Mt.Kailash& Lake Manasarovar with Guge Kingdom 21 day tour

Tour Code: TTK-003
Tour Catalog: Private Tour
Trip Length: 22 days
Route Feature:Ih this 21 days tour,there are too many beautiful things for us to enumerate,such as:Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Market,Drepung Monastery,Sera Monastery,Gyantse Kumpum ,Tashilunpo Monastery,Sakya Monastery ,and you even can do a trekking from Rongphu to E.B.C.Visit Rongphu Monastery,then take the way to the Lake Manasarovar to see the Dira-puk Monastery,Zutul-puk Monastery as well as the old royal ruins--Guge Kingdom.In a word,this tour covers nearly all the beaytiful things in Tibet,you can never lose this golden chance.

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Day 1By air or trains from mainland into lhasa or from nepal side(katmandu)

Our agency tour guide will pick you up from lhasa gongkar airport or from lhasa train station to yours reserved hotel.you can relax in the hotel and can refer to books that you have bring along with you for yours trip. If you have any doubt or question, you can ask to your tour guide to fix your next day’s trip.

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Day 2Visiting famous potala, bhakor and jokhang

Detailed Itinerary: Morning section to visit the famous potala palace, which is situated on the marpori(red hill) and is abode of boddhisattva of compassion, Avalokiteshvara. The potala palace is divided into two parts, white and red palace is about 119m tall.the red palace had 13 storeys, golden tomb from fifth to thirteenth dalai lama. Songtsen gonpo’s meditation cave is situated in white palace is oldest chamber in the history of whole potala palace. Afternoon section visiting to Johkang temple, built during songtsen gonpo’s reign by princess wencheng of tang dynasty. The most interesting thing in jokhang is the sacred goat head in the Jampa chapel which is believe to ‘self-arisen’ ie not man made. The inner circuit is also situated inside the temple and is lined with prayer-wheel and murals outlined in gold on red background, which depict the thousand buddhas, interspersed with stupas and relief-images. Then continued to explore the famous barkhore street which is like core of the lhasa city and you can seen different attracting things there. The famous thangkas and culturally important things like dorjee(thunderbolt), drums, chupa(tibetan dress) are all available in barkhor street there.

Day 3Redicovering drepung monastery and Sera monastery

Drepung monastery is situated at the foothill of a mountain and was founded by Jamyang Choeje in 1416. the monastery is divided into two different colleges that is drepung loselling and drepung gomang college. The Ganden podrang is famous among them as it is the government centre during fifth dalai lama and later moved to the famous potala palace during fifth dalai lama. By the time you can also the Nechung monastery located 1km southeast of Drepung and is the abode of the protector deity pehar and the seat of the state Oracle of Tibet. the two main protector inside the monastery is that of Nechung choegyal and Palden lhamo.
In the afternoon exploring the Sera monastery which was founded in 1419 by Tsongkapa’s disciple Jamchen Choeje. The whole monastery is divided into two colleges and there are Sera ‘jhe’ and Sera ‘may’ respectively. Among them “Tsokhang chenmo” where the monks from all the colleges assemble and pray together there.you can also see monks debaiting there in the courtyard at around 6-7:30 in the afternoon section.Note: if you don’t feel tired, you can try for the khora(circumambling around) Drepung and sera monastery.Your tour guide and driver will drop you back to your hotel.

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Day 4Serving a free day to client for more understanding on lhasa

One day is serving free for you for more inderstanding on lhasa city. There are so many interesting things that you shouldnot miss around lhasa city. Some of them are Lingkhor-is the most interesting section of the city’s main pilgrimage circuit.It’s best walked in the morning, you’ll be joined by hundreds of Tibetan pilgrims. The hardest part of this walk is finding the starting point. The starting point is the completion point of this walk. In one complete lingkhor,you have made round to three most important “JOWOE”,the three precious statues ie Sakyamuni in jokhang, Mugyur dorjee in Ramoche and thukje chemo in Potala palace.

