Kailash - Mansarovar Tour via Lhasa: 14 Days (Ex- Lhasa)

Today is your arrival day in Lhasa. Lhasa is located at a height of 3650 meters (11,972 feet). Our tour guide will greet you at the airport and transport you to the city. The journey from the airport to Lhasa takes roughly 45 minutes. Today, you will relax to allow for acclimatization.

• Overnight stay at Hotel 
• Gonggar airport to Lhasa city: 65 km | 1 hr.
• Altitude of Lhasa: 3,650 m. | 11972 ft.

This morning, we will organize a sightseeing excursion within Lhasa. Begin your day trip by visiting Potala Palace, which is the winter residence of Dalai Lam. Following lunch, we will proceed to Norbulinkha Palace, which serves as the summer residence of the Dalai Lama. There is a visit to the Jokhang temple in the conclusion. You are at liberty to explore the lively Barkhor market following your visit to Jokhang Temple.

Potala Palace:

The Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, has served as the Dalai Lama's winter residence for centuries. Situated atop Red Hill, this imposing fortress represents Tibetan Buddhism and culture. The royal complex is made up of several halls, chapels, and rooms that are all beautifully decorated with priceless antiques, statues, and paintings. Every year, thousands of people come to Potala to take in its historical significance and natural beauty. This iconic building is a reflection of the spirituality and rich history of Tibet.

The legendary roots of the Potala date back to the seventh century. The mansion on Red Hill was built by the Tibetan emperor Songtsen Gampo as a wedding present for his Tang Dynasty bride, Princess Wencheng. The building of the palace is said to have been guided by angelic intervention, with a white elephant serving as a messenger of the Buddha's teachings. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a representation of Tibetan Buddhism, the Potala Palace attracts tourists from all over the world who come to witness its grandeur and spiritual significance.

Norbulinkha Palace:

The Norbulinkha Palace, which means "Treasure Garden" in Tibetan, is a breathtaking architectural marvel located in Lhasa, Tibet. The 7th Dalai Lama (Kelzang Gyatso) erected this majestic castle in the 18th century to serve as the Dalai Lamas' summer abode. The castle is surrounded by beautiful gardens, elaborate fountains, and finely constructed pavilions. Visitors may wonder at the palace's interior, which features gorgeous paintings, elaborate wood carvings, and breathtaking Tibetan artwork. Norbulinkha Palace is not only a showcase of Tibetan workmanship and architecture, but also a haven of peace and beauty that captivates those who visit.

Jokhang Temple:

The Jokhang Temple, referred to as Zuglagkang or Tsuklakang in Tibetan, is regarded as the "heart of Lhasa." The temple was constructed by King Songtsen Gampo circa 640 to accommodate the Buddha statues brought by his Nepalese queen Bhrikuti and Chinese queen Wencheng. The temple encompasses an area of 25,091 square meters (6.2 acres). Nepalese and Indian artisans were then engaged to construct this monastery.

• Overnight stay at: Hotel 
• Gonggar airport to Lhasa city: 65 km | 1 hr.
• Altitude of Lhasa: 3650 m. | 11972 ft.

Today, our itinerary includes a tour of two of Tibet's most significant monasteries. One of these is Sera Monastery, which is located five kilometers north of Lhasa's main city. Drepung Monastery, situated on a mountainside 10 kilometers from Lhasa, will be our destination for the second half of the day.

Sera Monastery:

You will visit the Sera Monastery, situated in the north of Lhasa.

The historic Sera Monastery is a collection of buildings constructed in 1419. The name comes from the fact that the hill behind the monastery was covered in flowering wild roses (called "sera" in Tibetan). Previously, Sera monastery held about 5,000 monks. Even though just a few hundred monks live there now, it remains one of the most important monastic communities. The monastery complex includes a printing house, three colleges, and monks' apartments.

Drepung Monastery:

One of Tibet's largest and most prominent monasteries, Drepung monastery, is located approximately 11 kilometers west of the outskirts of Lhasa. The monastic complex covers an area of 2,50,000 square meters. The Dalai Lama's residence, the Ganden Phodrang, is situated in Drepung Monastery. The second Dalai Lama (Gyedun Gyatso), the third Dalai Lama (Sonam Gyatso), and the fourth Dalai Lama (Yonten Gyantso) all lived in Drepung Monastery. The famous 5th Dalai Lama established the Potala Palace in 1416, which eventually became the Dalai Lama's official residence.

