14-Day Tibet In-depth Private Tour includes Everest Base Camp and Mt Kailash Kora Pilgrimage

Attractions: No
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Lhasa

Upon your arrival at the Lhasa airport/railwaystation, your tour guide will greet you and escort you to your hotel and help you get checked in. You will have the rest of the day and evening to rest and relax to become acclimatized to the higher altitude of Tibet.

Attractions: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Lhasa

After breakfast at the hotel, we will visit the incredible Potala Palace – the highest palace in the world. As we climb to the entrance gate, you will have a spectacular view over all of Lhasa.

After exploring the numerous interesting chapels and learning about the traditional culture and history of the palace and the city, we will move on to the spiritually significant Jokhang Temple, one of the most important temples in Tibetan Buddhism.
To see the “real” Lhasa, we’ll stroll through Barkhor Street with its thriving local market where you can pick up some local Tibetan, Nepalese and Indian handicrafts and souvenirs.

Attractions: Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery  
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Lhasa

Today features visits to 2 of the most important monasteries in Tibetan Buddhism – the Drepung and Sera Monasteries. Drepung Monastery is located on the hillside west of Lhasa – at one time the world’s largest monastery with about 10,000 monks living there.
After Drepung, we will move on to the Sera Monastery. The main highlight of the Sera Monastery is watching the crowd of monks debating inside the shady courtyard behind the main temple.

Attractions: Yamdrok Lake, Karola Glacier
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Shigatse

This morning we’ll take a drive up to the Kampala Pass (elevation 4797 meters) where you’ll have a glimpse of Yamdrok Lake down.

Later on we’ll be able to visit the Karola Glacier before continuing along the southern Friendship Highway to Gyantse, where you will be able to see the famous Gyantse Kumbum, one of the most stunning architectural wonders in Tibet. Late in the afternoon we will continue on to Shigatse where we will spend the night.

Attractions: Rongbuk Monastery, Everest Base Camp
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight at guest house near the Everest Base Camp

After breakfast we’ll set out towards the peak of the world – Mount Everest. Departing from Shigatse and traveling via Lhatse and Tingri, you will see some of the most beautiful and unique scenery in the world – incredibly blue skies, floating high clouds, endless grasslands and the highest mountain peaks in the world. We’ll also stop by the Rongbuk Monastery – the world’s highest altitude monastery before spending the night at the Everest Base Camp.

Attractions: Sunrise of Mt Everest, Mt.Shishapangma, Lake Peikucuo
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Saga

We will explore another place namely Saga from EBC after enjoying the stunning sunrise of Mt Everest. The distance between EBC and Saga is about 450 kilometers. It is nearly about 9 hours to arrive at the destination. There are several attractions which you cannot miss, including Mt.Shishapangma, and Lake Peikucuo. After a short rest, we will continue to drive to Saga.

Attractions: Mount Kailash
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Darchen

Although it is a long way to go, the natural view from Saga to Darchen is really attractive. Here, most nomads are living here and they are living on pasturing. Therefore, it is the best place for you to see the boundless grassland, numerous sheep and yaks, peaceful villages, and rustic Tibetans. It is also known as a thrilling route because of the complex road condition, sandy routes, and abrupt cliffs. However, you can still see lots of pious pilgrims walking on the road for the purpose of doing a kora around Mt Kailash. When you arrive in Darchen in the afternoon, the time is free.

Attractions: Mount Kailash, Sarshung Valley, Dirakpuk Monastery
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Guesthouse of Dirakpuk Monastery

In the morning, you will go to Sarshung Valley by eco-bus. Then you will begin the trekking from Sarshung Valley to Dirakpuk Monastery. The whole distance of trekking from Sarchung Valley to Dirakpuk Monastery is about 18 km. Dirakpuk Monastery(5210m) is located in Pulan county and north of the holy Mount Kailash. It is the best place to view the back of the sacred Mount Kailash, and also a resting place for pilgrims. After the trek, you will spend the night in a guesthouse of Dirakpuk Monastery.

Attractions: Mount Kailash, Zuktulpuk Monastery, Dromala Pass
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Zuktulpuk

When you wake up in the morning and step outside, you will revel in the sights around you, especially Mount Kailash dominating the skyline. Today, you will trek from Dirakpuk Monastery to Zuktulpuk Monastery, which is very challenging. The trekking is about 18km and will take about 7 hours. During the trekking, you will climb the Dromala Pass, the highest pass of the Kora. When you get to the top of the Dromala Pass, you can pause at the top for a rest and refreshment. Then, you will start the steep descent into the long valley, and you will stop and enjoy lunch at the Shabjay Dakpo nomadic tent. After lunch, you will continue to approach the Zuktulpuk. From here on, soon you will see Zuktulpuk Monastery (4820m). Milarepa’s footprint and handprint can still be seen today at the miracle cave of the Zuktulpuk Monastery.

Attractions: Lake Manasarovar
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Payang

Today, you will trek about 14 km and it is relatively easy. After doing a kora around a holy mountain, you will head to Darchen by shuttle bus. Then you will meet your driver at Darche and drive to Lake Manasarovar which is one of the great three lakes of Tibet. It is the oldest and most sacred site of all the holy sites of the Yongzhong Bon, Indian Buddhism, and Hinduism. Its surrounding natural scenery is so beautiful that Buddhist believers have regarded it as the “world center” of the holy land since ancient times. And, Manasarovar is also the source of four of Asia’s great rivers. After viewing the stunning scenery of the Lake Manasarovar, you will go to Payang.

Attractions: Enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Saga

Today, you will head to Saga from Payang. On the way, you will pass many villages and camps, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery outside the car window. And, your driver will stop and give you some time to take great pictures.

Attractions: Enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Shigatse

Today, you will be in the car almost all day, but you will feast your eyes on the beautiful scenery along the way, such as beautiful grassland and local’s villages.

Attractions: Tashilunpo Monastery
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Lhasa

In the morning, you will visit Tashilunpo Monastery, the largest monastery in the area. It is the home of Panchen Lama, which was founded by the 1st Dalai Lama in 1447. It is also a historic and culturally important monastery in Shigatse. Together with the “three major monasteries” in Lhasa, namely Gandan Monastery, Sera Monastery, and Drepung Monastery, they are named as the “four major monasteries” of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Its architectural structure has also deeply influenced other Tibetan Buddhist buildings.

After visiting Tashilunpo Monastery, you will back to Lhasa along the friendship way, the northern to Lhasa. On the way to Lhasa, you will have a glance of the Yarlung Tsangpo valley. On half of the way, you will visit Nyemo, where you can have a chance to visit the Tibetan Incense Workshop. With more than 1000 years of history, Nyemo County is famous for Tibetan Incense. Besides being used in sacrificial ceremonies, this Tibetan incense is also used to prevent infectious diseases, such as flu and influenza. Its ingredients include saffron, sandalwood, longan, borneol, and other herbs. After Nyemo, you will continue to back to Lhasa.

Attractions: No
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: No

Today you will have free time until your tour guide escorts you to the Lhasa airport for your departing train or flight from Lhasa.