Lhasa Kailash Nepal Overland Pilgrimage in 14 days
This 2400 kilometers overland journey in 2 weeks connecting Lhasa and Kathmandu is considered one of the most most beautiful and most spiritual road trips on earth.This adventurous and spiritual Tibet tour begins with the easy sightseeing in Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. Then we extend our adventure to the Spiritual center of Mt. Kailash.Finally you will extend the journey to another himalayan wonder-the country of Nepal.
2019 Lhasa Kailash Nepal Pilgrimage Overview:
Day 01 Arrival in Lhasa [3650m] to be picked up and transfer to downtown Lhasa, rest well for acclimatization
Day 02 Lhasa: Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Streets, Tsamkhung Nunnery and Sera Monastery.
Day 03 Lhasa: Potala Palace, Drepung Monastery.
Day 04 Lhasa-Yamdrok Lake-Karola Glacier-Gyantse
Day 05 Gyantse (Pelkhor Monastery+Kumbum Pagoda)-Shigatse (Tashilhunpo Monastery) [3900m]
Day 06 Shigatse-Lhatse-Saga [4600m]
Day 07 Drive from Saga to Manasarovar [4560m]
Day 08 Excursions at Manasarovar,Drive to Darchen (Tarboche [4750m])
Day 09 Trek to Dira-puk
Day 10 Trek to Zutul-puk [4790m]
Day 11 Trek back to Darchen [4560m]
Day 12 Drive to Saga [4600m]
Day 13 Drive to Gyirong Port [2700m]
Day 14 Leave for Kathmandu [1400m], 150 km, Your Tibte Kailash tour ends with us
Day to Day overland tour program
Day 1 Lhasa Arrival
Welcome to Lhasa, capital of Tibet. Our local Tibetan guide will meet you at Lhasa airport or railway station and then transport you to your hotel in downtown Lhasa. You can spend the rest of the day exploring the old town center, Barkhor, which is Tibet's ancient market area around the sacred Jokhang Temple. You will see many Tibetan locals making ritualistic prostrations on the square. Lhasa has an elevation of 3600 meters (12,000 feet). Tonight you will stay in a comfortable hotel, such as Shambhala Palace, House of Shambhala, Shangbala Hotel, Kyichu Hotel, Yak Hotel, or Heritage Hotel, etc. They are all within walking distance from the Barkhor square and popular among foreign tourists.
Day 2 Lhasa sightseeing: Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Streets, Tsamkhung Nunnery, Sera Monastery
After breakfast, you will visit Jokhang Temple, the holiest and most famous Buddhist temple in Tibet. Founded nearly 1400 years ago, Jokhang Temple houses a vast collection of precious Tibetan artworks and religious artefacts. You will walk around in this fascinating temple alongside pilgrims from every corner of Tibet. You will smell the yak butter candle offerings and hear the sound of pilgrims chanting mantras. Then, you will visit the quiet nunnery of Tsamkhung, where you can listen to the morning prayer during meditation time. In the afternoon, you will go to the 600-year-old Sera Monastery, one of Tibet’s largest Buddhist monasteries. Each weekday afternoon starting at 3pm, monks engage in Buddhist philosophical debates in a unique manner, which is mesmerizing to watch for every visitor. You will finish the afternoon by doing a small hike on the pilgrimage circuit near Sera Monastery.
Day 3 Lhasa sightseeing: Potala Palace, Drepung Monastery
You visit Tibet's most iconic architecture today, the Potala Palace. It is the winter residence of Dalai Lama and currently a UNESCO world heritage site. Inside Potala Palace, you will see both the public and private quarters of Dalai Lama and imagine the way of royal life here. In the afternoon, we will visit Drepung monastery, another important Gelugpa monastery. You can do another pilgrimage circuit on the hill and enjoy the good views before returning to down Lhasa.
Day04 Lhasa Lake Yamdrok-Gyantse (260km, 3900 m)
Around 8:30 am, we will leave Lhasa for the historic town of Gyantse via Yamdrok Lake, according to local mythology, Yamdrok Lake is the transformation of a goddess, on the Gangbala Pass, you will have a clear picture of this Tibetan holy lake in turquoise, in distance you can also see the snow capped Summit of Ninjingkangsang. In Gyantse, you will find the largest stupa in Tibet—Kumpa Stupa (Ten-thousand stupa, the 8-storey Stupa is 42m high and 62m in diameters contains a total of 76 chapels with wonderful murals revered by art scholars around the world.), just next to the Stupa is the Pelchor Monastery, This typical Tibetan Buddhist monastery is the only one large building complex in Tibet that old monastery and Stupa are completely preserved and characterized as a monument. It is recorded 14,000 kilograms of copper was used to make the 8-meter-high sitting statue of Sakyamuni Buddha housed in the grand hall of the temple. Another important site on the way to Gyantse is the Karola Glacier, if weather permitting, we have opportunity to take high quality photos of the glaciers. it must be exiting!
