15 Days Mt. Kailash & Guge Kingdom Sightseeing 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.

Travel 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

Jokhang Temple（about 1 hour tour）：The Jokhang Temple is the final destination for pilgrims. A statue of the 12-year-old Sakyamuni, who lived in India in the fifth century BC, and who was the creator of Buddhism, is collected in the monastery. This is the reason why Buddhists consider Lhasa a Sacred Land.

Ticketing tips for the Jokhang Temple：The Jokhang Temple needs real-name online ticketing. From 7:00am to 23:59pm every day, the tickets for the next day will be open on the WeChat applet "Jokhang Temple Reservation" until the number of reservations is full. Therefore, tickets must be reserved one day in advance.

The Jokhang Temple does not open group reservation and you should make reservation by yourself. Travel consultant or tour guide will instruct you how to make reservation. If you fail to reserve at your own reasons, we do not bear any responsibility and consequences.

The Jokhang Temple is a religious temple rather than a tourist attraction. Please note if encountering important religious activities or important activities, you can not visit the Jokhang Temple.

Barkhor Street: Located near the Jokhang Monastery, the Barkhor Street was only a place for Buddhists to do a religious circumambulation in ancient times. Nowadays, tourists can buy exquisite souvenirs on the street, such as handicrafts, costumes, tea, prayer wheels and Tibetan incense.

Sera Monasteryis held in the courtyard almost every day between 3:00pm and 5:30pm. Please note that in case of some special monastery activities such as the Dharma Meeting or the reception of VIPs, the monk debates may be canceled that day. After our visit to the monastery, feel free to stroll around the streets of Lhasa as you absorb the atmosphere and spirit of the devoted Tibetan people, or you may return to your hotel to rest and relax from this wonderful Tibetan cultural experience.

Potala Palace（about 1 hour tour）:  Initially built in 641 AD and listed as a world heritage site in 1994, the Potala Palace is the most popular tourist attraction in Tibet. The halls, murals, statues and mountain views will make you shocked even if you are not a Buddhist.

Ticketing tips for the Potala Palace：The Potala Palace needs real-name online ticketing and valid document (such as ID card, household registration book or passport) is required to make the reservation. After the reservation is successful, the ticket cannot be re-booked within 7 days from the day of the visit. If you can not enter the Potala Palace due to the wrong documents provided by yourself, we do not bear any responsibility and consequences.Therefore, it is important to take the valid documents. If the name or ID number or document does not match the information provided before, you will not be able to enter the Potala Palace. Please note the ticket fee has actually been incurred and cannot be refunded.

The visiting time of the Potala Palace is randomly issued by the Potala Palace Management Office and it can not designate the visiting time. Please note the actual visiting route sequences may be different from the provided one.

In peak season, there has restrictions in visiting the Potala Palace and each travel agency has only a limited number of group bookings every day. In order to ensure the group tour visiting, we solve the problem through different channels. Due to the special requirements for ticket purchases in different channels, you are requested to obey tour guide arrangement. The normal arrangements are as below：
1）The group tour may be divided into multiple small groups (tourists who book together might be divided, and they join with other small group to visit the Potala Palace).
2）Each small group is divided into different times/dates to visit.
3）Each small group follows the different guide to visit.
4）Sometimes due to some special tickets, the tour guide cannot be with the tour to enter the Potala Palace.
5）The group rate of children does not include the Potala Palace entrance fee. Children under the height of 1.2 meters (excluding) can visit for free with adults. Children over the height of 1.2 meters should inform us when confirming the tour and paying the Potala Palace entrance fee and related service fee so we can make an appointment to purchase tickets in advance. If visitors do not inform in advance, children may not be able to enter the palace with adults and can only wait in the tourist vehicle.

Traditional Handicraft Art center: This day will take you to fully immerse yourself in experience traditional Tibetan handcraft art center, including making Tibetan incense, Tibetan calligraphy-the methods behind Tibetan calligraphy and the secrets of block printing.

Warm tips for visiting the Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple：
1) Both the Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple need real-name online ticketing and valid document (such as ID card, household registration book or passport). You need to obey tour guide arrangement and visit at the designate time.
2) You should respect the rules while visiting. Do not wear hats, wear revealing clothes or step on thresholds as these actions violate local customs.
3) Do not make loud noise, chase, climb, lie down, spit, throw debris, touch cultural relic in the hall. It is forbidden to photography, taking of videos and touching cultural relics and mural in the Potala Palace, the Jokhang Temple and other temples in Tibet. Do not bring liquid drinks into the temple or palace and do not smoke or use bright fires.
4) There are many steps at the Potala Palace, so it’s better to take it slowly to avoid possible altitude discomfort. The hall is relatively cold, even in summer, it is recommended to prepare a coat. The limitation of visiting time is one hour and the tour guide is not allowed to stay and explain loudly in the hall for long time, so the tour guide can only explain outside. You are requested to travel civilized and abide by the regulations of cultural relics protection units.The buildings of the Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple are ancient, with narrow channels and many wooden stairs. In addition, too many visitors might cause hidden dangers. Therefore, you shall leave as soon as possible after visiting. When going up and down the stairs, you should pay attention and do not crowd.

