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13 Days Mt. Kailash & Holy Mountain Trekking Tour

Mt. Kailash Pilgrimage 804
TOT: 13 Days Mt. Kailash & Holy Mountain Trekking Tour
Tour Type: Private Tour: Flexible Travel Date & Travel Routes
Guide & Driver: Chinese-English-speaking guide & air-conditioned
Highlights:
  • Features a pilgrimage excursion to the holy mountain Mt. Kailash
  • Marvel at two incredible UNESCO World Heritage Sites including Potala Place and Jokhang Temple
  • Visit one of the Six Big Monasteries of Gelugpa – the Tashilunpo Monastery
  • Wonder at the snow-capped mountains surrounding the spectacular Yamdrok Lake
Itinerary
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Day 1  Arrive in Lhasa

Your tour guide will greet you upon your arrival at Lhasa airport to transfer you to your hotel, where you will have the rest of the day to relax and acclimatize to the high altitude. Travel tips: Because Tibet lies at such a high altitude, it is important to remember to take everything slowly to minimize the symptoms of altitude sickness. Drink plenty of water and get plenty of sleep that first night – you should feel fine by the next day. However, if you feel extreme discomfort, please notify your tour guide immediately.

Accommodation: Overnight at Lhasa 3-star hotel

tibet guide

tibet guide

Day 2  Lhasa City Sightseeing - Potala Palace - Jokhang Temple - Barkhor Street

After breakfast at the hotel, we will visit the incredible Potala Palace – the highest palace in the world. As we climb to the entrance gate, you will have a spectacular view over all of Lhasa. After exploring the numerous interesting chapels and learning about the traditional culture and history of the palace and the city, we will move on to the spiritually significant Jokhang Temple, one of the most important temples in Tibetan Buddhism. To see the “real” Lhasa, we’ll stroll through Barkhor Street with its thriving local market where you can pick up some local Tibetan, Nepalese and Indian handicrafts and souvenirs.
Tips for Visiting Potala Palace
1. The number of visitors to the palace is strictly limited to 2,300 per day. Visitors can only visit during the time specified on the admission ticket.
2. Admission tickets to visit the Potala Palace are sold out almost every day, so it is strongly recommended to book your tickets several days in advance.
3. There are many steps at the Potala Palace, so it’s best to take it slowly to avoid possible altitude discomfort.
4. Visitors should respect the rules while visiting. Do not wear hats, wear revealing clothes or step on thresholds as these actions violate local customs.
5. Photography and the taking of videos are forbidden inside the Potala Palace.
6. A security search will take place at the entrance to the palace. Explosives, flammables, knives, lighters and even water bottles are not allowed inside the Potala Palace.

Accommodation: Overnight at Lhasa 3-star hotel

potala palace

barkhor street

Day 3  Lhasa City Sightseeing - Sera Monastery – Drepung Monastery

Today features visits to 2 of the most important monasteries in Tibetan Buddhism – the Drepung and Sera Monasteries. Drepung Monastery is located on the hillside west of Lhasa – at one time the world’s largest monastery with about 10,000 monks living there. A pleasant walk up the hill leads to the solemn ambience inside the monastery’s many halls and chapels. After Drepung, we will move on to the Sera Monastery. The main highlight of the Sera Monastery is watching the crowd of monks debating inside the shady courtyard behind the main temple. Every day except Sunday, hundreds of red-robed monks assemble in small groups and practice their debating skills – a very impressive sight to behold as the monks are very animated in their debates on the various attributes of Buddhist scriptures.

Accommodation: Overnight at Lhasa 3-star hotel

sera monastery

drepung monastery

Day 4  Lhasa - Yamdrok Lake – Karola Glacier – Gyantse (Kumbum Monastery) – Shigatse (380 kilometers, 8-hou

This morning we’ll take a drive up to the Kampala Pass (elevation 4797 meters) where you’ll have a glimpse of Yamdrok Lake down below as well as spectacular views of the holy Mount Nyenchen Khangsar in the distance. You will want to have your camera at the ready for the turquoise waters of Yamdrok Lake, which is one of the three holy lakes of Tibet, and the beautiful Mt. Nyenchen Khangsar glacier as seen from the Karol la Pass. Later on we’ll be able to visit the Karola Glacier before continuing along the southern Friendship Highway to Gyantse, where you will be able to see the famous Gyantse Kumbum, one of the most stunning architectural wonders in Tibet. Late in the afternoon we will continue on to Shigatse, the location of the Tashilunpo Monastery.

