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13-Day Mt. Kailash Trekking Tour

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Overview

Tour Type: Private Tour: Flexible Travel Date & Travel Routes
Guide & Driver: Chinese-English-speaking guide & air-conditioned
  • Features a pilgrimage excursion to the holy mountain Mt. Kailash
  • Marvel at two incredible UNESCO World Heritage Sites including Potala Place and Jokhang Temple
  • Visit one of the Six Big Monasteries of Gelugpa – the Tashilunpo Monastery
  • Wonder at the snow-capped mountains surrounding the spectacular Yamdrok Lake

Itinerary Day by Day

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Day1  Arrive in Lhasa

Your tour guide will greet you upon your arrival at Lhasa airport to transfer you to your hotel, where you will have the rest of the day to relax and acclimatize to the high altitude. Travel tips: Because Tibet lies at such a high altitude, it is important to remember to take everything slowly to minimize the symptoms of altitude sickness. Drink plenty of water and get plenty of sleep that first night ——you should feel fine by the next day. However, if you feel extreme discomfort, please notify your tour guide immediately.

Accommodation:Overnight at Lhasa 3-star hotel

Day2  Lhasa City Sightseeing - Potala Palace - Jokhang Temple - Barkhor Street

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.

Tips for Visiting Potala Palace

1. The number of visitors to the palace is strictly limited to 2,300 per day. Visitors can only visit during the time specified on the admission ticket.

2. Admission tickets to visit the Potala Palace are sold out almost every day, so it is strongly recommended to book your tickets several days in advance.

3. There are many steps at the Potala Palace, so it’s best to take it slowly to avoid possible altitude discomfort.

4. Visitors should respect the rules while visiting. Do not wear hats, wear revealing clothes or step on thresholds as these actions violate local customs.

5. Photography and the taking of videos are forbidden inside the Potala Palace.

6. A security search will take place at the entrance to the palace. Explosives, flammables, knives, lighters and even water bottles are not allowed inside the Potala Palace.

Accommodation:Overnight at Lhasa 3-star hotel

Day3  Lhasa City Sightseeing - Sera Monastery – Drepung Monastery

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. A pleasant walk up the hill leads to the solemn ambience inside the monastery’s many halls and chapels. 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. Every day except Sunday, hundreds of red-robed monks assemble in small groups and practice their debating skills – a very impressive sight to behold as the monks are very animated in their debates on the various attributes of Buddhist scriptures.

Accommodation:Overnight at Lhasa 3-star hotel

Day4  Lhasa - Yamdrok Lake – Karola Glacier – Gyantse (Kumbum Monastery) – Shigatse (380 kilometers, 8-hou

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 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, the location of the Tashilunpo Monastery.

Accommodation:Overnight at Shigatse 3-star hotel

Day5  Shigatse - Saga

Drive from Shigatse to Saga, which is about 450 kilometer's driving takes about 9 hours. Enjoy natural sceneries like meadows, rivers, and snow-capped mountains. Accommodate at Saga Town.

Tips: Prepare some food and drinks in advance because you will spend much time on the road.

Accommodation:Overnight at Sage Town

Day6  Saga – Zhongba – Payang – Darchen - Mt. Kailash - Lake Manasarovar – Lhanag-tso (500 kilometers, 7-h

On this 6th day we will drive to Drongpa County, which was founded around the bountiful resources of the Brahmaputra River. We will make a stop in a small village along the main road that consists of only a few basic guesthouses, restaurants and a small monastery known as "ldquo";Old Drongpa"rdquo";. Scattered around the monastery you will be able to observe a pile of yak heads that are carved with "ldquo";sutras"rdquo"; and "ldquo";mantras"rdquo";. New Drongpa is another small town with a few shops, hotels and restaurants located about 25 kilometers from Old Drongpa monastery. We will continue on to the Baryang Township (elevation 4750 meters) and drive around Lake Manasarovar before reaching our final destination for the day, Darchen, where we will spend the night.