Accommodation: Yeti Hotel or similar one if late booking
Day05 Drive Gyantse to Shigatse (visit Pelkhor and Tashilhunpo Monastery), 90 km, 2 hours
visit Pelkhor Monastery in the morning (2 hours), and after early lunch we will drive to Shigatse city which is the 2nd largest city in Tibet. In the afternoon around 3 pm, we are going to visit Tashilhunpo Monastery.
Accommodation: 4 star standard Gesar Hotel or Tashi Choeta hotel or similar one if late booking
Day06 Shigatse-Lhatse/Saga (about500 km) [4600m]
Accommodation: Hotel (hot water, standard room with private bath)
Day07 Saga to Lake Manasarovar
Today you travel across the wilderness of western Tibet to arrive at the holy lake of Manasarovar. The distance from Saga to Lake Manasarovar is 495km. We continue to drive on the northern side of the Himalayas. The long distance driving today is a great opportunity to observe Tibetan nomadic life and nature. After arriving at At Lake Manasarovar at an elevation of 4590m, you will stay at a very basic guesthouse by the lakeside. There is no shower facilities available there, and toilets are shared. The lake offers spectacular views of the surrounding mountain range.
Day08 Lake Manasarovar to Darchen
You will enjoy the wonder scenery of holy lake Manasarovar. There is plenty time for you to do puja in the water too. We will go to visit Chiu Monastery on the hilltop, and take in as many geat views of the lanscape as we want. In the afternoon, we drive to Darchen, the town below Mt. Kailash and the starting point of Mt. Kailash Yatra. In Darchen, we make some last minute preparations for the 3-day trek ahead and rest well. We stay in the best available Himalaya Kailash Hotel.
Day09 Kailash Trek (Kora) Day 1
We begin the Mt. Kailash Pilgrimage in the clockwise direction. 4km into the path, we reach the height of 4790m and the first prostration point that marks the first views of Mt. Kailash’s southern façade. The next important landmark is Tarboche flagpole (4750m), where the main rituals of Saga Dawa Full Moon Festival takes place here every year. You can pay a visit to the nearby Chorten Kangnyi and Sky-Burial Site of the 84 Mahasiddhas. Coming up next is Chuku Monastery (4820m), where you can find a revered marble statue inside. After some break time when you can take in more views, we will head towards the second prostration point, where you see prayers flags and views of the west side of Mt Kailash. The second Buddha footprint is a short distance ahead. There are several trails to reach our destination of the day: Dira-Puk Monastery (5080m). It faces the north side of Mt. Kailash and provides viewpoints for peaks in other direction. Overnight at guesthouse near Dira-Puk Monastery. Sleeping bag is recommended.
Day10 Kailash Trek (Kora) Day 2
We continue the main Kora path towards the east. We pass through Kangkyam Glacier and Jarok Donkhang (5210m) meadowland. A short distance above is Shivatsal (5330m). Pilgrims go through a symbolic death here and are reborn at Drolma-la (5630m), which is half an hour away. After some rest and refreshments, we soon arrive at lake Gauri Kund. We gradually descent to the grand valley of Lha-chu and begin a long journey in the grassland. The day concludes at Zuthul-Puk Monastery. Overnight at guesthouse near Zuthul-Puk Monastery. Sleeping bag is recommended.
Day11 Kailash Trek (Kora) Day 3
We follow the river and then climbs the Gold & Red Cliffs. Pilgrims search for holy stones on these cliff walls. We will see prayer flags across the river, and Lake Rakshas Tal in the far distance. After reaching the fourth prostration point, the final walk back to Darchen is quite easy. We again stay in the best available Himalaya Kailash Hotel.
Day12 Darchen-Paryang--Saga Accommodation: hotel Drive from Paryang to Saga (252km, 7-8hours). Overnight at Saga
Day13 Saga/Grirong Port),o/n in Grirong hotel
Day14 Grirong Port-Katmandu
Your Tibet tour ends once your Tibetan tour guide and driver send you off. Your Tibetan tour guide will help you clear the customs. Extend your trip to Nepal by yourself.
- About Gyirong Port: Gyirong Town, also referred to as Kyirong as well as Kerung, is situated in the southern part of Gyirong County in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It is located 70 kilometres (43 mi) south of the county seat Zongga on the bank of Gyirong River (Gyirong Zangbo), a tributary of the Trishuli River, and roughly 25 km north of the border and Rasuwa Gadhi, Nepal. The town has an elevation about 2,700 metres (8,900 ft), with a subtropical mountain monsoon climate, meaning reasonable precipitation and warm weather. In 1961, Gyirong was established as a port of entry from Rasuwa Fort in Nepal by the Chinese government.
