Mt Kailash Saga Dawa Festival Tour

Max. Altitude: 1,300m
Overnight at Kathmandu (Hotel)
Meals Included: Dinner

Upon your arrival at Kathmandu's airport, our representatives will help in fulfilling the document's formalities and escort you to the hotel. You can take shower and rest in a hotel.
In the evening, you will be provided with a 'Welcome Dinner' from Greater Himalaya. You will be served authentic Nepalese dishes. If possible, some programs can also be arranged for entertainment purposes. Also, the local guide will briefly explain the following days' Nepal Tour.
Don't forget to chat with the locals by practicing a few Nepali words. This will help you to observe the unforgettable smile on the innocent faces of Nepalese.
 

Max. Altitude: 1,300m
Overnight at Kathmandu (Hotel)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Highlights: Pasupatinath, Boudhanath, Swayambhunath & Kathmandu Durbar Square

Today is the important day of our Nepal tour where we will explore the 4 major UNESCO Listed World Heritage Sites of Nepal.

We will start our journey early in the morning by visiting one of the major sacred Hindu temples, Pasupatinath Temple. It lies on the bank of the Bagmati River and God Shiva is worshipped in this temple. Several small and big statues of gods and goddesses around the premises of this temple will help you to calm your soul and mind.

From Pashupatinath Temple, we will head towards Boudhanath Stupa. This stupa is a famous Buddhist shrine that has been home to Tibetan refugees. It is the largest stupa in the world which is 131ft. in height. It is designed in mandala style and was built in the 5th century.

We will also visit Swayambhunath Stupa which is an important religious site for both Hindus and Buddhists. It is also known as 'Monkey Temple'. From the top of this stupa, you can see the beautiful view of Kathmandu city and its surroundings. Also, the flapping prayer flags, murals, Mani walls, Buddha statues, etc. make its surroundings more religious.

After exploring the Hindus and Buddhist sites, we will head towards Kathmandu Durbar Square which is also known as Hanuman Dhoka Palace. This place was ruled by Newari Mallas between the 12th and 18th centuries. We will visit Taleju Temple, Kumari Goddess Temple, Kal Bhairav, Jagannath Temple, King Pratap Malla statue, etc. inside the premises of this durbar square.
 

Driving Duration: 6-7 Hours (140km)
Max. Altitude: 1,460m (Syabrubesi)
Overnight at Syabrubesi (Guesthouse)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Highlights: Scenic Drive

Today we will get on Mt. Kailash Saga Dawa Festival Tour through the scenic drive from Kathmandu to Syabrubesi. Syabrubesi is considered the gateway to the Kerung. You will never feel bored throughout the driving journey. You will get a chance to observe the rural villages, fields of rice, maize, and millet, and thrilling roads from the windows of the jeep.

We will stop at Trishuli River for Lunch where you can taste the different dishes. After crossing this river, we will ascend towards Dhunche from where you can get a glimpse of the Ganesh Himal range. After our arrival in Syabrubesi, we will roam around the town and interact with the locals to learn about their way of life
 

Driving Duration: 1-2 hour (55km)
Max. Altitude: 3,400m (Kerung)
Overnight at Kerung (Hotel)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Highlights: Crossing Nepal-Tibet border & Scenic Drive

From Syabrubesi, we will drive to Rasuwagadhi linking Nepal-Tibet. We will drive to Nepal China Friendship Bridge. Here, we will go through all the immigration formalities on the Nepal side and cross the bridge. After crossing the bridge, we will again complete all the immigration formalities from the China side. Here, we will be received by the Tibet side guide and driver.

After a brief introduction with the guide and driver, we will proceed towards our journey. Bypassing through the beautiful landscape and Tibetan plateau, we will reach Kerung town where we will be spending our night.
 

Max. Altitude: 3,400m (Kerung)
Overnight at Kerung (Hotel)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Highlights: Panorama of Ganesh and Langtang Himal & Visiting Home of Guru Milarepa

Tibet is the Himalayan kingdom which is located at a high altitude. So, before continuing the journey towards the Tibetan vast plateau, it is crucial to acclimatize by relaxing and undertaking short hiking. Also, Kerung is the perfect place to make our body prepared for an over 4,000m journey as it falls under 3000 m altitude.

