Lhasa Mt.Kailash & Mansarovar Simikot Tour

Your guide will meet you at your hotel in the morning to begin your city tour of Kathmandu. You will visit the Boudhanath temple, the largest Buddhist stupa in Nepal, Pashupatinath, a Hindu pilgrimage site, and possibly view cremation ceremonies along the banks of the Bagmati River. Continue drive to Patan Durbar Square to see the ancient Nepalese architecture and end your tour after lunch.Then, you will visit the Patan museum. In the meantime, we will work out for visa issuance, checking necessary equipments and shopping for the trip. There will be a briefing on the day to day itinerary. It is very important that all Kailash bound travelers must attend the meeting. Overnight in hotel

After breakfast we transfer to the Tribhuvan International Airport for the flight to Lhasa on Air China. This one hour trans- Himalayan flight gives you an opportunity to have an aerial view of Mt. Everest and other Himalayan Peaks if weather is good on that day. You will arrive at Gonggar airport around 13:30 hrs local time. After clearing Chinese immigration and customs you will be picked up by a Chinese/Tibetan guide and transfer to Lhasa city. It will be a two hour drive to cover the 93 km. Upon arrival to Lhasa, we check in the hotel and relax. Overnight in hotel Lhasa, the remote adobe of the Dalai Lamas, center of devout pilgrimage and heart and soul of Tibet, has always been a city of wonders – even after the large-scale encroachments of modern Chinese influence. The first hint that Lhasa is close is the Potala, a vast white-and-ochre fortress soaring over one of the world’s highest cities. It’s a sight that has heralded the marvels of the Holy City to travelers.

Today you will start much-awaited sightseeing tour in Lhasa. Accompanying on your tour there will be a Tibetan/Chinese guide and interpreter. First you will visit the Sera Monastery; approximately 5km north of central Lhasa. It used to be one of Lhasa’s two great Gelugpa monasteries second only to Drepung. The monastery is interesting to visit particularly in the morning when the monastery is at its most active. The whitewashed walls and golden roofs along with several hundred monks, all make a fascinating visit. We will find time to have lunch in between tours and continue our sightseeing. Next attraction will be the Norbulingka Palace; the summer palace of the Dalai Lama. The park of the palace is most interesting to visit during festivals. Jokhang Temple is next in our touring list. It is the most revered religious site in Tibet Thick with the smell of yak butter, echoing with the murmur of mantras and bustling with awed pilgrims, the Jokhang is an unrivalled Tibetan experience… Barkhor Market is an area unrivalled in Tibet for its fascinating combination of sacred significance and push-and-shove market economics. This is both the spiritual heart of the Holy City and the main commercial district for Tibetans. Overnight in hotel

On this day you will visit Potala Palace – Lhasa’s cardinal landmark. It is one of the great wonders of world architecture. As has been the case with centuries of pilgrims before you, the first sight of the fortress-like structure will be a magical
moment that you will remember for a long time. It’s hard to peel eyes away from the palace. The Potala is a strucutre of massive proportions, an awe-inspiring place to visit. This used to be the palace of the Dalai Lama. An old palace used to be in this place since 5th or 6th century. The present palace, however, was constructed in the 17th century. Drepung Monastery which we visit next is another fascinating place. It was founded in the 14th century and once used to be the largest monastery in the world where a population of over 10,000 monks used to live. In recent times, the number is reduced to some hundreds. The place is still very interesting as it still preserves the originality. The remaining time will be free to explore Lhasa on your own. Overnight in hotel

After breakfast you begin your overland adventure with a full day drive to Gyantse. Along the way you cross the Kamba La Pass (4794m) and the Karo La Pass (5010m), both offer spectacular views. After the Kamba La Pass you arrive at Yamdrok tso, also known as the Turquoise Lake. Here, you may take some pictures with a camera. Overnight in hotel

Today after breakfast you will visit Gyantse stupa and monastery followed by a two hour drive toShig atse. Here, you will see the giant Buddha in the famous Tashilumpo monastery which is the seat Panchen Lama. Overnight in hotel

The journey today brings you over two high passes with fine views. We stop in the small town of Lhatse. Here you can spot many ruined dzongs and small Changmoche Monastery at the west end of the town. You will meet your Nepali staff coming from Kathmandu and join them for farther drive to Mt. Kailash.

Heading away from Lhaste, the trail follows a route that brushes past Brahmaputra River. Further ahead, a river valley sprawls over and then traditional picturesque villages come into picture. This scenically rewarding drive provides plenty of opportunities for photography. The trail wend towards northern route. After covering 295km, you will reach an elevation of 4600 meters. Shortly after finding a right campsite in Saga, you will spend overnight.

After breakfast we begin our drive through small dusty town of Zhongba amidst enchanting panoramic views. You will see some Yak herders grazing their cattle in the pastures and distant view of snow-capped mountains. This vast and dry plateau is the traditional campsite of the nomads who tend grazing their animals during the summer.Overnight at Paryang

We drive from Paryang to Lake Manasarovar through open territory with a view of distant mountains, Yak herder’s camp, if lucky might come across a herd of Kyang (Wild Ass). During the drive you will have the first sight of Holy Mount Kailash from the top of the Mayum La Pass (5280m) and Manasarovar Lake. Overnight at camp

Today we cross Drolma-la Pass. We trek to much higher altitude just beneath Mount Kailash. The walk will bring us to one of the highest points at Drolma La, 5,200 m, and the pass is quickly descending to the gradual field towards Zutulphuk for the overnight camp. Zutulphuk is a Tibetan word which means magical cave. This small monastery is connected to an interesting story of great saint Milarepa (Buddhist) nd Naropa (Bon). Overnight at camp

We follow the winding track out of the valley following into Trangser to Darchen. Overnight at Mansarovar at camp

Today we will drive to Dongba for about 7 hours. The distance is 366 km. On arrival, check in at the guest house for dinner and overnight stay in Dongba

After breakfast at the guest house we drive farther to Nyalam. While driving, you will enjoy the spectacular Himalayan landscape. On arrival, check in at the guest house and overnight stay in Nyalam

We will drive back from Dongba following the same route to Kodari border in 2 hours driving. We cross the border town, have lunch at Border complete the Nepal re-entry immigration formalities and drive straight to Kathmandu following the Araniko highway. Overnight in hotel

On your free day you can do laundry, last minute shopping and excursion around the market place in Kathmandu. Overnight in hotel