Sacred Mountains and Holy Lakes | Tibet Lhasa + Shigatse Mount Everest + Ali Mount Kailash Kora Pilgrimage 15-Day Tour

Tashi Delek! Welcome to Lhasa, the City of Sunlight. Upon arrival, our driver will greet you at the airport or train station exit and take you to your hotel in downtown Lhasa for check-in and rest. For the remaining time, you can rest well at the hotel and let your body gradually adapt to the high-altitude environment. Arrival Suggestions By Air: Lhasa Gonggar Airport is Tibet's main gateway airport, with direct flights to and from Chengdu (the most popular), Chongqing, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xining, Kunming, Shangri-La, and other cities. In addition, it has the only direct international route, to Kathmandu, Nepal. By Train: Taking the Qinghai-Tibet Railway into Tibet is also a very popular choice. You can take trains to Tibet from Xining (the starting point of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, 21h), Chengdu (36.5h), Chongqing (35.5h), Beijing (40.5h), Shanghai (47h), Guangzhou (52.5h), Xi'an (31h), Lanzhou (24.5h), and other cities. Warm Reminders 1. On the day of arrival in Lhasa, do not engage in strenuous exercise, and do not bathe or drink alcohol. Rest more, drink water, eat fruit, and avoid overeating. You may bring American ginseng lozenges or health supplements such as rhodiola and Gaoyuan'an to relieve altitude sickness. 2. Follow the guide's arrangements and try not to go out for activities. Maintaining a calm mindset and getting sufficient rest is the best way to prevent altitude sickness. 3. If you feel unwell, promptly seek help from your guide or hotel staff and go to a hospital for treatment.

After breakfast, visit the Potala Palace, the highest ancient palace-castle complex in the world. [Potala Palace] is located on Maburri Mountain in the northwest of Lhasa city. It is a magnificent building integrating palace, castle, and monastery, and the largest and most complete ancient palace-castle complex in Tibet. The Potala Palace is built against the mountain, with 13 stories, 117.19 meters high, and over 400 meters long from east to west. You will climb up the long stairs of the Potala Palace step by step, overlooking Lhasa as you go, taking in the grandeur of Lhasa city. While taking photos and resting, you will then enter the Potala Palace to explore this mysterious and ancient palace rarely shown in pictures online. Afterward, visit the Jokhang Temple, the holy site in the hearts of Tibetan Buddhist believers. [Jokhang Temple] was first built in 647 AD and has a history of 1,350 years. It is the most splendid existing Tubo-period architecture in Tibet, with 5 golden roofs and 108 Buddha halls. Here you can see the world's rare 12-year-old life-size statue of Shakyamuni and devout pilgrims worshipping in front of the Jokhang Temple. Finally, you can stroll through [Barkhor Street]. This is not only the route for local kora rituals but also a very lively ancient commercial street. You can encounter locals in Tibetan robes and devout pilgrims, stroll through the alleys to browse handicraft shops, or find a sweet tea house to learn the tranquility and contentment of Tibetan friends. Enjoy a delicious Tibetan dinner in the evening.

After breakfast, drive about 12 kilometers (35 minutes) to visit Drepung Monastery, one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery is built layer by layer along the mountain, grand in scale, and the white-walled and red-eaved architectural complex is especially peaceful and serene in the sunlight. Entering the monastery, you can visit important buildings such as the Tsokchen Assembly Hall, Ganden Podrang, and the four dratsangs in turn, learn about Tibetan Buddhist culture, or go to the debate courtyard to watch monks debate Buddhist teachings (around 14:00), or stroll within the monastery and seek inner peace. In addition, around August each year, there is a grand Buddha-unveiling ceremony here, namely the famous Shoton Festival. In the afternoon, drive about 30 kilometers (50 minutes) to visit Sera Monastery, one of the six main monasteries of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery is solemn and sacred. Here you can watch Tibet's famous Buddhist debate activity. The debate usually starts at 15:00 (except Sundays). During the debate, the lamas in the courtyard engage in fierce debate, and you can truly feel the faith and power of Tibetan Buddhism.

