NEW ENGLAND WILD FLOWER SOCIETY PRSRT-STD gentians and on the kora circuit at Namco lots 180 Hemenway Road • Framingham, MA 01701-2699 U.S. Postage of saxifrage and others. www.newfs.org • [email protected] • 508-877-7630 P AID TheTIBETAN Plateau Although the Tibet Plateau is quite high, we have Ashland, MA arranged the itinerary so that we will spend Permit No. 7 most of our time at moderate elevations. We will Western Sichuan&Tibet sleep in towns where the elevation is 11,000 to TIME VALUE 12,000 feet above sea level. During the second June 14-30, 2009 part of the program, we will travel in the Tibet Autonomous Region, spending most of our time around Lhasa (11,700 feet elevation). We anticipate that group members will be well-acclimatized. Our highest elevation overall is the pass that Dear Members & Friends: leads to Namco at 16,900 feet. Since we will cross the pass briefly in the course of a day’s The Tibetan Plateau has for centuries travel, we do not anticipate that this will present been a place of fascination for Western any altitude problems, even if it will most likely naturalists and explorers. Nowhere else in set a few personal altitude records. the world even comes close to putting so much terrain so high into the sky. Tibet is We sincerely hope that you will be able to join also home to a free-spirited pastoralist us in Tibet in 2009! Space is limited, so please people with a distinctive Tantric Buddhist let us know right away. spirituality. Expansive grasslands in the Sincerely, eastern part nurture some of the richest ITINERARY alpine plant communities in the world. Discover TIBET!... High basins further west support domestic Days 1/2 — New York to Hong Kong. Explore the Tibetan Plateau yak and timid herds of wild ungulates like Gwen Stauffer Greg Lowenberg Depart from New York’s JFK International Airport Tibetan gazelle and their predators, the Executive Director Education Director on Cathay Pacific Airways for Hong Kong, crossing from Western Sichuan to Lhasa! Tibetan wolf and snow leopard. the International Date Line en route. June 14-30, 2009 New England Wild Flower Society The Tibetan highlands—beyond the Day 3 — Chengdu. Himalaya range and west of Sichuan’s Arrive in Hong Kong this morning, and take panda country—form a resplendent tapestry a connecting flight to Chengdu. Transfer to the of rolling hills, meadows, lakes surprisingly spent between 11,000-12,000 feet. This expedition will be City Garden Hotel. Enjoy a walking tour along COSTS & CONDITIONS a tremendous experience for travelers with an appetite for large and often a sky of deep blue with endless Chengdu’s Fujiang River and welcome dinner. adventure who would enjoy a chance to explore culturally puffy clouds. Local people still accompany Tibet Trip Fee: $4,195 per person (plus air fare of approxi- and rich natural areas on the Tibetan Plateau. Please be their herds of yak, camping in traditional Days 4/5 — Chengdu to mately $1,495 + fuel surcharge + tax New York to Chengdu, flexible concerning time schedules, hotels, food, bumpy tents of canvas and felt. Birders and plant Jiuzhaigou National Park. China, round trip, and in-tour flights $495 per person). roads, and mechanical breakdowns. With this in mind, we enthusiasts tend to be well-rewarded for This morning, we will visit the giant panda will have a grand adventure of discovery. (No smoking in Questions: Please call Renée Apostolou at Betchart vehicles, during lectures, or meals, please.) their efforts. breeding center in Chengdu, one of the most Expeditions Inc., (800) 252-4910 or (408) 252-4910. important locations for panda breeding and Air Fare & Airline Ticketing: International flights are on After an introduction to the fascinating Expedition Fee Includes: Land transport; airport Cathay Pacific Airways. Chengdu conservation in Sichuan. After lunch, we will transfers; accommodations; all meals in Sichuan and Tibet; Please phone Betchart Expeditions, city of and a visit to the giant AIR FARES ARE begin our journey with a flight to Chuanzhu tips to drivers and local guides; entrance fees; baggage (800) 252-4910 for further information. panda breeding center, we will visit China’s SUBJECT TO CHANGE. handling; leadership, administration. spectacular Jiuzhaigou National Park. We in the Min Shan Mountains and visit China’s Accommodations: Are in comfortable and reasonably Expedition Fee Does Not Include: International air fare will then start our overland journey through spectacular Jiuzhaigou National Park. This clean Chinese and Tibetan hotels based on twin share. (quoted separately); in-tour flights; China visa fee; gratuities the eastern part of Tibet (actually situated UNESCO World Heritage site has remarkably Expect a good bed, showers, Western style toilets, and to leaders; personal items such as laundry, phone calls, today in the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, clear