17 Days Northern Mt Kailash(Ali) Tour

Upon your arrival in Chengdu, your driver will meet you at the airport and escort you to your hotel. (One night’s hotel in Chengdu is provided free with this tour)

Your private guide and driver will pick up you at Lhasa's airport or train station and bring you to your hotel.

To preempt altitude sickness, we suggest you have a good rest and do not get too excited. We haven’t arranged any activity for this first day of your trip, in order to give you time to acclimatize. There is a chance you might suffer from symptoms of altitude sickness, including abnormal tiredness or headache. If you need any help, your guide is on 24-hour standby. If you feel good, feel free to explore this gorgeous ancient city on your own. Take it easy and move slowly.

Tip:
Always ask your guide whether you can take a photo inside of monasteries.

Enjoy some time on the square in front of the Potala Palace at night. It’s a good chance to see more of the locals, as Lhasa people like to get together there at night

This is your 2rd day in Tibet, so you should be physically ready for Potala Palace—the palace with a lot of steps.

Climb up to Potala Palace, Tibet’s iconic landmark. You’ll see a lot of precious decorated statues, Buddhist scriptures and murals inside. Your guide will reveal to you the interesting history of the palace.

Visit Jokhang Temple (elevation 3,700 m), said to be the spiritual heart of Tibetan Buddhism. You will see many pilgrims prostrating themselves near the temple. Take part with locals in the 20-minute walk with prayer wheels, clockwise around Jokhang Temple. Take a stroll round Barkhor Street and see some Tibetan handicrafts.

Tip:
There are 1,080 steps up to Potala Palace and climbing steps on the plateau is not easy. If it’s too demanding physically, you don’t have to climb all the steps, and your tour guide will adjust your route accordingly.

Enjoy a hotel breakfast, and visit Norbulingka in the morning; formerly the summer palace for the Dalai Lamas. Nowadays, Norbulingka is a beautiful public park and a good place to see locals camping and picnicking in summer.

Watch a monks’ daily debate in Sera Monastery (elevation 4,000 m), the second most important monastery in Tibet. The debate not to be missed is held at 15:30 every day, except Sundays. Monks are happy to live in the monastery and study Buddhist scriptures there.

Later you will visit Drepung Monastery, renowned as the site for the annual Shoton Festival. If you visit in early August, you will have a chance to see for yourself this largest of Tibetan festivals.

General rules for visiting temples in Tibet: Cameras are not allowed in the temples or in the debate field, but taking photos with a cell phone is ok. When visiting a temple, your shoulders should be covered, and you should not wear shorts. Walk clockwise when visiting Barkhor Street.

In the morning, drive from Lhasa to Shigatse .On the way, drive over the Gampala pass (4790 m), and you will have a glimpse of Yamdrok-tso (4400m) .The Lake is surrounded by many snow-capped mountains and in the distance you can have spectacular views of Holy Mount Nyenchen Khangsar, (7191m) the highest mountain near Lhasa .

Later, we will pass and enjoy the Korola Glacier on the roadside; At Manak Dam Lake, you can hang pray flag at Simila Mountain Pass; Then, we will arrive in Gyantse, historically Tibet's third largest city (after Lhasa and Shigatse).In Gyantse, we will visit the famous Pelkor Monastery and Gyantse Kumbum and enjoy the Far view of Gyangtse Fortress.

After one and a half driving, we arrive in Shigatse, which is the second largest city in Tibet. In Shigatse, we may visit traditional Barley Mill and view the landscape of Barley Field (in summer).

In the morning, we will visit the home of Panchan Lama - Tashilunpo Monastery. Then, we’ll leave Shigatse after getting your Alien’s travel permit, and then drive to Lhatse, it is a small town where you can have lunch.

After that, we will pass Tsola Pass(4600M), and Gyatsola Pass(5248M). Shortly after we enter Mt. Everest National Nature Reserve, tourists can enjoy the panorama of Himalaya at Gawula Pass(5198m).Then we drive along the New zigzag road to Everest Base Camp(5200m). You can get closer to gazt at the Mt. Everest peak. The sunset of golden Everest peak if time and weather permits at the lodging area.

Today we will drive the old Tingri Road to Saga County, with views of Mount Everest and Mount Shishapangma (elevation 8012 meters), which was the last of the world’s 8000-meter peaks to be climbed. The road conditions get rougher from the old Tingri Road as it runs parallel to the to the Himalayan mountain ranges and the Nepalese sides known as the Anapurna Ranges. The main road passes through the desolate plains of Digur Tang, with its enormous sand dunes contrasting with the neighboring snow peaks of Shishapangma and Langtang to the south. As we leave the Bum-chu basin, we will descend into the relatively lower elevations of the Pelkhu-tso (elevation 4600 meters), a cobalt blue lake. After checking out the lake, we’ll drive the additional 69 kilometers on to Saga County and spend the night in the small town of Saga.

On the way to Darchen, you will have a chance to appreciate the stunning view of the Saga valley between Gangdise Range and Himayala Range. Meanwhile, the beautiful grassland and local's villages can also be seen. As we cross the Mayomla Pass(5112M), you can enjoy the spectacular vista of Mt. Naimonanyi(7694M). Then we are supposed to pass by the holy Lake Manasarover and finally arrive at the southern foot of Mt.Kailash, the most holy mountain in Tibet.

Today we will have a relaxing day with time to play around the lakeshore and explore the natural beauty of the lake. In the summer, flocks of swans gather on the lake, bringing grace and life to the area. You will also see many Tibetans and Hindus praying while circling around the lake with its beautiful backdrop of snow-capped mountains. We will spend the night in Darchen again tonight.

After our fun day at Lake Manasarovar, we will continue on another scenic route to Tsada, where we can enjoy the unique scenery of Tsada Tulin.

After breakfast, we will visit the ruins of the ancient Guge Kingdom and the Torling Monastery. Located in the Ngar Region of Tibet, the ruins of the Guge Kingdom were once an imperial estate, which fell into disrepair after the civil war revolt and the invasion of the 8 Allied Forces of foreign countries that destroyed the once prosperous state. Luckily the legendary kingdom has not been totally lost as much can still be learned from what remains of it today. After our visit there, we will continue on with more scenic driving to Shiquanhe where we will spend the night.

Today we will drive in an easterly direction from Ali to Gegye, about a 115-kilometer drive. We’ll make a stop in Gegye to refresh ourselves before continuing on to Gertse. Along the way we will cross over the beginnings of the Indus River and soon thereafter enter into a marshland with an abundance of bird life, including golden ducks and large black-necked cranes.

In the morning we’ll set off for Nyima, a small village in northern Tibet. The road from Gertse to Nyima is muddy and difficult to pass, so it will take almost one full day to reach it. Along the way though, we will be able to see Dong Tso Lake and the Qingtang Grasslands, which are excellent spots for seeing the natural scenery of rural Tibet as well as Tibetan wildlife.

Another interesting drive today from Nyima to Bange, where we will see Selin Tso and again have numerous opportunities to observe Tibet’s rare and unique wildlife.

Today features more opportunities for wild animal and rural Tibetan scenery observation. As we will be in the rarely traveled areas of Tibet, the roads will be rough so it’s best to be prepared for the bumpy ride.

We will arise early to view the magnificent sunrise over this holy sky lake before we begin the drive back to Lhasa. On our return journey we will pass the famous Yampanchen Hot Spring. If you are interested, we can make an optional stop here although the cost for visiting the hot spring is not included in the cost of the usual tour itinerary. You will have some free time this evening in Lhasa.

The guide will transfer you to the airport or train station and help you get on board.