Day 5Moving towardsGyantse

It is better to leave early in the morning and in about one and half hourway, there is a county called “chushor”quxu in chinese where have to move towards the lhokha(shannan) prefecture. A few kilometers from chushor is famous pass kangpa-la with4700m.from the top of the pass in clear weather, you can see the fabulous shade of deep torquoise. Yamdrok-yutso is shaped like coiling scorpion with deep blue in colour. Far in the distance is the huge massif of mount Nanchan kangtsang(7191m). just a few kilometrers driving through the shore of lake yamdrok-yutso reches Nangartse county and is the largest town on the lake side and popular stop for the night. Leaving yamdrok-tso is a spectacular as arrriving, since you have to cross the 4960m karo-la with its awesome roadside views of the Nanchan- Kangtsang glacier. It was here that Younghusband’s british troops clashed with tibetan forces en route to lhasa.then reached to our day’s final destination Gyantse. Relax a night in hotel.

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Day 6Gyantse to Shigatse

Actually it is about four hours drive way but now a days it is not possible to reach shigatse in four hours through land cruiser because there are so many traffic checking points on the way to shigatse to control the over speed on high way. So it is better to set off early in the morning and also you can visit tashi lhunpo monastery more freely. It is plan to rest a night there in shigatse.

Day 7Shigatse to Sang-Sang

The day’s journey could be little tough as is about eight hours driving. There is a check-point about 6km after leaving lhatse and from this point the road is divided into two parts as one towards the Ali prefecture and one towards the mount Everest and Dham (border between Tibet and nepal.) But you are moving towards north west side of Lhatse onto a dirty rough road where the kilometer marker at the start of this route is 2141. through this journey, you can discover many scattered tibetan villages on the sides of road and also you can meet up with beautiful lakes, canyons and rivers through the way to sang-sang. The photogenic Langtso(ox lake) is along the way with one hours from lhatse and then the road will climbs up to the Ngamring-la which is 4500m above the sea level. The road passes through small town of Kaga, next to Ngamring-tso where food and accommodation is available. After passing about ten kilometers from Kaga, you will be behind the agricultural fields. Your day’s final destination is sang-sang which is about 122 km from lhatse with a couples of very basic restaurants,truck-stop guest houses. Spend a night there in Sang-sang.

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Day 8Sang-sang to baryang

After climbing a couple of passes, you will reach a tiny settlement of RAKA with 4900m and is about 120km from Sang-sang and 6 km before the junction of the northern and southern routes.. then it is another 60km to saga. then you are moving towards the Drongpa county, the region around the sources of Brahmaputra river,which is about 167km from the sagar town.then you will reached a tiny dusty on the main road with a couple of basic guest houses, restaurants and a small monastery called “old Drongpa” Around the monastery you can see a pile of yak heads which is carved with “sutras”and “mantras” like “OM MA NI PAD MEY HUM” which is mantra of god of compassion. And new Drongpa is a small town with a couple of shops, hotels and restaurant is about 25km apart from the old drongpa.then forward towards the Baryang with 4750m above sea level. It is better to pass a night here, as many groups spend a night in Baryang on the way to mount Kailash as none want to spend a night here in on the return.

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Day 9Baryang to mount kailash

The route is a pleasant about four-hour drive, passing through yellow steppe with snowcapped Himalayan peaks off to the south when the weather is clear.there’s a check-point along the way,where you must show your passport and permits. Then MAYUM-LA PASS(5216m) which is the frointer between west tibet(shigatse prefecture) and far west tibet(ali). On the way you can see and experience the life of nomads and see the beatiful grass land of far west tibet. Magical mount Kailash comes into view approximately 90km after the Mayum-la just before the town of HOR QU. You can stay a night in horqu or you can camp at the beautiful lake shore.note: you have to buy entry ticket for the Manasarovar lake about 80Y per ticket and also have to pay about 20y per night in the lake shore.

