Kailash Tour - 16 days

Day 01 Arrive in Chengdu

Upon arrival in Chengdu, you will be met and transferred to hotel.

Day 02 Chengdu - Lhasa

A mid - morning flight from Chengdu will take you over the Himalaya to Lhasa, the exciting capital of Tibet. You will be met at the airport by a representative of Third Eye Travel in Lhasa and transferred to hotel, where rooms have been booked for you. Evening free.

Day 03 Lhasa

Today will be spent exploring palaces. First on your list will be the Potala Palace. The palace of the Dalai Lama a treasure of Tibetan culture was, till 1965, the seat of both religion and politics in Tibet and quite possibly, the singularly most important building in all Tibet. It was built in the seventh century by Tsongtsen Gampo as a fort and later renovated by the fifth Dalai Lama in the seventeenth century to its present specifications. Your next stop will be Norbulingkha the winter palace of the Dalai Lama which was built in the eighteenth century.

Day 04 Lhasa

Today you will visit the Drepung monastery. This is the largest monastery in the world and once housed 10,000 monks and nuns. It was built in 1419 and the second , third and fourth Dalai Lamas lived and were entombed here. A visit to the kitchen of this monastery is a must. Look out for the washing machine in which the monks mix their butter tea! Your next stop will be the Jokhang Temple. This is the holiest shrine in Tibet and houses a golden statue of the Buddha which was brought to Tibet by the Chinese princess “Wen Chen”. You then stop off at Barkhor Bazaar outside the Jokhang monastery. This is a bustling flea market and is, generally, the place to buy souvenirs and meet other tourists.

Day 05 Lhasa – Gyangtse - Shigatse 

An early morning start from Lhasa and a 259 km drive will get you to Gyantse via Yamdrok Tso or the “Turquoise Lake”. Sightseeing tour of Gyangtse and a short drive of 95 km will see you at Xigatse at an elevation of 3810 m. Xigatse is the second largest city in Tibet and the capital of the province of Tsang. The rulers of this province had domonion over all of Tibet prior to 1642 AD. At Xigatse you will visit Tashilunpo Monastery which is the seat of the Panchen Lama who is second in spiritual importance only to the Dalai Lama. The monastery was built in 1447 by Gendun Drup and once housed upward of 3400 monks. Of particular interest at Tashilunpo is a nine story gilded statue of Maitreya - the “Future Buddha”.

Day 06 Shigatse – Saga

Drive to Lhatze, and continue to Saga. Overnight.

Day 07 Saga - Mansarovar

From Saga you will head west along the left bank of Matsend Tsangpo river through the villages of Shue and then to Paryang. (4540m.).

Continue the drive towards west to Samsang and then to Mayum La (5151 m). Continue to Mansarovar ( 4700m). Camp.

Day 08 Mansarovar 

Rest day or explore around the lake which Hindus believe, was created by Brahma ( the Hindu creator deity) as a reflection of the depth of his soul. D

Day 09 Mansarovar – Darchen - Dirphuk

From the Lake drive north to Darchen, the base of the Mt. Kailash. Start trek by heading west you climb up to a series of prayer flags at 4730 m. from where you should have great views of Mt. Kailash. Then head north through Darboche, Shersong, the rebuilt Chukku Gompa and Damding Donkhang and Dirphuk (4890 m) and overnight at Lodge.

Day 10 Dirphuk-Puk Gompa

Climb through a moraine to a meadow at 5210 m. and then past rock cairns to emerge at Dolma La at 5640 m. highest point of the trip. From the pass descend via Gauri Kunda to the La Chukkir Valley at 5150 m. where you should look out for the foot prints which, pilgrims believe belonged to the Buddha. Descend further along a long, gentle path to Zuthuk –Puk Gompa (4790 m). There is a cave in which the saint Milarepa is said to have meditated.

Day 11 Puk Gompa - Darchen

Trek along the Zhong Chu river to a bridge, cross it and climb a little before descending to 4610 m. from where you will have good views of Mansarovar Lake. A short trek through Mani walls will lead you back to Darchen. Overnight at Lodge

Day 12 Darchen - Saga 

Continue to Saga. Overnight at Lodge.

Day 13 Saga- Nylam 

Drive to Nylam. Lodge.

Day 14 Nylam - Bhaktapur

From Nylam drive down to Zhangmu which is a bustling trading town near the Nepalese border, go through immigration and continue to Kodari, border between Tibet and Nepal. A representative of Himalayan Journeys will meet you a Kodari, on the Nepalese side of the border across the Friendship Bridge. You will board the waiting vehicle and drive to Bhaktapur. Ovenright in Bhaktapur.

Day 15 Bhaktapur – Kathmandu

Breakfast. Morning tour of Bhaktapur, also know as Bhadgaon. The tour visits: Durbar Square, the main palace square of the city containing many temples and other architectural showpieces, including the Golden Gate, described as the finest piece of art in the Kingdom. Nyatapola Temple, The five-storied pagoda style temple built in 1708 AD. the largest and the most famous example of Nepalese pagoda architecture. Dattatraya Temple, a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva built in 1427 AD. Nearby is the monastery with exquisitely carved windows, which now serves as the National Works Museum. Drive 18 KM further to Kathmandu. Overnight in Kathmandu.

Day 16 Kathmandu

Breakfast Today you have the full day sightseeing tour of various temples and monasteries which include Pasupatinath : Situated near the banks of sacred Bagmati River the temple of lord Siva-Pasupatinath with two tiered golden roof and silver doors is famous for its superb Newari architecture. Baudhanath : This colossal and ancient Stupa, one of Nepal’s most unique monument and said to be the world biggest, attracts Nepalese pilgrimage of Tibetan stock from as far as Dolpo and Mugu as well as Tibet, Ladhak in India and Bhutan. Patan is also know as Lalitpur.“Lalitpur” literally the city of fine arts is perhaps a living museum as she still retains her medieval air of the ancient times and almost half the inner city residents are craftsmen in their own right. Patan was one of the major Buddhist cities in Asia by the 7th century as pilgrims, scholars and monks from India, Tibet and China visited the city. It is said that at one stage the entire population of Patan city was comprised of monks and craftsmen only. The city is full of Hindu Temples, Buddhist monuments and structures with bronze gateways, guardian deities and wonderful Metal and wood carvings

Day 17 Kathmandu - Departure.

Transfer to airpot and fly out.

***End of the Tour***