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Itinerary Introduced by Wonder

"Hi, I'm Wonder. My customer Maria had a 13 days tour in China with her son and it was really an unforgettable trip. Starting from the capital city Beijing, they visited the historical sites, including Mutianyu Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. After the Beijing tour, they took a high speed train to Luoyang which took only 4 hours. They had a good time in the old monastery and caves, but they were mostly interested in the Kungfu Show in Shaolin Temple. As the Luoyang tour ended, their private guide and driver escorted us to the train station to catch our train to Xining. With one night’s stay in Xining, they began our amazing Qinghai Tibet Train tour to Lhasa, and then came their highlighted Tibet experience. Read the following story of Maria and feel free to contact me if you need the similar tour. Let's travel with Maria." -- Wonder (Ask Wonder a Question)

Travel Consultant Tibet Travel Consultant - Wonder

Highlights of My Tour

Potala Palace - "LA Must See in Lhasa"

Potala Palace is amazing to visit. You can see the history of the Dalai Lamas, study room, meditation room, temples and you will be able to see the monks walking around. In most temples, you can use either your mobile or camera for a fee. At Potala, sometimes the monks can give a blessing with a scripture hat (i think that's what they call it) You can see amazing artifacts. Lots of steps to climb and there is a time limit within which to finish the tour of the palace. At the end, you can have the opportunity to purchase books. I got the book with the pictures inside which is totally worth it

Jokhang Temple - "If you don't visit Jokhang, you haven't been to Lhasa"

This is what the people say.... I agree. We went early in the morning and you can see the locals prostrating in prayer in front of the temple. Very crowded though. Also, you can see the locals who pray in a clockwise direction around the temple. Really old but a nice story to it. Very holy place.

Barkhor Street –"Right next to Jokhang temple - can find some bargains"

Once you visit Jokhang temple, you can easily shop at this City Center street. There are many shops and you can buy souvenirs or spiritual items. Ask your tour guide to go with you to help with translation. The shop owners are used to people trying to negotiate prices but usually tour guides will not bargain for you so be prepared to do it yourself. It's a very busy street. A lot of the stores carry the similar inventory so find a store where they make you feel welcome.

Drepung Monastery –"Authentic Monastery experience"

There are a lot of stairs to climb when you go with your tour guide who will alert you where you can and cannot take pictures. The history is fascinating. You start off by turning the prayer wheels - it's a beautiful way of offering prayers up for everyone. Locals and monks alike make treks to this monastery bringing offerings to the temple. At the end you have the opportunity to shop for souvenirs and get something to drink and the monks are really friendly

Sera Monastery – "Sera Monastery is a special place"

This monastery is usually part of a tour arranged by your tour agency. A very special place where you can see monks walking around. One of the highlights of Sera Monastery is in the afternoon usually around 3:00 pm, you can catch the Monk Philosophical Debate where they discuss scripture among themselves. Very interesting. Cannot use your big camera but they will let you use your mobile phone. If it's not on your itinerary, inquire about it. You can see a lot of people in their local dress at all temples

Tibet Family Kitchen- "Amazing Authentic and Local Food Restaurant"

Our tour guide & driver, Ms. Lhakdon and Phurtse took us to eat here. The food is simply delicious and amazing! We ate at various places and this is such a cool spot. As you walk into the courtyard, you aren't sure exactly what to expect but then you climb the stairs and go through their kitchen. Two local young women cooking with their hearts. There are two dining areas - each has a wall hanging with lots of complimentary comments from visitors from all over the world who have eaten at this very affordably priced eatery. It is directly across the street from Shambala Palace Hotel which is in the city center. As a group, we said it is the best food we had in Lhasa! Thank you to the two women who love to cook and share their culture

Shangri-La Hotel - "EXCELLENCE ON EVERY LEVEL - FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE IN LHASA"

The BEST!!! The staff is as amazing as the carefully selected decor of the lobby & rooms. They anticipate & meet every need with professionalism, kindness & efficiency. Beautiful rooms & Excellent Service. Wish we could give 10 stars!

Besides, Everest Base Camp was magnificent but prepares your system for high altitude although our guide was well equipped with oxygen for us. 

Potala Palace Potala Palace
Jokhang Temple Jokhang Temple (shot by Adam)
Drepung Monastery Drepung Monastery (shot by Wim)
Sera Monastery Sera Monastery (shot by Ortiz)
Tibet Family Kitchen Tibet Family Kitchen Cooking Class

Professional Guides and Safe Drivers

Our tour guides in each city, from Randy in Beijing, to Shane in LuoYang and Dengfeng (Shaolin Temple visit was super - my son got to go on stage with the monks!!!), to Amy and Nancy in Xining, to Lhakdon & Phurtse in Lhasa and EBC, to Amy in Chengdu, we always felt taken care of.

Stopped in Xining which is half way up to Lhasa to help our systems acclimate and that really helped with the altitude discomforts. We spent the most time with Lhakdon and Phurtse - hands down, they are the very best!! If you get to go to Tibet, try to go asap because it's getting harder to get permits, and ask that you have Lhakdon and Phurtse as your guide/driver.

When our room was cancelled in Lhasa, Lhakdon assured us that everything would be fine. We booked that part ourselves but Tibet Discovery had to help us resolve that issue which was so comforting in a stressful situation. They handled us with white glove treatment every step of the way, walking us into airport terminals & railway platforms. When one does not speak Chinese, it is an absolute necessity to have a tour company with tour guides who have a high command of the English language.

The drivers were safe, their cars were impeccably kept. Lhakdon and Phurtse made every effort for us to experience the spirit and culture of Tibet, which is undoubtedly the most special trip I have ever made and the share this experience with my rising senior student was amazing.

Hotel in Xining We accommodated at Sofitel Hotel in Xining
Road to Everest Scenery along the Road to Mount Everest

Super Services from Travel Consultant

Our travel consultant Wonder Wang helped put together our itinerary in what would be an Unforgettable and Magical trip for my son and me. Our tour consisted of Beijing / LuoYang / DengFeng / Xining / Lhasa / EBC / Chengdu / Shanghai. When our flight got cancelled while on a stopover on the way to Beijing, we were at an airport where almost no one spoke English and we did not know what to do. I called Mr. Wonder Wang and from afar, he handled the situation and got us to our destination, which was not part of our itinerary. Tibet Discovery goes above and beyond! Mr. Wonder Wang was always available and checked in with us regularly to make sure we were happy.

This tour agency, Tibet Discovery is the best - supremely recommended!! Make sure you ask for Wonder Wang to help you with your itinerary - he is extremely knowledgeable and super nice. Thank you Wonder and Tibet Discovery for making us feel like VIP's every step of the way. What an unforgettable experience and trip!!!!

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