Lhasa Kailash Tour – 15 Days

Kathmandu, the city of emerald hills, is pleased to welcome you. This day will mark the official beginning of your extraordinary Lhasa Kailash tour.

As soon as you are out of TIA, you will meet our representative, who will welcome you cordially and transfer you to your accommodation in the city.

After checking into your hotel, you will have time to relax and get to know this wonderful city. In the evening, you will meet our tour leader and fellow group members.

Our guide will tell you everything about our Lhasa Kailash tour itinerary in detail. We suggest you get enough sleep, as we will have an early flight tomorrow morning.

This is the day when your Lhasa Kailash tour truly begins. From TIA, you will take a direct flight to Lhasa Gonggar Airport. In the clear skies, you will be able to glance at Mount Everest, Mount Makalu, and Kanchenjunga.

Once you land in Lhasa, you will be in a totally different realm. After clearing your immigration formalities, you will meet our local Tibetan guide holding our Tibet Travel Permit.

After a pleasant welcome, a private vehicle will drive you along the smooth Lhasa-Gonggar Highway. Our drive will follow the beautiful Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) and Lhasa Rivers.

Eventually, we will reach the central Lhasa where we will catch our very first sight of the amazing Potala Palace. After we check into our hotel, we will completely rest and do nothing as acclimatization at the altitude of Lhasa is very essential.

Today, we will take a deeper look into the spirituality of Tibetan Buddhism. After breakfast, our guide will drive us around 8 km west of Central Lhasa.

Soon, we will be at the foot of Mount Gambo Utse, where the Drepung Monastery is located. Once the largest monastery in the world, it used to house up to 10,000 monks in its glorious days.

Founded in 1416, the monastery consists of a grand Assembly Hall, living quarters of the Dalai Lamas, and centuries-old Buddhist murals, chapels, and massive statues of Maitreya (the Future Buddha).

Once the exploration is complete, we will eat our lunch and head to the northern part of Lhasa, where Sera Monastery is located. Founded in 1419, this monastery still stands as a protective home for ancient Buddhist philosophy.

Here, we can explore its beautiful colleges and dark corners where ancient scriptures are well kept. Around 3 PM, we will be able to witness the energetic monk debate in the courtyard.

Once complete, our guide will take us back to our hotel in Lhasa.

Today is one of the major highlighting day of our Lhasa Kailash tour. After breakfast, our guide will drive us to the center of the valley where Marpo Ri (Red Hill) is located.

Atop this hill, Potala Palace stands majestically, and to reach it, we will have to slowly and steadily climb the steep and uneven steps. Once atop, we will explore the White Palace, which once served as the living quarters, offices, and political court of the Dalai Lamas.

Then, we will head to Red Palace, where we can look at prayer halls, study rooms, and marvelous golden burial stupas of past Dalai Lamas.

We will now descend from the palace and eat our lunch. Then, we will head to the old part of Lhasa, where Jokhang Temple is located. Built in the 7th century by King Songtsen Gampo, it houses the Jowo Shakyamuni statue, a life-sized portrayal of Buddha at age twelve.

Directly surrounding the temple is the Barkhor Street, which serves as a very important Kora circuit for the pilgrims. In the evening, the street turns into a vibrant marketplace where we can browse handmade carpets, Tibetan incense, turquoise jewelry, prayer beads, copper singing bowls, and beautiful thangka paintings.

We will have an early start today as we have a long day of driving ahead. Following the southwest route, we will drive over the Kamba La Pass (4797 m).

Below, we can see Yamdrok Lake, and above we can gaze at 7191 m high  Noijin Kangsang mountain. Continuing along the highway, we will climb up higher toward the Karo La Pass (5010 m).

Take some time to admire the Karo La Glacier up front. We will now descend from the high pass and arrive in Gyantse, where we can visit the unique Palcho Monastery/Pelkor Chode Monastery.

Inside its compound, we can see the 32 m tall, multi-tiered, nine-story Kumbum Stupa. We will now drive the final 90 km flat highway to reach Shigatse, Tibet’s second-largest city.

Today is a very monumental day on our Lhasa Kailash tour with the Everest Base Camp adventure. However, first thing in the morning, we will visit the majestic Tashilhunpo Monastery.

Founded in 1447, it is the home of the Panchen Lama, where we can see a 26 m tall statue of Maitreya, the Future Buddha.

Next, we will jump into our vehicle and drive along the Friendship Highway. We will pass through Lhatse and cross the Tsola Pass (4600 m).

We will then climb the dramatic, smooth mountain road and reach the first major pass of Gyatso La (5248 m). This marks our official entry into the Chomolungma (Everest) National Nature Reserve.

We will now arrive at the checkpoint of Shegar (New Tingri), where we will leave the main highway and travel to EBC. The road ahead will lead us to Gawu La Pass (5350 m), where we can see five high snow-domed peaks of Everest, Makalu, Lhotse, Cho Oyu, and Shishapangma.

Descending from the pass, we will now drive through the stark terrain and arrive at Rongbuk Monastery (5009 m), the highest religious monastery on Earth.

After admiring the white north face of Everest, we will settle into our accommodation (tent guesthouse or the basic Rongbuk guesthouse).

Kindly note that the Chinese authorities moved the main tourist EBC to the area around Rongbuk Monastery. A clear boundary and a checkpoint have also been established beyond the area.

So, only mountaineers who hold the formal climbing permits for the Everest summit can reach the actual campsite. In addition, eco buses are utilized to drive all the way to the monastery, and from there, we will have to get in the electric shuttle to reach the allocated EBC.

Our morning will start with catching the final glimpse of the shining Everest summit. Then, after breakfast, we will head west and drive along the road toward Western Tibet.

