+91-9419333393
cwangdus@gmail.com
Do not hesitate to give us a call. We are an expert team and we are happy to talk to you.
+91-9419333393, +91-9469867272, +91-(0)1982- 255223
cwangdus@gmail.com
Duration: 24 days, 21 days in Tibet
Accommodations: Camping and 8 nights hotels
Grade: 8 days strenuous trekking
Mount Kailash, the holiest mountain to Tibetan Buddhists & Hindus, is the main source of four great rivers—the Indus, Brahmaputra, Sutlej, and Karnali. It is the ultimate pilgrimage site for Hindus and Buddhists. They believe that by devoutly circling the mountain on foot, they will be cleansed of all earthly sins and reach ultimate spiritual freedom. Our own pilgrimage to Kailash will begin with a few days in Lhasa to take in its wondrous sights. These include the legendary gold-roofed, thousand-room Potala Palace, among others. Then we head to Lake Manasarovar in Western Tibet. Lake Manasarovar is the sacred lake below Kailas. While Hindus take a ritual bath in its glacial water, a plunge for us is optional. Here we’ll trek a circuit of the lake, in preparation for the trek we’ll be doing around Mount Kailas. Next, it’s on to the holy mountain itself. Joining other nomads and pilgrims from as far away as India, we set off for the 32-mile circuit of the peak along the kora, the sacred circuit around Kailash. Just one circuit is said to erase the sins of a lifetime, 108 assures Nirvana. The most devout pilgrims circle the mountain in one day, but we’ll take our time and do it in four. Upon completion of the kora, we return to Lake Manasarovar, before beginning the long drive back to Lhasa.
NOTE:- All the itineraries can be customized to suit your own special interests, preferences, abilities, extension and reduction of numbers of days.
On your arrival, our representative will meet you and transfer you to hotel. You will meet with the guide in the afternoon for a briefing on the trek and trip. Hotel
Today we will visit Pashupatinath, the famous Hindu temple and cremation place by the Bakmati river and Durbar Square. Hotel
Transfer to the airport and fly to the Gongkar airport, located about 75 miles from Lhasa. Transfer to hotel for overnight. (B,L,D) Hotel
We will have two wonderful days in Lhasa to make excursions to the following places:
Bakor and The Jokhang—The Jokhang is the principal and holiest Buddhist temple in Lhasa, as well as all of Tibet. It is the focus of devotion of hundreds of Tibetans from near and far who circle it to gain spiritual merit. The Jokhang was first constructed in the 7th century and has a large gold image of Sakyamuni Buddha (Joho Rinpochey)
Sera and Drepung—the principal Monasteries. Sera, founded in 1419, is a monastery of the Gelugpa order. Drepung used to have 8,000 monks who were taught in the traditions of Vajrayana, Mahayana, and Sutrayana, the three vehicles of Tibetan Buddhism.
Potala Palace — The 13-story Potala Palace is reputed to contain 1,000 rooms and hundreds upon hundreds of brilliant thangkas, frescoes. These images were built in an era when religious art was created anonymously as a means of gaining merit for future lives. It’s one of the world’s most extraordinary buildings. It completely covers the mountain it stands upon. We will also visit the Barkor bazaar in Lhasa, a colorful congregating place for Tibetan merchants. (B,L,D) Hotel
We drive to Shigatse (12,792′), the second largest city in Tibet. Shigatse is known for its famous Tashilhunpo Monastery, founded by the first Dalai Lama and situated at the base of a hill on the edge of town. Tashilhunpo is the seat of the Panchen Lama, who is regarded as the reincarnation of the Buddha of endless enlightenment, and dates back to the 15th century. One of the most important religious centers of Central Tibet, Tashilhunpo contains a 26-meter-tall image of Buddha, Asia’s largest bronze Buddha. It also contains other important art works that include thangkas, frescoes, and statues. Pilgrims from the far corners of Tibet come to pay their homage. (B,L,D)…Hotel
We’ll spend the morning doing some sightseeing in Shigatse. Then we spend the next three days driving to the Lake Manasarovar, the sacred lake below Kailash. Its crystal clear waters are the highest body of fresh water on earth. (B,L,D) … camp
We will use these days to complete the circuit around the sacred lake of Manasarovar, visiting several temples along the way. The trail is flat, the water is crystal clear. We’ll see the icy flanks of Gurla Mandata (25,242′), the highest peak in Western Tibet. There will also be views of Mount Kailash. (B,L,D)…Camp
We drive to Darchen and start on Mount Kailash Kora, starting right from Darchen. We will take four days to make the circuit; hardy Tibetans do it in one day! Climb gently up to lunch at Chhuku Gompa, the first of the monasteries to be rebuilt after all were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Camp at Damding Donkhang (16,040′), offering good views of the west face of Kailash. (B,L,D)…Camp
As we cross a couple of streams on log bridges, the north face of Kailash comes into view. After lunch, we climb up a moraine. We then reach the meadows of Jarok Donkhang at about 17,100 feet.. (B,L,D)…Camp