So, today we will relax and enjoy the stunning panorama of Ganesh and Langtang Himal bordering Nepal and Tibet. This town is also popular from religious and historical sides as it used to be the home of saint and Guru Milarepa during the 11th century.
Guru Milarepa is known for his tantric wisdom and is popular as a poet and folk singer. His songs are still popular in traditional villages and between herders.
 

Driving Duration: 4-5 hours (104km)
Max. Altitude: 4,740m (Saga)
Overnight at Saga (Hotel)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Highlights: Crossing Thong La & La Lung Passes and Observing Paikutsho & Brahmaputra River

After a warm rest day at Kerung, we will start our journey towards the high altitude. We will make sure to keep the slow pace. Otherwise, it will be hard for our body to adjust to the high elevation.

We will drive to Saga from Kerung town and join the road coming from Zhangmu after an hour of driving. We will drive for around 4-5 hours with a beautiful view of the Tibetan landscape throughout the way.

We will pass through the high hills and a comfortable paved road to arrive at the Saga village. We will climb up and down the passes of Thong La and La Lung before reaching Saga. We will also observe the huge Salt Lake - Paikutsho and the grazing technique of Sheep and Yak adopted by Tibetan, on our way. Also, we will cross the bridge over the Brahmaputra River or the Yarlung Tsangpo.
 

Driving Duration: 5-6 hours (277km)
Max. Altitude: 4,558m (Manasarovar)
Overnight at Manasarovar (Hotel)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Highlights: View of Mt. Kailash, Mt. Gurula-Mandala, and Rakshas Lake

After having breakfast, we will depart from Saga and drive towards Dongba town. We will pass through old and new Dongba and drive for a few hours to Tibetan plains while enjoying the view of giant peaks.

We will continue our journey bypassing a few villages and camps of Yak herders. Then, we will reach Paryang village where there are around 15-20 houses. From here, we will continue our drive over Myam-La-Pass to reach Mansarovar Lake.

Manasarovar is regarded as the highest freshwater lake in the world. It is located at 4,558m of altitude and is greenish-blue in color. It is believed that this lake used to be the relaxing place of Lord Vishnu. This Lake is surrounded by Mt. Kailash, Mt. Gurula-Mandala, and Rakshas Lake.

From this lake, we can enjoy the first glimpse of Mt. Kailash. Also, it is believed that Rakshas Lake was created by evil King Ravana so that villagers believe that the water of this lake is poisonous.
 

Driving Duration: 1 hour (30km)
Max. Altitude: 4,575m (Darchen)
Overnight at Darchen (Hotel)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Highlights: Performing Puja, Hawan, and Devtarpan, Hot Spring Bath at Chuigumpa, etc. 

Today, we will explore the crowded holy Mansarovar Lake by performing some rituals. We will wake up early in the morning and take bath at the holy lake and perform Puja, Hawan, and Devtarpan. After this, we will take a short walk around the bank of this lake.
In the late afternoon, we will continue our drive towards Darchen town. This town is in front of Kailash. Throughout the way, we will get to enjoy the beautiful view of Mt. Kailash. If possible, we will also enjoy a hot spring bath at Chuigumpa. This town is terribly busy and crowded during the time of Kailash Kora as the holy walk starts and ends from this town. It was known as Lhara during the old days.
 

Trekking Duration: 5-6 hours (10km)
Max. Altitude: 4,900m (Dirapuk)
Overnight at Dirapuk (Hotel)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Highlights: Saga Dawa Festival, View of peaks such as Ape, Kamet, Guru - Mandala, etc.

Today we will drive towards Yamadwar which is located in the small village of Tarboche. We will pack the lunch box for today's journey and reach Tarboche. On our way, we can see the stunning panorama of peaks such as Ape, Kamet, Guru - Mandala, etc. Tarboche is the starting point of the Kailash kora.

Tarboche is the town where the Saga Dawa festival is celebrated in a grand way. You can meet the large number of pilgrims in this town carrying flags and walking around the flagpole of Tarboche. Besides this, we will interact with the locals who are clad in their traditional dresses. Similarly, Cham dance is another attraction of this festival.

Since there will be a huge crowd in this town, remember to follow the guide and don’t roam around without taking permission from the guide. We will also enjoy the ethnic dishes in the Local markets kept by local people to make the festival more exciting. We will place the new flag in the Flagpole and receive the blessing from the monks of the monastery.

After the exploration of the Saga Dawa Festival, we will head towards Yamadwar. At Yamadwar, we will meet our pony caretaker and we will trek towards Dirapuk where we will be stopping for a night.
 

