Lhasa Palden Lhamo Festival Tour 2024
Fairy's Day is marked on the 15th day of the 10th month in Tibetan Lunar Calendar, which falls on December 15th this year. It is a day to worship Palden Lhamo, the protector deity of Jokhang Temple and also of the women who can bring them happiness and beauty. As a result, the day is also seen as women's day in Tibet.
Legend says that Palden Lhamo was invited to be the protector deity at Jokhang Temple by Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo. In Tibetan Buddhism, the goddess manifests in different incarnations, and Palden Lhamo appears with a wrathful black frog's face, whose appearance can frighten demons everywhere. The statue of the goddess is carried out of Jokhang Temple and paraded through Lhasa, where it is finally brought to the southern bank of the Lhasa River. There is a temple on the other side of the river that commemorates the ancient general Tri Dzongtsan, the goddess' lover. The statue of Palden Lhamo is brought to the river so that she and her lover can gaze at each other and be reunited.
Because of this legend, every year on this day, the women of Lhasa put on their best clothes and jewelry, rise early to go to the Jokhang Temple, and worship the frog-faced goddess. They will also drink highland barley wine and sing and dance to celebrate the festival. A special custom of this day is that women can ask money from men at home or on the street in order to receive blessings.
Besides taking part in Palden Lhamo ceremony you will visit most of the popular sights in central Tibet such as Sightseeing of Lhasa, Gyantse, Shigatse and also the tour covers exploration of Mt. Everest Base Camp north.
Equipment
Accomodation
You will be staying at 3 star hotel in Gyantse, Shigatse & Lhasa, If some one need higher category hotels, there is always option to upgrade your hotel quality on additional cost. We provide best reviewed and comfortable hotels in the cities, you will love it for sure. Similarly we provide best possible non star hotel in kyirong while there would be 1 Night guest house at Rongbuk EBC with 4 beded dormitory room and with common toilet.
Meals
It is only breakfast included in the package, As you are traveling mostly in the cities you could find lots of local restaurant along the way, You could even order you food at your hotel. All restaurant and hotels have menu basis restaurant. The expenses of your Lunch and dinner might come around $15-20 per day.
Recommended Clothing & Accessories
As the tempreture varies greatly between day and night (from Max. 20° celcius to Min. -10° celcius) one should prepare accordingly. As we believe in carbon neutral footprint "Maximum comfort with minimum items" are recommended. some recommendation for the trip are Woolen gloves, Balaclava, Sun hat, Thermal wear, Water bottle, Woolen sockes, Personal Towel, Light and Warm parka Jacket, Sunglasses, Sun Cream, Torch with extra batteries, Muffler, Mask, Raincoat, Sweater, T-Shirt, Sleeping bag and comfortable walking shoes etc.
Road Condition:
Road Condition between Kathmandu and border is average good through hilly side from Trishuli city, Before it the road is well maintained. Once you arrive near Dhunche some portion are not paved and some time landslide may disturb which may cause waiting for a while or if impossible may also need to change another vehicle. After that once you arrive Syabru Besi the road condition is good and after that till border it is rough and bumpy road. After crossing border to Tibet/China side the road until Kyirong good after Kyirong all the way to Lhasa is newly fantastic paved road.
Altitude Problem & Physical Fitness
We Tibet Holidays lead our all trips smooth and pleasant however all tours/treks around Tibet go through above 4000m and it requires 5200m pass during this tour, It may occur some symptoms of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) such as headache, nausia, vomiting, loss of appetite & stomach disorder etc at the beginning once once you enter Tibet, that is why we have set one more day acclimatization at Kyirong. Participants with pre-existing medical conditions such as heart, lung, and blood diseases are required to consult with their doctor before taking the trip. There is no specific level of physical fitness is required, everyone could join on this tour/trek. It would be more helpful if you have previous trekking or hiking experience. Regular exercise, jugging, stretching and meditation or yoga for weeks or months before taking the trip would be good idea which enhance your body strength and stability and also it helps to adjust your body to the elevation in a very short time. It is also advised that you inform Tibet Holidays team about your medical condition before booking the trip.
Custom and Currency:
Chinese custom opens 10 AM to 6 PM Beijing time (Beijing time is 2.15 hrs ahead of Nepal time) we must need to be checked in between this time. Your all permit and visa will be arranged by Tibet Holidays and also our representative will assist you while border check in and check out. The Currency in Tibet is Chinese Yuan or RMB, The vallue of money as of today is USD 1 = RMB 6.5 and 1 RMB = INR 11 for Indian pilgrims. Money can be exchanged from our office which would be good to return if remained after trip or you could exchage at border with personal money changer. Note: you must need to exchage the remaining amount with the same person or agency from where you exchaged. ATM machine are available at Shigatse , Gyantse and Lhasa city. Now most of hotels accept credit cards and USD and EURO cash.
Acclimatization
This tour/trek may happen probability of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness). The higher altitude means the more less oxygen. For example, at an altitude above of 5000m, there is 50% less oxygen than at sea level. This trip progresses with gradual ascent and does not reach a very high altitude in no time; We Tibet Holidays design all our program either with gradual accent or with some acclimatization days in order to avoid probability of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness).
Trip Start Dates and Cost
Private trip could take at any date while solo or individual traveler could check available trip start dates for Lhasa Palden Lhamo Festival Tour on the Fix Departure section or Please contact us via email to join with group tours.
