13-Day Chengdu to Lhasa Small Group Tour: Lhasa, Daocheng&Yading, Meili Mountain Zizhu Temple and Namtso Lake

Welcome to Chengdu. Upon your arrival in Chengdu, you can spend half a day exploring things that interest you, watching a Sichuan Opera face-changing performance in Jinli and indulging in hot pot at a steamy restaurant. Even if it's your second visit, you can still discover the artistic vibe hidden within Chengdu's hustle and bustle, by exploring places like Dong Jiao Memories and Taikoo Li. For the evening, we have arranged your hotel in the bustling city center, allowing you to experience the vibrant nightlife and enchanting city lights just a few steps away. For dinner, it is recommended to enjoy authentic Sichuan hot pot, where fresh ingredients dance in the bubbling red spicy broth, cooking into flavorful and spicy bites within seconds. After dinner, you will meet with the guide who will share with you the sights, activities, and safety measures for the upcoming 12-day journey.

First, you will experience how China's developed highway system winds through mountains and over bridges, ascending from Chengdu at 500 meters above sea level to the gateway of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Kangding at 2560 meters above sea level (a miracle that continues towards Lhasa in Tibet). After Kangding, we officially cross the 4298-meter-high Zhedo Mountain Pass into the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Standing at the towering mountain pass, with a vast sea of clouds below, the thin air and prayer flags fluttering at the pass silently indicating that we have set foot on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Winding roads and clear blue skies accompany our journey to the first town on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau - Xinduqiao Town. Here, bustling marketplaces and hotels on one side meet snow-capped meadows and flowing rivers on the other. The radiant light of the setting sun shines upon the serene countryside, painting a vivid picture with colorful meadows, traditional Tibetan wooden houses, and tall bushes blending harmoniously in the light and shadows. Afterwards, we head to stay in Yajiang. Nestled in a gorge, Yajiang has low terrain, making it the ideal first stop for acclimating to the plateau's environment and climate.

Today, you will from Yajiang, turn south through Litang County and head to Daocheng Aden, known as the last piece of pure land in the world. In Litang, you will visit Litang Temple, the largest temple in Kham District and the former residence of the seventh Dalai Lama, passing by Haizi Mountain, which is dotted with large and small lakes, and arrive in Daocheng County.

Departing from Daocheng County in the early morning, we pass through vast poplar forests on our way to Yading. Countless poplar trees stand like guards protecting the earthly paradise of Yading. If visited in autumn, it paints a picture resembling a brilliant sunset glow. As we enter the Yading Scenic Area, we get closer and closer to three sacred peaks representing supreme and boundless power-Xianuoru, Yangmaiyong, and Xian Naiduoji.

Today, we will hike to Milk Lake and Five-Color Lake, then proceed to Luorong Cattle Farm before returning to Yading Village, where you can choose to take the scenic shuttle bus. 

On the way to Yading Village for accommodation, we can once again admire the majestic presence of Yangmaiyong and Xian Naiduoji Peaks. High-altitude flowers, pristine forests, glacier-fed rivers, and a rich natural world accompany us, immersing us fully in the fascinating natural beauty.

Today, we board a sightseeing vehicle (1 hour) to travel to Zhagunba in the heart of Daocheng Yading. The local villagers living in Tibetan villages seem like the family of celestial beings, and the farmers tending the land in this earthly paradise make us envious. After disembarking here, we walk 760 meters to Chonggu Monastery to catch a glimpse of the true form of the Avalokitesvara incarnation-Xianuoru Peak. Standing in front of Chonggu Monastery, a transcendent feeling of crossing through time and space envelops us. Above is a clear blue sky, underfoot is the yellow-green grassland, before us is the pure white form of Xianuoru Peak, and behind is the ethereal canyon that has slumbered for millennia. Chonggu Monastery acts as the gate to paradise, stepping inside feels like entering a divine world and abode.

840 meters above Chonggu Monastery lies the Fairy Lake, situated at an elevation of 4100 meters. The meltwater from Xianuoru Peak converges into the lake, resembling scattered pearls falling into a jade tray under the sunlight. The reflection of the snow-capped mountains in the emerald lake makes the water seem bottomless. After the tour concludes, we reluctantly bid farewell to this naturally-formed earthly paradise and set off for the next destination, Xiangcheng.

We will drive through the core area of ​​the Sanjiang River Basin, a world natural heritage site, and watch the majestic and steep Jinsha River make a 180-degree circular turn and enter Deqin Prefecture in Yunnan Province.  Deqing has the Thirteenth Prince Peak of Meili Snow Mountain with an altitude of 6740 meters.  We will go to its best viewing spot in front of the White Pagoda of Feilai Temple to enjoy the golden light at sunset.

