Day 01:Arrival in Lhasa
Meet your guide at Lhasa Railway Station or Lhasa Airport. From Lhasa Airport to Lhasa city, usually takes abt 1.5hrs; from Lhasa Railway Station to Lhasa city, abt 20mins.
After transfer to hotel, try to rest & drink as much water as you can to better acclimatize the high altitude.
Overnight in Lhasa.
barkhor-street/jorkang/Potala-Palace
Day 02: Lhasa City (B)
Highlights: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple,Barkhor Street
This morning, visit Potala Palace. It is more than 3,700 meters above sea level and it is the highest palace in the world! At the top the palace called golden roofs, you can have a bird-eye view of the whole of Lhasa. In the distance there are undulating mountain ranges, the beautiful Lhasa River, tracts of fields, tree-shaded villages and the glistening Jokhang Temple.
Afternoon, visit Jokhang Temple, it is the first built during the period of Sontsan Gambo in the 7th century, features Buddhist prayer wheels, reclining deer, golden sutra streamers. You'll find that many Pilgrims pray before the monastery.
The circuit around it called Barkhor Street, a famous local handmade crafts market, which is a good place to purchase souvenirs.
Overnight in Lhasa.
Day 03: Lhasa Suburb (B)
Highlights: AM- Subject to change! one of these three: Drepung Monastery,Drak Yerpa, Ganden Monastery
PM- Sera Monastery
AM: Drepung Monastery was built in 1416 and is the largest monastery of the Gelug Sect. It covers an area of 250,000 square meters.
Drak Yerpa is a place that has deep meanings in the Tibetan spiritual culture. There is a saying goes like this: "Lhasa is the shrine of Tibet, Drak Yerpa is the shrine of Lhasa. Not seeing Drak Yerpa in Lhasa is just like making a dress without the collar." The entrance to the Yerpa Valley is about 16 km northeast of Lhasa on the northern bank of the Kyichu River. From there, it is another 10 km to the famous ancient meditation caves.
Ganden Monastery is one of the 'great three' Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet, located at the top of Wangbur Mountain, Tagtse County, 36 kilometers ENE from the Potala Palace in Lhasa, at an altitude of 4,300m.
PM: Sera Monastery is located in the northern suburb of Lhasa City. The monastery was named Sera which means wild rose in the Tibetan language, because the hill behind it was covered with wild roses in bloom when the monastery was built. From of Mon ~ Fri., every afternoon, you 'll be able to see monks debating at Sera Monastery.
Overnight in Lhasa.
Drepung-Monastery/Drak-Yerpa/ganden-monastery
Day 04: Lhasa-Gyantse-Shigatse (B)
Highlights: Yamdrok Lake, Karo-la Glacier, Pelkhor Monastery
It takes you about 1.5 hrs to drive from Lhasa to Kambala Pass[4794m high], visit Yamdrok Lake there, which is one of the three holy lakes in Tibet.
Mt Nojin Kangsang stands tall with an elevation of 7,191 m (23,592 ft.) between Gyantze County and Nagarzê County, with several snow-capped mountains over 6,000 m (19,685 ft.) surrounding it. Mount Nojin Kangsang is the most accessible glacier site on the Tibetan Plateau. The famous Kharola Glacier (elevation 5,560 m or 18,241 ft.) is below the south ridge of Nojin Kangsang.
Palkhor Monastery lies about 230 kilometers south of Lhasa and 100 kilometers east of the Shigatse Prefecture, at the foot of Dzong Hill. It is well-known for its Kumbum, which has 108 chapels in its four floors. The multi-storied Kumbum Stupa was crowned with a golden dome and umbrella, surrounded with more chapels filled with unique religious statues and murals.
Overnight in Shigatse.
sera-monastery/Yamdok-Lake/Karo-la-Glacier
Day 05: Shigatse - Tingri -EBC (B)
Highlights: Tashilhunpo Monastery
Optional: Rongbuk Monastery
Visit Tashilunpo Monastery in the morning. It is one of the Six Big Monasteries of Gelugpa (or Yellow Hat Sect) in Tibet. Also called the Heap of Glory, the monastery is located at the foot of Drolmari (Tara's Mountain), Shigatse. Founded by the First Dailai Lama in 1447, the monastery's structure was expanded by the Fourth and successive Panchen Lamas. It covers an area of nearly 300,000 square meters. The main structures found in the monastery are Maitreya Chapel, Panchen Lama's Palace and Kelsang Temple. Tashilhunpo is the seat of Panchen Lama since the Fourth Panchen Lama took charge in the monastery, and there are now nearly 800 lamas.
Drive to Rongbuk Monastery in the afternoon. It's bumpy road with stone paved from Tingri to Rongbuk Monastery which takes abt 3 hrs' drive. After your arrival, rest for acclimatization at the guest house of Rongbuk monastery, explore around and visit the highest monastery in the world on your own expense or enjoy the stunning sunset if the weather is good.
Overnight in nomad tent(dorm bed) of EBC.
Palcho-Monastery-Palgor-Chorten/Tashilhunpo-MonasteryRongbuk-Monastery
Day 06: EBC - Saga
Highlights: Everest Base Camp
Get up early, you can enjoy the stunning sunrise at the top of the world. Then drive to Mt. Everest Base Camp [5200m] and touch the roof of the world. Drive to Saga in the afternoon.