After breakfast, you will depart from Lhasa and drive about 6 hours (about 270 kilometers) to Gyantse, a major historical and cultural town in Tibet. Along the way, you will first cross the Gambala Pass at an altitude of 4,990 meters. From the pass, you can take in a panoramic view of Yamdrok Lake drifting like a blue ribbon through the mountains and the majestic Noijin Kangsang Snow Mountain in the distance. Then continue toward Yamdrok Lake, the highest freshwater lake in the world, and appreciate its beauty from multiple angles, including the mountainside and the lakeshore. Yamdrok Lake is one of the three sacred lakes of Tibet and is also praised as the most beautiful water in the world. Its water is clear as a mirror, stretching into the distance and merging with the distant snow mountains. Together with the undulating mountains on both banks, the scenery is absolutely stunning. Local Tibetans praise Yamdrok Lake in folk songs: "A fairyland in heaven, Yamdrok on earth. Stars in the sky, cattle and sheep by the lake." Afterward, the car will continue driving along the shore of Yamdrok Lake for a while, allowing you to see the beautiful lake again. Then head to visit Karola Glacier, the most accessible glacier in Tibet. The glacier is right beside the highway, like a giant thangka hanging on the mountain wall, crystal clear and pure white, so close it seems you could touch it. You can admire the towering glacier from the roadside or walk to its foot to appreciate its grandeur up close. Visiting tips 1. The Karola Glacier scenic area is at a high altitude, over 5,000 meters. When walking along the boardwalk, please slow down. You may also carry a small oxygen bottle and inhale oxygen for relief if you feel unwell. 2. Please beware of photo traps. If a stranger offers to take photos for you, ask in advance whether there is a charge. After the visit, head to Gyantse, the town of anti-British heroes. This is an ancient city with more than 600 years of history and a key transportation hub from U-Tsang to Tsang. Upon arrival, visit Pelkor Chode Monastery, which integrates the three major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. It is also one of the few monasteries in Tibet where both the monastery and its stupa are completely preserved. There is a stupa within the monastery and a monastery within the stupa, naturally blending and complementing each other. Here, you will focus on visiting the Ten Thousand Buddha Stupa, famous for its exquisite murals and carvings, learn about the development of Tibetan Buddhism in Tsang, and climb to a high point to look out at the Gyantse Dzong Fortress in the distance. Finally, continue to Shigatse to check in at your hotel and rest.

After breakfast, set off for the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, with a drive of about 6–7 hours (about 330 kilometers). Along the way, you will pass the Gyawu La Pass at an altitude of 5,200 meters, the world's only viewing platform where you can see five 8,000-meter-class snow peaks (Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, and Shishapangma). You will stop here for a while to fully enjoy the beautiful snow mountains. Afterward, arrive at Everest Base Camp. This is not only the best spot for viewing Mount Everest but also the best place to stay when visiting Everest, where you can enjoy the stunning sunrise and sunset over Everest and the starry night sky. On your first arrival, you can rest and acclimatize first, then walk to visit Rongbuk Monastery, the world's highest-altitude monastery and the best viewpoint for the north face of Everest, only 20 kilometers from the peak. Here you can enter the monastery to visit this ancient temple standing beneath the snowy sky, where time seems to stand still, and you can also gaze at Everest from the white stupa outside the monastery — the scene most commonly seen in Everest postcards and posters. If you have good stamina, you can continue along the road to the Everest altitude marker for a commemorative photo. In the evening, stay in a tent at base camp (tents are multi-person rooms with limited facilities and are closed in winter, in which case you will stay in a guesthouse in a village near Everest instead).

In the early morning, while the peaks are still sleeping in the dawn, you may want to get up early, hoping to encounter the most magnificent sunrise over Mount Everest and once again admire the majestic posture of the world's highest peak from different angles. Then after breakfast, leave Everest Base Camp and head to Saga. On the way, you will have the opportunity to see the majestic and magnificent [Shishapangma] (elevation 8,027 meters), the only peak over 8,000 meters entirely within China. Its ice tower area at the top looks towering and spectacular and extraordinarily beautiful under the sunlight. Then visit the blue and beautiful [Peiku Tso] (elevation 4,590 meters), the largest lake in Shigatse, with an area of 300 square kilometers. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, the lake surface is as open as a mirror. In clear weather, it reflects the blue sky and white clouds, creating extremely beautiful scenery. If you are lucky, you may also encounter Tibetan antelopes, Tibetan wild donkeys, black-necked cranes, and other wild animals active along the lake shore. Finally, arrive at the hotel in Saga for check-in.

