Lhasa Everest Kailash Guge Group Tour

Our staff will greet you at Lhasa Airport/Railway Station to transfer you to the hotel. From Lhasa Airport to downtown Lhasa, it usually takes about one hour; from Lhasa Railway Station, about 20 minutes. After being transferred to the hotel, you will be free for the rest of the day to wander around the city on your own but try not to overtax yourself. Your good rest on the first day is crucial to acclimatize to the high altitude. Remember to drink lots of water, eat light, and avoid strenuous activities. As the capital city, Lhasa is the political, economic, cultural, communication and tourism center of Tibet with a history of over 1,300 years.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

After breakfast in the hotel, the tour guide will take you to Drepung Monastery, the biggest Tibetan monastery that housed more than 10,000 monks in the past. Drepung means Rice Heap in the Tibetan language. The entire monastery is large in scale and the white buildings cluster and cover the hillsides. It's the highest-ranking monastery in the Gelug Sect.

In the afternoon you will first visit the Tibet Museum. Here you can see life scenes, exquisite clothing, house architecture, and festival customs, etc. to explore the special and mysterious Tibetan customs. Then you will visit Norbulingka, which is a typical Tibetan-style royal garden, the summer resort of the Dalai Lama.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

• Meals:
• Breakfast

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Today, you will visit the most famous Potala Palace, which is the cardinal landmark of Tibet and the masterpiece of Tibetan architecture. Potala Palace was the winter palace of successive Dalai lamas. It was built by the 33rd great king of Tibet - Songtsen Gangpo in the 7th Century. The most valuable collections of Potala Palace are the gilded burial stupas of former Dalai Lamas and the meditation Cave of the 33rd great king of Tibet. 

At noon, the tour guide will bring you to a good restaurant to have lunch and have a rest. In the afternoon, you will go to visit Jokhang Temple in the center of the Lhasa old town. Jokhang Temple is the most sacred temple in Tibet and it is always bustling with earnest local pilgrims since the early days. After that, you will take a walk around the Barkhor Street - one of the most devotional circuits as well as a crowded central market of Lhasa. Barkhor Street is a very ancient round street surrounding the Jokhang Temple and the locals are always proud of it. As a symbol of Lhasa, it‘s also a must-see place for visitors.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

• Meals:
• Breakfast

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We will pass by Kampala Pass (4,790m) on the way from Lhasa to Shigatse and visit Yamdrok Lake, one of the three holy lakes in Tibet. Standing at the lakeside, you can see its blue water shimmering with charming light, as well as the snow-capped holy Mount Nyenchen Khangsar (7,191m) in the distance.  

Next we will pass and enjoy the Karola Glacier on the roadside. It is about 300m from the main highway on your way to Gyantse.

Then visit the main monastery in Gyantse - Pelkor Chode Monastery, famous for its exquisite architecture and intact murals and statues.

Stay overnight in Shigatse

• Meals:
• Breakfast

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In the morning, you will leave Shigatse for Lhatse, a small town located 150 km from Shigatse, and you may have lunch in the local restaurant. After a short rest, you will go ahead to Tingri. You will pass through Gyatsola Pass (5,248m), with countless prayer flags flying in the wind. Here you can also hang your prayer flags and spread Longda, letting the wind carry your blessings to heaven. Afterward, you will keep ascending to Gawula Pass (5,198m), where you can enjoy the panorama of the Himalayas. Then you will drive along the zigzag road to the Everest Base Camp (5,200m) to stay overnight. You can see the glorious Everest sunset if the weather is good.

Stay overnight in Nomad Tent (Dorm Bed) / Guesthouse

• Meals:
• Breakfast

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You can get up early and enjoy the sunrise of Everest Peak if the weather is good. After that, you will go to the Rongbuk Monastery, which is the highest monastery in the world. Then drive to Saga, on the way, you can view the worlds’ 14th-highest peak Mt.Shishapangma (8,012m). Later, you will have a far view of the huge sapphire-like Lake Peikutso (4,590m) beneath the Shishpangma peaks, and finally arrive in Saga (4,600m). If you are lucky enough, you are very likely to see wild animals like the wild donkey, wild antelope, etc.

Stay overnight in Saga, Guesthouse

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Today, you will spend a lot of time on the way, but it’s worth seeing the landscape along the way.You’ll have stunning views of the great Himalayas to the south and Trans-Himalayan to the north as we drive across the vast plains. This region is home to nomads, you’ll see the beautiful grassland and local's villages. As we cross the Mayomla Pass (5,112m), you can enjoy the spectacular vista of Mt. Naimonanyi (7,694m).

During this thrilling journey, you’ll pass by sand dunes, mountains, and sandstone valleys before we reach the Darchen (4,560m), a small nomadic village and an important launch point for pilgrimages around Mt. Kailash. Upon your arrival, you can explore the Darchen town on your own. If you need porters and yaks, your tour guide will arrange it for you this afternoon.

