Mt. Kailash & Mt. Everest Base Camp
Day 1 - Arrive in Lhasa (Elevation 3650 meters /11,972 feet)
- Travel to Lhasa and use the afternoon to acclimatize. (D)
- Night’s Stay and Accommodations: Lhasa
Day 2 – Lhasa sightseeing
- Spend the morning visiting the Potala Palace. Visit the Jokhang Temple and the Barkhor Circuit in the afternoon. Attend a welcome dinner and trip briefing.
- Night’s Stay and Accommodations: Lhasa (B, L, D)
Day 3 – Explore Drepung and Sera manastries
- Drepung once housed 10,000 monks and was the largest monastery in the world. At its peak Sera housed 5000 monks and is now a great place to see monks debating.
- Option: Switch either Drepung or Sera program into a half-day hiking trip around Lhasa.
- Night’s Stay and Accommodations: Lhasa (B, L, D)
Day 4 – Lhasa to Shigatse (Elevation 3840 meters / 12,595 feet)
- Driver over the Khama La pass. Have a picnic lunch at one of Tibet’s holy lakes, Yamdrok Tso. Continue the journey to Shigatse via Gyangtse.
- Night’s Stay and Accommodations: Shigatse (B, L, D)
Day 5 –Shigatse to Saga (Elevation 4610 meters /15,318 feet)
- After breakfast, continue the overland journey to Saga County.
- Night’s Stay and Accommodations: Saga (B, L, D)
Day 6 – Saga to Darchen ( Elevation 4,670 meters / 15,154 feet)
- A whole day overland journey to Darchen via old Zhongba.
- Night’s Stay and Accommodations: Darchen (B, L, D)
Day 7– Mt. Kailash Trek starts; Darchen to Dira-Puk Monastery (Elevation 5080 meters / 16,662 feet)
- Hike from Darchen to Drirapuk (22.5 kilometers / 14 miles; about 6 hours of trekking).
- Night’s Stay and Accommodations: Guest House (B, L, D)
Day 8– Dira-puk Monastery to Zutul-puk Monastry (Elevation 4,820 meters / 5,810 feet); and Zutul-puk Monastry to Darchen
- Continue the trekking via Drolma-la pass (Elevation 5,630 meters / 18,466 feet), then arrive at Zutrulpuk (22.9 kilometers / 14.23 miles; about 6 hours of trekking); hike the remaining distance to Darchen (11.3 kilometers / 7 miles, about 4 hours). The trek ends in Darchen.
- Night’s Stay and Accommodations: Darchen (B, L, D)
Day 9– Darchen to Saga
- Overland journey back to Saga County.
- Night’s Stay and Accommodations: Saga (B, L, D)
Day 10 – Saga to Mt. Everest Base camp
- Overland journey to Mt. Everest bas camp..
- Night’s Stay and Accommodations: Tent guesthouse (B, L, D)
Day 11 –Mt. Everest Base camp to Shigatse
- Overland journey back to Shigatse.
- Night’s Stay and Accommodations: Shigatse (B, L, D)
Day 12 –Shigatse to Lhasa
- Walk around the old local market in the morning. Depart back to Lhasa.
- Night’s Stay and Accommodations: Lhasa (B, L, D)
Day 13 – Depart from Lhasa
Transfer to the Airport. Return home with spectacular memories of Tibet.(B)
(Note: “B, L, D” represents “Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner”)