Days 01 :
Arrive at Tribhuwan
international airport,
Kathmandu, you are welcomed
by the hospitable meeting
and then you will be
transferred to your hotel.
Short briefing will be
followed about necessary
formalities and rest of the
program. Depending on
arrival time you will have
choice of visiting nearby
sanctuaries or have a rest
day.
Days 02 :
After breakfast we drive to Swoyambhunatha
stupa has it that Manjushree,
found of Kathmandu valley,
and discovered the lotus of
ancient valley lake on which
site the great stupa of
swoyambhunath was later
built. The omni sighted
stare of Buddha greets
visitors & residents a like
compassion. This is one of
the oldest Buddhist stupa in
the world, which has been
registered in UNICEOO
heritage side. We then visit
to Kathmandu Durbar Square.
Kathmandu durbar square
situated the center of
Kathmandu where you can see
the House of Living Goddess
”KUMARI” Kasthamandup
temple” Said that was built
from single tree in 16th
century, big bell-big drams,
erotic carving in old
temple, old palace etc. We
then finally were
sightseeing to Patan Durbar
Square. Patan Durbar square
is one of the beautiful
Durbars square in Kathmandu
valley. It is very famous
for woodcarving, Metal
works, Temples and
Monasteries. Tour of Patan
includes tour of Krishna
temple, Patan king’s palace,
Golden temple and much more.
Days 03 :
It is a one and half hour
flight and will take you to
the lowlands in southwestern
part of Nepal.
Days 04 : Nepalgunj early
flight to Simikot and trek
up to Dharapuri. It is
50-minute flight to Simikot.
Simikot is the headquarters
of Nepal’s most remote
district Humla. We will
register our permit in the
district headquarters, we
will serve lunch, and
continue walk to Dharapuri.
It is a beautiful walk
through the jungle on a rock
cluttered switch-baking
path.
Days 05 :
We will start to follow Karnali River from
today with magnificent
surroundings of mountain,
Rivers and old villages.
Days 06 :
Trek through Yalbang-Yari to Tumkot khola
(2760m). We will continue to
follow the Karnali River we
will have short visit of the
Gompa. It is the largest and
most impressive Gompa in
this area. This monastery
has been recently built to
represent the monastery of
Namkha Khyung dzong at the
source of Karnali River,
west of holy mt.Kailash.
Around one hundred monks
live with their guru (Pema
Rigsal Rempoche) here.
Days 07 :
Another good day in Karnali Valley. We will make
another registration of our
permit while passing the
Muchhu village. This is the
last Nepal’s immigration
point before we enter into
Tibet.
Days 08 :
This day will begin to
ascend, leave the Karnali
River behind until we reach
to Hilsa .We will climb
gently to small Tibetan
village Yari.
Days 09 : This day will be
somewhat difficult because
of the rugged terrain. We
will have an early morning
breakfast. On the way to Hilsa, we will cross the
Pass, Nara la (4580m), and
descend down to Hilsa. Here
we will meet Karnali River
again.
Days 10 :
We climb a short distance to Sher, a Tibetan
salt trading post at (3860m)
that is a windswept place of
government buildings where
passports and daypacks will
be inspected. At Sher we
meet our Tibetan guide and
board our land cruisers for
the two-hour drive to
Purang, (Taklakot) at 3930m.
It is a rough fantastic
drive that gives a taste of
what lies ahead. We pass
through Tibetan villages
where prayer flags flutter
from the roofs of the
whitewashed houses. We will
stop briefly at the village
of Khojarnath where there is
a large red Gompa of the
Sakya sect of Buddhism. This
impressive building is
flanked by whitewashed
Chortens and at its base is
a large wall made up of Mani
stones and yak skulls.
Inside there are many ornate
paintings and statues that
escaped the destruction of
the Cultural Revolution.
Inside the Gompa are stuffed
carcasses of a snow leopard
and wolf. We stop briefly at
Purang where the crew can
purchase any supplies needed
for the remainder of our
journey. We then begin a
four-hour drive to Chiu
Gompa on the shores of Lake
Manasaravar. It is an
incredible drive past the
snow-capped peak of Gurla
Mandata (7728m) as the road
climbs higher onto the
Tibetan Plateau. In places
the road is no more than the
tracks of vehicles that have
passed this way before. From
the Gurla-La at 4590m we get
our first glimpse of Mt
Kailash or Gang Rimpoche in
Tibetan, (meaning ‘Precious
Jewel of Snow’). The dark
waters of Rakshas Tal can be
whipped up by the afternoon
winds and dust devils dance
along the shoreline. We
cross the dividing ridge
between the lakes to camp at
Chiu Gompa on the shores of
Manasarovar, looking out at
the Sacred Mountain. The
sunset views from our camp
are spectacular and many
pilgrims come to this spot
to bathe and camp before
beginning their Kora. Below
the Gompa there is a small
hot spring and teashop where
it is possible to wash the
dirt of the trail from our
clothes and bodies.