Stay overnight in Darchen

In the morning, you will take an eco-bus (included in the cost) to Sarshung Valley and start the Mt. Kailash trek from there. Then you will meet your porters and yaks at Sarshung Valley (the cost of hiring yaks, horses, and porters is not included in the package). You’ll trek about 15 km from Sarshung Valley to Drirapuk Monastery (4,700m) along the Lachu River Valleys. During your trekking today, you can see both the west and north face of Mt.Kailash. Finally, you will visit Drirapuk Monastery and stay overnight here.

Stay overnight in Guesthouse, Dorm Bed

Today is the most challenging day of the trekking, you’ll climb over the highest pass of the Kailash Kora, the Dromala pass (5,630m). After a short rest at the top, we will climb down into the long valley and stop for lunch at the Shabjay Dakpo nomadic tent. On the way, you can have a rest in a teahouse. Then you will continue to the Zultulpuk (4,790m), built by two important religious figures, Milarepa and Naro Bonchung. At last, you will visit Zutulpuk Monastery. You will find the footprint and handprint of Milarepa inside the cave. 

Stay overnight in Guesthouse, Dorm Bed

It's an easy day of the trek. You'll trek 9km to complete the Kora then take the eco bus back to Darchen. According to Buddhism theory, doing a kora around a holy mountain for one circle can get rid of the sins and miseries for the whole life. Only after going through lots of hardships, you can feel the happiness and gratification brought by kora. Then you take the shuttle bus back to Darchen, about 3km. And you are going back to the town and taking a break in the afternoon.

Stay overnight in Darchen

Today you will drive from Darchen to Zanda. It takes about 5 hours by car, yet the distance is only about 243 kilometers. And then it takes a long way of winding up and down along fantastically eroded gorges and gullies.

At about 5 pm, you will arrive in the Guge Kingdom to explore the ruins of the lost civilization under the sunset. It's a famous kingdom in the history of Tibet and created a very glorious history in the Ngari region, as well as a splendid culture in the "second propagation of Buddhism". It was not only the continuation of the Tubo lineage but it's also believed to have inherited the legacy of the Xiangxiong Kingdom in ancient times. Remote location, magical clay forest land and splendid civilization have made these ruins become an important part of western Tibet tourism.

Stay overnight in Zanda

Zanda (3,760m), Zhada or Tsamda, is the bland, one-street town that has been built up alongside Thöling Monastery. You will visit the Monastery in the morning, and then drive backward. The 122km from Zanda to Ba'er is full of gorges and ravines. Another 50km stretches from there to the Mincer, where the road branches north. After a 65 kilometers long paved road, you will return to Darchen. Alternatively, you can choose to enjoy bathing and stay overnight in Tirthapuri Hot Spring but the cost is not included in the tour cost. the cost is not included in the tour cost.

Stay overnight in Darchen

Today we're driving back to Zhongba via Lake Manasarovar. As one of the three holy lakes in Tibet, it is said that Manasarovar Lake is the holiest one. The sacred water can wash away the troubles and obstacles in the soul. You may take a leisurely kora around the Manasarovar, meditate beside the tranquil lake, or even take a holy dip, etc.

Stay overnight in Zhongba

Today we will drive from Zhongba to Lhatse. Although there is no famous scenic spot on the way, the scenery is endless. On the way, you will see a lot of unnamed lakes and rivers, cross 7 high mountain passes, and experience different weather. You will see natural scenery, rural cattle and sheep, wild animals, and unknown purple flowers all over the mountains all the way.

If any group members would like to continue to Kathmandu, we will send them off at the Gyirong border. Therefore you'll have a chance to explore the Gyriong Valley, called the backyard of the Himalayan Mountains.

Stay overnight in Lhatse

On the way back to Shigatse, if the time that day is enough, you can go to visit Sakya Monastery. There is a famous Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Sakya County - Sakya Monastery, the main monastery of Sakyapa. It was built in the 1360s. The walls around this monastery were mainly gray, but the top part of the walls was painted in red and white stripes. That’s why Sakyapa is also called Variegated Buddhism. There are many cultural relics such as seals, Buddha statues, a large collection of books, exquisite murals, etc. The murals of the Yuan Dynasty are the most distinctive, which makes Sakya Monastery known as the "second Dunhuang".

Stay overnight in Shigatse

In Shigatse, we will visit Tashilhunpo Monastery - the home of Panchen Lama. It was founded by the 1st Dalai Lama in 1447 and is a historic and culturally important monastery in Shigatse. It's located on the central hill of the city, the full name in Tibetan of the monastery means "all fortune and happiness gathered here" or "heap of glory". Drive back to Lhasa from Shigatse along the Friendship Highway, the northern route to Lhasa. On the way, you’ll see the Yarlung Tsangpo Valley.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Today your guide and driver will escort you to the airport or railway station for your next destination. Before your departure, we would appreciate it if you could spend a few minutes evaluating our services either by filling out the feedback form or simply sending us an email when you get back home. Your whole trip has officially ended.