Accommodation:Overnight at local Guest House

Day7  Mt. Kailash Trek Day One – Darchen – Drirapuk (11 kilometers)
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.)

Accommodation:Overnight at local Guest House

Day8  Mt. Kailash Trek Day Two – Drirapuk – Dzultripuk (22 kilometers)
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.

Accommodation:Overnight at local Guest House

Day9  Mt. Kailash Trek Day Three – Dzultripuk – Darchen (11 kilometers)
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 back up to Darchen where we will spend the night.

Accommodation:Overnight at local Guest House

Day10  Darchen – Saga (500 kilometers, 7-hour drive time)
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.

Accommodation:Overnight at local Guest House

Day11  Saga – Shigatse (500 kilometers, 7-hour drive time)
More spectacular scenery awaits us as we continue on our leisurely drive back to Shigatse where we will spend the night.

Accommodation:Overnight at Shigatse 3-star hotel

Day12  Shigatse-Lhasa
Today, before you driving back to Lhasa, you will go to visit the most important monastery in Shigatse region - Tashilunpo Monastery where you will spend about 2 hours for visiting. Leave Shigatse and head for Lhasa. On the halfway, you will take a visit to Nyemo Tunba which was the home of Tunmi Sangbuzha who invented the Tibetan character as well as the famous Tibetan Tibetan Incense. Here in Tunba, you also have chance to witness the process of making Tibetan Incense with water mill. At the same time, the scenery here is fabulous - ancient cypress trees, green willows, murmuring river... Take a good rest in Lhasa city.

Accommodation:Overnight at Lhasa 3-star hotel

nurbulingka palace

jokhang temple

Day13  Transfer to Lhasa Airport – Depart Lhasa
Your day will be free until we pick you up to take you on the 30-minute drive to the Lhasa airport for your departing flight.

Accommodation:

What's Included

All necessary Tibet Travel Permit. (Including Tibet Entry Permit, Alien Travel Permit, Boarder Pass
Private professional English-Speaking local tour guide
Licensed Vehicle with experienced driver
Airport (or train)pick up and drop off
Accommodation listed in the itinerary
Breakfast provided by the hotel
Tourists Accident/Casualty Insurance
A container of Oxygen for emergency use
All taxes, fees and handling charges
Lodging and meal allowance to the guide & driver
Reservation fee for visiting Potala Palace
2 bottles of drinking water per person per day
Meals not specified in the itinerary (All lunches & dinners)
All Entrance tickets to the sightseeing places
Flight/Trian tickets in and out of Tibet
Personal expenses such as laundry, drink, fax, telephone call, optional tour activities, etc.
Any losses incurred from the force majeure factor like government control, natural disaster etc.
Tips to the guide & driver ( Tips is not required but expected)
Single room supplement

Additional Info

Alterations of Itineraries

The travel date, service items, itinerary and number of visitors, visitors’ ID information, etc. can be modified free of charge 30 days or more before the trip. If the visitor needs to make a second modification, an additional service fee of 5% of the deposit will be charged. Every time the content of the travel contract is modified, the company reserves the right to re-quote.

Cancellation Policy

Once the deposit is paid, your trip is confirmed. If you need to change or cancel your itinerary, please contact your travel consultant by email, phone, instant messenger, etc. There will be a charge for Cancellation or modification. The policy is as follows:

1. Notice of trip cancellation due to personal reasons before the trip starts
Cancellation 30 days or more before the trip starts, 10% penalty of the deposit.
Cancellation 29-15 days before the trip starts, 20% penalty of the deposit.
Cancellation 14-7 days before the trip starts, 30% penalty of the deposit.
Cancellation 6-2 days before the trip starts, 50% penalty of the deposit.
Cancellation within 48 hours prior to the trip starts, no refund of your deposit.

2. Trip cancellation due to irresistible factors before the trip starts

If you have to cancel the itinerary due to irresistible reasons such as traffic, weather, politics, etc., the deposit will be fully refunded by the company (for loss related to air ticket/train ticket, please take reference of the first item).

