A Journey from
Beijing to Tibet
aboard the
luxurious
Tangula Express Train
combined with volunteer work
at the Giant Panda Research Center
2010 Departures only
We are exited and pleased to be the only company to offer one of the world's great train journeys in 2010 and combine it with a visit to the home of one of the world's most beautiful animals, the pandas at the Bifengxia Giant Panda Research Center where you will be a VIP volunteer.
Itinerary
Sept. 5 - Depart the US for the flight to Beijing.
Sept. 6 - Arrive in Beijing. A guide will meet you at the airport for your private transfer to the luxurious St. Regis Hotel.
Sept. 7 - After
breakfast transfer to the Beijing Railroad Station to board the Tangula Express,
the newest private
luxury train for the 5-day 4-night journey to Lhasa in Tibet. The train has all
the amenities of a 5-star hotel and is managed by Kempinski, Europe's oldest
luxury hotel chain. You will have your own suite which comes with a 24-hour
private butler service, complimentary wireless internet, flat screen TV and a
spacious bathroom and complimentary minibar. En route passengers are taken on
off-train excursions to explore the landscapes, local cuisines, cultural customs
and historic sites. The group sizes are small to ensure a private relaxing
experience. When vehicles are required, passengers re transported in modern,
deluxe air conditioned coaches. Each of the Tangula's three newly built,
state-of-the-art trains carries a maximum of 96 guests.
The dining car serves Western and Asian cuisine in a relaxed contemporary
setting with large oversized windows. While on board you can select from an
excellent complimentary selections of wines, cocktails and other spirits. The train is equipped with a onboard oxygen enrichment system to let you travel
at ease when the train crosses altitudes as high as 15,000 feet. A doctor is
available on board should there be need for one. However, with the oxygen system
the passengers are not exposed to the thinner air in high altitudes. B L D
Sept.8 - Early morning arrival in Xining. After breakfast embark on an off-train excursion to Bird Island, one of the largest bird sanctuaries in the world and a spectacle to witness. Return to the train late afternoon to continue overnight to Deligha. B L D
Sept.9 - This morning
you will awake in Deligha. Enjoy an off-train excursion after breakfast and
return to the train early in the afternoon to travel to Golmud. Dinner and
overnight is on the train. B L D
Sept.10 - This morning departure for the Yuzhufeng Mountains where you have a chance to get out to take pictures. Continue to Tangula, the pass after which the train is named. Tangula originates from "Thang Lah" a Tibetan grasslands deity who watches over and protect the Tangula Pass and the Tangula Mountain Range. At Tangula and later in the day at Cuona Lake you have more opportunities to get out to look around and take pictures. In the evening the train arrives in Naqu where you will attend a Tibetan folklore gala. Overnight is on board the train. B L D
Sept. 11 - Have breakfast on the train before late morning arrival in Lhasa where you are met by our private guide and taken to the Jardin Secret Hotel, an elegant new hotel built in the traditional Tibetan style. The remainder of the day is at leisure to rest and acclimate yourself to the altitude. In the evening dinner is at the hotel. B L D
Sept. 12 - After breakfast visit the imposing and historic Potala Palace set on a steep hill above Lhasa. After lunch drive the short distance to Jokhang Temple built in the 7th century by King Sangsten Gampa to celebrate his marriage to a Tang Dynasty Princess. It has been and still is one of the most important sacred temples in Tibet. After visiting Jokhang take time out to shop at the colorful bazaar on Barkor Street. In the evening attend a Tibetan folklore dinner show. B L D
Sept. 13 - In the morning visit the Sera
Temple which was founded in 1419 as a university for monks. The name means
"wild rose" since the hill behind the temple was overgrown with wild
roses. After the visit to the temple relax over lunch before a visit to a local family where
you will be served traditional Tibetan Butter Tea, a staple with everyday meals
in Tibet. Since tea is not a commodity grown in Tibet it was first brought to
Tibet by horse traders who brought tea over the Horse Tea Brick Road from
Sichuan to Tibet. Beginning the ??? century the traders would bring the tea that
has been pounded into powder and pressed into bricks over treacherous mountain
roads to Tibet and traded it for horses. You will be interested to know that the
Tea Brick Road started in the region of Bifengxia where you will volunteer with
