Over 50s holiday to Tibet
| country: | Nepal, Tibet |
| departures: | 2008: 27 Aug |
| price: | From £1749 - £1849(16 days) including flights from the UK, from £1349 - £1449 excluding flights |
the amazing things you'll be doing
This is the classic overland journey to the roof of the world, from the temples of Kathmandu to the monasteries and stunning scenery of the Himalaya. From Kathmandu, you’ll take a breathtaking flight across the Himalayas into Tibet. Upon arrival you make the short journey to Tsedang, to visit Yumbulagang, the oldest fortress in Tibet. From here, you’ll cross the Tsangpo River to Samye Monastery, before continuing to Lhasa where you’ll marvel at the Potala Palace towering over the city and visit Jokhang Temple, the religious centre of Tibetan Buddhism.
At Gyantse you’ll see the frescoes of the Kumbum Stupa before travelling to Shigatse to visit the impressive Tashilhunpo Gompa. Here stands the 26m gold and copper statue of Maitreya - the Future Buddha. Set on a gradual hill with cobbled streets, the monastery itself is a snowstorm scattering of whitewash buildings with gold-topped roofs. South of Shegar lays Rongbuk Monastery, from where there are stunning views of Mt. Everest’s north face and the chance to reach base camp itself by horse drawn cart. Festivals provide a colourful and real flavour of Tibet. Our trips are planned to coincide with different festivals, an example being the Shoton Festival in August (celebrating Buddhism with song & dance). NB 2008 Festival dates are to be confirmed.
The hotels and guesthouses we use are chosen for their Tibetan character, and will be Tibetan-owned where possible. Most have en suite bathrooms (apart from at Rongbuk) and are comfortable. Your hotels in Kathmandu and Lhasa are of a good standard and centrally located.
Trip price includes: 13 breakfasts, 10 lunches & 9 dinners. Restaurants offer a good choice of Tibetan, Chinese, Nepalese and Western food and those meals included are either buffets or a la carte. Traditional Tibetan food centres on yak - either grilled, stir-fried, in soups, or pasties, ‘momos’ which are small dumplings, ‘thugkpa’, a noodle soup, or ‘tsampa’, which is bread. There’s certainly plenty to try! Typically we use a Toyota Landcruiser 4500 with air conditioning and room for four passengers. Your driver makes sure it’s kept in good condition for this rugged journey! There are some long driving days.
At Gyantse you’ll see the frescoes of the Kumbum Stupa before travelling to Shigatse to visit the impressive Tashilhunpo Gompa. Here stands the 26m gold and copper statue of Maitreya - the Future Buddha. Set on a gradual hill with cobbled streets, the monastery itself is a snowstorm scattering of whitewash buildings with gold-topped roofs. South of Shegar lays Rongbuk Monastery, from where there are stunning views of Mt. Everest’s north face and the chance to reach base camp itself by horse drawn cart. Festivals provide a colourful and real flavour of Tibet. Our trips are planned to coincide with different festivals, an example being the Shoton Festival in August (celebrating Buddhism with song & dance). NB 2008 Festival dates are to be confirmed.
The hotels and guesthouses we use are chosen for their Tibetan character, and will be Tibetan-owned where possible. Most have en suite bathrooms (apart from at Rongbuk) and are comfortable. Your hotels in Kathmandu and Lhasa are of a good standard and centrally located.
Trip price includes: 13 breakfasts, 10 lunches & 9 dinners. Restaurants offer a good choice of Tibetan, Chinese, Nepalese and Western food and those meals included are either buffets or a la carte. Traditional Tibetan food centres on yak - either grilled, stir-fried, in soups, or pasties, ‘momos’ which are small dumplings, ‘thugkpa’, a noodle soup, or ‘tsampa’, which is bread. There’s certainly plenty to try! Typically we use a Toyota Landcruiser 4500 with air conditioning and room for four passengers. Your driver makes sure it’s kept in good condition for this rugged journey! There are some long driving days.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1-2: | Overnight flight to Kathmandu |
| Day 3: | Kathmandu; explore temples & bazaars |
| Day 4: | Fly to Gongkar (near Lhasa), drive to Tsedang |
| Day 5: | Via Samye Monastery to Lhasa |
| Day 6-7: | Lhasa; Potala Palace & monasteries |
| Day 8: | Via Yangdrok Tso to Gyantse |
| Day 9: | To Shigatse; Tashilhunpo Monastery |
| Day 10: | To Shegar |
| Day 11: | To Rongbuk Monastery; visit Everest Base Camp |
| Day 12: | To Zhangmu; via Old Tingri & Nyelam |
| Day 13-14: | Kathmandu; free |
| Day 15-16: | Overnight flight to London |
over 50s holidays
This trip has been specially designed for, and is exclusive to, travellers over 50. On these trips, the typical group size is just 12, and we never exceed 16. This means better service for you, the chance to use smaller hotels, more freedom to reach out of the way places and more of a sense of camaraderie and fun. Over half of our travellers book independently and we do not charge an additional single supplement. Most travellers are aged between 50 and 70 and there is no upper age limit. It’s attitude and a love of travel that counts!how this holiday makes a difference
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Our policy of using local group leaders is even more important in Tibet. Although you will be accompanied throughout by a Nepalese leader, you’ll also have a Tibetan guide with you in Tibet. This will enable you to gain a unique insight into Tibetan culture, and learn all about the complex history, religions and social circumstances which make this country so special. There’s nothing better than seeing a Tibetan smile! Entrance fees to the monasteries and temples in Tibet go directly to the Chinese government. However, we will leave donations to the monks on your behalf, to help with the upkeep of these sacred places.
Clients who travel with us will automatically receive a copy of our Responsible Travel leaflet. This contains details and advice on how you can make a positive difference when you travel. We work in partnership with Plan International. Plan works with some of the world’s poorest communities where three out of four children die before the age of five. We also support Friends of Conservation – an international charity committed to working with local people to develop a balance between their needs and the wildlife with which they share the natural habitat and ecosystems. Global warming is a real issue and is a direct result of your travel. We have teamed up with Climate Care to give you the opportunity to offset the carbon emissions from your flight. You’ll be asked upon booking if you want to donate – with set amounts from £5. As a company we offset the carbon emissions from all staff travel in full. We’ve highlighted a few of the ways in which we offer our support, financially or otherwise, and now you can, too. We have set up our own foundation, which will administer funds donated by you. A small donation of £1 per person will be taken when booking a holiday and that money will be put to good use by one of our carefully selected projects. If you don’t want to make the donation, just tell us when you call. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |