Lhasa, Mt.Kailash & Lake Manasarovar -19 days

Detail Itinerary

• Day 1:Arrive Lhasa (3,660 m)

  Our trip will begin at Lhasa. If you arrive in Kathmandu, then you will be flying from Kathmandu International Airport to Gonggar Airport in Lhasa. In the Gonggar Airport, you will meet our Tibetan guide. After passing through the airport, we will be driving for about 1.5 hours to reach Lhasa. You will be spending the remaining day for rest and acclimatisation.

• Day 2:Sightseeing Tour in Lhasa

  Lhasa is full of beautiful places with historical and religious significance. At the start of your trip, our guide, who will also work as an interpreter, will be taking you to Sera Monastery. This monastery consists of whitewashed walls and golden roofs. Then, we will be taking you to Norbulingka – the summer palace of Dalai Lama. After Norbulingka, we will be visiting Jokhang Temple – another sacred site for the Buddhists. If you wish, you can visit Barkhor Markets, which is full of stall hawkers trying to sell various goods including those that exhibit Tibetan culture, custom and tradition. We will be taking you back to your hotel for rest.

• Day 3:Sightseeing Tour in Lhasa

  We will be spending this day in Lhasa. You get to see Potala Palace – a world heritage site. This palace offers excellent views of Lhasa city, and besides the private quarters of Dalai Lama, it is full of grand state rooms and chapels. The other notable place you will be visiting will be Drepung Monastery, built in the 14th Century. Historians believe that this monastery used to house as many as 10,000 monks, but it now houses only a few hundred.

• Day 4:Free day in Lhasa

  We will be spending the fourth day of our trip to Lhasa w will help us to acclimatise. After getting enough rest, you may go for sightseeing, shopping or any other activity that you wish. For the extra cost, we can arrange an additional tour to places such as Ganden Monastery, Tibetan Medical Center and Tsurphu Monastery.

• Day 5:Drive to Gyantse (3,950 m)

  On this day, we will leave Lhasa and head towards Gyantse along the Friendship Highway passing Khamba La at 4,794. We will stop briefly to get the magnificent views of Yamdrok-Tso Lake and Nazin Kang Sa at 7,252 m. We will drive westwards and cross Karo La pass at 5,045 m. In several places, you will see glaciers falling into the road. By the time we travel 261 km, you will start to see typical Tibetan Villages, as we approach Gyantse town.

• Day 6:Sightseeing Tour & Drive to Shigatse (3,900 m)

  In Gyantse, there are two remarkable monuments – Gyantse Dzong and Kumbum. Gyantse Dzone was built as a fort in the 14th century, from here you can see the fabulous view of Gyantse and Nyang Chu Valley. Kumbum is a sizeable gold-domed stupa consisting of several chapels and Buddhist murals. We will leave Gyantse and drive for about 90 km to reach Shigatse at 3,900 m. The second biggest city in Tibet; Shigatse, is the primary attraction at Shigatse is the Tashilhunpo Monastery, which is one of the largest functioning monasteries in Tibet.

• Day 7:Sightseeing tour & drive to Lhatse (4,050 m)

  On this day, we will continue our way along the Friendship Highway for 157 kilometres to reach Lhatse. Lhatse has several excellent restaurants, shops and guesthouses. This town includes many ruined dzongs that raise interest amongst archaeologists. There is a small Changmoche Monastery at the west end of Lhatse. At this city, you will be meeting our Sherpa cooking team, who will now take over the camping chores and cooking for you.

• Day 8:Drive to Saga (4,600 m)

  This day we will be leaving Lhatse behind and travelling at least 295 kilometres to reach Saga. On your way, you will come to see a river valley, followed by beautiful, typical villages. This area is rich in landscapes and is indeed a photographer’s haven. Our drive will now take a northern route, and you will get to Saga. We will spend the night in the camp at Saga.

• Day 9:Drive to Paryang (4,750 m)

  Early in the morning, we will leave Saga to Paryang. We will be travelling for a total of 255 kilometres, this day. The route is full of enchanting views, and we will be passing through a small town called Zhongba. After reaching Paryang, we will be setting our camp for the night.

