| Day
to Day Itinerary |
| Day
01 |
Fly
to Nepalgunj and transfer to your
hotel. Nepalgunj is in the sub-tropical
lowlands of the Terai close to the
border with India. |
| Day
02 |
Fly
to Simikot 2960m, and begin trek to
Dharapari 2250m. The flight takes
50mins and offers some fantastic views
of Himalayan peaks. The landing at
the tiny mountain airstrip at Simikot
is an unforgettable experience. There
is an initial climb above Simikot
before descending towards the village
of Tuling and follow a level trail
through walnut and apricot trees to
the village of Dharapari. |
| Day
03 |
Kermi 2682m.
We follow the Humla Karnali and trek
through rice and wheat fields to a
point where the valley narrows and
the river is choked with large boulders.
According to legend, these represent
silver fish that swam up from the
Ganges and could make it no further.
Above this point rice is not grown
and we trek through small fields of
buckwheat and open pine woodland.
Towering above the surging waters
of the Humla Karnali are snow capped
peaks and a series of gentle waterfalls
that provide ideal shower facilities!
|
| Day
04 |
Yalbang
Gompa 2950m.
Today we cross our first pass, the
Soli La (2990m), and descend to cross
the Soli Khola on a sturdy suspension
bridge built in 1995. Our trail climbs
above the Humla Karnali to the gompa
at Yalbang that makes an excellent
campsite. The views are superb and
the friendly monks speak excellent
English. |
| Day
05 |
Tumkot Khola 2800m.
The trail continues, at times close
to the river, on a path that is built
up with rocks and timber. We cross
the Humla Karnali and climb gradually
to Muchu (2920m) where there is a
police checkpost. The trail passes
below the gompa and stone houses of
the village before gently descending
to our camp by the river. |
| Day
06 |
Thado
Dunga 3854m.
After crossing the Tumkot Khola we
leave the Humla Karnali behind and
will meet it again in two days time.
A two hour climb brings us to a ridge
crest at 3310m marked by a large cairn.
We continue through open juniper woodland
past Palbang to the village of Yari
where there is a small shop and a
school. About half an hour beyond
Yari there is a nice camping place
in an area of small meadows known
as Dzungjen. As an aid to acclimatisation
we can climb one of the ridges above
Dzungjen for some excellent mountain
views of the Saipal Himal. |
| Day
07 |
Hilsa
3720m.
The high pass of the Nara Lagna (4580m)
is reached after a 31/2 to 4 hour
climb. The summit is marked by two
large cairns draped with prayer flags.
Below, we can look into Tibet where
the arid hillsides are a stark contrast
to the greenery of the Humla region
we have recently trekked through.
It looks a long way down to Sher where
our landcruisers await. The descent
is steep and loose in places as the
trail crosses scree and debris slopes.
We may meet traders with large herds
of sheep and goats. Each animal carries
saddlebags loaded with rice from the
Terai which is bound for Tibet, or
if travelling in the opposite direction
loads of salt bound for Nepal. |
| Day
08 |
Lake Manasarovar 4558m
We climb a short distance to Sher,
a Tibetan salt trading post at 3860m
that is a windswept place of government
buildings where passports and daysacks
will be inspected. At Sher we meet
our Tibetan guide and board our landcruisers
for the two hour drive to Purang,
(Taklakot) at 3930m. It is a rough
fantastic drive that gives a taste
of what lies ahead.
We pass through Tibetan villages
where prayer flags flutter from
the roofs of the whitewashed houses.
We will stop briefly at the village
of Khojarnath where there is a large
red gompa of the Sakya sect of Buddhism.
This impressive building is flanked
by whitewashed chortens and at it's
base is a large wall made up of
mani stones and yak skulls. Inside
there are many ornate paintings
and statues that escaped the destruction
of the Cultural Revolution. Inside
the gompa are stuffed carcasses
of a snow leopard and wolf.
We stop briefly at Purang where
the crew can purchase any supplies
needed for the remainder of our
journey. We then begin a four hour
drive to Chiu Gompa on the shores
of Lake Manasaravar. It is an incredible
drive past the snow capped peak
of Gurla Mandata (7728m) as the
road climbs higher onto the Tibetan
Plateau. In places the road is no
more than the tracks of vehicles
that have passed this way before.