• Overnight stay at: Hotel 
• Gonggar airport to Lhasa city: 65 km | 1 hr.
• Altitude of Lhasa: 3650 m. | 11972 ft.

Following breakfast, we began our journey to Shigatse. Shigatse is Tibet's second-largest city, located 270 kilometers west of Lhasa. The trip duration is often approximately 5 hours due to the traffic department's speed limit. We will take the northern highway route along the banks of the Bramhaputra River (Yarlung Zangbo in Tibetan), which originates in the Mount Kailash and Manasarovar districts.

Afternoon, you will arrive in Shigatse and check into your hotel. Late in the afternoon, you will go to see Tashilungpo Monastery, which was constructed in 1447. The monastery is the seat of Panchen Lama, Tibet's second most significant Lama after the Dalai Lama. In its peak, the monastery housed 4,000 monks. Currently, over 900 monks live at this monastery. The monastery includes a massive statue of the future Buddha (Maitreya). It is the world's biggest gilded statue. The monument stands 26 meters tall and is claimed to be gilded with 300 kg of gold. 

• Overnight stay at: Hotel  
• Lhasa – Shigatse distance: 274 km
• Driving hours: 4 to 5 hours (due to speed limit)
• Elevation of Shigatse: 3,900 m / 12,792 ft

We embark for our next destination, Saga, following breakfast in the morning. Today's drive will be lengthy, although the vistas en route are quite gratifying. We arrive at Lhatse after a journey of around three hours (157 kilometers) from Shigatse. Lhatse is a small town located at the intersection of Mount Everest Base Camp, Mount Kailash & Manasarovar, and Lhasa. Since there was only one gas station in Lhatse in old days, all vehicles (specially trucks) traveling to western Tibet had to pull over and fill up. Therefore, this place is known as a "truck stopping town" among the elderly.

Our destination, Saga is another five-hour journey from Lhatse. The journey takes you via multiple high passes as well as Tibet's vast, gorgeous, but desolate plains. The driving distance between Shigatse and Saga is approximately 500 kilometers.

Located on the banks of the Brahmaputra River, Saga is a picturesque town. Coming from its source close to the Kailash-Mansarovar area, the Brahmaputra is considered a holy river in both Tibet and India. It begins in western Tibet, flows east to Lhasa, and then continues on to Mount Namcha Barwa, before eventually draining into the Indian plains of Assam. On its way to the Indian Ocean, the river meets the Bay of Bengal.

• Overnight at: Hotel or Guesthouse
• Shigatse to Saga: 498 km. | 8 hrs. – speed limit
• Altitude of Lhatse: 4,480 m. | 14,695 ft.

Today is perhaps the most anticipated day of our life. As usual, after breakfast, we will embark from Saga for Lake Manasarovar. From Saga, we will drive west into the high and parched Tibetan plateau. On the route, we'll stop briefly at the Mayum-La checkpoint, where the Chinese army will inspect our travel documents and other relevant licenses. After crossing the checkpoint, we'll stop for a picnic lunch either along the riverbank or on grassland. We then continue driving to Lake Manasarovar, crossing over a high mountain (Mayum-La/5220 m).

When we reach Lake Manasarovar (east side), we will stop again at a local environmental checkpoint. After completing certain checks and formalities, we will circle the lake clockwise and drive to Chiu Gompa (Monastery). The Chiu Gompa (Monastery) is situated on the western bank of Lake Mansarovar. The drive from the environmental checkpoint to the Chiu Gompa (Monastery) takes around one and a half hours.

• Overnight at: Guesthouse 
• Saga to Lake Manasarovar: 508 km | 7 hrs drive (approx.).
• Mode of transport: Bus
• Elevation of Lake Manasarovar: 4600 m. | 15,088 ft.

You will pray, take a holy bath, and carry out other religious rites in the morning. After lunch at Lake Manasarovar, you will depart for Darchen in the afternoon. Darchen is 37 kilometers away, and a 45-minute journey will get you there.

• Overnight at: Hotel or Guesthouse
• Lake Manasarovar to Darchen: 37 km | 45 minutes drive (approx.).
• Mode of transport: Bus
• Elevation of Darchen: 4,690 m. | 15,383 ft.

We will drive from Darchen to Tarboche (Yam Dwar) in the morning after breakfast. It takes roughly twenty minutes to get there by car. Beautiful views of Mount Kailash's west and south slopes as well as the surrounding area are visible.