the pandas. Dinner this evening is in the hotel. B L D
Sept. 14 - Transfer to the airport this morning to fly to Chengdu where you will be met by your private guide to join the rest of the panda tour participants to drive to Giant Panda Research Center in Bifengxia. The drive is about 2 hours. After crossing the Sichuan Plain one of China’s richest agricultural regions the road climbs into the mountains to Bifengxia which is located at an elevation of 4500 feet. After arrival check into your hotel. There is time for a first look at the pandas before meeting for dinner. B D
Sept. 15 - Following breakfast attend a lecture given by one of the directors of the Research Center where you will receive your working uniform, the same as the staff member wear which is your pass to enter the facility where the Pandas are kept as many times as you like. After the lecture your workday will begin. You will be assigned a "Master", one of the keepers in the center who will show you what needs to be done and introduce you to your very own panda for whom you will care. Chores include sweeping the bins, taking bamboo to their outdoor runs, feeding the bears apples, milk and a specially prepared Panda cake. When the chores are done you can roam freely throughout the facility which has now most of the pandas that had been in Wolong. Please note that you should be in good physical condition to be a volunteer. B LD
Sept. 16 - The day begins early with breakfast and then it’s off to your work day. From eleven to two you will be off for lunch and to do as you please. By the time you go back to work you know what to do. You will finish between four and five. You will have until dinner to walk around and take pictures of the pandas. B L D
Sept. 17 - Another day of caring for the pandas is in store You may be dishing out the food on your own by now, feed them apple slices by hand which are a special treat. After your morning chores you feed your pandas once more before everyone meets to play with the young pandas in the panda nursery, a great thrill which only a very few are privileged to experience. The play time with the pandas is about 5 minutes, the maximum time allowed us to be in the panda kindergarten. Since only about 4 persons are able to enter the kindergarten at one time, it is necessary to keep the visit to that time. The pandas will get too hyper and restless if people are with them for much longer than this. This measure is taken for the protection of the pandas who are after all, not bred to be pets. In the evening a special dinner in the company of all the "Masters", the assistant director, and some other officials of the center will end your stay in Bifengxia. A certificate of having volunteered will be given to each member in the group. B L D
Sept. 18 - You have the morning to take pictures and bid your panda farewell which is not always easy since your panda has by now become your special friend. A stop for lunch is made before checking into the hotel in Chengdu where the remainder of the afternoon is at leisure. There is local shopping in the immediate neighborhood, or take a stroll along the river walk which is but ten minutes on foot from the hotel. In the evening experience a Sichuan Hot Pot dinner, the most famous local food in Chengdu. It may bring tears to your eyes, but there will be sissy food on the table for those who can't handle the heat! B L D
Sept. 19 - After an early breakfast transfer to the airport for the flight to Shanghai. After arrival in Shanghai deposit your luggage in our bus then take the world's fastest train into the city with a top speed of 431 km per hour. Enjoy lunch at a riverside restaurant then transfer to the plush Four Seasons Hotel. B L
Sept. 20 - Individual airport transfers for your return flight to USA. B - Optional nights in Shanghai are $200 per room per night including breakfast.
TOUR COST PER PERSON: On Request
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT:
INCLUDED: 14-Nights accommodations, daily breakfast, lunch and dinner except in Shanghai on May 19, train journey from Beijing to Lhasa, all transportation as per itinerary, private airport transfers, private guides and drivers, domestic airline tickets, tips to guides and drivers, Tibet entry permits, volunteer work with the pandas and playing with the young pandas in the panda kindergarten enclosure.
NOT INCLUDED: Additional food and drink, alcoholic drinks with meals if not part of an included meal (wines and drinks are complimentary on the train journey) room service and any item not specifically mentioned in this itinerary.
AIR FARE: You can arrange for your own airfare or we can arrange it for you.