Days: 1: Arrive at Tribhuwan International Airport Kathmandu
After arriving in Kathmandu, a representative from Nepal New Generation will pick us up from the airport and take us to our hotel. In the afternoon, we may take a rest or visit Nepal New Generation’s office. In the evening, there will be a welcome dinner hosted by Nepal New Generation. For dinner, you will be served authentic Nepalese cuisine which will introduce you to the country’s food culture. Overnight in Kathmandu. Included meals:Dinne
Days: 2: Obtain Chinese Visa and Kathmandu Valley Sightseeing Tour
your sightseeing trip to the Kathmandu Valley. Get ready with your breakfast. Our representative will be in a private vehicle outside your Hotel for your day’s visit. The drive from your Hotel is towards Kathmandu Durbar Square. If you stay in Thamel’s Hotel, it will take 10-15 minutes to get to Kathmandu Durbar Square, depending on traffic conditions. Our guide will briefly explain each of the monuments and the historical significance of Kathmandu Durbar Square as you start visiting there. The drive moves towards Swayambhunath from Kathmandu Durbar Square. It is a 10-15 minute drive from Kathmandu Durbar Square to reach Sawambhunath. At Sawambhunath, travelers can appreciate the 360-degree view of Kathmandu Valley and feel the spiritual ambiance of the temple. The drive moves Boudhanath from Swayambhunath temple. It takes 25-30 minutes to get to Boudhanath stupa from Sawambhunath temple. You will find the same atmosphere and practices at Boudhanath as you saw at Sawambhunath, as both are prominent Buddhist religious sites. Visitors can participate in stupa Circumambulation by spinning prayer wheels at Boudhanath and can appreciate the view of the Stupa while having a delicious meal at the rooftop restaurant.
Days: 3 Drive Kathmandu (1300m) – kyirong border (2300m), 200km, 7 hours
Drive 150km towards northeast with a nice scenic view, you will get to the Nepal –Tibet border town of Kodari. Once you cross the border, our Tibetan guide and driver will be waiting for you at the border and take you to the town of Kyirong. Kyirong is located in the Kyirong Tsangpo River side in a beautiful green valley in the Himalayan ranges, There are spectacular forests, waterfalls, pastures on the both sides of the border. Stay in a hotel in Kyirong.
Days: 4 Kyirong town to Kyirong County (3950m), 70km, 2 hours.
First we will move from the border to a bigger town of Kyirong via Pakpa Lhakang temple (if time allows). We will stay in Kyirong today to acclimatize altitude for the coming highland road trip. Kyirong is one of the four counties in Tibet which consists of Everest National Preserve. Kyirong is also one of the favorite meditation place for many famous scholars including Indian Master Atisha, Tibetan Yogi Master Milarepa. Milarepa’s folk songs are still singing in the region today. We will do some small hikes around Kyirong to prepare for Kailash Kora, visit Milarepa Monastery in Kyirong and Guru Rinpoche cave. Overnight in Kyirong.
Days: 5 Kyirong – Peikutso Lake – Saga (4450m), 150 km, 4 hours
Driving up towards some of the most remote region in Tibet. Along the way, you will pass through some of the nomads camps with their yaks and sheep herders around the lake Peikutso (4450m) as well as enjoy great views of some of the tallest mountains in the world such as , Mt.Shishapangma(8013m). We will also cross the world famous River Brahmaputra ( “Yarlung Tsangpo” in Tibetan ) to reach Saga (4600m). Overnight in a guesthouse in Saga.
Days: 6 Saga – Paryang (4700 m) – Darchen (4575m)
Drive through a wide valley along a scenic river and look out on the grazing lands of yaks and sheep. Towards the south, you can see sand dunes, rocky mountains, and snow-capped peaks. Depending on the season, nomads and other mobile shopkeepers will be attired in beautiful traditional costume. Join them for a cup of hot tea in their home. Continue to drive West. In the late afternoon, you will catch your first sight of Holy Lake Manasarovar and Mt. Kailash. Spend the night at Darchen where you can enjoy a close-up view of Kailash at any point in this one-street town.
Days: 7 Darchen – Tirthapuri – Zhada
In the morning, we drive west about 70km to Tirthapuri. Tirthapuri is said to be the gate of Mt. Kailash and many pilgrims visit Tirthapuri first and then make the Kailash Kora. Tirthapuri, located on the Sutlej River just above the Tirthaburi hotspring, is famous for being the meditation site of Padmasambhava and his consort and student Yeshi Tsogyel. It was a pure meditation cave site 13 years ago, but later two Buddhist temples were built there. If you make a circumambulation around the monastery, you will see some other mediation caves and stupas scattering on the mountain slope. Afterwards, walk down to the river side and enjoy a natural hotspring. You can join local pilgrims to take a dip at the end of hotspring (Do not was feet at the upstream of hotspring). After that we continue drive west to Zhada or Tsapang. On the way, you will see stunning clay landscape in the wide valley. Overnight in Zhada or Tsaparang.
Days: 8 Zhada – Toling – Guge Kingdom – Zhada / Tsaparang(3630m)
Today, first we visit Toling Monastery at the end of the town. The Toling Monastery consists of two main temples and several other ruins of ancient stupas. Tholing Monastery which is built by Great Tibetan translator Rinchen Zangpo at the beginning of the 10th century. These Buddhist temples became the religious center of the Guge Kingdom. Once you are there, do not miss a small back door which will lead you to the riverside where you can see ancient Toling Monastery and stupa of Padmasambhava. Afterwards, Drive 250km further west to Guge Kingdom. On the way, we will first drive through colorful mountains and then into the world of white clay land formations. Once we arrive in Guge Kingdom, we will have a whole afternoon to explore the ruins of this ancient kingdom dated back to the 10th century. There are four main temples in the lower reaches of the city, where you can see wall paintings and statues display. Some of them are of the earliest examples of Tantric Buddhist art. Above these temples, you can find the citadel of the kings. After visiting this historical site. We drive back to Zhada or homestay in the Tsaparang village.
