16 Days Lhasa-Kailash-Manasarovar-Kyirong-Nepal
For the journey from Lhasa to Everest Base Camp, Mt. Kailash and Kathmandu, you will begin by exploring the Tibetan capital of Lhasa and its many ancient monasteries and temples, including the famed Potala Palace. From Lhasa, you will then travel to the beautiful alpine lake of Yamdrok Tso before visiting Karo La Glacier, Tibet’s most famous glacier. Shigatse is Tibet’s second largest city and home to Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, one of the largest in Tibet. From there, you will go to the North Face Everest Base Camp Region where you will get an up close look at the world’s highest peak.
Day to day itinerary
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.
Day 4: Lhasa—Yamdrok Lake—Karo La Glacier—Gyantse Distance: 260kms Elevation: 3840m
In the early morning you will depart Lhasa and drive to Yamdrok, one of Tibet’s most beautiful lakes. From the lake, you can see the 7191 meter peak of Nojin Kangtsang in the distance. You will then travel along the lakeshore and drive up to the amazing Karo La Glacier before arriving in the town of Gyantse.
Day 5: Gyantse—Farming Villages—Shigatse Distance 95kms Elevation: 3840m
In Gyantse, you will visit the Pelkhor Chode Monastery where you can see the largest stupa (Buddhist pagoda) in Tibet. From Gyantse, you will then make the short drive to Shigatse, Tibet’s second largest city. Between Gyantse and Shigatse, you will stop at a couple of traditional farming villages. In Shigatse, you will explore the large monastery complex of Tashi Lhunpo.
Day 6: Shigatse—Gyatso La Pass—Shelkar Distance 235kms Elevation: 4320m
This day you will continue traveling west to the small town of Shelkar. Along the way you will cross over the Gyatso La Pass, which rises to over 5200 meters in elevation. The pass offers a nice view of the surrounding Himalaya Mountains.
Day 7: Shelkar—Rongphu Monastery—Everest Base Camp Distance: 115kms Elevation 5150m
On the morning, you will cross over the Geu La Pass from Shelkar, which gives a sweeping view of the Himalaya Range, where you can see 4 of the world’s 14 highest peaks, including Everest. You will continue through small villages until you reach Rongphu, the world’s highest monastery at 5000 meters in elevation. Rongphu offers a fantastic view of Everest. A few kilometers beyond Rongphu Monastery is the Everest Base Camp Region, where you can spend the night in front of the world’s highest peak.
Day 8: Everest—Peiku Lake—Saga : 300kms Elevation: 4500m
From the Mt. Everest Region, the next destination is the stunning alpine lake of Peiku Tso. While driving to the lake, there are terrific views of 7000+ meter Himalayan peaks and the possibility of seeing wildlife. After visiting the lake, you will drive to the town of Saga.
Day 9: Saga—Lake Manasarovar 485kms Elevation: 4590m
The ninth day of this journey will take you across the wilderness of western Tibet to the shores of the holy lake of Manasarovar. The lake offers spectacular views of the surrounding Himalayas. You will stay at a simple guesthouse not far from the shores of the holy lake.
Day 10: Lake Manasarovar—Darchen: 35kms Elevation: 4690m
In the late morning, you will make the short drive to Darchen, the traditional starting point for the trek around Mt. Kailash. In Darchen, you will make final preparations for the 3 day trek around the peak.
Day 11: Kailash Trek Day 1 trekking 20kms Elevation: 5080m
The first day of our trek will take us 20 kilometers from Darchen around Mt. Kailash to Dira Puk Monastery. You will follow this ancient pilgrimage route with Tibetan Buddhist and Indian Hindu pilgrims. You will stay in a small guesthouse near the monastery. The elevation of Dira Puk Monastery is 5080 meters.
Day 12: Kailash Trek Day2 trekking 18kms Elevation: 4820m
The second day of our trek around Kailash will take us up and over the Dolma La Pass, the highest pass on the circuit at 5630 meters. Excellent mountain and glacier views will follow you for most of the day. From the Dolma La Pass, you will descend to Zultul Puk Monastery, elevation 4820 meters. The total trekking distance this day is 18 kilometers
Day 13: Kailash Trek Day3 trekking 14kms Elevation: 4590m
The third and final day of our trek will cover 14 kilometers from Zultul Puk Monastery back to the town of Darchen where you will stay at for the night.
Day 14: Darchen—Saga: 485 kms Elevation: 4500m
After breakfast, you will begin the journey back to Kathmandu, Nepal. From Darchen, you will head east to the town of Saga driving through the rugged beauty of Western Tibet. Accommodation: Saga Hotel or West Grand Post hotel or similar
Day 15: Saga—Kyirong: 175kms Elevation: 2800m
Your final full day in Tibet will take you from Saga to near the Tibet—Nepal international border crossing near the town of Kyirong. You will stay the night at a guesthouse in the border area.
