Mount Kailash Trek with Saga Dawa Festival

Day 1 - Fly London to Kathmandu

Depart London on your overnight flight to Kathmandu.

Overnight: In Flight

Day 2 - Arrive Kathmandu. Group transfer to hotel.

On arrival in Kathmandu you will be met and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to relax or explore the local area. You’re staying in the Thamel district of Kathmandu, the tourist heart of the city, so there are numerous shops, cafes, bars and restaurants right on the doorstep to enjoy. Your hotel is also the home of the Museum of Nepali Art (MONA) and you may like to browse their interesting collection of artworks during your stay.

Overnight: Kathmandu Guest House Or Similar, Kathmandu

Day 3 - At leisure in Kathmandu.

Today our local agents will be dealing with your Tibet permits and they will collect your passports and permit fees.

Meanwhile you will have the day at leisure to explore Kathmandu. Kathmandu’s Durbar Square, the historic centre of old Kathmandu with its many ancient palaces and temples, is just a 20 minute walk from your hotel through Kathmandu’s ancient bazaar. You could also walk or take a taxi to visit Swayambunath Temple (also known as the Monkey Temple) famed for its whitewashed dome and golden spire from which four all-seeing Buddha eyes look out in every direction.

If you fancy exploring further afield you could visit Bhaktapur, another of the ancient cities of the Kathmandu valley. In Bhaktapur’s ancient Durbar Square you will see more fine palaces, temples with gilded roofs, open courtyards and magnificent windows elaborately carved in wood. Here, the side streets being mostly brick paved and traffic free, still have a distinctively medieval feel to them.

Overnight: Kathmandu Guest House Or Similar, Kathmandu

Day 4 - Drive to Syabru Besi, 1,420m/4,659ft - 6-7 hours.

In the morning, after an early breakfast, you will be picked up for the drive from Kathmandu to Syabru Besi, a small village on the banks of the Bhote Khosi. This is quite a long drive taking around 6-7 hours. First you drive out of the Kathmandu Valley, over the valley rim and descend to the bustling town of Trisuli Bazaar where you start the drive north up the valley of the Trisuli River, ascending from 546m/1,791ft, to Dunche, 1,950m/6,397ft, making the climb by frequent zig-zags in the road. Just before Dunche you reach the gates of the Langtang National Park where you have to sign in. From here you descend all the way to the Trisuli River at the village of Syabru Besi, 1,420m/4,659ft. Beginning your acclimatisation trek from here allows you to experience some of the best trekking country in Nepal.

Overnight: Tea House

Day 5 - Trek to Lama Hotel, 2,380m/7,808ft - 6-7 hours.

From Syabru Besi you start your trek eastwards into Langtang. The trail crosses the Bhote Khola by a suspension bridge and you soon reach the Langtang Khola which will be your companion all the way to Kyanjin Gompa. The trail starts as a moderate climb and zig-zags up the broad valley. Continuing up you will see the village of Thulo Syabru clinging to the high valley side and soon after you meet a trail which leads to and from the village. You then enter a deep gorge which marks the start of the Langtang Valley, and descend through a bamboo forest to the valley floor. Red pandas and Langur monkeys inhabit this forest. You reach the Langtang Khola and follow it up stream. You pass through the hamlet of Pairo (3 hours to here, altitude 1,700m/5,577ft) and reach the village of Bamboo, 1,950m/6,398ft, located by the riverside. The trail here is constantly being rebuilt due to the river flooding and washing the trail away. Snowy mountains now frame the end of the valley. After an hour or so you cross a bridge to the northern side of the river and pass through the village of Rimche. Shortly after this you will briefly climb out of the forest to reach the village of Lama Hotel.

Overnight: Tea House

Day 6 - Trek to Thyangsyap above Ghora Tabela, 3,104m/10,184ft - 5 hours.

Today is important for acclimatisation. Leaving the tea house at Lama Hotel, you continue the climb up the Langtang Valley. The area here is densely forested with hemlocks, oaks, maples and rhododendrons - if you are very lucky red panda can sometimes be seen along this stretch. After a short while, the mighty peak of Langtang Lirung comes into view to the north. Passing a waterfall, you continue up the west bank of the Langtang Khola and pass through the hamlet of Gumnchok, which means 'trekkers' corner'. After a further couple of hours the valley begins to widen and the trail flattens. You arrive at Ghora Tabela meaning literally 'the stable of the horse'. This was once a resettlement project for Tibetans but no longer has any permanent residents. From here it is a further gradual climb of around half an hour to reach Thyangsyap where you will spend the night.