Trekking Duration: 8-9 hours (19km)
Max. Altitude: 4,760m (Zuthul-Puk) and 5,470m (Drolma La Pass)
Overnight at Zuthul-Puk (Hotel)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Highlights: Crossing Drolma La Pass, Hike to Shiva-tsal, Guru Milarepa’s Cave

Today is the longest trekking day of our Kailash Yatra. Also, it is hardest too as we have to cross the challenging pass. We will start our journey by trekking to Jarok Dongkhang village. From this village, we will hike to Shiva-tsal. It is believed that if people undergo a symbolic death in Shiva-tsal, then they will be reborn again.

Also, rebirth is possible if they arrive at the top of the Drolma La Pass. The big boulder of this pass symbolizes the goddess Dolma or Tara. We will hike to the top of this pass and rest for a while.
Then, we will go down and get to the banks of the Lam-chu Khir River. We will hike alongside this river and reach Khando Sangam La which faces the eastern side of Mt. Kailash. On the way, we can witness the footprint of Lord Buddha.
From here, after walking for a while, we will reach the Zuthul-Puk village. The name of this village has been derived from a popular miracle cave where Guru Milarepa stayed meditating.
 

Driving Duration: 6-7 hours (307km)
Trekking Duration: 3 hours
Max. Altitude: 4,740m (Saga)
Overnight at Saga (Hotel)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Highlights: Exploring Temples and Caves

Today is the last day of our holy walk at the Mt. Kailash Saga Dawa tour. In the morning, we will stroll around the Zuthul-Puk village and explore temples and caves. After breakfast, we will undertake a short hike of around 3 hours on a flat land filled with flapping prayer flags, Mani walls decorated with carved Yak skulls, murals etc.
After completing Kailash Kora, we will return to Darchen. We will enjoy our lunch here and then drive to Saga village.
 

Driving Duration: 4-5 hours (104km)
Max. Altitude: 2,700m (Kerung)
Overnight at Kerung (Hotel)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Highlights: Scenic Drive

Today is our last day in Tibet. We will enjoy the long drive from Saga to Kerung by following the same route as before. We will spend our leisure time strolling around Kerung town for one last time and observing the lifestyle of the Tibetan people.
 

Driving Duration: 4-5 hours
Max. Altitude: 1,900m (Dhunche)
Overnight at Dhunche (Hotel)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Highlights: Glimpse of Ganesh Himal

You will bid goodbye to our Tibetan guides and drivers. You will observe Tibetan Plateau for the last time on this trip. After having breakfast, you will depart from Kerung and start driving towards the Tibet-China border at Rasuwagadhi.
After completing the visa and customs formalities, you will cross the Friendship Bridge. On reaching the Nepal side, you will again go through a visa check to enter the Nepal border. You will meet your Nepalese guide and driver here and drive on a bumpy road to reach Syabrubesi village. From this village, we will again drive uphill and reach Dhunche town where we will be spending our night.
 

Driving Duration: 5 hours
Max. Altitude: 1,300m (Kathmandu)
Overnight at Kathmandu (Hotel)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Highlights: Exploring Thamel and Ason Bazaar

Today we will get back to Kathmandu by enjoying the short and scenic drive. On the way, we can observe hills, green vegetation, dense forests, and a stunning panorama of Langtang and Ganesh Himal. We will continue our drive through Trishuli Bazaar and reach Kathmandu. We will check into the hotel and take a rest for a while.

In the evening, you can utilize your leisure time by strolling around the bustling Thamel and Ason Bazaar. These two places are famous shopping destinations for Nepalese. Also, Thamel is popular as a major tourist hub where you can find a substantial number of markets selling local Nepalese products. You can also get an insight into Nepal's arts and architecture from all those small markets.
In Ason Bazaar, you can find clothing, stationery, decorative, household, electronics, etc. items at reasonable prices. If you have forgotten to bring anything needed for a tour from your home country, then you can buy them here. Also, remember to try spicy street foods being sold in Ason.

After a short exploration of nearby places, you will be served authentic Nepalese dishes as Farewell Dinner from the Greater Himalaya side.
 

Meals Included: Breakfast

This is the last day of the 15 Days Mt. Kailash Saga Dawa tour. We will bid goodbye and our office representatives will drop you at the airport for a flight to your home country. We hope that you will visit Nepal and other destinations in the future and give us a chance to serve you again in the coming days. Happy Journey!!!