Accommodation: Overnight at Shigatse 3-star hotel

yamdrok

yamdrok

Day 5  Shigatse - Saga

Drive from Shigatse to Saga, which is about 450 kilometer's driving takes about 9 hours. Enjoy natural sceneries like meadows, rivers, and snow-capped mountains. Accommodate at Saga Town.
Tips: Prepare some food and drinks in advance because you will spend much time on the road.

Accommodation: Overnight at Sage Town

Day 6  Saga – Zhongba – Payang – Darchen - Mt. Kailash - Lake Manasarovar – Lhanag-tso (500 kilometers, 7-h

On this 6th day we will drive to Drongpa County, which was founded around the bountiful resources of the Brahmaputra River. We will make a stop in a small village along the main road that consists of only a few basic guesthouses, restaurants and a small monastery known as “Old Drongpa”. Scattered around the monastery you will be able to observe a pile of yak heads that are carved with “sutras” and “mantras”. New Drongpa is another small town with a few shops, hotels and restaurants located about 25 kilometers from Old Drongpa monastery. We will continue on to the Baryang Township (elevation 4750 meters) and drive around Lake Manasarovar before reaching our final destination for the day, Darchen, where we will spend the night.

Accommodation: Overnight at local Guest House

zhada

zhada

Day 7  Mt. Kailash Trek Day One – Darchen – Drirapuk (11 kilometers)

Buddhist pilgrims traditionally begin the 52-kilometer religious trek around Mt. Kailash at Darchen (elevation 4574 meters), which is also the finishing point for the circumnavigation of the sacred mountain. After hiking for a few hours out of Darchen, we will reach a valley known by the locals as “Sarshung” where we will meet an eager group of porters who will be happy to help us carry our gear on yaks and horses along the rest of the trek. After another couple of hours of trekking, we will find a grassy plain populated by nomads, who will be happy to offer up their tents as a place to relax with some soft drinks for a while. From here, we will travel on for another approximately two hours to a place known as Drirapuk (elevation 4920 meters) where we will spend the night in a monastery’s guesthouse that offers the best accommodations in this area (although it is still very rustic.)

Accommodation: Overnight at local Guest House

drirapuk temple

drirapuk temple

Day 8  Mt. Kailash Trek Day Two – Drirapuk – Dzultripuk (22 kilometers)

This second day of our circuit of Mt. Kailash will be the toughest as we ascend 762 meters up to the Dolma-la Pass. The peak of this pass lies about 5630 meters above sea level, so we’ll get an early start as the sun begins its rise over the mountain ridges above us. Once we have reached the peak of the Dolma-la Pass, we’ll stop for a rest and the opportunity to admire all of the fantastic scenery around us. Then we will begin our descent to the Lhachu Valley, which will take us about one hour. After another short rest, we’ll trek on for another four hours to our final destination for the day. We will walk along the right side of the river to finally reach Dzultripuk, whose name means “miracle cave of Milarepa” in the local language. We will be glad that we got an early start to reach Dzultripuk so that we will get there before the other groups – there are a limited number of rooms available here. We will have time this evening for some rest and relaxation in the guesthouse as we prepare for the final stretch of our trek tomorrow.

Accommodation: Overnight at local Guest House

mt kailash

mt kailash

Day 9  Mt. Kailash Trek Day Three – Dzultripuk – Darchen (11 kilometers)

Today we will complete our trek around Mt. Kailash, beginning by visiting the many caves, temples and shrines that have been built upon around Milarepa’s cave. It is an easy walk back towards Darchen, taking only about 3 hours of trekking to reach the end of the valley where our driver will meet us to take us back up to Darchen where we will spend the night.

Accommodation: Overnight at local Guest House

zhada

zhada

Day 10  Darchen – Saga (500 kilometers, 7-hour drive time)

Today we will drive through the windswept territory of rural Tibet, passing through numerous small villages as well as camps of yak and sheepherders on our way back to Saga. With all of the beautiful scenery surrounding us, we will have plenty of opportunities to stop and take photos if you like.

Accommodation: Overnight at local Guest House

mt kailash

mt kailash

Day 11  Saga – Shigatse (500 kilometers, 7-hour drive time)

More spectacular scenery awaits us as we continue on our leisurely drive back to Shigatse where we will spend the night.

Accommodation: Overnight at Shigatse 3-star hotel

gyantse dzong site

gyantse pala manor

Day 12  Shigatse-Lhasa

Today, before you driving back to Lhasa, you will go to visit the most important monastery in Shigatse region - Tashilunpo Monastery where you will spend about 2 hours for visiting. Leave Shigatse and head for Lhasa. On the halfway, you will take a visit to Nyemo Tunba which was the home of Tunmi Sangbuzha who invented the Tibetan character as well as the famous Tibetan Tibetan Incense. Here in Tunba, you also have chance to witness the process of making Tibetan Incense with water mill. At the same time, the scenery here is fabulous - ancient cypress trees, green willows, murmuring river... Take a good rest in Lhasa city.

