Everest Base Camp Trek
and
The Panda Tour
May 26 - June 15, 2008
Due to limited availability (12 persons) early reservations are advised. Tibet, and China in general is a very popular destination, particular in 2008 the year of the Olympics in Beijing.
A specially arranged tour to visit the Mysterious City of Lhasa combined with a trek to the Base Camp of the highest mountain in the world.
B
y special arrangement with our partner Joe Zhou of China Overland Tours in Beijing we have set up this unique tour. The Everest trek is combined with our volunteer tour to the Giant Panda Research Center in Wolong in China. The two hours flight from Lhasa to Chengdu makes this an attractive combination which very few people are privileged to experience. Your host on the tour will be Richard (Rich) Blanchette, a professional wildlife and nature photographer who is familiar with both the hike to Everest Base Camp and the Giant Panda Center in Wolong. The pictures of Tibet and the Everest hike on this page were taken by RichItinerary
May 26 - Depart the USA for your flight to Beijing, China
May 27 - Arrive in Beijing in the evening.
May 28 - Today you will fly to Lhasa, Tibet.
May 29 - Sightseeing in Lhasa (3658M – 12,000 feet).
Today you will be guided through the Potala Palace, the highest palace in the world and the former residence of the Dalai Lama. Your guide will explain the details of the palace and the history of Buddhism. At the top the palace (called the golden roof), you will have a bird’s-eye view of the whole of Lhasa. In the distance are undulating mountain ranges, the beautiful Lhasa River, tracts of fields, tree-shaded villages and the glistening Jokhang Temple which you will visit after lunch. The temple was first built during the period of Sontsan Gambo in the 7th century. You’ll find that many pilgrims pray before the monastery and you may be present for a ceremony within the temple. Later on you will have free time to just look around or shop at the Barkhor Market near Jokhang Temple. The day will be completed with a visit to a local family. The visit will give you a feel for the real Tibetan’s lifestyle and culture. Dinner this evening is in a local restaurant. Accommodation: Three-star hotel. B L D
Center - tour host Richard Blanchette
May 30 - Lhasa – Gyantse - Shigatse (3736M – 12,250 feet)
This morning you will be driven over Ganbala Pass and past beautiful Yamdrok Tso (Turquiose Lake) on the road to Gyantse. The drive is around 280kM and travels over several high passes. At Gyantse, you tour the Palkhor Monastery which contains the Kumbu Pagoda. Gyantse is at an elevation of 4040M (13,250 feet.) After a leisurely tour of the monastery, you continue on to Shigatse for the evening. If you arrive with sufficient time (and energy), you may visit the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery home of the Panchen Lama. Shigatse is a 600 year old city.
Accommodation: 2 star hotel. B L D
May 31 - Shigatse - Tingri (4300M – 14,104 feet)
The drive from Shigatse to Old TIngri is 240kM. Your guide will do the necessary preparations for the trek to Everest Base Camp hiring either yaks or horse carts. You will have good views of Mt. Everest (highest), Makalu (5th highest), Gyan Kung, Cho Oyu (6th highest.)
Do preparation for walking to Everest Base Camp, hire yak men and yaks there today.
JUNE 1 - Trek to Tsojan Village (4500M – 14,760 feet)
JUNE 2 - Trek to Lama La Pass (5100M – 16,730 feet)
The elevation of Lama La Pass is 5100m and you will need 4-6 hours for
trekking. As you continue up the valley. Everest disappears behind the mountains
and as the trail turns to the southeast and begins to climb to the pass.
Accommodation: Tents. B L D
JUNE 3 - Trek to Zemukh (4910M – 16,100 feet)
JUNE 4 - Trek to Rongbuk (5200M – 17,060 feet)
JUNE 5 - Rongbuk to Everest Base Camp (6240M – 17,200 feet)
Everest Base Camp to Lhatse.