Tarboche is the meeting place for local porters, yaks, and horses. This is where your local porter or horse will meet you if you have reserved one, and they will ride with you on your next trip.

You will hike to Deraphuk from Tarboche. Deraphuk is located at a height of 16,663 feet, or 5080 meters. The distance to Kailash's north face is only three kilometers from here. The only location to see the North Face up close is here. You have two options for getting to Deraphuk: either walk or ride a horse. The Chinese government has made it illegal to travel there by car. You must make reservations and pay for your horse transportation in Darchen with your Tibetan guide at least one day in advance. The horse won't be accessible at the final minute.

Those who are participating in the trekking portion will proceed to Deraphuk from Yama Dwar. The rest of the members who are not traveling to Deraphuk will return to Darchen by bus and stay for three days. Those staying in Darchen must wait for their group members to return from their Parikrama journey.

• Overnight at: Guesthouse
• Yama Dwar to Deraphuk: 13 km | 6-8 hours (approx.).
• Mode of transport: Trek or horse.
• Elevation of Deraphuk: 5,080 m./ 16,663 fts

Today is the toughest, fullest of challenges, and the longest day of this trip. We have to trek almost 22 km through rugged highlands to reach Zutulphuk, our next camp. Literally, we have to pack up our gear and set off from Deraphuk at 5 a.m. Chinese time. Initially, it is an uphill trek from Deraphuk, but after walking for two hours or so, the trail is easy with mild ascend. Half of the trail passes through an elevation of 4900 m./16,000 ft. or above, so there is no wonder if we suffered from breathlessness or headache. However, we should try to keep our pace slow & steady.

Please do not forget to carry a small bag where you will put a water bottle, personal medicine, dry fruits, & chocolates. Also, please keep your down jacket & raincoat always with you. The weather is unpredictable in this region. Everybody has a different pace of walking, and people might not be around you when you need them. So, you have to be self-dependent on basic things.

After marching uphill for about 4 hours or so, we will reach a high pass full of Tibetan prayer flags fluttering. This is called ‘Dolma La pass’ (5800 m). This is the ultimate highest point of this divine trip. After making a gentle descent from this pass, we will spot a tiny glacial lake on the right side of our trail. This is ‘Gauri Kunda’.

From Gauri Kunda, the trail leads us rapidly down through the icy region for a while, then we follow the trail with full of boulders and loose pebbles. Going down can be more difficult than coming up, so please pay attention while walking down. If someone has taken a horse, he/she can’t even use it after Dolma La pass. After trekking down for another 1 and a half hours from Gauri Kunda, we will eventually land on the valley floor. From this point on, the trail becomes flat & easy up to Zutulphuk.

Evening, we reach Zutulphuk and stay overnight in a very basic guesthouse with dormitory bedrooms with no toilet facility inside the guesthouse building. We have to be mentally ready to go out to answer nature’s call.

• Overnight at: Hotel or Guesthouse
• Deraphuk to Zutulphuk: 22 km | 9 hours,
• Elevation of Zutulphuk: 4,820 m./15,810 ft.

After breakfast, we start trekking to the ending point (Zhongdau), near Darchen. The trail is very easy and flat up to the ending point. It will take just 3 hours (more or less) to reach complete the trek. After, all group members get assembled at the ending point (Zongdau); we board the Bus and move for Darchen. You can take a hot shower and have some leisure time in Darchen today.

• Overnight at: Hotel or Guesthouse
• Zutulphuk to Zhongdou (ending point): 3 hours
• Zongdau to Darchen: 4 km (20 minutes)

The morning after breakfast, we drive back to Saga following the same route as Mayum La, Paryang, and old Dongba. Evening, we reach Saga.

• Overnight...
• Darchen to Saga: 460 km | 7-hour drive.

It is a long drive again via many high passes and pastures en route, as well as Lhatse, a small city where we stayed overnight while coming. The drive takes about 8 hours to reach Shigatse. Evening, stroll around the city on your own.

• Overnight.....
• Saga to Shigatse: 498 km. | 7 hrs.

Drive back to Lhasa via the northern highway. The drive takes about 5 hours because of the speed limit. Evening, you can go shopping or stroll around the city on your own.

• Overnight...
• Shigatse to Lhasa: 270 km | 5 hrs

Early morning, you will be escorted to Gonggar airport. The drive takes about one hour. It is time to say goodbye to our Tibetan staff team and fly back to Kathmandu. In Kathmandu, you will be met by our staff & transferred to hotel. Evening, free time for shopping or other independent activities on your own.