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Pilgrimage to Kailash
23 Days Ex-Kathmandu
  

Kathmandu, Lhasa, Shigatse, Holy Mount Kailash, Lake Manasarovar, The Last Resort

Highlights
· 13-day 4WD journey from Lhasa to Kodari(Nepalese border) visiting the Holy Mount Kailash
· Breathtaking flight across the Himalaya from Kathmandu to Lhasa
· 4 Day Holy Pilgrimage around Mt Kailash

Trip Factfile
MAY - JUNE 2012
SPECIAL
SAGA DAWA FESTIVAL
Length 23 Days Ex-Kathmandu
Maximum:
16 travellers
Start Point: Kathmandu, May 24th, 2012
Minimum:
 6 travellers
End Point Kathmandu, June 15th, 2012
Trip Dossier:
Download (PDF)
Maximum # 16 Travellers
Booking Form:
 Download (PDF)
Price US$3875
Single Supplement:
 US$700
Additional Local Payment:
Flights & Chinese Visa:
 US$450 + $115
(US Citizens Visa Fee$198)

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Itinerary Detail

Travelling through Tibet is one of the most mystical journeys in Asia today. The contrast of the high mountains, the endless valleys, the colour of the people, and the strength of their faith. It is a land where beauty is defined in abstract terms, and where magic abounds in the form of toothless smiles and strong hearted souls.

To travel to Tibet is a journey of epic proportions and one not to be taken lightly. The days are long and hard, the environment breathtaking and trying. Without a doubt you will be moved one way or the other.

Our journey begins in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Kathmandu is a wonderful city to explore but we don’t spend a great deal of time there on this adventure. For this reason it is worth adding a day or two to the beginning or end of your trip to fully explore the wonders of the Kathmandu Valley. We will undertake a tour of the old city before having a free afternoon . On day 3 a short but spectacular trans-Himalayan flight transports us physically to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, and figuratively to another world. Lhasa is the sight of ancient temples steeped in mystery and reverence. Pilgrims travel for thousands of miles just to set eyes on the holiest temple in the land, the Jokhang, and walk through the halls of the most famous Tibetan building, the Potala Palace.

We have 3 days in the capital to see the sights and begin to try to comprehend and understand the culture that makes Tibet such a beautiful place. We’ll use these days visiting some of the highlights around the capital and getting acclimated to the thin air that prevails on the Tibetan Plateau. We’ll take day trips to Sera and Drepung Monastaries, visit the enduring Potala Palace and head out of town to one of Lhasa’s most spectacular monasteries, Ganden.  Travelling to Tibet is about feeling the spirituality, and experiencing the faith. It is nothing you can read or see, you just have to join the flow of pilgrims on their journeys. We’ll also need the time in Lhasa to acclimatise to the higher altitude and prepare ourselves for the journey ahead.

Departing Lhasa on the morning of day 7 we begin our long journey west heading toward the town of Gyantse. It is a spectacular day long drive past hanging glaciers and the azure waters of Yamdrok Tso.  We’ll overnight Gyantse visiting Pelkor Chode Monastery the following morning before continuing onto the town of Shigatse. Shigatse is Tibet’s second largest city. During our stay in Shigatse we are going to take a short trip out of town to visit a farm set up to train disabled children under the projects set up by Braille Without Borders (www.braillewithoutborders.org). We’ll visit the great monastery of Tashilhunpo, home of the Panchen Lama, second only to the Dalai Lama in terms of rank in Tibetan beliefs.  A sad story surrounds the plight of the current Panchen Lama and we’ll learn more about that while we are there.

From Shigatse the drive west begins in earnest as we cross the vast high altitude desert towards what is, the centre of the world for many faiths. From Shigatse it will take us the better part of three days to reach the Sacred slopes of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet. We’ll overnight in the Sakya valley before two days of travel bring us to the base of this everlasting peak. Herds of yak will watch will wonder what the rush is about as we drive by. A word of warning though, the days of driving are long and often tiring. The roads in Tibet are better than they once were and adventurers of the past will recall the dusty roads of yesteryear. With recent improvements the days shouldn’t be so hard but it is still not the most comfortable of thoroughfares to travel upon. The landscape is breathtaking and some consolation to the long travel.

Mount Kailash, rising to a height of 6714 metres, has drawn pilgrims to itself for centuries. The navel of the world for exponents of many faiths – Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Bon – Mount Kailash is truly a phenomenal piece of architecture in both a physical and a spiritual sense. 

The Saga Dawa Festival is one of the largest festivals in the Buddhist Calender and it is celebrated with particular vigour at Mount Kailash. The date coincides with three important events in the life of of Buddha; the birth, the Nirvana (transcendence or enlightment) and Parinirvana (death). It is holiest month and believe that all good deeds or virtues or prayers are multiplied many thousand fold.Tibet This particular departure has been designed to coincide with this event but also allows much more time to explore the sacred environs around Kailash. We'll arrive the day before the festival and take a walk to a nearby monastery in the Inner sanctum of Mount Kailash before joining the hoards of pilgrims for the festival the following day, June 4.

The word ‘kora’ means any route which circles a sacred site, and the Kailash Kora is the most sacred. At 53kms in length at an average altitude of around 5000m, the Kailash Kora is not an easy trek. Snow can fall on the passes even in summertime, accommodation is basic and there is a 5600m pass to conquer en route. This journey is certainly not for the faint hearted. On day one of our trek we’ll join pilgrims celebrating the sacred circumambulation of the holy mountain staying in basic guesthouses beneath its great flanks along the way.

PRAYER FLAGS

Upon completing the kora we move onto the shores of the endless holy lake, Lake Manasarovar. It is a beautiful place to rest and recuperate while trying to understand all that we have seen and experienced.  

On Day 16 we start the long drive back east toward Nepal but not before setting our sight s on the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest. We’ll drive to the vicinity of Mount Everest Base camp staying overnight to witness a spectacular sunrise and weather permitting an even more spectacular sunrise. From such heights we head down, down from the plateau to the town of Kodari and the Nepalese border. It is a spectacular drive, especially our last day in Tibet when we descend from over 5000 metres to the warmth and green of the valleys below at around 1000m altitude.

 

Arriving in Nepal once again the air is thick and lush with the smell of the trees and the rush of the raging rivers as they descend through the valleys from the heights of the Tibetan Plateau. To complete this AMAZING adventure we have two nights resting, relaxing or going all out wild (depending on your energy levels) at The Last Resort (www.thelastresort.com.np). Here we stay in luxurious safari tents and while the time away listening to the sound of the river drift by, or of your friends screaming as they launch themselves off the 160 mt high Bungy Jump over the Bhote Khosi river. There’s also conjoying, hiking, rafting or simply lazing in a hammock. It is entirely up to you.

A short 3-hour drive from the border returns us to Kathmandu where we have our final night. But the experience will envelop you for sometime to come. Day 23 is departure day and you are free to leave at any time.