travel permit, and then drive to Lhatse. It is a small town where you can take lunch. After that, you will drive to Shegar and if the weather is clear enough then on the way down to shegar you will view the Mt. Everest in the distance.

After 4 to 6 hours then you will arrive at Rongbuk monastery but on the way, you will pass one of the highest passes in Tibet (pang la pass height 5050m) from that’s pass you will view the whole five highest peaks in the world.

After local dinner, you will stay at a tent or local guesthouse.

Day 10 Shigatse-Lhasa

Before back to Lhasa from Shigatse, you will pay a visit to the largest monastery in west Tibet, the Tashilumpo Monastery, formally listed as a key national cultural protection site. Built in 1447 by a disciple of Tsongkapa, Tashilunpo monastery has the world's largest copper-gilded image (26ms high) of future god, Jampa. 

You will have a lunch after visit the monastery. After that, drive along the Friend-ship Highway back to Lhasa.

After dinner, you will be taken back to your hotel in Lhasa.

Day 11: Lhasa-Beijing

Free on your own until our guide and driver pick you up from your hotel, you will be escorted to the airport and catch your flight back to Beijing. Upon on your arrival, our guide and driver will pick you up at the exit of airport with a sign"China Private Tour", drive you back to your hotel.

Day 12 Beijing Departure

Free on your own until our driver pick you up from your hotel at pointed time, transfer to Beijing airport for your flight back home or your next destination. Your 12 days Beijing Lhasa Highlights tour come to end. Have a pleasent journey!

Price Per Person in US Dollars

Price Includes 1. All transfer and city transportation 2. Air-conditioned car or van 3. Hotels specified in the itinerary, all based     on two persons sharingone standard room; 4. Meals specified in the itinerary: Western     breakfast in hotels Chinese lunch and     dinner in local restaurants 5. Sightseeing: All arrangements mentioned     in the itinerary will be covered All first     admission/entrance fees in the itinerary 6. Tour guide: Conducted by a professional     tour guide

Price Excludes 1. International air-tickets 2. Airport departure tax. 3. International or domestic air tickets which     are not listed in the itinerary. 4. Insurance coverage of personal loss, illness     or damages incurred during your trip 5. Tips to the tour guide and driver 6. Meals not specified in the itinerary. 7. Personal expenses: phone bills, laundry,     optional tours, postage, excess baggage     charge, entertainment fees out of the     itinerary. 8. Single Room Supplement.