We continue hike up to Shiva-Tsal (5297m/17,482ft), then up to the Dolma La (5595m/18,465ft), where a big boulder on the pass is covered with prayer flags, which represent the goddess Dolma. The pass is the physical and spiritual high point of the kora (circuit). We then hike down the valley to camp in the beautiful meadows of the Lham Chu Valley. (B,L,D)…Camp
We hike to the gompa at Zutulpuk (15,711′). Here the Buddhist saint Milarepa lived, meditated, and performed miracles such as raising the roof of the cave to make it more comfortable. We’ll leave the river valley and hike on the plain to the last prostration station at 15,120′. We then continue another 2 hours to the end of the trail. We meet the vehicles and drive to Lake Manasarovar. (B,L,D)…Camp
We will spend the next four days driving to Lhasa along the flanks of the Himalaya. (B,L,D) day…Camps, lodge, and hotel
Transfer to the Gongkar airport, about two hours from Lhasa, fly to Kathmandu, Hotel
Visa to Tibet
Visas
China
Nearly all nationalities require a visa to enter China, which must be obtained prior to departure. The Chinese authorities now require a letter from Higher Himalaya, confirming all your accommodation details. Along with this, you need to supply a copy of your flight details, which are on your invoice if you have booked directly through Exodus. For further information see here It is also essential that we have a clear copy of the details page of your passport. This is required to book certain ground services in China and we cannot confirm your details with our local partners until it has been received. This must be emailed as an electronic scan to us a minimum of 8 weeks prior to your trip.
IMPORTANT: Please note that as of the 1st November 2018, all visa applicants aged between 14 and 70 will need to visit one of the Chinese Visa Application Service Centres (appointment required) where biometric data will be taken as part of the visa application process.
Vaccinations
China
There are no mandatory vaccination requirements. Recommended vaccinations are: Polio, Tetanus, Diphtheria, Typhoid, Hepatitis A. The risk of malaria is slight but you may wish to consult your GP or travel health clinic for further advice.
Eating and Drinking
All breakfasts, 6 lunches and 6 dinners are included. Food is cheap in China and you can avoid the spicier regional food if you wish. The cuisine on this trip is fantastically varied with lots of new flavours and ‘things’ to try.
Gastronomically the trip can be divided into two parts: ‘tourist hotels’ and ‘local hotels’. In tourist hotels the breakfast is normally a buffet, with a huge spread of Chinese and western food, including coffee, juice, breads, cakes, fruit, eggs, bacon and a wide variety of noodle and stir fried dishes. Dinners are normally taken in the hotel or local restaurants, serving rice with assorted vegetables, pork, fish, chicken and duck dishes with flavours roughly approximating those you would find in a Chinese restaurant in the UK. In the local hotels, breakfast includes rice porridge, dumplings, eggs, noodles, etc, however, we tend to augment this with fruit and cakes where available. Dinners are taken in local restaurants where the food is heavily flavoured with ginger, garlic bamboo shoots and chilli. Lunches are taken in local village restaurants and will normally consist of noodle soup or stir fried vegetable noodles. Expect an audience most lunches as the locals crowd around to watch the ‘big noses’ trying to master the use of chopsticks!
Vegetarians are well catered for but please inform us before departure of any special dietary requests. Please note that in China the availability of certain specialized products for restricted diets, e.g. gluten-free or dairy-free, is minimal or non-existent and we strongly recommend you bring these specialized dietary items from home. Strict vegetarians may find the diet rather limited to stir fried vegetables and eggs as all the soups are made with meat stock.
Weather
The weather chart for lahasa shows average temperatures only. Please refer to the paragraph below for further details of the temperature range. Generally the weather is good in tibet during the summer time, with warm to very hot sunny days (up to 30ºC/35ºC +) with cooler nights depending on the altitude. There is, however, the possibility of rain, and you should be prepared for this. The sun is very strong at these altitudes and some of the days on trek can be extremely hot so we often start walking quite early to avoid the heat in summer. Please bring plenty of lightweight clothes for the trek and plenty of sun protection.
Tibet , though technically part of the Tibetan plateau and classified as a high altitude desert, can and does occasionally experience the effects of the india monsoon. Although the departures are timed to coincide when the weather is normally good, you should remember that in any mountain area the weather is never wholly predictable and you should be prepared and equipped to deal with any differences in weather beyond the conditions described above.