June 6 - Lhatse to Lhasa
June 7 and June 8 - Lhasa to Chengdu aboard the Beijing-Lhasa Express Train
This morning you will be transferred to the train station to board the new Beijing-Lhasa Express Train to embark on one of the world's newest and most spectacular train journeys. Your ride aboard the train will be in first class referred to by the Chinese as "Soft Class" Overnight accommodations are in 4 bunk private sleeping compartments. All meals aboard train are included. B L C
Volunteering at the Giant Panda Research Center
JULY 3 - Chengdu to Wolong
After arrival in Chengdu in the morning you will drive to the mountains that form the border of the Sichuan Basin and the Tibetan Plateau. Our destination is Wolong where the Giant Panda Bear Research Center is located. Arrive at noon and check into the Panda Inn, the only hotel in this area. After lunch you will attend a lecture with one of the directors of the center and receive a Panda Club T-shirt which is your passport to go in and out of the research facility as many times as you please. After the lecture you will start your volunteer work. You will be assigned a "Master" one of the keepers of the center who will assist you and show you what needs to be done. The facility is open to tourists almost all who are Chinese from neighboring provinces, but who are restricted to certain path that lead along the Panda enclosures. However, you will be one of the staff and you are allowed into all restricted areas, getting in close contact with the bears. Some of your chores will be to help sweep the immaculate panda bins, take bamboo to the hillsides behind the bins, and best of all feed the bears by hand. They are gentle creatures and will take a slice of apple from you without ever touching your hand. After a job well done, there is time to relax before dinner at the Panda Inn. B L D
June 9 - Wolong
Full day of volunteer work at the center, you will work from eight until about eleven and from 2:30 until about four. At all other times you are free to take pictures and observe the pandas. B L D
June 10/11 - Wolong
Full day of volunteer work. At the end of your afternoon session you will have the special privilege to hold and cuddle a young panda. In the evening a "thank you" dinner together with your "Masters" will take place where you will receive a certificate of having been a volunteer from the center's director. B L D
June 12 - Wolong to Chengdu
After breakfast there is time to go back to the pandas to take pictures and say goodbye to your panda. You will leave Wolong at mid-morning and return to Chengdu. In the evening enjoy a Sichuan Hot Pot dinner, a typical specialty of this region. B L D
June 13 - Chengdu to Shanghai
This morning transfer to the airport to fly to Shanghai, China's largest city with a population of 17 million people. After arrival in Shanghai you will be met by your local guide. After depositing your luggage at the bus take the world's fastest train (up to 430 km an hour) to the city. Enjoy lunch then visit the Shanghai Museum and the Bund, the glamorous waterfront boulevard dating to Shanghai's heyday when it was the European financial hub of China. In the evening a typical Shanghai Dim Sum dinner is on the itinerary. B L D
June 14 - Shanghai
The day is free to do as you wish, to go sightseeing on your own, or to go shopping on bustling Nanjing Road, Shanghai's major shopping street. which is just outside of your hotel. A special farewell dinner is on the itinerary for the evening.
June 15 - Return Home.
Transfer to the airport for your return flight to USA.
Land Cost per person:
$5960per person double
Single Supplement: $770
AIR FARE: You can handle your own air fare or check with us for lowest available fares.
THE TOUR IS LIMITED TO 10 PARTICIPANTS
INCLUDED in the tour are: Accommodations as listed in the itinerary, daily breakfast, daily lunches and dinners, transportation in recent model vehicles and air conditions deluxe buses within China, all sightseeing and entry fees as mentioned in the itinerary, airport transfers, domestic airline tickets including airport fees, first class train tickets on the Beijing/Lhasa Express, English speaking local guides with special knowledge of the areas visited, tips to guides and drivers, and the services of China Overland Tours and Posh Journeys.
INCLUDED in the trek are: Required permits for Tibet. Tents, sleeping bags, air mattresses, meals during trek, trek cook, yaks and yak men or horse cart and horse cart driver.
NOT INCLUDED: International air fare to China, passport and visa fees, alcoholic drinks with meals, add-on airline tickets from other cities, laundry, IDD calls, and any item not specifically mentioned in this itinerary. Any extra expenses/days caused by unexpected events (delays, porterage because of landslides and other natural events.)
TREKKING INFORMATION:
PERMITS: A passport and a China Visa is required. A Tibet Entry permit and Aliens Travel Permit will be arranged for you.
INTERNET: There are a few internet cafes near the hotel in Lhasa. Other than Lhasa, it is difficult to find internet access.
FOOD: Food is mostly Chinese stir fry, eggs, rice, yak meat if available, vegetables etc. Breakfast at the hotels is Western and/or Chinese.
FACILITIES: All hotels have western toilets. Guesthouses have rudimentary Asian toilets only. During trekking, there are no facilities (and no trees).
ALTITUDE: Altitude can be a problem, but trekking is moderate. The elevation gains are gradual and not excessive. Portable oxygen will be carried along.
Posh Journeys