Days 11 :
We spend a morning here to
aid acclimatization. We can
explore the meditation caves
along the lakeshore and
bathe in the sacred waters.
Chiu Gompa is
situated on a craggy cliff
overlooking the lake and has
commanding views over the
plain to Mt Kailash. Inside
is a small Guru Rinpoche
cave that forms the most
sacred part of the Gompa.
Days 12 : It is a short 2 hour
drive to Darchen, a cluster
of buildings within a walled
compound that marks the
pilgrim’s gateway to Mt
Kailash.
Days 13 :
We head north up the Lha Chu Valley and enter the
‘Valley of the Gods’ through
the ‘two legged Chorten’
known as Chorten Kangnyi. It
is a gentle walk on a
well-defined path that
remains on the right bank of
the river. The towering
cliffs each have a name and
are believed to be the abode
of supernatural protectors.
There are many nomads
herding yak and sheep to
grazing areas west of the
mountain. We cross the Lha
Chu to camp below Driraphuk
Gompa at (5010m). The views
of Kailash north face are
particularly impressive from
above the Gompa.
Days 14 : This day we cross
the Dolma-La 5630m. The day
begins with a steep climb on
a winding path over a
moraine ridge to a level
meadow area. Our route
climbs to the Shiwa Tsal
cemetery where Tibetans
leave part of their clothing
or a drop of blood to
symbolize leaving part of
their past life behind them.
It is a slow steady climb to
the Dolma La, which is
marked by streamers of
prayer flags, and the huge
Dolma Stone that represents
the goddess Dolma. The trail
descends by a series of
rocky switchbacks above the
frozen waters of the holy
lake of Gourikund to reach
the valley of the Zhong Chu.
We follow the river to camp
in the vicinity of Zutulphuk
Gompa at (4820m) after 6 to
8 hrs of walking.
Days 15 :
Our final day on the Kora is an easy three hours
walking as we exit the Zhong
Chu Valley on a trail that
contours high above a narrow
gorge. From Darchen we drive
for 3-hrs to Tirthapuri, one
of the holiest pilgrimage
sites besides Kailash & Lake
Manasorovar. There is a hot
spring where one can bathe.
Days 16 :
From Tirthapuri we
drive across the Tibetan
plateau to camp by the
northern tip of Lake
Manasarovar.
Days 17 :
The road is rough and there
are some rivers to cross.
Wild antelope and kiang (the
Tibetan wild ass) are a
common sight. This is the
land of the Drogpa
nomads and we will pass many
encampments with large herds
of sheep and goats. The
drives are long, bumpy and
often dusty but the scenery
is magnificent. Photo stops
are a must!
Days 18 :
We continue driving today
along a 255km stretch of
road to Saga, passing
through the small town of Zhongba en-route.
Days 19 :
We rejoin the main Lhasa to Kathmandu Highway
where we get to see Everest
as the road climbs to the
Lalung-La (5124m) before
descending and climbing
again to the Tong La at
5120m. We finally reach
Nyalam and overnight at a
basic hotel.
Days 20 : From Nyalam, we head
back to the border town of
Zhangmu. From Zhangmu, it's
a short drive to the
Friendship Bridge which
spans the Bhote Kosi River
and marks the Tibet / Nepal
border. We say goodbye to
our Tibetan guide and driver
and walk to Nepalese
Immigration Control in
Kodari where our Nepalese
staff will meet us. After
completing the re-entry
formalities we continue the
drive to Kathmandu, which,
depending on road and
weather conditions, should
take about 5 hours.
Days 21 :
After breakfast we drive to Daksinkali to see
the animal sacrifices.
Daksinkali temple located at
the foothills south of the
valley is the most important
venue of animal sacrifices
to the goddess Kali.
En-route we visit Pharping
Monastery & Chovar Gorge.
The Buddhist history says,
Milerapa from Tibet took one
night shelter in the cave,
and accordingly blessed this
monastery. Hindus have their
version that it was Pancha
Pandav who had visited this
place. The Chovar gorge
which god Manjushree to
create the Kathmandu valley
drained the waters of
primeval lake. We then
finally visit to Kritipur.
The oldest Newari village,
which is famous for local
architect, then back to
hotel.
Days 22 :
After breakfast you
will have some free time
until the time to leave the
international airport for
your final departure.inal departure.
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18 DAYS MOUNT KAILASH MANASAROVAR TREK (FROM
SIMIKOT)