After breakfast, set off toward Ngari. Along the way, you can see vast grasslands, rolling mountains, leisurely cattle and sheep, and other natural scenery. When passing through Zhongba County, you will briefly visit Zadong Monastery, located not far from National Highway 219 and known as the Gate of the Sacred Mount Gangdise. This monastery has a history of more than 1,300 years and is one of the four later-built demon-suppressing monasteries in Tibet. Around the monastery are 17 stupas, and inside are enshrined statues of Padmasambhava, Shakyamuni Buddha, Puming Hongguang Buddha, Vajra, and Green Tara, making it the best place to deeply understand early Tibetan Buddhist culture. After the visit, continue to Lake Manasarovar, one of the three sacred lakes of Tibet. This lake and Mount Kailash are together called the "Sacred Mountain and Holy Lake," and it is also the place called "Western Heaven Jade Pool" by Xuanzang in the Great Tang Records on the Western Regions. Its water is clear and transparent, and the lake surface is broad. The deep blue lake water, the distant rolling Namnani snow mountains, the prayer flags fluttering on the shore, and the clean sandy ground form a magnificent picture of lake and mountain scenery. (PS: From a specific angle, you can also see Mount Kailash in the distance.) Then, visit Lake Rakshastal, the "Ghost Lake," separated from Lake Manasarovar by only a hill. These two lakes were originally one lake, later divided into two due to falling water levels. A very magical point is that the water quality of the two lakes is completely different: the water of the sacred lake is clear and sweet, while the water of the ghost lake is bitter and undrinkable, not even for people or livestock. Its shore is even more barren, with not a blade of grass growing, a scene of dead silence. After the tour, drive to today's accommodation point, Tarchen (altitude 4,574 meters), and check in to rest.

Distance: about 20 kilometers total, about 14 kilometers on foot Hiking time: about 7-8 hours Hiking difficulty: ★★ Altitude change: Darchen 4,675 meters → Prayer Flag Square 4,750 meters → Chuku Monastery 4,770 meters → Zhire Monastery 5,050 meters In the early morning, take an eco-friendly bus from Darchen to Prayer Flag Square, the starting point of the Mount Kailash kora, and begin your Mount Kailash kora hiking pilgrimage. Today's hike is relatively easy. You will walk along the dirt road in the valley at the foot of the sacred Mount Kailash, accompanied all the way by blue skies, white clouds, and snow mountains, with an occasional river winding past. The scenery is vast and magnificent. Along the way, you can see the west and north faces of Mount Kailash - one towering into the clouds, the other layered and endless. As you trek along the winding path, you will have a wondrous encounter with the sacred mountain. In addition, you may occasionally meet Tibetans doing full-body prostrations on the kora, witnessing their most sincere faith. Finally, you will arrive at today's accommodation point - Zhire Monastery. If you still have energy, you can visit this ancient monastery together with your guide. This is also the best viewpoint for the north face of Mount Kailash, where you can enjoy the magnificent sunset and starry sky over the sacred mountain. PS: In the valley, yaks and horses are available for visitors to experience, and there are also luggage porters to assist guests carrying large luggage.

Hiking distance: about 20 kilometers Hiking time: about 10–11 hours Hiking difficulty: ★★★ Altitude change: Zhire Monastery 5,050 m → Dolma La Pass 5,650 m → Zutrul Monastery 4,810 m Early this morning, you will begin a new day of hiking. Today's route is relatively challenging: you will climb about 600 meters up a dirt road and cross the Dolma La Pass, the highest point of this kora. Standing at the pass, you can look back on the hardships of the road you have come and admire the colorful prayer flags fluttering in the breeze. Then descend to a beautiful small lake below the valley, the Lake of Compassion, a tranquil lake like an emerald gem set among the towering mountains, very beautiful. After a brief pause to admire it, continue along the long downhill road to reach today's accommodation, Zutrul Monastery.

