Shoton Festival tours in Tibet

Lhasa Shoton festival Tour_the tour to Tibetan Largest festival, as exciting as Christmas in the west

Brief Introduction

Shoton" in Tibetan means sour milk banquet. As Tibetan operas are performed and Buddha paintings are exhibited at this time, it is also called "Tibetan Opera Festival" or "Buddha Exhibition Festival." The traditional way of starting the Shoton Festival is to show Buddha paintings. The main contents include Tibetan operas and gala parties, as well as wonderful yak racing and horsemanship display. The Shoton Festival starts on the 30th day of the 6th month according to Tibetan calendar (usu. later half of August) and lasts five days. The prelude of the Shoton Festival is the Buddha exhibition in Drepung Monastery, which is held at the foot of the Gebeiwoze Mountain. The tranquil valley becomes exciting. With the sound of sutra bugle reverberating through the valley, about 100 lamas will carry the large-scale tangka portraying Qamba Buddha (or Maitreya) out of the Coqen Hall of the Drepung Monastery and step toward the west of the monastery where a special platform was set up for the Buddha picture exhibition. At this moment, the mulberry smoke arises from all directions, bugles resound and scripture reciting goes on. The large tangka then will be slowly opened up. People rush up to offer white hada. Countless hada fly in front of the Buddha picture, forming a great scene. In no more than two hours, the tangka will be rolled up again and carried back. People will not see it till the next year. Then people go to the courtyard of Gandain Phodrang to watch Tibetan Opera. In the afternoon, the activities centre moves to Norbulingka. In the following week, the major activity is to watch the Tibetan Opera. During the Shoton Festival, the Tibetans bring along the old and the young and call on relatives and friends to Lingka gardens. The Norbulingka and other parks of Lhasa are dotted with colourful tents. Nowadays, the Shoton Festival has become a comprehensive celebration activity with the most influences in Tibet. It is also a grand meeting for commodity exchanges.

Lhasa Shoton festival package:

Day 01 (8th, Aug): Arrive Lhasa (alt.3650m) by air
Accommodation: Cool Yak Hotel or similar if late booking
Highlights: No visiting arranged today.
Schedule: Picked up at the airport and offered a white scarf (called Kada) in a Tibet traditional way which brings you good luck and transferred to the hotel and rest as much as possible for acclimatization and better to drink more water.

Day 02 (9th, Aug): Escorted Tour to Lhasa Highlights [B]
Accommodation: Cool Yak Hotel or similar if late booking
Highlights: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street
Schedule: In the morning you will visit the world heritage site of Potala Palace.
And in the afternoon you will visit the world heritage site of the Jokhang Temple (world heritage site), and then Barkor Street Market which is a big free market with its prolific stalls for selling local specialties around the temple. You could buy some presents for your friends or your families there.

Day 03 (10th, Aug): Lhasa Shoton festival [B]
Accommodation: Cool Yak Hotel or similar if late booking
Highlights: Buddha exhibition, Sera Monastey
Schedule: In the morning you will see the great exhibition of Buddha, and in the afternoon you will visit the Sera Monastery, if you are lucky you can watch the debate of scripture of Lamas in the monastery.

Day 04 (11st, Aug): Lhasa Shoton festival & Lhasa→Damxung(alt.4200m). [B+D]
Accommodation: Jinzhu Hotel or similar if late booking
Highlights: Again enjoy the Local Festival Performance in Norbulinka, share the happiness with Tibetans
Schedule: See the get-together of the local people, Tibet Opera, some sports game like yaks racing, etc, and goods exchanges. In the late afternoon, drive 170km to Damxung to expect the coming of Horse Racing Festival on the vast grassland of Damxung in the coming day.

Day 05 (12nd, Aug): Damxung Horse Racing Festival (B+L+D)
Accommodation: Damxung Jinzhu Hotel or similar if late booking
Highlights: horse race, archery and other recreational performances
Schedule: stay the whole day here to feel the true northern Tibetan landscape and tradition, in the evening you can also join in the bonfire evening party with local Tibetans to sing and dance.

Day 06 (13rd, Aug): Damxung → Namtso Lake (alt.4718m) →Lhasa (B+L)
Accommodation: Cool Yak Hotel or similar if late booking
Highlights: Namtso Lake
Schedule: Drive 80km to Namtso Lake from Damxung in the morning. When arriving Namtso Lake in the afternoon, enjoying the glory of the holy lake. By the lake, you can do the hiking around the lake and view the peak of Nyianchentangula (7162m). After this, drive back to Lhasa, on the way having a shot stop for the beautiful view of the grassland near Yangpacheng to enjoy the sunset over the wild grassland.

Day 07 (14th, Aug): Lhasa → airport
Schedule: in the afternoon transfer you to the airport.