Touch Kailash Tour

We will welcome you at the Airport or The Lhasa train station. Then you will be escorted to your hotel. It is always advice the travellers to take a good rest for proper acclimatization. Please do not any activities which would lead you to dehydrate, like taking a bath. And avoid hard work for the first day. Many travellers prefer to take a nap. After some hours of rest, you can explore the Barkhor street and Tibetan quarter surrounding your hotel.

Visit Potala Palace, and Jokhang Temple

In the morning you will visit the grand Potala palace. Your guide will fix and time as per the ticket timing. Potala Palace was first built in the 7th Century by the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo. Initially, it was built surrounding his meditation cave. Later in the 17th Century, the fifth Dalai Lama built the current Palace upon the ruins of the old Palace. The Palace is an excellent specimen of Tibetan Cultural heritage, especially in the field of Architecture.

The guide will fix you a time and place to visit. In the afternoon, you will see the Jokhang Temple, the holiest temple in Tibetan Buddhism. Since your hotel is in the Tibetan quarter of Lhasa city, you will walk to the Jokhang Temple. After visiting the temple, you can some time to explore the Old Lhasa city on your own for a couple of hours.

Distance: 205 km, Drive: 3hr, Elevation: 3576m

Tsedang is the prefecture-level City in Shanan Prefecture of Tibet or Commonly known as Lhokha. The drive from Lhasa to the City of Tsedang takes about 3 hours to drive in a Car. Once upon arrival in Tsedang, We will have to make your Aliens permit ( one of the many types of Tibet travel permit you will need to be aware of). It will not take long to make you permit.

After making the permit, we will check into our hotel for the night and head out in the City for Lunch. After lunch, we will visit Yumbulagang and Traduk monastery. Yumbulagang is known as the first house in Tibet; others said it is the first military fort in Entire Tibet. After visiting the fort, we will drive back to the City to see the Traduk Monastery. It is said to be older than Jokhang temple, and some scholar even states it is the first Buddhist temple in Tibet.

Distance: 65km, Elevation: 4800m, Hiking for 200 meters ascend

After breakfast in the hotel, we will drive 50 Kilometers to Chimphu Hermit. For the acclimatization progress, we will hike for 200 Meter to the Guru Rinpoche Cave from the Parking lot of the Nunnery. The hiking would take about 4 hours.

After the hiking, we will return the Samye town for a much deserving lunch, and after lunch, we will visit the Samye Monastery on a guided tour. After the guided tour, we are done for the day. People willing the explore the monastery compound can stay back for relaxation and meditation, and others can return to their hotel room.

Distance: 360km Drive: 6hr. Elevation 3980m

It is advised to start the journey a little earlier in the morning. So in most of the cases, we leave Samye at 9 in the morning after having breakfast at your hotel. By 11:00 Am, you will reach the Kampa-la pass (4700 m). The car will stop here for some time of the beautiful view to Yamdrok Lake below the pass and the mighty Mount Mount Nojin Kangtsang (7191 meters). After some time at the pass for the picture, we will then drive down to the Lake. It is about a 15 minutes drive, and we will descend about 700 meters to the shore. We will stop at the shore, and you will have some time to enjoy the beautiful Lake from its shore.

After the Lake, we will continue to drive to the Nangartse Town for lunch. From Yamdrok lake to Nangartse is 50 km, and we will drive along the shore until we divert to the Town. If you are traveling during the winter, you can see lots of wild birds on this road. It is advised to bring a binocular if you are the bird lover. Once when we reach the Town, we will stop here for lunch, and after lunch, you can explore this little Tibetan town sometimes.

You will then continue to Gyantse town. You will reach the Gyantse town at about the 3:00 pm. We will then check in to our hotel for the night and then we will continue to visit the Gyantse monastery. If we reach on time and if the group member still has energy, we can hike to the Gyantse fort.

Distance: 95kms Drive: 2:30hrs

After your breakfast, we will first visit the Gyantse Palchoe Monastery and explore the wonderful Kumbum Stupa of the monastery. After the monastery, You will start your journey at about 9:00 am. Once when you drive out of the Gyantse town, we will stop at a photography spot outside the Town. From there, you can see the entire Town of Gyantse, including its monastery, stupa, and the fort. It is one of our favourite places in Tibet to take a picture.

Along the way, we will visit the Tibetan village called Pashual, and here in the village, we will observe the traditional life of the Tibetan farming communities besides tasting locally made snacks.

We will have to stay for a night in a beautiful Tibetan interior decorated room in a four-star hotel. This Town also presents the last opportunity for last-minute shopping before entering the region of fewer means.

Distance 306kms Elevation 4280m

We will start our day little earlier today to have more time Sakya monastery. We will drive on the friendship road. From the Tibetan town of Lhatse, we will take a detour to the Sakya monastery. The monastery is the main principle monastery of the Sakyapa school of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery looks like a medieval fort. This architecture and painting of the Sakya monastery are entirely different from any other attraction you will visit on this tour. There are lots of things you can see in the monastery, that is why we leave Shigatse earlier. After the visit to Sakya Monastery, we will drive back to Latse and stop for the night.