Leaving Feilai Temple, we return to Tibet via the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, passing by the roaring Lancang River. We are captivated by the sparkling and red-glazed salt fields, known as the renowned human intangible cultural heritage-Yanjing Ancient Salt Fields. Here, salt farmers extract brine from ancient brine wells and channel it to more than 3400 salt fields arranged densely along the riverbank. The brine evaporates under intense sunlight, leaving behind shimmering white salt crystals, mixed with red soil to create a pink hue. As we walk along the ridges of the ancient salt fields, feeling the rushing Lancang River and reflecting on the history of human struggle against nature, a deep admiration for the wisdom of the ancients arises.

Yanjing offers a delicious and amusing snack called"Jiajia Noodles"cooked in a large bowl and then served in smaller individual bowls, with the server adding a portion each time. Each small bowl contains just a mouthful, and the noodles mixed with minced meat are incredibly delicious, providing a unique dining experience until satiated. After Yanjing, we return to the G318 Southern Route of the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, and stay in Mangkang at the intersection of Sichuan, Yunnan, and Tibet.

Today, you will pass through the inaccessible Grand Canyon and turn to the G317 National Highway on the Northern Sichuan-Tibet Line, and begin to explore the mysterious cultural and natural secrets of Qamdo in eastern Tibet. The first stop was Karmagou in Qamdo, where Tibet’s most exquisite craftsmanship is gathered. In the evening, you and the villagers from Gamagou will gather together to dance Guozhuang.

Throughout the morning, we will visit the most skilled painters and artisans in the village, and personally experience how to create Thangka artworks. Such an experience is truly unique in the entire Tibetan region. By noon, the hospitable villagers will even teach everyone a unique Tibetan game called "Urduo" in the village square, where stones are thrown using hemp ropes to hit distant targets, bringing everyone back to carefree childhood times.

After lunch, we will leave Gamagou and cross the Shegar La Mountain Pass (altitude 4652 meters) to reach the "Colorful Holy Land"-Naizha Mani Piles, the oldest and most numerous Mani piles in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Every time Tibetans pass through here, they offer stones inscribed with Buddha's words and images, resulting in a massive pile of Mani stones numbering in the thousands, passed down through generations. From here, we officially transition to the G317 National Highway on the northern Sichuan-Tibet route, embarking on a more exciting journey of exploration.

As we ascend by car to the mountaintop platform of Zizhu Monastery, we will experience an unprecedented spiritual awe. Six towering and rugged stone peaks, resembling six giant pillars reaching towards the sky, stand atop Zizhu Mountain, symbolizing the six realms in Buddhist cosmology. Among them, the tallest peak bears a huge natural stone gate, believed to be the gate to transcend the cycle of rebirth. Zizhu Mountain has existed for millions of years, and Zizhu Monastery has sustained the belief in human transcendence for 3000 years, making it the oldest temple in Tibet. Gazing up at the six stone peaks from the summit, with humanity feeling like mere grains of sand in the cycle of rebirth, blurring the lines between reality and illusion. The magnificent and mystical Zizhu Mountain has long been a sacred site for the indigenous Tibetan religion of Bon and Tibetan Buddhism. The temples are built along the mountain, spreading across the foot of the entire rocky peaks. Ascetic monks even choose to build their hermitages in the steep stone peaks, secluded from the world, undertaking the most crucial three years, three months, and three days of retreat in their lives. Climbing to the main peak, the Gate of the Six Realms, with a panoramic view, witnessing the ever-changing world before your eyes, represents the unity of heaven and man at its finest.

Leaving Baqing and heading west, we exit the canyon region of eastern Tibet and enter the vast Nagqu grasslands, a flat expanse of grassland. En route, we visit Zandan Monastery on the grassland, resembling the Potala Palace in appearance. Inside the monastery, we admire a vast collection of ancient murals and Tibetan scriptures preserved for centuries.We randomly stop to visit several black yak hair tents in the pastoral area, taste freshly squeezed yak milk, freshly made yogurt, chat with the sturdy hostesses of the grassland, and enjoy a moment of peace away from the worries of the world. The grassland pastures are so vast that we spend almost the entire day moving through the blue sky, white clouds, and green meadows. By nightfall, we settle in the Dangxiong grasslands, the closest point to Lhasa.

Just 220 kilometers from Lhasa, our journey's endpoint, lies the south end of the Qiangtang grasslands, at the foot of the Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains, we could reach out and pluck a cloud from the sky to place it into the azure water. Then, we will enjoy Namtso. After visiting Namtso, we will drive for 4 hours to Lhasa, with the grandeur of the Potala Palace finally appearing before us, marking the end of our 12-day Sichuan-Tibet journey. To the west of Lhasa lies the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, followed by the King of Ten Thousand Mountains-Mount Kailash, and the source of ten thousand waters-Lake Manasarovar. We look forward to your continued participation in our exploration towards the west, venturing towards the roof of the world, the Himalayas, and the vast expanse of the Ali Plateau.

Your Tibet journey officially concludes today, and We will accompany you to the airport/train station. We appreciate to spend this wonderful time with us in Tibet. Wishing you a safe journey ahead!