• Day 10:Drive to Manasarovar (4,560 m)

  Our route will now continue from Paryang to Manasarovar, covering a distance of 270 kilometres. The path passes through beautiful landscapes. On your way, before reaching the Manasarovar Lake, you will at first see Chiu Monastery on the north-west side of the lake. You will also get glimpses of the majestic Mount Kailash.

• Day 11:At Manasarovar (4,560 m)

  We will spend this day at Manasarovar to relax and explore the vicinity of Manasarovar.

• Day 12:Drive to Tarboche (4,750 m)

  We will be leaving Mansarover after spending a day on its shores, from where we can see the Gurla Mandata (7,694 m) snowy massif. We will be driving on a jeep trail to the initial point of Tarboche kora. In Tarboche is marked by a tall flagpole that consists of radiating many colourful prayer flags and kata scarves. We will set our camp here, to begin 53 kilometres, Kailash Kora.

• Day 13:Trek to Dira-puk (4,900 m)

  Early in the morning, we will be meeting a group of yaks and yak herders, who will guide us around the Kailash Kora. Moving ahead from Tarboche, we will be passing several meadows and streams to reach Lha Chu Valley. From the path, you will see the turquoise river that cascades over cliffs and the north face of Mt. Kailash. On your way, you will come to Dira-Puka 13th century monastery. Our day ends at Dira-Puk, where we will be setting our camp for the night.

• Day 14:Trek across Droma La (5,630 m) to Zutul-Puk (4,790 m)

  This day we will be heading to Drolma Chu Valley. You will be ascending to Drolma La (5,630 m), which is the highest point of our trip. By doing so, you will see the great sights of Thukpe Dzingbu Lake, which is also known as the lake of compassion. At the summit, you will see prayer flags. Next, we will be descending to Zutul-Puk, where you can see a monastery and some fascinating caves. These caves are famous for meditation, and the name of one of these caves is Milarepa’s Cave. Buddhists believe that the walls of this cave are the imprints of Milarepa’s footprints and elbow prints. We spend the night in a camp at Zutul-Puk.

• Day 15:Trek to Darchen (4,560 m) & drive to Manasarovar

  In the morning, we will leave Zutul-Puk, taking a trail through Bharka Plains towards Darchen. The walk is quite easy, alongside impressive gorges, around mani stones and mani walls and back to Darchen. By doing so, your Kora will end, and you will have erased your sins that you have accumulated in your lifetime. From Darchen you will be boarding our waiting vehicle, which will take you to Chiu Gompa that lies on the shores of Manasarovar.

• Day 16:Drive to Paryang (4,750 m)

  By now, you will have completed your tour to Mount Kailash, and we will be driving for 300 kilometres crossing Mayum-la pass and few rivers. The landscape is quite exceptional, and you will see the Tibetan terrain, along with horses and ships, receding at a distance.

• Day 17:Drive to Saga (4,600 m)

  Another day for driving, we will be driving from Paryang to Saga, a total of 255 kilometres, passing through the town of Zhongba and several small passes.

• Day 18:Drive to Nyalam (3,750 m)

  This day we leave Saga and head to Nyalam. As our journey begins, the road opens into broad flat lands, passing through lake Peiku-Tso, with exceptional scenes of Shishapangma (8,027 m) in the background.
  Soon, you will be crossing Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra River) by a ferry and then drive for about 250 kilometres to reach Nyalam.

• Day 19:Drive to Kathmandu (1,400 m)

  Early in the morning, we will drive down to Zhangmu – a border town to Nepal. From here, we will be taking a short drive to Friendship Bridge, whose ends separate Chinese and Nepalese border and you will be bidding goodbye to your Tibetan guide and driver. Next, you will be walking through Nepalese Immigration Control in Kodari, where our team will be waiting for you. After taking care of re-entry formalities, you will be riding with us for about five to six hours to reach Kathmandu, and by that time your journey will have come to an end.