lakes and an excellent system of board- carefully prepared food. A couple of hotels are modest, alcoholic beverages, snacks; personal insurance; or foreign but are the best available for small towns not accustomed to Gansu and Qinghai). We will cross the Ruoergai walks and buses for exploration. Jiuzhaigou airport departure taxes. western visitors. On the overnight train to Lhasa, we will be grasslands and its extensive wetland areas, Lhasa has numerous sacred sites, each with Hotel (2 nights). What to Expect: This expedition is planned for travelers in soft sleepers, four to a compartment with share bathroom including a high elevation nature reserve that distinctive esoteric rituals, colorful iconography who would enjoy exploring the cultural heritage and natural facilities. Between hotels, some Asian toilets or bush toilets provides breeding habitat for Greylag Geese and profound spiritual significance to the Tibetan Day 6 — Ruoergai Grasslands. history of Tibet, from the grasslands of the Eastern Tibetan may be available (some “clean” and some not). Single accom- and rare Black-necked Cranes. We will also people. These include Jhorkang Temple, a This morning, we will drive from Jiuzhaigou Plateau to the Tibet heartland around Lhasa. Leading the modations are available for a supplement of $595 (no singles visit Labrang Monastery, an important center destination for pilgrims from all over Tibet, the to Ruoergai, ascending to the eastern rim of expedition will be Ted Elliman from the New England Wild are available on the train). the Tibetan Plateau and crossing an important Flower Society and an excellent guide. The group will of Tibetan Buddhist Learning, with colleges Potala, winter palace of the Dalai Lama, and Reservations, Deposits & Payments: To reserve a travel 4 to 7 hours by bus or van on each of several days. Ganden Monastery situated dramatically on watershed divide from the catchment of the place on this expedition, please mail a deposit of $500 per devoted to traditional medicine, tantric studies, On traveling days, we will take time for both planned and Yangtze to the Yellow River. This area has person with the completed reservation form to: NEWFS and Buddhist philosophy. This segment of the a ridge that overlooks the upper reaches of the spontaneous stops to walk, photograph, and talk with local Tibet Expedition, Betchart Expeditions Inc., 17050 journey culminates at the city of Xining near Lhasa Valley. astonishingly beautiful, high elevation grass- people. Walks will be at a leisurely pace suitable for Montebello Road, Cupertino, CA 95014-5435. land landscapes. Along the way, we will visit the discovery; binoculars are suggested. Qinghai Lake or “Koko Nor,” once an As we explore the Lhasa Valley, we will travel Balance of land fee is due 60 days before departure. small Tibetan town of Sedi and enjoy a picnic Weather is pleasant in Tibet during the summer with important landmark along the Central Asian north onto the high plateau and Namco Lake, midday temperatures in the 70s to upper 80s and some rain. Cancellations & Refunds: The initial deposit is trade routes. one of Tibet’s largest lakes situated in a basin at lunch in the alpine grasslands. Ruoergai is a refundable up to 60 days before departure less a handling Our itinerary starts in the lower eastern edge of the Tibetan From Xining, we will take the overnight train over 15,000 feet. Here the air is extraordinarily newly refurbished city—buildings are brightly Plateau where we will reach elevations of 12,500 feet. We fee of $100 per person. There is no refund after the 60-day painted, but many people on the streets are period unless your place is resold, then only the $100 per across the Tibetan Plateau to Lhasa, historic clear, providing extravagant views of glaciated will acclimatize as we drive from lower to higher elevations. traditional Tibetans from the grasslands in Around Lhasa, we will stay no higher than 12,000 feet, and person handling fee is withheld. There are no refunds for center of the Tibetan world and currently peaks that encircle the basin. We will see will drive over one 16,900 foot pass. Most nights will be unused meals or other expedition features. the capital of the “Tibetan Autonomous Region.” wild flowers en route, beautiful rose-colored town to shop. Sunshine Hotel at Ruoergai. NEW ENGLAND WILD FLOWER SOCIETY PRSRT-STD gentians and on the kora circuit at Namco lots 180 Hemenway Road • Framingham, MA 01701-2699 U.S. Postage of saxifrage and others. www.newfs.org • [email protected] • 508-877-7630 P AID TheTIBETAN Plateau Although the Tibet Plateau is quite high, we have Ashland, MA arranged the itinerary so that we will spend Permit No. 7 most of our time at moderate elevations. We will Western Sichuan&Tibet sleep in towns where the elevation is 11,000 to TIME VALUE 12,000 feet above sea level.