Day 1 Fri. Everyone meets in Kathmandu overnight Hyatt Regency,
Boudha, Kathmandu. Welcome Dinner. D.
Day 2 Sat. Free day to settle in and explore. Stay at Hyatt Regency. B.
Day 3 to 8 Sun. through Fri. Four days retreat and two days visiting Kathmandu sites. Retreat includes teachings, meditation and discussion. After the retreat there will be excursions to the Buddhist sites of Kathmandu Valley- Boudha Stupa, one of the holiest stupas in the world; Swayambhunath Stupa; and the holy sites of Vajra Yogini, Padmasambhava and the self-emanation of the Buddha Tara at the village of Pharping, and Kopan's sister nunnery, Kachoe Ghakyil.
Stay at Kopan Monastery B. L. D.
Day 9 Sat. Group flies from Kathmandu to Lhasa (11,830 ft.) Spectacular views of Everest and the whole Himalayan chain as we fly to the Gongkar Airport in the YarlungTsangpo Valley. We arrive late morning and enjoy a spectacular two hour drive to Lhasa. It is very important that this afternoon be spent resting. It will also aid acclimatization if you drink lots and lots of water. Never drink water from the tap or shower. Only drink bottled, boiled or treated water. Typically you do not feel the effects of altitude right away.
Overnight Kyechu Hotel, Lhasa. B. L. D.
Days 10 Sun. Easy day of sightseeing in Lhasa including the Barkhor, the Jokhang and Ramoche.
  Barkhor Market: The word Barkhor refers to the middle of the three concentric holy circuits around the Jokhang. The Barkhor circuit runs through the heart of the old city. It is both the spiritual heart of the holy city and the main commercial district.
  Jokhang Temple: The oldest and the most revered religious structure in Tibet, it dates back to 639 to 647. Its construction was initiated by king Songtsen Gampo to house the Buddhist images brought to Tibet by his Nepalese wife, Queen Brikuti. The main statue in this temple is the Sakyamuni, which was brought to Tibet by Songtsen Gampo's Chinese wife Won Cheng in 641 A.D. Pilgrims from all over Tibet come here to worship and prostrate themselves full length in front of the main doors of the temple.
  Ramoche Temple built by Chinese architects in the middle of the 7th century under the direction of the Han Princess Won Cheng. The temple was erected facing east to show her homesickness. It originally housed Won Cheng's statue of Sakyamuni, now at the Jokhang. Ramoche was partially destroyed in the 1960s but restored in 1986.
  Overnight at Kyechu Hotel, Lhasa. B. L. D.
Day 11 Mon. Drive three and a half hours to Samye, Tibet's first monastery. It was built in the mid-eighth century by the Indian tantric master Padma Sambhava with the assistance of his female disciple, the yogini Yeshe Tsogyal. It was greatly damaged by the Cultural Revolution, but not totally destroyed. One can sense its long history and spiritual power.
Overnight at simple monastery guest house, Samye. B. L. D.
Day 12 Tue. Drive one hour to Chinphu and hike up to the caves. Return to Lhasa in the afternoon.
Overnight Kyechu Hotel, Lhasa. B. L. D.
Days 13 Wed. Morning visit to Drepung, the largest of all Tibetan monasteries. At its peak it was the largest monastery of any religion in the world. It was founded in 1416 by Jamyang Chojey, a direct disciple of Je Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelukpa school. It is located on the Gambo Utse mountain just outside of Lhasa. At its largest the monastery housed fifteen thousand celibate monks. It was known for the high standards of its academic study, and was called the "Nalanda" of Tibet. Afternoon free.
Overnight Kyechu Hotel, Lhasa. B. L. D.
Days 14 Thur. Day trip to nearby Ganden Monastery, one of the three great Gelug religious centers in Lhasa, (the other two being Drepung and Sera). Ganden was founded as a cave hermitage by Je Tsong Khapa in 1409. It was through his teachings and reforms that one of the original schools of Buddhism in Tibet, the Kadampa school, was transformed into the largest, most powerful religious (and political) body in Tibet, the Gelug school. Most of the buildings in Ganden were destroyed but some of them have been reconstructed.
