Tsurphu Monastery to Namtso Lake Trekking 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. Your body needs time and rest to adjust to the low-level oxygen in the high atmosphere of Tibet. So please do not any activities which would lead you to dehydrate, like taking a bath. And avoid hard work for the first day. Many traveler prefer to take a nap. By the evening we will come to meet you at the hotels and discuss the itinerary and other stuff. If time let, we will have dinner at a Tibetan restaurant.

Visit Jokhang Temple and Sera monastery.

In the morning, after having your breakfast, your guide will meet you at the hotel. Then you will first go to 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.

The guide will fix you a time and place to visit. In the afternoon, you will see the Sera monastery. This is the most well-preserved monastery in Tibet. The monastery, you can sit in the courtyard where monks will be debating on Buddhist philosophy. You can stay there sometimes. This is an excellent opportunity for many travellers to take a picture of the monks’ debate. You can tell your guide to give you some free times to explore the monastery on your own if you would like to live in peace for sometimes.

Visit Potala Palace, and Drepung Monastery.

In the morning you will visit the grand Potala palace. Your guide will fix and time as per the ticket timing. Please do not bring any drinking water or any liquid to drink. You will be asked to either drink it or throw it at the checkpoint. Plus please do not take a picture inside of the palace is restricted. There is a time limitation to two hours to stay inside the palace to fit in all those travellers in limited time and state of vulnerability of century-old palace against thousands of visitor alike. Your guide might hurry you. But if you would like to see something or spend a few moments in a specific place, please let me know her.

In the afternoon we will visit the Drepung Monastery. It is one of the three most significant monasteries in Lhasa and central Tibet. In the early 20th Century, it is the world biggest monastic complex. The circuit around the monastery takes about an hour of spectacular views.

Sleeping Elevation: 4480m,  Distance: 65km, Duration: 4 hours

We will drive to the Tsurphu Monastery, along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway from Tolung Dechen on the east side of the TolungChu river for 26 km, we will then cross the river, from there the trail off the main road and continuing zigzag through the village and barley farmland takes about 2 hours to get to the monastery. The monastery lies deep in the valley at 4480 meters above sea level.

The Tsurphu monastery is the traditional seat of Karmapa, head of the Karma Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism, built-in 1187 by Dusum Khyenpa,  it is the seat of the Karmapa, in the afternoon you have time to explore around the winding lanes through the old buildings within the monastery complex.  

Overnight at Tsurphu monastic guesthouse or camping.

Sleeping Elevation: 5090m, Duration: 4 hours, Distance: 11km, Ascent: 500m Ascent

The trek starts heading to the west by following the Kora trail surrounded by trees. The day trek takes 4-5 hrs covering a distance of 12km, walking into the green valley by crossing over the mountain streams and watercourses within the valley, the rocky hills along the trekking route is the home for herds of mountain goats. Still, you may hard to see them quickly as they are disguised in the grey rocks, later of the day, you will encounter some nomads camps scattered around, and you may get chance to stop there and visit their tents to see how their family tents are looks like. From the crest of the ridges, you will find numerous rock house structures that nomads use for different of the period when they are moving from place to places. Leten is a nomadic place where you can see some nomad families dwelling in a small black tent surrounded by their flock of sheep and herd of yaks.

Sleeping Elevation: 4660m, Duration: 8 hours, Distance: 20 km, Ascent: 300m Descent: 600m

While walking steeply up over the small mount lead you a fascinating valley, cairns at the crest are very common to see on high passes in Tibet, some believe building cairns on the high mountains will improve your luck, and some believe that building of small house like cairns will help you to find places to stay after your death, during the Bardo state which is an intermediate period of death and rebirth. Further walking through the valley, you will experience the beauty of Nomadic life on the high plateau, cross over the Lasar La Pass (5300m) which will be the highest point of the day, from there you will have the first view of the Yangpachen valley, soon after you will get to the day destination Bartso, it is a small nomads villages for about six nomad families surrounded by Juniper trees—camping next to Bartso village.

Sleeping Elevation: 4474m, Ascent: 150m Descent: 150m

Today is one of the best days of this trekking tour where we will view the nomad’s herders as well as nuns at the Dorjeeling Nunnery late in the day, continues to follow the wide trail and you will view the Holy Mount Nyenchen Thangla (7111m) from a ridge, Mt. Nyenchen Thangla is one of the holy mountains in the region that locals pray and hang prayers flags in front of it for the well-being of the all sentient beings. After you set up your camp next to the Dorjeeling nunnery, you have time to visit the nunnery and interact with Buddhist nuns at the nunnery. You are camping next to the nunnery.

Sleeping Elevation: 4300m,  Duration: 4 Hours

Today trek is about 4 hours trek within the green valley, and following the Lango river will meet the Yangpache-Shigatse road, walk two-hour through the giant landscape to a steel bridge (4400m) spanning the river, meeting the northern route to Shigatse. You will reach the Yangpachen monastery that is established during the 15^th century running by Shamar Rinpoche, a lama in Kagyupa order. Some of the murals inside the monastery are interesting ones. Our car and driver will meet us at the monastery, on the way we will stop at famous Yangpachen Hot spring and you can have a bath in the hot spring and get relief after a long days trekking.

After a short time at the hot spring, we will drive to Damshung town, And take a good rest in a four-star hotel.

You will visit the Yangpachen Hotspring for a bath and recreation before continuing to the next trail next day.

Sleeping Elevation: 4790M,  Duration: 5 Hours, Distance: 18km, Ascent: 480M

We will drive from Hotel to Kyang-Rag Monastery where we will be greeted by our Yaks and Yak Men’s. The trek starts from the Monastery ascending 480 meters at 18 kilometres. From the Monastery remain on the east side of the valley heading upstream. About an hour a ford to the west side of the valley to enter the rocky gorge. There few fords to cross and it is good to have hiking sandal dedicated to crossing the stream. after crossing the ford few times, breaking out of the gorge at the last ford, we will land on the east side of the valley.

Now, the valley is the wider and west side of the slope is heavily forested. The trail is on the east edge of the slope. after two or two and a half hour we will reach tree line 4790m. There are many excellent sites for camping.

In 200m trail returns to the east side of the valley and remains until crossing the pass. Valley will become more sinuous and steeper. The trail enters tundra zone and becomes faint in places. You will have a view of high peaks of Nangchen Thangla towering over your line of travel.

Further, the valley becomes steeper and narrow. the trail is still on east yet hardly visible. Soon the line of brown cairns comes into view marking the Kyang-la Pass (5330m).

Behind the pass is known and Kyang valley. Fill up your water as it scares down the valley. The Valley bends to the north and it will take us down to the Namtso basin. Soon the glory of the great lake will come to view. In 45 minute we will reach the valley floor. The valley is wide and open and after a few moments, we will reach our camp site in Kyang-Do.

Leave the Valley and skirt its west side by walking across the plan. In an hour you will reach the base of the hill. Don’t stay on the valley floor although it may seem the best route- Further down swampy ground would come between you and Tashi-Do. Walk around the tawny hill and look for the white building to the north. Walk towards the building. Our drivers will be waiting for us there to take us to the Tashi-Do. Night at Tashi-Do Guesthouse.

Sleeping Elevation: 3656m,  Duration: 6 Hours, Distance: 250km

Today we will drive back to Lhasa. Then we will arrive in Lhasa later in the afternoon, and you have some time to explore around the Barkhor to shop gifts for your families and friends at home. Overnight in Lhasa.