Overnight: Tea House

Day 7 - Trek to Mundu via Langtang, 3,450m/11,319ft - 2-3 hours.

There will be no rush to leave today as it is a short walk to your next overnight lodge. It is important for your acclimatisation to the increasing altitude not to ascend too high too fast. Leaving Thyangsyap you will continue through the forest until you climb above the tree line at around 3,150m/10,335ft. You are now approaching the area where the village of Langtang used to be before its destruction in the earthquake of 2015. It is now a huge landslide area which you will cross on one of the many paths which have been constructed to allow passage up the valley. There is a memorial to all those who lost their lives where you can pause and pay your respects. Continuing on up the valley you soon arrive in Mundu where you will spend the rest of the day resting and acclimatising.

Overnight: Tea House

Day 8 - Trek to Kyanjin Gompa, 3,870m/12,699ft - 4-5 hours.

From Mundu you continue up the ever-widening valley to Kyanjin Gompa. To the east you will gain great views of the peak, Dorji Lakpa, with Urkinmang peak to its left. Also to the south, the peaks of Naya Kanga and Pongen Dopku will come into view. After a steep, undulating trail you cross a rise and Kyanjin Gompa will appear. Kyanjin Gompa lies in an elongated amphitheatre surrounded by high, snow-capped peaks. After lunch, your guide might suggest a hike up the small hill to the north of the village at the height of about 4,300m/14,108ft. This offers great views of Langtang Lirung, the Langtang glacier, Kimshing peak with its glacier and, to the south, a long ridge on top of which is the Ganja La, a high pass that leads to Helambu.

Overnight: Tea House

Day 9 - Day hike to Tsergo Ri, 4,984m/16,352ft - 5-7 hours.

Today you have a challenging hill walk up Tsergo Ri - a conical-shaped peak just short of 5,000m/16,404ft. The high point of your trek, it's quite a tough climb, but you will be amply rewarded for your exertions at the top, with breath-taking, panoramic views of the surrounding snow-capped summits. This hike also provides valuable acclimatisation. You descend the same way back to Kyanjin Gompa.

Overnight: Tea House

Day 10 - Trek to Lama Hotel, 2,450m/8,038ft - 6 hours.

After your time spent in the upper valley it's time to return down the valley. As the next two days are mostly downhill you are able to cover a lot of distance. You will gain great views returning down the valley, especially with the sun filtering through the leaves once you have re-entered the forest.

Overnight: Tea House

Day 11 - Trek back to Syabru Besi - 5 hours.

It’s a pretty walk today down through forest where you may see lots of pretty, small birds flitting through the forest. It will take about two hours to reach the village of Bamboo and you will probably have lunch here. Then you descend down, down, down, past the gigantic land slide, past the thunderous rapids and over the suspension bridge back into Syabru Besi. You will say goodbye to your Nepali porters here.

Overnight: Tea House

Day 12 - Drive to Rasuwagadi at the Tibet border - 15 km/45 min. Meet your Tibetan guide and drive to Kyirong – 23km, 2,800m/9186ft.

Today you will set off on for your exciting adventure to Tibet! Firstly you drive to the border at Rasuwagadi where you will say goodbye to your Nepali guide and meet your Tibetan guide and transport. Rasuwagadhi only became Nepal's main modern international border crossing with Tibet in 2017 after the former Friendship Highway was damaged by the 2015 earthquake. There will be official immigration formalities to be covered on both sides of the border, which your guide will help you through. The Nepal side at Rasuwagadhi is considerably more laid-back and ramshackle than the larger and more formal border post on the Tibet/China side.

Formalities completed you drive to your overnight hotel in Kyirong on the Tibet side of the border. The population of Kyirong is a mix of Nepalese and Tibetan. Traditionally the town was important in the cross border trade between Tibet and Nepal, as it was located on a major traditional trade thoroughfare between the two countries, but this importance had lapsed with the construction of the Friendship Highway to Zhangmu. The town also has an important place in history as it is said to be where the early Tibetan king, Songtsen Gompa met his new queen, the Nepalese Princess Brikuti. The great Indian master Guru Padmasambhava is also said to have passed through Kyirong on his way to Tibet and seeing the beautiful landscape, called the place Kyirong, meaning Happy valley.