Day 16: Kyirong—Nepal border—Kathmandu: 150kms Elevation: 1350m
This day you will cross the international border crossing from Tibet into Nepal and continue on to Kathmandu. Your journey will conclude upon arriving to Kathmandu.
What you can expect
Day 1 Arrival by train or air, transfer to Lhasa, check in hotel, rest for acclimatization Upon your arrival at Lhasa Gonggar Airport or Lhasa Newwu Train Station, your Tibetan local guide and driver will pick you up with your name sign, and then they will transfer you to Lhasa city safely. Please be not so anxious to walk much around hotel to see this that, but you do need a good rest in your hotel for needed acclimatization, otherwise you maybe under the weather little bit and easy get mountain sickness. Accommodation: 3 stars standard and centrally located hotel (or any kinds of accommodations as per your idea)
Day 2 Guided sightseeing tour in Lhasa Today what we will visit in Lhasa is the vital Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple with her vicinities. Potala palace is Lhasa's most important landmark and she a wonder of Eastern architecture. Your first site of this massive structure will be a magical moment which will be remembered for your rest life time. It has been a palace since the fifth or sixth century and was once the home to the Dalai Lama. Well another visit we will take is to Jokhang Temple which locoates at Barkhor Bazaar. This temple is the most revered shrine in Tibet and is constantly bustling with devout worshippers. We will also be given the opportunity to shop in Barkor Bazaar, the crowded central market in ancient section of Lhasa where is the residence of many local people.
Day 3 Guided sightseeing tour in Lhasa After breakfasts in hotel, we will drive to west Lhasa city section (about 11km) and give a visit to the Drepung Monastery, which was once the world's largest monastery. Housing 10,000 monks, Drepung monastery lies hidden in rocky ridges just beyond the city. Surprisingly much of the building was left untouched throughout so many hundred of years. In the afternoon, the site we will visit is Sera Monastery, a fifteenth century sprawl of golden roofs and whitewashed walls. This well preserved monastery is located just a few miles North of Lhasa and is home to several hundred monks. Its famous debating activities are happening 3-4pm quite regularly every working day, we will not give it a miss.
Day4 Lhasa-Lake Yamdrok Tso-Gyantse-Shigatse [3900m], 350 km, 5-6 hrs In the morning our group departs for Gyantse. We will get through the Karo La Pass (5010m) and the Khamba La Pass (4800m) with a beautiful panorama of the Yamdrok Yum Tso Lake (also named Lake Yamdrok Tso). And at around 11:30 am, we will get to Gyantse, visit Pelkor Choede Monastery and Gyantse Kumbum. After lunch in Gyantse, a very easy drive about 1 and half hours will take us to Shigatse City, the second largest city in Tibet, which is also the hometown of Panchen Lama. At around 3:30 pm, we will visit Tashilhumpo Monastery. Over night stop in Shigatse.
Day5 Shigatse-Ngamring [5220 m], 160 km, 6-7hrs Drive to Ngamring. En route visit Sakya Monastery. Over night stop in this small county.
Day6 Ngamring -Saga, [4280m], 190 km, 7-8 hrs The road follows south of the Pai-ku-Tso, continues across the plain with stunning Himalayan views. The route then follows a narrow gorge before climbing to a pass and dropping steeply down to a ferry crossing over the Yarlung Tsangpo.
Day7 Saga-Paryang- Lake Manasarovar, 4560 m, 260 km, 9-10 hrs From Saga it is 145 km to Zhongba. The road is good and the trip can be completed in 4-5 hrs. There is also a small monastery at the western end of Old Zhongba on a hill. From Zhongba onwards to the southern road deteriorates. There is also danger of vehicles getting stuck. But this section of the road has panoramic views of mountains on either side of the road. There will be several river crossings and we drive past Mayum la pass (4600 M). The scenery is stunningly beautiful with panoramic views of the Himalayas.
Day8 Lake Manasarovar –Darchen (4560 m), 30 km About 30 kms north of Lake Manasarovar is Darchen. The town of Darchen, the starting point for the Mt Kailash Kora, is 6 km north of the main Ali-Paryang route and about 12 km from Barkha, 107km north of Purang, 330km south-east of Ali and a lonely 1200 km from Lhasa. The monastery at Darchen, Darchen Gon, is a part of the Drukpa sect. The two-story monastery structure in the center of the town serves as a trading post and shelter for pilgrims. Within the dukhang assembly hall are new and old thangka paintings and some statues, the main image being Sakyamuni. West of the gompa is the Mani Lhakhang that has a large, new mani prayer wheel. This is the site where the original old flagpole (a Darchen is a flagpole for prayer flags) of Darchen was located. When beginning their Kora pilgrimage around Kailash, many pilgrims often circumambulate the Darchen Gon monastery and the Mani Lhakhang before setting out. We organize yaks or ponies for the Kailash circuit trek at Darchen.