Overnight Kyechu Hotel, Lhasa. B. L. D.
Days 15
Fri. Day trip to Duilung - Lama Yeshe's Birth place about 45 miles from Lhasa. It is a small village near Tsurphu Monastery at 14,000 ft. Founded by the first Karmapa in 1159 Tsurphu Monastery is the most important monastery for the Karma Kagyu lineage.
Overnight Kyechu Hotel, Lhasa. B. L. D.
Day 16 Sat. Pleasant morning of sightseeing around Lhasa including the Potala and the Norbulinka the summer residence of the Dalai Lamas. Afternoon free.
Overnight Kyechu Hotel, Lhasa. B. L. D.
Days 17 Sun. Full day Pilgrims walk from Pa Bong Kha to Sera. Pha Bong Kha, 15 minutes drive from Lhasa offers wonderful views of Lhasa city. Songsten Gampo meditated here for three years and later Padmasambhava, Atisha and Je Tsong Khapa meditated in this cave. The monastery is built on top of the rock that houses the cave. Near Pha Bong Kha is the sky burial site that people from Lhasa use. A nice day hike takes us up the mountain and to Tashi Choling temple, Taktsang Simbu Nunnery and cave and Sera Utse Monastery. From here we can hike down to Sera monastery in time to witness the monks debating. An alternative of a free day with time for shopping will be offered. Total hiking time is about 4-5 hours. This is the hike Lama Zopa Rinpoche did with his group when they visited Tibet a few years ago.
Overnight Kyechu Hotel, Lhasa. B. L. D.
Days 18 Mon. Drive in about five hours to Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet and the capital of the traditional Tibetan province of Tsang. Visit Tashilunpo Monastery which was founded by the first Dalai Lama and contains an 85-feet bronze statue of Maitreya, the future Buddha. View the impressive city of temples that still remain of this large Gelug Monastery, fortunately saved from destruction during the cultural revolution by the tenth Panchen Lama. Now only the old walls remind us of how much larger this complex once was.
Manasarovar Hotel. B. L. D.
Day 19 Tue. Day trip to Sakya. Drive 80 miles southwest from Shigatse to Sakya Monastery in about three hours. Sakya, meaning "Grey Soil" in Tibetan is the central monastery of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. Its walls were painted in red, white and grey strips, which represent Manjushri, Avalokiteshvara and Vajrapani respectively. The Sakya monastery occupies two buildings on either side of the Dongchu River-the Northern and the Southern. The original Northern monastery was founded in 1073.
Return to Manasarovar Hotel, Shigatse. B. L. D.
Days 20 Wed. Day trip to Gyantse (13,500 ft.) about two hours drive. Visit Pelkhor Monastery and Kumbum Stupa. Kumbum Stupa or Chorten is one of the most interesting sights in Tibet. It was built in the 14th century and resembles a many tiered wedding cake. It is said to contain 100,000 Buddhist images.
Return to Manasarovar Hotel, Shigatse. B. L. D.
Day 21 Thur. Drive from Shigatse to Tsedang via direct road in about six hours.
Overnight Yue-Lung Hotel. B. L. D.
Days 22 Fri. Excursion to Olka Cholung and Maitreya Temple.
  Olka Cholung is the place where Je Tsong Khapa spent five years in retreat based on advice from the dakinis, and where he gained some of his deepest realizations into the nature of reality.
  The Maitreya Temple is a short drive away. We will picnic here, because of the lack of healthy restaurants, and return to Tsedang in the evening.
  Overnight Yue-Lung Hotel. B. L. D.
Day 23 Sat. Drive to Gonkor airport for flight to Kathmandu. Free time in the afternoon and evening.
Overnight Hyatt Regency. B.
Day 24 Sun. Kathmandu. In the morning, puja at Boudha Stupa. Afternoon free. Group dinner in the evening.
Stay at Hyatt Regency, Kathmandu. B. D.
Day 25 Mon Transfer to the airport to depart Kathmandu Continue on at own expense. B.