Overnight: Phuntsok Rabsel Hotel Or Similar, Kyirong

Day 13 - Drive from Kyirong to Saga, 4,460m/14,633ft, and continue to Drongpa - 293km, 7-8 hours.

This is a long and tiring driving day, but the scenery has to be seen to be believed. The sheer scale of the Tibetan plateau is staggering, with geological formations and strata across all of the earth colours and views of the Greater Himalaya. You drive past the beautiful Pelkhu Tso Lake, where you can clearly see fish swimming in the cold clear waters. You pass through the town of Saga, the last town of any size you drive through where there are a few shops to stock up on any last minute items. You continue to Drongpa. The road follows the Tang Po River for much of the way and you pass through a number of villages before reaching Drongpa and you may see herds of domestic yak, as well as their wild cousins, together with wild asses and marmots in the sandier areas. One area of sand dunes would not be out of place in a desert region with large crescent dunes encroaching on the road.

Overnight: Yajiangyuan Hotel Or Similar, Drongpa

Day 14 - Long drive from Drongpa to Darchan, 4,575/15,010ft.

Today you will have a long drive, travelling west, to the town of Darchan, a small town set at 4,575m/15,010ft and almost directly south of Mount Kailash. The sacred lake of Mansarovar is located a short way south east of Darchan. Darchan itself is not a very prepossessing place being rather tatty and rundown, but its importance lies in that it is the jumping off place for the Kailash Kora and is the last place for pilgrims on the Kora to buy supplies.

Once in Darchan your Tibetan guide will negotiate Chinese bureaucracy and your permits will be scrutinised and stamped. He will also meet with the man employed by the local state prefecture to organise the teams of yaks for paying pilgrims, to find yaks to carry your baggage. This whole procedure may well be a rather protracted business.

Overnight: Himalayan Kailash Hotel Or Similar, Darchan

Day 15 - Drive to Tarboche. Meet yaks. Start trek and trek to Diraphuk - 5,210m/17,093 - 13kms/8mls, 5-7 hours.

Today you will drive to Tarboche. Tarboche is famous for its tall pole adorned with prayer flags, and as the site of Saga Dawa Festival which you will return to after your Kora. You will meet your yaks here and start the kora. Nearby is Chorten-Kangri: it is considered an auspicious act to pass through the small archway formed by the two legs of this chorten. From Tarboche you trek across the plain to Shershong, and after an hour you will see Chuku Gompa high on the hillside above. All the monasteries on the Kailash circuit were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. You will pass below Chuku Gompa which was one of the the first to be rebuilt and contains a few treasures that were rescued from the original gompas. There are some very interesting and little known connections between these monasteries and Bhutan. If time allows and you are feeling strong, the gompa is well worth a visit.

Your trail then continues through a most fantastic gorge, with stupendous flying buttresses on the western side and views up to Kailash on the east. The cliffs are incredibly impressive, unique and awesome, and walking is likely to be slow as you take in the cliffs, hanging valleys, side peaks and enormously long thin waterfalls coming off these. You will go past some stone huts and obtain a fine view of the west face of Mount Kailash before you see the bridge leading to Dira Phuk Monastery. Your lodge for tonight is located not far from Diraphuk Monastery.

Note: Please ensure today that all your gear in your kit bag is fully waterproofed as the yaks may ford the river, perhaps 50 or 60 cm deep, and although usually all bags will remain dry, an animal can stumble and you don't want to risk wet gear at this altitude!

Overnight: Lodges On The Kailash Trek

Day 16 - Rest and acclimatisation and exploration of the local area. Visit Dira Phuk Monastery.

Today you can explore this high region, enjoy the spectacular views of the north face of Kailash and visit Dira Phuk Monastery. Dirapuk’s location on the northern face of Mount Kailash is believed to amplify its spiritual power. Devout pilgrims believe this vantage point offers the mountain’s most potent views, enhancing the Kora’s transformative potential. The north face of Mount Kailash is said to resemble the face of the Bodhisattva Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara), considered the embodiment of compassion. You could explore some way from Diraphuk to get the most fantastic views of this north face and you might even be allowed to trek up close to the north face framed between its two 'disciple-mountains, Chana Dorje and Chenresi although the Chinese do not always allow this.

