Crystal Cruises has unveiled a new itinerary that will allow its passengers to explore the landlocked Chinese regions of Tibet and Sichuan.
Guests on the Crystal Symphony’s April 2014 sailings between Hong Kong and Beijing or Beijing and Tokyo will be able to add on a five-night pre- or post-cruise land programme taking in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, and Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.
The land programme will include trips to local attractions such as Chengdu’s Giant Panda Research Base, Lhasa’s 7th Century, UNESCO-listed Potala Palace, the Drepung Monastery, which was once home to more than 10,000 monks, and the Jokhang Temple, which houses the original 1,300-year-old Sakyamuni Buddha statue.
The land programme includes first class air travel, luxury accommodation and meals.
“With Tibet being such a remote, restricted and still-developing land, the advantages of visiting with Crystal are priceless,” said John Stoll, the cruise company’s vice president of land programs. “From complex social mores – such as how to navigate sacred sites or pointing directions with one’s lips rather than one’s fingers – to how to dress or simply call home, Crystal… will be there to guide travellers every step of the way.”
Tibet welcomed more than 10 million visitor arrivals in 2012, but only a small fraction of those were international arrivals. More than 98% of visitors to the region come from mainland China.
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