Days: 9 Zhada – Dongkar/ Piyang – back to Darchen
Today, we will drive back to Darchen, on the way, make a detour to visit one of the ruins of oldest cave temples in Tibet. The Dongkar Piyang site is about 60km from Zanda, located north from Toling at the small village of Dungkar and about 3 km away from Dungkar to Piyang. Dungkar and Piyang are famous for the wall painting and meditation caves, records shows there were more than 4,000 caves in the valley that was once inhabited. Nowadays, there are about 2000 caves remained at the Dungkar and Piyang. Actually seldom of tourist knows about this remote place, so if you are a fans of ancient relic, you may find Dungkar and Piyang are nice place to explore.After visting these 2 places, we will drive back to Darhchen. You can prepare your trek next day.
Days: 10 Day of the Mount Kailash kora, trekking distance 19km and 6 -7 hours
Walk along beautiful rocky cliffs, take deep breaths of fresh air. From time to time, the face of Mt. Kailash will appear. The trail passes the stone piled pass with colorful prayer flags, famous Tarpoche Flagpole, sky burial site and then enters Lha Chu valley. at the gate of this rocky canyon, a small monastery called Chugu Monastery with meditation cave of Tibetan Great Yogi Melaripa is on the left side of this canyon across the river. If you are a good trekker and interested in meditation, you can follow the small trail leading to this monastery at the left side of the river while others may continually go on main trail. Pay a visit to this monastery takes extra one hour. Afterwards, you can join the main trail cross the bridge below the monastery. Both sides of this canyon are high steep rocky mountains which are representing Bodhisattvas. Fox example, the three high rocky mountains at the left before reach Dirapuk Monastery represent “Rigsum Gonpo” in Tibetan or Three Bodhisattvas ( Manjushri, Avalokiteshvara and Vajrapani). After half hour of walking, you will reach sacred Dira Puk monastery which is located at an elevation of 5,000 meters by mid-afternoon. Here you can see the North face of the Mt. Kailash. This sight is also considered as a birthplace of Shiva – one of the primary forms of God in Hinduism. Spend the night in the monastery guest house.
Days: 11 2nd day of the Mount Kailash kora – Dolma la pass (5650 m) – Zuthal Puk (4815m), Trekking distance 12km and 7 hours.
This place is the the closest place to view Mt. Kailash in entire kora. It’s right behind the guesthouses, so enjoy this last time close-up view of this holy mountain, then we start the day. Hike across a valley up to the Dolma-La Pass. The trail is much more dramatic today as you are ascending from 5050m to 5650m above sea level. Though this numbers are not big difference but given the altitude in this area, it is the most difficult part of the trek. When you reach at the top, make an offering, take a break (or meditate), and leave behind all your problems and worries. Let the prayer flags at the mountain pass bring the positive energy to you and your families. Afterwards, begin descending. A mirror – like turquoise lake will appear in front of you in the middle of black rocky mountains, which said to be water offering for the holy mountain. By the late afternoon arrive at Zuthal Puk , the cave of miracles where Milerepa once stayed.
Days: 12 3rd day of the Mount Kailash Trek, view of Mt. Nemo Nani and drive to lake Manasarovar
Start the day by following one of the clearest river you have ever seen. The trail is flat and much greener. At the end of the valley before turning right, a stunning view of snow mountain Nemo Nani (altitude 7728m) will appear in your eyes. After finishing your circuit of Mt. Kailash, your car will pick you up and take you to the Lake Manasarovar – one of the highest freshwater lakes in the world. This turquoise-colored lake is full of fish and swans. Holy Mt. Kailash, Mt. Gurula-Mandala, and Lake Rashekshi surround Manasarovar. The region is considered rich in gold and other minerals, hot springs and hundreds of wild living creatures. Then visit Rakshas Tal lake and Chiu Monastery, a small monastery located upper on a hillside. You can dip into a hot spring there. If your group stay until sunrise, a walk to the mountain slope to see full view of the lake is recommended.
Days: 13 Holy Lake Manasarovar – Paryang – Saga
Begin the journey back to Lhasa with a detour to China and Nepal border. Enjoy a beautiful view of Himalaya ranges. Most travelers usually take this long driving road back as rest time after 3 days of the incredible trek. But this zig-zag scenic drive always bring some surprises such as suddenly appear rain bowls in front of your vehicle, flock of yaks or sheep may stop your bus which gives you a chance to close-up look at this animals, a wild animal running across the road, a beautiful lake or snowy, sunrise or sunset.etc. make your journey alive.
Days: 14 Saga – Kyirong ( 2800m) – Kyirong border customs – Rasuwa Ghadi – Kathmandu
Continually drive in the Himalayans. If weather permits you will have great view of Mt. Shishapangma and other snow peaks as well as Lantang National Park in Nepal side in distance. After ascending up to Gongtang La pass which is the last highest point of this trip with an elevation of 5300m / 17400ft, the zig zag road will leads us down to the valley. The attitude is getting lower dramatically as you descend in the valley, and the geography changes from desert-like grassland into greenish forest. You start feel the gentle air with full of oxygen and your body become more and more relax and comfortable.
Days: 15 Departure transfer to Kathmandu airport
The airport representative from Nepal New Generation Family will transport you to Kathmandu International Airport around 3 hours before your scheduled flight from where you will depart. Meals: Breakfast included.
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