The original monastery of Dira Phuk has an illustrious history. It was destroyed during the 1960s but was later rebuilt. Legend has it that the great Tibetan yogi Milarepa meditated in a cave near Dirapuk, attaining enlightenment and leaving his handprint on the rock as a testament to his spiritual trip and you might visit this spot. Some even say that Milarepa might have actually climbed Kailash. The monastery is also known for a visit by the famous Yogin, Gotsangpa, a disciple of Milarepa, who is said to have stayed in this monastery from 1213 to 1217. Yogin Gotsangpa is known at the author of the first history and guide book of Mount Kailash.

Overnight: Lodges On The Kailash Trek

Day 17 - Challenging walk to cross the Dolma La Pass, 5,630m/18,472ft, and trek down Lham Chu Valley towards Zutal-Puk Monastery 4,790m/15,715m.

Today is the high point of your circuit crossing the Dolma La.

The Kora route makes a serious climb onto a moraine, eventually meeting the trail from the east bank. As you climb further, you will pass piles of clothing at Shiva-tsal, 5,331m/17,490ft. Tibetans leave an article of clothing, or a drop of blood here as part of leaving their past life behind them. Continuing past thousands of small rock cairns the trail leads across a boulder field, and possibly snow slopes leading up to the Dolma La at 5,630m/18,472ft. Here a large boulder on the pass representing the goddess, Dolma (better known by her Sanskrit name, Tara) is festooned with prayer flags and streamers. This is the physical and spiritual high point of the Kora. It is traditional to leave something as part of the collection of coins, prayer flags, teeth and other offerings attached to the rock. Money is pasted to the rock with butter and pilgrims make the requisite three circumambulations of the rock. This must be the world's largest collection of prayer flags.

If you meet Tibetan pilgrims here you may be invited to join them for a picnic in celebration of completing the hardest part of the Kora - remember to take a little food to share with them. Descending, the trail is rocky at first then begins a series of switchbacks as it passes the lake, Gouri-kund, which at 5,450m/17,880ft is the highest lake in the world, although almost permanently frozen. Devout Hindu pilgrims are supposed to break the ice and bathe in its waters. More switchbacks lead down to the valley and a stone guest house alongside the Lham-chhukhir at 5,148m/16,890ft where there is a footprint of Buddha, called a shapje, nearby. Yaks may be grazing around this area, and marmots may be out if it's a sunny evening.

The route makes a long, gentle, descent of the Lham Chu valley, the eastern valley of Kailash. When crossing the stream of the Khado Sanglam you reach the Third Prostration Station; look upstream for the holy view of the east face of Kailash. You trek down towards Zutul-puk Gompa - Zuthul means cave and the gompa is named after a cave in which the Buddhist saint, Milarepa is said to have meditated, eating only nettles. Among the miracles he performed were adjusting the height of this cave to make it more comfortable and his footprint still remains on the roof.

Your lodge tonight is located just below the Zutul-puk Gompa so you should have time to visit the Gompa.

Overnight: Lodges On The Kailash Trek

Day 18 - Trek to Darchan - 4-5 hours.

Your last full day of trekking is a beautiful hike. Continuing south, you cross a bridge over a side stream from Kailash, and then contour up as the river descends towards the plain. Ensure you stop regularly to check the view behind you - it is superb. After an hour and a half the valley closes in and you will be walking high above the river in a kind of a steepening gorge. On the walk today you are likely to be walking alongside many pilgrims, also descending. And indeed this section is one of the loveliest on the trek. Looking to west side of the valley you can clearly see a defined crash zone of where the Indian tectonic plate crashed into the Asian plate all those millions of years ago. It's possible to clearly see the buckling of the front end of the Indian plate and a dramatic change in the geology. Two professional geologists in one group helped to identify the oceanic rocks here at 4,600m above sea level and to point this all out to the group!

You make a dramatic exit from the river valley on to the plain at the Last Prostration Station at 4,609m/15,120ft. Your truck will meet you and the yaks will unload once they arrive. Rakas Tal glistens in the distance as you pass mani walls decorated with carved yak skulls. You trek a further 1½ hours west to Darchan along the edge of the plain to complete the kora. As you arrive in Darchan you can see the route heading up to the Inner Kora, but you would have to complete 12 more koras before you would be allowed on this route!