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 below as well as spectacular views of the holy Mount Nyenchen Khangsar in the distance. You will want to have your camera at the ready for the turquoise waters of Yamdrok Lake, which is one of the three holy lakes of Tibet, and the beautiful Mt. Nyenchen Khangsar glacier as seen from the Karol la Pass. Later on we’ll be able to visit the Karola Glacier.

Travel Tips：
1. Except Tibet Travel Permit, Aliens' Travel Permit for those who will visit Mt. Everest will be processed in Shigatse. The tour guide will arrange itinerary considering the process of permits. You shall obey tour guide arrangements.
2. Please note the Aliens' Travel Permit processing time might be longer than as usual because of peak season or system failure occurs.

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.

Buddhist pilgrims traditionally begin the 52-kilometer religious trek around Mt. Kailash at Darchen (elevation 4574 meters), which is also the finishing point for the circumnavigation of the sacred mountain. After hiking for a few hours out of Darchen, we will reach a valley known by the locals as “Sarshung” where we will meet an eager group of porters who will be happy to help us carry our gear on yaks and horses along the rest of the trek. After another couple of hours of trekking, we will find a grassy plain populated by nomads, who will be happy to offer up their tents as a place to relax with some soft drinks for a while. From here, we will travel on for another approximately two hours to a place known as Drirapuk (elevation 4920 meters) where we will spend the night in a monastery’s guesthouse that offers the best accommodations in this area (although it is still very rustic.)

This second day of our circuit of Mt. Kailash will be the toughest as we ascend 762 meters up to the Dolma-la Pass. The peak of this pass lies about 5630 meters above sea level, so we’ll get an early start as the sun begins its rise over the mountain ridges above us. Once we have reached the peak of the Dolma-la Pass, we’ll stop for a rest and the opportunity to admire all of the fantastic scenery around us. Then we will begin our descent to the Lhachu Valley, which will take us about one hour. After another short rest, we’ll trek on for another four hours to our final destination for the day. We will walk along the right side of the river to finally reach Dzultripuk, whose name means “miracle cave of Milarepa” in the local language. We will be glad that we got an early start to reach Dzultripuk so that we will get there before the other groups – there are a limited number of rooms available here. We will have time this evening for some rest and relaxation in the guesthouse as we prepare for the final stretch of our trek tomorrow.

Today we will complete our trek around Mt. Kailash, beginning by visiting the many caves, temples and shrines that have been built upon around Milarepa’s cave. It is an easy walk back towards Darchen, taking only about 3 hours of trekking to reach the end of the valley where our driver will meet us to take us for a drive to Tsada.

Today you will see the magnificent Zanda Clay Forest. Entering into Zanda county, the clay forest standing on both sides of Elephant Spring River winds over more than five kilometers. The clay is like warriors defending the mountaintop, some like thousands of horses galloping, and some like devout followers of a religion nurturing themselves, standing there quietly. From different angles, you can see wonderful scenery.

The clay forest in geology is known as "the Level Terrane Physiognomy," formed by erosion, where the sediment of lakes and rivers, mainly composed by sandstone and clay, have formed into various shapes. The Level Terrane has developed upright qualities, and the valley is deep.

After that,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 that 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 we will drive through the windswept territory of rural Tibet, passing through numerous small villages as well as camps of yak and sheepherders on our way back to Saga. With all of the beautiful scenery surrounding us, we will have plenty of opportunities to stop and take photos if you like.

More spectacular scenery awaits us as we continue on our leisurely drive back to Shigatse where we will spend the night.

We will get an early start today to visit the Tashilunpo Monastery, which was founded in 1447 by the 1st Dalai Lama. After visiting this ancient monastery, one of the most important sites in Tibetan Buddhism, we will take the 80-kilometer drive back to Lhasa along the northern Friendship Highway. This route will take us through Daktuka across the bridge over the Bramaputra River and along the valley in the north to Namtso Lake. During today’s journey we will pass through many typical Tibetan villages with their traditional houses and peaceful environments. We will also cross the Shuege-la Pass (elevation 5300 meters), arriving at beautiful Namtso Lake in the afternoon with time to hike around the Tahi Do peninsula.

Your guide and driver will take you to Lhasa’s airport/train station on time for your departure and escort you to the correct security gate. Relax and leave any hassles to your tour team.