Day 10Spending a day around Manasarovar lake and can enjoy the cool breeze

You can relax around the lake shore and experience the natural beauty of the lake. In the summer time, flocks of swans will gather on the lake, bringing grace and life to the area. You can also seen so many tibetans and hindus praying and circuling around the lake shore for the whole day. you can see snow capped mountains on the background and hundreds of swans gether on the lake will attacks hundreds of thousand to tourist from all over the world.

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Day 11Entering into Darchen for yours final preperation

The entry fee for mount kailash is 80Y per person and here you need to register your passsports,permit and the itinerary at the police station on west side of darchen. Darchen is the starting and completion point for the general circuit of the sacred mountain. It is wise to spend at least a day acclimatising and making final preperations. Overnight in Darchen.

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Day 12Trek day one(Outer circuit), Darchen to Drirapuk 11km

Triditionallya pilgrim undertakes 52 km trekking circuit around mount kailash commencing at darchen(4574m) and crossing the Dolma-la pass on the second day of the three day walk.Darchen is the starting and completion point for the general circuit of the sacred mount. A few kilometers after leaving Darchen, there is a valley called “sarshung” where porters are waiting for their client. They will help the client to take every necessary things on yaks and horses. After two hours, you came upon a grassy plain with populated by nomads. there you can refresh yourself in nomadic tent by drinking some soft drinks there. For this turn in the valley it is another two hours at least before reaching Drirapuk(4920m). You need to camp or can rest in monastery’s guest house made from cement with little bit good facilities than others in Drirapuk. At the opposite side of Drirapuk, there you can see small monastery with its guest house little bit cleaner than others.

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Day 13Trek day two, Drirapuk to Dzultripuk 22km

Day two: The second day is the hardest and most tough circuit with the Dolma-la pass lies 6.4km ahead but 762m above Drirapuk. The peak of Dolma-la pass is about 5630m above sea level, so it is better to set off early in the morning as the sun’s rays break over the ridges above.
After taking a rest on the peak of Dolma-la pass, you will decending staircase brings you to Lhachu valley floor, about onehour from the pass. From here it is still four hours trekking to the day’s final destination with no shelters in between. It is better to walk on the rightside of the river and finally reached to Dzultripuk(miracle cave of milarepa). It is advised you to get there before than other groups because of limitted number of rooms available there in Dzultripuk. Take a good rest in the guest room and prepare for next mornings departure.

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Day 14Trek day three- Dzultripuk to darchen – 11km

The tour guide will arrange yours time and ask he/she to visit the caves and visit the tmple and shrines that has been built around Milarepa’s cave. The walk back to Darchen is easy and the exit from the valley can be reached within three short hours. At the ending point of valley, the drivers will come to pick you and take you back to Darchen.

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Day 15Darchen to zanda thoiling monastery

It is about an eight hours drive from Darchen to zanda, though the distance is only about 243km from darchen. After several hours of zigzagging down and up fantastically eroded gorges and gullies, enters to wider Sutlej Valley and after crossing a bridge, finally reaches Zanda.Tsamda county is the current name for the region and was known as Guge kingdom. And the county capital is located at Toling. Toling monastery, founded by Richen zangpo in the 10th century, was once Ngari’s most important monastic complex.
It was due to the influence Richen Zangpo that Toling became the main religious centre of Guge kingdom after inviting of the great indian master ATISHA. The kings of GUGE replaced the city as a political centre of power by establishing capital slightly closer to the Indo-tibetan trade routes. But the monastery is still important cultural heritage of Ngari.

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Day 16Zanda to Tsaparang

Tsaparang is 26km from west of Zanda and it is best to leave before sunrise.Exploring this vast ruins takes all day. In the lower reaches of the city there are four main Temples. The wall paintings and statues display some of the earliest examples of Tantric Buddhist art in existence.