Overnight in Shigatse.
Day 07: Saga - Darchen
The sprawling town of saga is the last of any size on the route and your last chance to ear a lavish meal.
A photogenic section of dunes,lake and mountains kicks in 60km from Zhongba. About 23km before Paryang you creast a pass and drop past more dunes to Paryang. Photos taken along this route can often fet steppe,streams,desert dunes and snowcapped mountains in the same shot.
Overnight in Darchen
everest-base-camp/kailash-mountain/Dhira-puk-monastery
Day 08: Trek from Darchen-Dirapuk Monastery (6hrs/ 20km/ 200m ascent)
Highlights: Mt Kailash
The kora path begins on the western edge of Darchen. 4km later the trail climbs up over the southwest end of the ridge to reach a cairn at 4730m. The cairn is bedecked with prayer flags and marks the first views of Mt.Kailash's southern face, the first of Kailash Kora's four prostration point.
Very quickly the trail bends round to the north and enters the barren Lha-chu Valley, which is so open at this point you can see ahead to the tall Tarboche flag pole(4750m),which is another hour's walk. The Tarboche area is one of the most significant sites for Tibet's most important festival—Saga Dawa.
Beyond Tarboche, the valley narrows dramatically at an area called Sershong. You can begin to get clear shots of Mt.Kailash now. After passing a series of ruined Chörtens and a number of long mani (prayer) walls the trail reaches a small bridge across the Lha-chu at 4710m. The bridge is less than an hour's walk from Tarboche, abt 3hrs from Darchen, and is directly below Chuku Monastery.
From the Chuku bridge, it's abt 3hrs walk to Dirapuk Monastery. Take your time here as this stretch has some of the best scenery of the entire kora. Also, along the way, you 'll find the 2nd prostration point with its prayer flags & clear view of the east side of Mt.Kailash.
Camping near Dirapuk Monastery.
Zutulpuk-Monastery/manasarovar/zhangmu-port
Day 09: Trek from Dirapuk Monastery-Zutulpuk Monastery(7~8hrs/ 18km/ 550m ascent/ 600m descent)
We'll head off to the east. The long ascent up the Drölma-chu valley that will eventually lead up to the Drölma-la has begun.
Less than an hour along is the meadow at Jarok Donkhang(5210m);
After a short distance abv Jarok Donkhang, abt 2hrs from the day's starting point, is the rocky expanse of Shivatsal (5330m). Pilgrims are supposed to undergo a symbolic death at this point, entering in the realm of the Lord of the Death, until they reach the top of the Drölma-la and are reborn again. It is customary to leave something behind at Shivatsal- an item of clothing, a drop of blood or a lock of hair- to represent the act of leaving this life behind.
Abt 30mins from Shivatsal the trail turns eastward for the completion of the ascent to the 5630m Drölma-la. After a few false summits, the rocky pass is reached. The great cubic Drölma Do (Drölma's Rock) that marks the top is barely visible behind an enormous number of prayer flags.
Soon after, Gauri Kund(5608m), Lake of Compassion, comes into view below.
It takes approximately an hour to make the long and very steep 400m descent to the grassy banks of Lham-chu Khir. You may have to cross snowfields at first, sometimes leaping across streams that have cut through the valley floor, but later the trail turns dry & rocky.
Abt 30mins south, a valley comes down from the Khando Sanglam-la to join the western trail. This valley provides the only glimpse of Mt.Kailash's eastern or crystal face. The kora's third prostration point is at the valley mouth.
An hour or so, u 'll reach Zutul-puk Monastery(4790m).
Camping near Zutulpuk Monastery.
Day 10:Trek from Zutulpuk Monastery-Darchen(3~4hrs/ 14km/ 150m descent)
Drive from Darchen - Manasarovar
Highlights: Lake Manasarovar
From Zutulpuk Monastery, the trail follows the river closely for an hour or so, then climbs abv the river and enters the lovely Gold & Red Cliffs, a narrow canyon whose walls are stained purple, cobalt and rust.
Where the trail emerges onto the Barkha plain, close to the 4th prostration point (4610m), Gurla Mandata is again visible in the distance. It is now an easy 1hr walk back to Darchen along a dirt road.
Meet your driver at Darchen. Drive to Manasarovar, which is the most venerated of all Tibet's many sacred lakes. It is especially sacred to Hindus, who have been walking round it for approaching 2,000 years. Buddhists associate the lake with Maya, Buddha's mother.Hindu and Buddhist cosmology had it that nearby Mt. Kailash is the centre of the world and that Manasarovar is the source of four of Asia's great rivers.
Overnight in Manasarovar.
Day 11: Manasarovar - Payang - Saga
Overnight in Saga.
Option A: Day 12~14: Saga - Lhatse - Shigatse - Lhasa
Option B: Day 12~13: Saga - Zhangmu - China & Nepal Border ;
We have two options to end the tour in Lhasa or Zhangmu for the exact same price. More detail, contact us by e-mail.
Note:
During the 3-day Kailash Kora—
Lodgings: clean dorm-bed guest house; in peak season, we provide tent in case the guest houses are fully booked by Indian prig rims.
Food: locals sell Tibetan noodles (USD5) & instant noodles(USD2) along the way.
Luggage: leave most of your luggage in our vehicle, bring only the necessary. If it's too much a burden, you can hire yaks or porters at you own expenses, abt USD15/day.