Distance 150kms, Elevation: 4200m

We will travel 340 Kilometres into the wilderness of Northern Tibetan highland. We might get lucky to spot some wildlife in the region. The Landscape is amazing with the heavenly formation of lights. By the end of the day, you will gain about 300 Meters in elevation.

Distance 493kms, Elevation: 5000m

Today is the beginning of your authentic experience of the western wilderness of Tibet. You will indeed have a spectacular view of the Tibetan Plateau landscape. We will be driving along the Yarlung Tsangpo river. Our travelling distance is 520 Kilometers from an incredible terrain.

We will stopover at Manasarovar Lake. This Lake is one of the three holiest lakes in Tibet. Follower of Hindu religion believes taking a bath in this sacred Lake would wash away sins from much live time. It is perfect for meditating by the lakeshore. After some time at the Lake, we will continue to drive to Darchen. Darchen is the base camp for trekking around Mount Kailash. We will take a rest and prepare for tomorrow.

The three-day trekking around the Mt Kailash is the highlight of the tour. We will be trekking along with the Mount for three days. The accommodations and any facilities along the trekking route are minimal. This high elevation trekking is hard and steep in some areas. It is a must for the group member to stick together and helps each other to make this trekking.

Today we will take us 20 kilometres from Darchen around Mt. Kailash to Dira Puk Monastery. We will follow this ancient pilgrimage route with Tibetan Buddhist and Indian Hindu pilgrims. The elevation of the Dira Puk Monastery is 5080 meters. We will stay for the night in a small basic monastery guest house.

Those how are willing the go up 200 Meters further up for 3 Hours. We will hike right up to the foot of the Mount Kailash from the north side. We will try our best to attempt the touch our forehead. We will leave as early as possible to have a proper rest when return. About half the way up to the Kailash is on the glacier. So it is advisable for all the prepare well for glacier walking. Once when you reach the foot of Mount Kailash, you can walk right to it. You will have to check the ice on which you will be standing is vital to hold you up.

Today’s trek around Kailash will take us up and over the Dolma La Pass, the highest pass on the circuit at 5630 meters. Most of the day, we will have an Excellent Mountain and glacier views. From the Dolma La Pass, you will descend to Zutul Puk Monastery, elevation 4820 meters. The total trekking distance this day is 18 kilometres.

The third and final day of our trek day will cover 8 kilometres from Zutul Puk Monastery back to the trek finishing point. We will meet our driver there. After breakfast in Darchen, we will drive to the Guge Kingdom.

The drive from Darchen to Guge will be about 5 hours. The generation of Tibetan kings built the Kingdom after escaping the civil unrest in Lhasa after the death of the Last King of Tibet in Tibetan History. The Kingdom lasted for seven centuries as the central trading hub along the ancient silk route. Later due to the military campaign of Ladakh and intervention of the 5th Dalai Lama’s administration of Lhasa, marks the end of the glory of the Guge Kingdom. Our tour guide will have lots of information about the Kingdom and its history.

We will visit both the Tholing Monastery and the ruins of the Kingdom. For the night we will be staying at the local hotel with minimal amenities.

Distance 254kms, Max Elevation: 4597m

Today starts the return journey to Lhasa. In the morning, we will visit the Guge Kingdom and the Tholing monastery. After seeing those two attractions, we will drive back to Manasarovar lake.

Distance 450kms, Max Elevation: 4500m

Today we will travel back along the same route to Saga.

Distance: 493Km, Elevation: 5200m

Today is another highlight of the tour. We will be Driving from Saga to Mount Everest basecamp at the Rongbuk Monastery. From the Pang-la pass, we will have a distance view to some of the highest peaks of the Himalayas and the world; Makalu, Lhotse, Cho Oyu, and Mount Everest. We will take the zig-zag route to the Mount Everest base camp. We will stay a night in Tent guest house at the lap of Everest near the Rongbuk monastery.

Distance: 350Km, Elevation: 3840m

In the morning, we will have an amazing Sunrise view of Everest. Along the Himalaya first Sunbeam will lit the highest peaks, and sunray will gradually come down in the valleys. After watching the sunshine view of Mt Everest, we will start our return journey to the Shigatse. We will stop at some farming villages. Upon arrival back to Shigatse, we will have enough time to explore the main market street or hike the pilgrimage path at Tashi Lhunpo Monastery again.

Distance: 280Km, Elevation: 3656m

We will travel back to Lhasa, the distance for the return journey is 280 kilometres and It will take only 6 Hours traveling. We will have enough time to do the last minute souvenir shopping or walking the pilgrimage circuit around Jokhang Temple one more time.