Mt. Kailash, at 6714 m also
known as Tise, Kailasa & Kang Rinpoche(Jewel
of the Snows), has since time immemorial
been celebrated in many Eastern cosmologies
as Mt. Meru, the axis mundi. And as the
center of the physical & metaphysical
universe, Mt. Meru is sacred to the Buddhist,
Jains, the Hindus & the Bonpos. For
the Hindus, the mountain represents the
seat of Lord Shiva; for the Buddhists,
a terrestrial projection of the cosmic
mandala of Dhyani-Buddhas & Boddhisatvas….The
Wheel of Life; for the Bonpos, Kailash
was the sacred nine storey Swastika Mountain,
upon which the Bonpo founder Sherab alighted
from heaven. Four of the great rivers
of the Indian subcontinent originates
from here: the Karnali, which feeds into
the Ganges (south); the Indus (north);
the Sutlez (west) & the Brahmaputra
(Yarlung Tsangpo, east).
Tibet Travels & Tours
offers special fixed trips to Mt. Kailash
& Lake Manasorovar to facilitate pilgrims
& foreign tourists. We are probably
one of the few outfits that provide Nepali
Sherpa staff support for all of our treks
in Tibet so as to ensure similar high
quality trek services that exist in Nepal.
All trips are planned to arrive at Kailash
on a full-moon day to obtain total &
unhindered view of the holy mountain.
Day
to Day Itinerary
Day
01
KATHMANDU-LHASA
(3650 M), 90 KMS
Transfer to airport to connect CA
408 KTM-LXA flight. Upon arrival you
will be met by our Tibet representative
and transfer to Kyichu Hotel.
Day
02 -03
Lhasa
We will have two full days in Lhasa
to make excursions to the following
places:
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.
Sera and Drepung-Sera, founded
in 1419, is a monastery of the Gelugpa
order. Its many white buildings
sit at the base of a rocky hill.
Gilded, bell-shaped gyamtschens
grace the roofs of many of the larger
buildings. 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,
and images 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 and
completely covers the mountain it
stands upon.
Day
04
LHASA-GYANGTSE
(3990 M), 275 KMS, 8-9 HRS
Drive via Yamdrok, the Turquoise Lake
to Gyangtse across Kampa la pass 5050
m and Karo la (5045 m)passes. Visit
Kubum stupa and Pelkor Chode Monastery.
Day
05
GYANGTSE-SHALU-SHIGATSE
(3860 M), 90 KMS, 2 HRS
Drive to Shigatse. En route visit
Shalu Monastery. Visit Tashilhunpo
Monastery, the seat of Panchen Lama
who is the 2nd in the Buddhist religious
hierachy and Shigatse Market.
Day
06
SHIGATSE-NGAMRING
(5220 M), 160 KMS, 6-7 HRS
Drive to Ngamring. En route visit
Sakya Monastery.
Day
07
SAGA,
4280 M, 190 KMS , 7-8 HRS
The road follows south of the Pelgu-Tso,
continues across the plain with stunning
Himalayan views. The route then follows
a narrow gorge before climbing to
a pass and dropping steeply down to
a ferry crossing over the Yarlung
Tsangpo.
Day
08
PARYANG,
4750 M, 250 KMS, 8-9 HRS
From Saga it is 145 km to Zhongba.
The road is good and the trip can
be completed in 4-5 hrs. There is
also a small monastery at the western
end of town on a hill. From Zhongba
onwards the southern road deteriorates.
There is also danger of vehicles getting
stuck. But this section of the road
has panoramic views of mountains on
either side of the road.
Day
09
LAKE
MANASOROVAR, 4560 M, 260 KMS, 10 HRS
From Paryang to Lake Mansorovar is
a long drive of 10 hrs or more. There
will be several river crossings and
we drive past Mayum la pass (4600
M). The scenery is stunningly beautiful
with panoramic views of the Himalayas.
Day
10
DARCHEN
(4560 M), 30 KM
About 30 kms north of Lake Manasorovar
is Darchen, the main gateway and the
village. The monastery at Darchen,
Darchen Gon, is a part of the Drukpa
sect. The two-story monastery structure
in the center of the town serves as
a trading post and shelter for pilgrims.
Within the dukhang assembly hall are
new and old thangka paintings and
some statues, the main image being
Sakyamuni. West of the gompa is the
Mani Lhakhang that has a large, new
mani prayer wheel. This is the site
where the original old flagpole (a
darchen is a flagpole for prayer flags)
of Darchen was located. When beginning
their kora pilgrimage around Kailash,
many pilgrims often circumambulate
the Darchen Gon monastery and the
Mani Lhakhang before setting out.
We organize yaks or ponies for
the Kailash circuit trek at Darchen.
Day
11
KAILASH
CIRCUIT TREK - DIRAPHUK : (6 hrs)
This Kailash circuit covers 53 kms
and can be done in 3 days. We head
west in clockwise direction and after
a few kilometers the trail climbs
up to a cairn at 4730 m from where
the southern face of Mt. Kailash comes
to view. En route visit Tarboche where
annual flagpole raising ceremony takes
place during Saga Dawa.
Day
12
DIRAPHUK
- ZUTRULPHUK , 4790, 6 hrs
Toady we cross Drolma la pass (5630
M) and Gauri Kund Lake (5608 m) where
Hindus worship and immerse themselves
in the icy waters of the lake.
Day
13
DARCHEN
- TIRDAPURI
The final end of the parikrama is
an easy 2-3 hrs walk down to where
the river emerges on to the Barga
plain. We complete the 3 day circuit
trek of Mt. Kailash and drive to Tirdapuri
where there is a hot spring. Pilgrimage
to Mt. Kailash is not complete without
visiting Tirdapuri for the Tibetan
Buddhists.
Day
14
TIRDAPURI
- KHOJARNATH - PURANG
Visit Tirdapuri Monastery and the
pilgrim circuit and drive to Purang.
En route visit Khojarnath Monastery.
Day
15-16
PURANG-LAKE
MANASOROVAR (Chiu Gompa) and LAKE
MANASORVAR
Rest day and excursion around the
Lake.
Day
17
PARYANG
Day
18
SAGA
Day
19
NYLAM,
CAMP
Day
20
Across
Friendship Bridge to Kodari border
where you will be met by our Tibet
Travels representative and driven
to Kathmandu.