Overnight: Himalayan Kailash Hotel Or Similar, Darchan

Day 19 - Trek to Tarboche to complete full Kora. Attend Saga Dawa Festival. Return to Darchan for the night.

Today you will trek back to Tarboche so you will have completed the full circuit. You trek west from the edge of town, firstly heading to a cairn and prayer flags at 4,730m/15,518ft. This is the first of four chaktsal-gang 'prostration stations' on the Kora and offers an excellent view of Kailash. Turning north up the valley of the Lha Chu, you descend to Tarboche, the site of the Saga Dawa Festival.

The Saga Dawa Festival is the most important religious day in Western Tibet, commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and passing away of the Buddha. The climax of the festival is the raising of a very tall flag pole which takes hours to slowly jack up, with teams of officials, and a brave man on top of the sloping pole. While this is going on pilgrims carry out Koras around the flag pole, revolving clockwise and chanting as they go. The valley fills up with pilgrims' tents and lorries and people come in their hundreds and thousands to be there on the final day. The local reincarnate lama from one of the monasteries on the inner circuit attends with his monks, and they carry out various ceremonies and make the Kora themselves blowing long Tibetan horns and crashing cymbals. Horsemen occasionally race around the Tarboche pole dressed in traditional costume. Mounds of incense are burnt, handfuls of printed prayers are thrown to the wind and people prostrate before the flagpole. The smell of burning juniper fills the air. There are stalls selling Tibetan handicrafts and 'sit in' meditation/prayer tents, magicians, and all manner of exotic Tibetan people with weird hats and colourful costumes.

Finally the pole is pulled upright and the crowd roars its approval. Literally thousands of Tibetans will then rush out immediately afterwards heading north on the Kora.

You will return to Darchan to overnight.

Overnight: Himalayan Kailash Hotel Or Similar, Darchan

Day 20 - Drive to Saga 6-7 hours.

You will leave early today as it is a long drive, firstly climbing to the Mayum La, 5,150m/16,896ft, from where you can savour your last views of Kailash. Then you drive down for half an hour to a police check post and head east on one vast plain which lies between the Greater Himalaya and the Trans Himalaya. You pass through Paryang, 4,600m/15,092ft, where you will probably have lunch. Driving on you cross a pass, the Soge La, 4,700m/15,420ft, and continue past a lake and on and on beside the Tsang Po river. The road now continues to the ferry near Saga, 4,480m/14,698ft, passing through the township of Drongba. (It is from here that a road now leads south into Nepal and the Kingdom of Mustang). You continue to Saga, very Chinese in character, where your hotel and (hopefully) hot showers await you!

Overnight: Station Manor Hotel Or Similar, Saga

Day 21 - Drive to Kyirong – 4-5 hours.

You continue driving east and south. During today's drive, if weather permits, you should have views of Mt. Shishapangma, 8,046m/26,397ft, the world's thirteenth highest peak and the only 8,000m peak to lie wholly within Tibet. You will also have views of other Himalayan snow peaks including the mountains of Langtang, which you will have seen from the other side earlier in your adventure. You cross more plateau and over the the Gongtang La Pass and then the road starts its long descent, zig zagging down to lower altitudes, with the terrain changing from high Tibetan Plateau to the valleys and forests of the Himalaya.

Overnight: Phuntsok Rabsel Hotel Or Similar, Kyirong

Day 22 - Drive to Border. Drive to Kathmandu. 7-8 hours.

You will drive to the border and complete formalities to leave Tibet/China and enter Nepal. On the Tibet side this may take between 1-2 hours depends on how fast the formalities go. Then you cross into Nepal and go through Nepal immigration and customs. Your transport will be waiting for you there and you drive to Kathmandu, returning to your hotel there for a final celebration of your epic journey.

Overnight: Kathmandu Guest House Or Similar, Kathmandu

Day 23 - At leisure in Kathmandu. Group transfer to the airport. Depart Kathmandu.

You will have time at leisure in Kathmandu today when you may do some sightseeing or shopping or simply relax at your hotel. Later there will be a group transfer to the airport for your overnight flight to the UK.

Overnight: In flight

Day 24 - Arrive London.