Day9 Kailash Circuit Trek (Darchen-Dira-Puk Monastery), 6 hrs, 20 km, 200 m ascent This Kailash circuit covers 53 km and can be done in 3 days. We head west in clockwise direction and after a few kilometers the trail climbs up to a cairn at 4730 m from where the southern face of Mt. Kailash comes to view. En route we will visit Tarboche where annual flagpole raising ceremony takes place during Saga Dawa Festival.
Day10 Dira-Puk Monastery-Zuthul-Puk Monastery[4790m], 6-7 hrs, 18 km, 550 m ascent, 600m descent Today we cross Drolma la pass (5630 M) and Gauri Kund Lake (5608 m) where Hindus worship and immerse themselves in the icy waters of the lake.
Day11 Zuthul-Puk Monastery-Darchen (3-4 hrs, 4 km, 150 m descent) then we drive to Tirthapuri Hot Spring The final end of the Parikrama is an easy 3-4 hrs walk down to where the river emerges on to the Barga plain. We complete the 3 day circuit trek of Mt. Kailash and drive to Tirthapuri Hot Spring. On the bank of Sutlej, only a few hours' drive north-west of Darchen, the Tirthapuri Hot Spring enjoy close associations with Guru Rinpoche. Pilgrims traditionally bathe here after the Mt Kailash Kora. So pilgrimage to Mt. Kailash is not complete without visiting Thirthapuri for the Tibetan Buddhists.
Day12 Thirthapuri Hot Spring - Khojarnath Monastery - Purang Visit Tirthapuri Monastery, finish the pilgrim circuit and have a bathe in the hot spring, then we will drive to Purang. En route visit Khojarnath Monastery. Overnight in budget guesthouse
Day13 Purang-Lake Manasarovar (Chiu Monastery) Rest day and excursion around the Lake, our driver and guide would love to transfer you around the lake and stop to visit the monastery in-between. Our routing is: Purang-Chiu Monastery-Hor Qu [4560m]-Seralung Monastery- Trugo Monastery-Chiu Monastery. Camping or stay in local budget guesthouse
Day14 Chiu Monastery - Paryang [4750 m]-Saga [4280 m]
Accommodation: Budget guesthouse
Day15 Saga-Kyirong [2100m] We will be given opportunities to view Shisha Pangma peak [8012m], known to the Nepaleseas Gosaintha, the only 8000m-plus mountain planted completely inside Tibet. The road passes just a few kms south of the huge lake, Peiku-Tso. We rejoin the main Lhasa to Kathmandu Highway. And finally we reach the newly open border of Kyirong and have overnight stop at a basic hotel.
Day16 Kyirong- Kathmandu, 123km After breakfasts in Zhangmu, we will wait till 10:30 am for the pick up by our Nepal staff (due to the tough road condition from KTM to Kodari), but before this time, we will go through all the formalities of China Customs. Please prepare 2 small photos of yourself as we need to apply the Nepal visa in immigration office in Kodari, and then our friendly Nepalese staff will take you safely to KTM at around 6 pm, local time. One night accommodation service will be from us.
Day17 Kathmandu After Breakfast sightseeing Tour of Swayambhunath Stupa (Monkey Temple) and Kathmandu Durbar Square where you will visit Kumari -the Living Goddess of Nepal, Legendary Kasthamandap Temple, Hanuman Dhoka Palace and many other shrines. You will proceed to Tour of Patan City to have a look and study many beautiful and interesting arts and architecture and historic and cultural phenomena. In the evening, typical Nepali dinner with folk dance performances will be served. O/n at Hotel.
Day18 Kathmandu After Breakfast sightseeing tour of Pashupatinath temple the holiest Hindu Temple on the bank of Bagmati River. Cremation services take place on the banks of Bagmati River. Then proceed to the tour of The biggest of the Buddhist Stupa architecture. Erected in the 7th century and is believed to be a "must visit" pilgrimage site for Buddhist in their lifetime. Boudhanath area is densely inhabited by Tibetan refugees and carries the name as Little Tibet. Then after Sightseeing Tour of Bhaktapur City is just a 14 km east of Kathmandu. Bhaktapur means the city of devotees and is a center of potter and intriguing masks. The major sight seeing places are, Durbar Square, of 55 windows, Nyatapola, Bhairavnath Temple, and Dattatreya Temple etc.
Day19 Hotel-KTM international airport transfer, tour ends with our agency. Breakfasts will be served in hotel. your guide and driver will pick you up on time and transfer you to KTM airport to catch flight for next stop.