Accommodation: Overnight at Lhasa 3-star hotel

nurbulingka palace

jokhang temple

Day 13  Transfer to Lhasa Airport – Depart Lhasa

Your day will be free until we pick you up to take you on the 30-minute drive to the Lhasa airport for your departing flight.

Accommodation:

lhasa airport

lhasa airport

Price Includes.
    • All necessary Tibet Travel Permit. (Including Tibet Entry Permit, Alien Travel Permit, border Pass
    • Private professional English-Speaking local tour guide
    • Licensed Vehicle with experienced driver
    • Airport (or train)pick up and drop off
    • Accommodation listed in the itinerary
    • Breakfast provided by the hotel
    • Tourists Accident/Casualty Insurance
    • A container of Oxygen for emergency use
    • All taxes, fees and handling charges
    • Lodging and meal allowance to the guide & driver
    • Reservation fee for visiting Potala Palace
    • 2 bottles of drinking water per person per day
Price Excludes.
    • Meals not specified in the itinerary (All lunches & dinners)
    • All Entrance tickets to the sightseeing places
    • Flight/Train tickets in and out of Tibet
    • Personal expenses such as laundry, drink, fax, telephone call, optional tour activities, etc.
    • Any losses incurred from the force majeure factor like government control, natural disaster etc.
    • Tips to the guide & driver ( Tips is not required but expected)
    • Single room supplement
Booking Information

1.The above routes accept Chinese people(people from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) and foreign visitors to attend the group booking, foreign guests and Taiwan tourists to Tibet, please contact us to apply for Tibet Permit!

2.Due to Covid-19, there has international travel restrictions for Tibet travel, so we can not guarantee travelers in one group are all English speakers. Our professional tour guide will provide Chinese-English service if there has English speakers in the join-in group. Therefore, we will not make any reimbursement for tour guide language reason.

3.June, July, August, September is peak season. Joining our group can guarantee the ticket of Potala Palace. The Potala Palace may be adjusted to the other days because of the current limitation of 2,300 visitors per day to protect the historic site.

4.Without affecting the original standards and scenic spots, we might change the sequences of scenic spots according to the actual situation on the day of the trip.

5.Patients with severe hypertension, asthma or heart disease should not join the group. Patients with colds should only go to Tibet after recovery.

6.Due to force majeure factors in case of landslides, mud-rock flow, avalanche, flood, earthquake and other natural phenomena influence or airline flight delay, cancel to causes such as the increase of expenses or unable to follow a normal schedule, we shall not bear the liability for compensation according to the tourism related regulations, but we will actively coordinate processing, in order to ensure a smooth trip.

7.Any failure to complete the activities during the tour due to the guests' own reasons or early departure will be considered as a waiver and the fee will not be refunded.

8.Tibet is a borderland area inhabited by ethnic minorities with limited tourist reception conditions. We hope that visitors can have reasonable expectations, respect the cultural beliefs and living habits of ethnic minorities and live in harmony with each other.

9.If there is a single room due to gender reasons, we will arrange a triple room (or double standard room with and extra bed) or fill the single room difference by the guest.

10.The shops in scenic spots do not belong to the travel agency's shopping shop arrangement. Please consider carefully.

11.Self-paid items are considered according to the time and the proportion of the approved members on the day, and no mandatory consumption is made.

Warm Tips

1.Travelers with severe high blood pressure or heart disease should not go to Tibet. Please do not bring serious colds into Tibet. Don’t go before the serious colds recovered!

2.Tibet is located in the plateau and most of the travelers might have plateau reaction. Please pay attention to rest and have proper diet (do not eat too full, because it will increase the burden of the stomach). Travelers can be appropriate to take some drugs, such as: Gaoyuan An, Rhodiola, Nuodi Kang; travelers with serious can appropriately take oxygen or hanging saline.

3.Because of the long drive in Tibet, travelers will spend a lot of time in the car, and inevitably can not eat on time, please bring some snacks and biscuits during drive.

4.Due to the special conditions in Tibet, please pay attention to keep warm. On the first day of arrival, please do not try to take a bath. Taking a bath will accelerate blood circulation and increase the body's demand for oxygen.

5.Tibet has a strong sunshine, especially dry climate, sunscreen, sunglasses, lip balm and other essential are necessary.

6.From April to November is the best time for sightseeing.

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