Distance: about 10.6 kilometers total, about 6.6 kilometers hiking Hiking time: about 2-3 hours Hiking difficulty: ★ Altitude change: Zuchu Temple 4,810 meters → Tarchen 4,675 meters Today's kora itinerary is relatively easy. After setting off in the morning, you will follow the winding river all the way, and the scenery will be more vibrant, with occasional small animals active among the shrubs and piles of mani stones stacked between the snow mountains and grasslands. At the highest point along the way, you can also gaze at the majestic and magnificent Mount Naimona'nyi in the distance. Then arrive at the end of this kora hike - Tarchen. Afterward, drive about 230 kilometers from Tarchen (about 4.5 hours) to today's accommodation point - Zanda.

After breakfast, drive to visit the Ruins of the Guge Kingdom, which mysteriously disappeared more than a thousand years ago. The entire ruins complex has more than 300 houses and caves, 3 stupas (more than 10 meters high), 4 temples, 2 halls, and 2 underground tunnels, divided into upper, middle, and lower levels, respectively the royal palace, temples, and residences. You can stroll among the ruins, follow the guide's explanation, visit the remaining buildings, and glimpse its brilliant history in the long river of time. Afterwards, drive about 20 kilometers to visit the Zanda Earth Forest, the broadest and most magnificent earth forest landscape in Tibet. It was formed by the geological changes over tens of millions of years from the lake basin of an ancient large lake and the riverbed of a large river. Within a radius of nearly several hundred square kilometers, the earth forest is full of staggered "trees" of various shapes, and under the sunlight the scenery is even more brilliant and shocking. Then, return to Zanda County and visit Tholing Monastery, with a history of more than 900 years. This was the first Buddhist temple built by the Guge Kingdom in the Ngari region. The temple's architectural style and Buddha statues integrate Indian Kashmir, Ladakh, and Nepalese styles, and it is a culmination of architectural and Buddha statue styles from various places. There are also many precious and well-preserved murals in the temple, very worth seeing.

After breakfast, depart from Darchen and drive back to Saga. Along the way, enjoy Tibetan scenery such as towering snow mountains, rolling ranges, vast grasslands, and leisurely cattle and sheep, and catch glimpses of local daily life through the towns and villages passing by outside the window. At some scenic viewpoints with beautiful views, you can also stop for a while to fully enjoy the plateau scenery and stretch your legs.

Today is another long day of driving. You will travel by car from Saga back to Shigatse (about 8 hours). There are no fixed attractions along the way; all the beauty is on the road, and a casual glance out the window reveals stunning plateau scenery. Finally, upon arrival in Shigatse, the center of Tsang, check into your hotel and rest.

After breakfast, visit [Tashilhunpo Monastery]. This is the largest monastery in Shigatse and the seat of successive Panchen Lamas. It was once the political ruling center of the rear Tibet region. The monastery houses a 28-meter-high seated copper Buddha statue, the world's largest "Maitreya Buddha" (i.e., the Buddha of the Future). Here you can visit the Panchen Lama's living quarters, the sutra college, the stupa hall, the Buddha display platform, and other buildings, learn about the long cultural history of Tibetan Buddhism and its development in the rear Tibet region, and also see exquisite murals, carvings, and other cultural relics. If interested, you can also climb to a high point to overlook the panoramic view of the monastery and the distant view of Shigatse city. After the visit, drive back to Lhasa from Shigatse. Along the way, you can enjoy the magnificent Yarlung Valley scenery through the window, seeing the broad riverbed and peaceful village and farmland views... Finally, arrive at your hotel in Lhasa city to rest.

Today, this 15-day pilgrimage tour to the sacred mountains and lakes of Tibet will come to an end. Our driver will, according to the agreed time, take you to Lhasa Airport or Railway Station in advance for your next destination. If you want to extend this trip and explore more destinations in Tibet, such as Namtso, Nyingchi, and other places, you can also contact our customer service to arrange it for you. We look forward to welcoming you again someday in the future.