Reviews

 Vladislav
Travel Date:Oct. 5th 2018

I highly recommend a tour with Asia Odyssey Travel If you want to see the best part of Tibet, you should definitely book a tour with Asia Odyssey Travel. They are very helpful with the permit application and gave me the best impression of the wonderful roof of the world. I am looking forward to seeing our lovely guide and driver again in Tibet. Wish everything goes well with Nancy and her colleagues at Odyssey.

 Pol
Travel Date:May 06th 2018

Highly recommend the tour. We visited Tibet and had Lomsang as our guide. This was one of the most special trips I had taken in my life. Our guide told us the culture of the Tibetan people, we met with breathtaking sceneries. Our guide was adept with great driving skills. We felt safe sitting in the vehicle. Lomsang was one of the best guide we have ever had. he was extremely organized, patient, and attentive to the group. I was so impressed with his capabilities. Overall, excellent service and excellent experience.

 Shanghaipitt
Travel Date:November 8, 2019

Just wanted to say I and my partner Jane had a fantastic trip of a lifetime and can’t thank all the team enough! Amy you did a great job! Everything went perfect loved the ancient Hotel and Tibetan people were so so nice to us. Train journey was a pleasure and 2 days past like 2 hours.

Would have loved more days in Tibet.

 Mary C
Travel Date:July 6, 2019

We worked with Shirley to build an itinerary of cycling through Tibet to EBC. She was incredibly helpful and responsive. She designed a trip that met our requests and exceeded our expectations. She worked with our tour members who would be traveling from North America and China to make sure we were all set with plenty of time to get visas and permits.

Our trip was 10 days in Tibet, with a rest and sightseeing day in Lhasa (Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple). Our amazing guide Phuntsok handled travel, permit, and hotel logistics with expertise and flexibility. He was a 5-star guide in every way- making sure we had everything we wanted and needed, giving cultural + historical context to the sights we saw, and having lots of fun with us.

We had 2 drivers (the van and a truck for our bikes) who were both very helpful, friendly, and good company.

We were worried it would get into rain season while we were there - instead we had beautiful, sunny days 9.5 out of our 10 days.

Thank you to all at Tibet Odyssey Tours for a trip we will remember for a lifetime.

 Wiko22
Travel Date:August 17, 2019

Wir haben zuvor einige Touren und Agenturen verglichen. Natürlich ist es schwierig auf die Entfernung und mit den doch wenigen Rezessionen einen Überblick zu bekommen, sind aber sehr froh uns letztendlich für diese Agentur und Route entschieden zu haben.

Von Anfang hat uns unsere Ansprechpartnerin Claire bei allen Fragen geholfen - inkl. Visaantrag und Einreiseerlaubnis. Wir haben wirklich etliche Mails hin und her geschrieben und wurden immer fürsorglich behandelt.

Vor Ort wurden wir am Flughafen empfangen und unsere Guides waren alle sehr nett. Die Ausflüge super interessant und man hat einen tollen Einblick bekommen. Das Programm war nicht zu viel und nicht zu wenig, wirklich toll gemacht!! Die Hotels waren weit besser als wir erwartet haben. Wir haben oft Tips für Restaurants oder bestimmte Gerichte bekommen. Es gab überhaupt keine Probleme bei Ausflügen, Organisation oder den etlichen Kontrollen im Land. Wir wurden selbst noch bis hinter die Passkontrollen an der Grenze zu Nepal begleitet. Erst als unser Guide wirklich nicht weiter durfte, haben wir uns verabschiedet.

Die Gruppen waren nett gemischt und die Wagen alle europäischer Standard.

Wir würden die Agentur und die Route jedem empfehlen!

Liebe Grüße und vielen Dank für eine unvergessliche Reise!

 Chetan
Travel Date:Nov. 17th 2018

Overall, I am very satisfied with the service. Our travel consultant Monica is very responsive and helpful. She responded to our questions promptly and willing to accommodate my request. Tibet tour is very nice and memorable. We got well along with other travel members and became very good friends. The only thing I do mind is the condition of the public toilets, hard to describe, you should see them by yourself.