We will climb through the high mountain passes and arrive at the shore of Peiku Tso Lake (4590 m). The backdrop of Shishapangma will steal our hearts while Kyang (Tibetan wild asses), Tibetan antelopes, and cute Himalayan marmots can be seen calmly grazing around the green pasture of the lake.

We will leave the lake behind and head on the main road that will lead us north to Saga. We will cross a modern bridge spanning the Yarlung Tsangpo River and arrive in Saga for the night.

Today will be the longest driving day of our Lhasa Kailash tour itinerary. After we leave Saga, the smooth G219 National Highway beside the Brahmaputra River (Yarlung Tsangpo) will take us to the nomadic village of Old Dzongba.

On our way, we will also see the perfectly lying Dargyeling monastery before we reach the summer settlement of Paryang. A little further flows the Horchu River.

A  military checkpoint will examine our permits and registration, after which we will cross the high pass of Mayum La (5211 m). Gurla Mandhata/Naimonanyi Peak (7694 m) towers high above the horizon of the pass.

Next, we will descend from the pass and reach Lake Mansarovar within two hours. Here, we will see the diamond-shaped face of Mount Kailash for the first time.

We will continue further for another 35 to 45 minutes across the Barkha plain till we reach Darchen, which sits directly at the foot of Mount Kailash. From here, we will start the 3-day Parikrama of Kailash.

If you plan on hiring the local porter or yak to help carry you and your backpack, then let our guide know at once so he can arrange it at the registration office in advance.

Today, we will officially begin our foot pilgrimage around Kailash. From Darchen, we will drive west along the foot of the ridge and reach the Tarboche flagpole (4724 m).

Here, we can see a massive flagpole covered in thousands of prayer flags. This site is also called the Yama Dwara (Gate guarded by the Lord of Death according to Hinduism).

This is also the site where the famous annual Saga Dawa festival is celebrated. Here, the local porter and yak you have hired will meet you and follow you alongside the trek route around Kailash.

We will walk around the flagpole and follow the wide, gravelled, rugged path and pass by the traditional Tibetan Sky Cremation Site. Then, we will follow the Lha Chu River and pass by numerous small tea stops.

In clear weather, we can even look at the smooth west face of Kailash. Trekking further, we will cross a footbridge and arrive at Dirapuk, where Kailash reveals its north face.

Prepare to expect the rustic dormitory-styled guesthouse here for the night with no running water or heating.

Today presents the most challenging and physically demanding journey of our entire Lhasa Kailash tour. Today will also be most spiritual when we cross the legendary Dolma La Pass, the highest point of our Lhasa Kailash tour with Everest Base Camp.

From Dirapuk, we will continuously climb uphill through the Lha Chu Valley and pass by Jarok Donkhang. We will also pass Shiva Tsal Cemetery (5330 m), a sacred site covered with old clothing, shoes, and locks of hair left behind by pilgrims.

This act signifies your consent to leave your old life, sins, and ego behind so you can be reborn once you reach the top of the pass. After a few hours of steep climbing, we will finally reach the pass covered in a sea of thousands of colorful prayer flags.

This is the Green Tara or Dolma La Pass, also home of Goddess Tara. We will leave the pass and descend along the steep rocky path. On the right, we will see Gauri Kund (Thukje Chenpo Tso/5608 m), where, according to Hindu tradition, Goddess Parvati bathed.

We will then cross through the Axe of Karma, which completely cuts all our ties with our past Karma. Now the trail will flatten out into a gentle dirt trail that will guide us to Zutulpuk.

Here also, the accommodation arrangement will be pretty rustic, like in Dirapuk.

Today is the final day of the Kailash trek, which we will complete after we set out from Zutulpuk. Our path will gently follow the eastern ridge beside the river. Then, we will cross the narrow valley and descend into the Barkha plain.

Here, our vehicle will pick us up and drive us toward Darchen, thus marking the end of our pilgrimage around Kailash. We will now head south to reach Lake Mansarovar, which reflects the peak of Mount Gurla Mandhata.

Before we check in at our accommodation, we will engage in the traditional pilgrimage of the lake, which we can perform in a government vehicle or on foot.

Then we will spend our evening walking along its peaceful shoreline watching the sun setting over Kailash.

Early in the morning, we will engage in the spiritual ritual on the shore of Lake Mansarovar. We will perform prayers, collect holy water, and perform a symbolic cleansing ritual.

We will then jump in our vehicle and drive east along the broad and smooth G219 National Highway. We will once again drive back up the high Mayum La Pass and descend to the flat road.

We will then journey through wide Tibetan valleys and dry alpine grasslands. Once more, our journey will guide us over the Yarlung Tsangpo River bridge before we arrive at Saga for the night.

We will leave Saga after breakfast and head south. Traveling through the alpine terrain, we will soon see the transformation of the landscape. We will pass through the shores of Peiku Tso Lake and climb over the high mountain passes of Lalung La (5030 m) and Thong La (5153 m).

By early afternoon, we will arrive in Gyirong town, which serves as the Tibetan border before we reach Nepal.

Our Lhasa Kailash tour is now reaching its conclusion, and this day will take us back to Kathmandu, from where the journey started. After a short drive from Gyirong, we will reach the international border of China and Nepal.

After a farewell with our Tibetan companion, we will exit the Tibetan border and walk across the Sino-Nepal Friendship Bridge spanning the gorge.

We will then get to Rasuwagadhi, where we will step into the Nepal Immigration office. We will then meet our Nepali guide and driver waiting for us with a private vehicle.

The unpaved, bumpy road will continue for a few hours into the Langtang National Park. We will journey through Ghatte Khola, Timure, Syabrubesi, Dhunche and Rani Pauwa villages.

Now, Trishuli River will start to guide us towards Galchhi, where Prithvi Highway will lead our way to Kathmandu.