From the Gurla La at 4590m we get
our first glimpse of Mt Kailas or
Gang Rimpoche in Tibetan, (meaning
‘Precious Jewel of Snow’).
The dark waters of Rakshas Tal can
be whipped up by the afternoon winds
and dust devils dance along the
shoreline. We cross the dividing
ridge between the lakes to camp
at Chiu Gompa on the shores of Manasaravar,
looking out at the Sacred Mountain.
The sunset views from our camp are
spectacular and many pilgrims come
to this spot to bathe and camp before
beginning their kora. Below the
gompa there is a small hot spring
and tea shop where it is possible
to wash the dirt of the trail from
our clothes and bodies. |
| Day
09 |
Rest
day. We spend a morning here to aid
acclimatisation. We can explore the
meditation caves along the lake shore
and bathe in the sacred waters. Chiu
Gompa is situated on a craggy cliff
overlooking the lake and has commanding
views over the plain to Mt Kailash.
Inside is a small Guru Rinpoche cave
that forms the most sacred part of
the gompa. |
| Day
10 |
It
is a short 11/2 to 2 hour drive to
Darchen, a cluster of buildings within
a walled compound that marks the pilgrim’s
gateway to Mt Kailas. |
| Day
11 |
Dri
Ra Phuk gompa 5010m
We head north up the Lha Chu Valley
and enter the ‘Valley of the
Gods’ through the ‘two
legged chorten’ known as Chorten
Kangnyi. It is a gentle walk on a
well defined path that remains on
the right bank of the river. The towering
cliffs each have a name and are believed
to be the abode of supernatural protectors.
There are many nomads herding yak
and sheep to grazing areas west of
the mountain. We cross the Lha Chu
to camp below Dri Ra Phuk gompa at
5010m. The views of Kailas’
north face are particularly impressive
from above the gompa. |
| Day
12 |
Zutul
Phuk gompa 4820m –
Today we cross the Dolma La 5630m.
The day begins with a steep climb
on a winding path over a moraine ridge
to a level meadow area. Our route
climbs to the Shiwa Tsal cemetary
where Tibetans leave part of their
clothing or a drop of blood to symbolise
leaving part of their past life behind
them. It is a slow steady climb to
the Dolma La which is marked by streamers
of prayer flags and the huge Dolma
Stone that represents the goddess
Dolma. The trail descends by a series
of rocky switchbacks above the frozen
waters of the holy lake of Gourikund
to reach the valley of the Zhong Chu.
We follow the river to camp in the
vicinity of Zutul Phuk gompa at 4820m
after 6 to 8 hrs of walking. A truly
memorable day. |
| Day
13 |
Tirdapuri
Our final day on the kora is an easy
three hours walking as we exit the
Zhong Chu Valley on a trail that contours
high above a narrow gorge. From Darchen
we drive for 3 hrs to Tirdapuri, one
of the holiest pilgrimage sites besides
Kailash & Lake Manasorovar. There
is a hot spring where one can bathe. |
| Day
14 |
Horchu
4550m.
From Tirdapuri we drive across the
Tibetan plateau to camp by the northern
tip of Lake Manasarovar. |
| Day
15 |
Paryang
4050 m.
The road is rough and there are some
rivers to cross. Wild antelope and
kiang (the Tibetan wild ass) are a
common sight. This is the land of
the drogpa nomads and we will pass
many encampments with large herds
of sheep and goats. The drives are
long, bumpy and often dusty but the
scenery is magnificent. Photo stops
are a must! |
| Day
16 |
Saga 4600.
Drive on to Saga Camp 4600m. |
| Day
17 |
Nylam
We rejoin the main Lhasa to Kathmandu
Highway where we get to see Everest
as the road climbs to the Lalung La
(5124m) before descending and climbing
again to the Tong La at 5120m. We
finally reach Nyalam and overnight
at a basic hotel. |
| Day
18 |
Drive
via Zhangmu to Kathmandu. |
