22 Days Western and Northern Tibet Tour with EBC Kailash Namtso

Upon your arrival at Lhasa Gonggar Airport or Lhasa Railway Station, you will be greeted by your guide and escorted to hotel in Lhasa downtown. Then, you can take a good rest in hotel to acclimatize to the high altitude.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Today, you will visit the famous Potala Palace to watch the grandest chapels of its kind, the jeweled burial chorten of past Dalai Lamas, statuary, frescoes, and paintings. Then you will visit Jokhang Temple, the holiest temple in Tibet worshipped by numerous pilgrims all over Tibet. You can see the stature of Sakyamuni at the age of 12 in the temple. Afterward, you can visit Barkhor Street, the biggest bazaar in Lhasa where a variety of Tibetan handicrafts, ambers, jewelry, and costume can be found. The stroll around Barkhor is the well-known pilgrimage circuit circumambulating Jokhang Temple.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Today, you will visit two important monasteries in Lhasa, the Drepung and the Sera. Drepung Monastery, the largest monastery in Tibet which used to be home to more than 10,000 monks, was founded by Jamyang Choeje in 1416. Situated at the foot of Gebeiwoze Mountain, it is divided into two different colleges, Drepung Loselling and Drepung Gomang College.

After having lunch, you’ll continue to visit the Sera Monastery, which was founded in 1419 by Tsongkapa's disciple Jamchen Choeje. The monastery includes Sere “jhe” and Sera “may”, but all monks assemble at “Tsokhang chenmo” and pray together there. The highlight of Sera is the monks debate in the courtyard in the afternoon. Besides, you can also try Drepung and Sera Monastery kora if you don’t feel tired.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Today, set off from Lhasa to Shigatse via Gyantse. On the way, you will climb over the Gampala Pass (4,790m) and appreciate far view of the coral-shaped Yamdrok Lake there. After admire the turquoise Yamdrok Lake and the snow-capped Mt. Nyenchen Khangsar in the distance, you will visit Korola Glacier on the roadside before arriving at Gyantse. In Gyantse, you will visit Pelkor Monastery and the awe-inspiring Kumbum Stupa which is 35-meter-high with white layers trimmed with decorative stripes and crown-like golden dome, Kubum means 100,000 images in Tibetan language.

Stay overnight in Shigatse.

In the morning, you will visit Tashilhunpo Monastery, one of the six great Gelukpa institutions founded in 1447 by a disciple of Tsongkapa. Afterward, continue your car ride to Sakya County. Sakay County is about 21km from the Friendship Highway and is famous for Sakya Monastery. The Sakya tradition is one of the four main Buddhist schools in Tibet. It was from here that the whole Tibet was governed during the period of Sakya hegemony. You can visit buildings of historic importance and see the largest book written in gold in the world in Sakya Monastery's great library.

Stay overnight in Sakya.

You’ll climb over Tsola Pass (4,600m), and Gyatsola Pass (5,248m). At Gawula Pass (5,180m), you can view the panorama of Himalaya. Then drive along the new zigzag road to Everest Base Camp and get closer to Mt. Everest peak. You can visit Rongbuk Monastery and catch the sunset of golden Everest peak if time and weather permits at the lodging area.

Stay overnight in Rongpuk Monastery.

Today you will head for Saga County via the old Tingri road. You can admire Mount Everest and Mt. Shishapangma (8012m) from old Tingri, and pass by Pelkhu Tso (4600m) before arriving at Saga County.

You will pass by Drongpa County, a region around the source of Brahmaputra River about 167km from Saga, and you can see guesthouses, restaurants, and Old Drongpa Monastery along the way. Then you will pass by New Drongpa and Baryang before reaching Lake Manasarovar.

Camp.

You can walk around the lake and appreciate the snow-capped mountains on the background. You can also see Tibetans and Hindus praying and circling around the lakeshore. In summer, flocks of birds gather on the lake, making this holy place more lively than usual.

Stay overnight in Darchen.

The outer circuit of Mt. Kailash Kora is about 52km. It starts and ends in Darchen with the highest point at Dolmala Pass on the second trek day. A few kilometers from Darchen, you will arrive at Sarshung Valley to meet porters, yaks, and horses. After 2 hours, you can come across a grassy plain populated by nomads and have sweet tea there. Trek for another 2 hours or more to reach Drirapuk (4920m). You can camp or rest in the monastery's guest house made from cement with better facilities than others in Drirapuk.

Camp or stay overnight in guesthouse.

Today is the most challenging day of the Mt. Kailash Kora because you need to climb over Dolmala Pass (5630m), which is about 6.4km away but 762m higher than Drirapuk. After taking a rest on the peak of Dolmala Pass, you will trek about 1.5 hours to Lhachu Valley via staircase. Then trek about 4 hours to today's final destination Dzultripuk (miracle cave of Milarepa). You are advised to start the trek early so as to arrive at Dzultripuk earlier because this is the only lodging area with limited rooms.

Camp or stay overnight in guesthouse.

After visiting the caves, temple and shrines built around Milarepa’s cave with tour guide, you will trek for about 3 hours to the exit of the valley, and take a car ride to Darchen.

Stay overnight in Darchen.

Today, you will enter Stujey Valley and arrive at Zanda County to visit Guge Kingdom and Tholing Monastery there. Zanda County is the current name for the region of Guge Kingdom, and the county's capital is Tholing. Tholing Monastery, the oldest monastery in the Nagri Prefecture, was founded by Richen Zangpo in the 10th century. It was also the main religious center of Guge Kingdom after inviting the great Indian master ATISHA.

Stay overnight in Zanda.

Shiquanhe Town, which is called Sanggye Khabab in Tibetan language, is the capital of Ali Prefecture. It is a modern city and center of administration, business and shopping. Indus river is derived from Mt. Kailash and flows through this region and finally towards into Pakistan. It has nothing special to visit but it is a good place to replenish yourself. You can explore various landscapes on the way today.

Stay overnight in guesthouse.

Gegye is about 115km away from Shiquanhe Town. From Gegye to Gertse, you will cross the infant Indus River and a marshland with lots of birdlife such as golden ducks and black-necked cranes.

Stay overnight in guesthouse.

Set off from Gertse for Nyima, a small town in north Tibet. On the way, you can explore Dongtso Lake, Qiangtang Grassland, and lakes.

Stay overnight in guesthouse.

Dangra Yumtso (4500m) is home to many wild animals, such as wild donkey, Tibetan antelope, wild deer, etc. It is also a divine lake to the local Bonpa believers.

Camp by Dangra Yumtso.

Enjoy a leisure day at Dangra Yumtso before heading back to Nyima in the afternoon. You can get up early to appreciate the sunrise, walk along the lake, take lots of photographs, etc.

Camp or stay overnight in guesthouse.

Today you can see many wild animals if lucky enough. You will make a stopover at Kanglung Tso Lake (4500m) en route before arriving at Selin Tso, Tibet's second largest lake as well as the world's largest black-necked crane nature reserve.

Camp or stay overnight in guesthouse.

It takes you about eight hours from Selintso to Namtso. The road gets bumpy and muddy after Banger Tso.

Camp.

Namtso means "Heaven Lake" in Tibetan language. Not only one of the three holy lakes of Tibet, it is the highest lake in the world with an elevation of 4718m and the largest lake in Tibet as well as the second largest salty lake in China. You can explore the Tashi Island, walk along the lake shore before heading back to Lhasa.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

We will pick you up at hotel and drop you off at airport or train station.

Service ends.