Fly In Drive Out - Saga Dawa Festival

Detail Itinerary

Day 0124 May 2023: Arrival in KathmanduOur representatives will receive you at the airport in Kathmandu, and guide you to the hotel in Kathmandu. Later, we will have a small briefing session on the trip, and meet the other group members, overnight at the hotel.

Altitude: 1400m
Meals: D
Distance: Inside Kathmandu Valley

Day 0225 May 2023: Sightseeing in Kathmandu Today, we'll take a tour of a few well-known Hindu temples in the Kathmandu Valley. We will visit the Pashupatinath, Gujeswari Shaktipith, and Jalnarayan Temple. Later, you can get some supplies for the Yatra if necessary. Overnight at a hotel in Kathmandu.
Altitude: 1400m
Meals: B, L, D
Distance: Inside Kathmandu Valley

Day 0326 May 2023: Sightseeing in Kathmandu We will visit some of the major attractions in Kathmandu Valley today, while we wait on receiving our visas (FOR NRI). Explore the Doleshwor Mahadev Temple – the ‘shir’ head part of Lord Kedarnath in Uttarakhand. We will then visit the Bhaktapur Durbar Square, the most preserved cultural heritage in Kathmandu, and return to the hotel. Overnight at hotel.

Altitude: 1400m
Meals: B, L, D
Distance: Inside Kathmandu Valley

Day 0427 May 2023: Kathmandu to Lhasa We drive to the Tribhuwan International Airport, and take a flight to Lhasa. We will receive you at the airport upon your arrival in Tibet and drive you to the hotel. The rest of today, go slowly so that you can acclimate to the altitude more quickly. For the lengthy trip ahead, keep in mind to drink lots of water and get plenty of rest.

Altitude: 3656m
Meals: B, L, D
Distance: 1.5 hours flight

Day 0528 May 2023: Lhasa Sightseeing Morning breakfast at the hotel, and we visit the capital city of Tibet, the old residence of The Dalai Lama, Potala Palace. We will visit the Potala Palace, approx. 3 hours in the old Palace Residence in the heart of the city. We will then head onwards to the Barkhor Street, then visit the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. Explore around the place, and back to the hotel. Overnight stay in Lhasa.

Altitude: 3656m
Meals: B, L, D
Distance: Around Lhasa City

Day 0629 May 2023: Drive Lhasa to Shigatse – via Gyantse Our route passes via Gyatse to Shigatse, the capital of the Tsang region, home to the Panchen Lama, the second pope in Tibet. Excursion to the Tashilhunpo monastery (founded in 1447) early in the morning, stopping at the temple of Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future, as well as other monastic temples. We will stop over at the Yamdrok Lake for a nice view of the gigantic freshwater lake. Hotel overnight stay.

Altitude: 3900m
Meals: B, L, D
Distance: 272km – 7.5 hrs

Day 0730 May 2023: Drive from Shigatse to Saga – via Lhatse Your route today will take you across beautiful, over 5000-meter-high passes. You are kept busy by various activities, such as lakes and nomads pursuing tens of thousands of yaks and sheep, while you drive across Tibet's mountainous and sandy terrain. By late afternoon, you will have crossed the Bramha Putra River and be at the characteristic Tibetan and Chinese town of Sag for the evening.

Altitude: 4640m
Meals: B, L, D
Distance: 449km – 6 hours

Day 0831 May 2023: Saga to Mansarovar via Paryang After our breakfast at Saga, we will be driving to the highest fresh water lake in the world, the holy Mansarovar Lake, lying at an altitude of 4558 meters, stretching wide with a pristine greenish-blue color. The holy lake is believed to be the resting place of Lord Bishnu. It is surrounded by Mt. Kailash, Mt. Gurula-Mandata, and the Lake Rakshasha (Rakshash Taal). The Rakshash Taal is believed to be created by the Evil King Ravan, and the locals believe the water is poisonous. Overnight at guest house around Lake Mansarovar.

Altitude: 4558m
Meals: B, L, D
Distance: 277km – 6 hours

Day 0901 June 2023: Mansarovar Exploration – drive to Darchen We will get into our spiritual selves, and perform some rituals (puja) at the bank of the holy lake mansarovar. Our staffs will provide a bucket of hot holy water for each yatri from the lake Mansarovar for bathing. After our puja and prayers, we will complete the Parikrama of the Mansarovar Lake on a Jeep, and continue to the base camp of Kailash, Darchen. It is a village town right in front of the sacred Mt. Kailash. Overnight at hotel.

Altitude: 4575m
Meals: B, L, D
Distance: 110km – 2 hours (Mansarovar Parikrama)
40km – 1 hour (Mansarovar to Darchen)

Day 1002 June 2023: Darchen - Yamadwar - Drirapuk (Kora starts) We will embark on a three – day parikrama. We first drive to the small settlement of Tarboche, also called as Darboche. It is the starting point of the Kailash Kora, and is also known as the Valley of Gods. Yamadwar, the gatewat of the God of Death, is located here in Tarboche. We will walk for a few hours to arrive at the settlement of Derapuk, settling right in front of the North Face of Mt. Kailash. Overnight and rest at a guest house.

Altitude: 4900m
Meals: B, L, D
Distance: 13km – 0.5 hours (Darchen to Tarboche Valley)
7km – 5 hours (Tarboche to Drirapuk)

Day 1103 June 2023: Dirapuk to Juthulpuk (Drolma La Pass) Among the three days of Kora, today is the longest and the most difficult day. We will be heading towards the village of Jarok Donkhang first, and hike towards the Shiva-stal. We will rest for some time, and take a steep downhill and get to the banks of Lham-chu Khir river. We catch sight of the Holy Pond of ‘Gaurikunda’. We reach the village of Juthulpuk, this place is named after. The famous cave of Juthulpuk, Zruthulpuk cave, also known as ‘the miracle cave’. We will also catch sight of the Buddha’s Footprints along the way. Overnight at a guest house.

Altitude: 4760m
Meals: B, L, D
Distance: 19km – 8/9 hours (Dirapuk to Juthulpuk)

Day 1204 June 2023: SAGA DAWA FESTIVAL Trek to Chongdo and Drive to Darboche valley. Exploration of Saga Dawa festival.
Morning visit at Juthulpuk Monastery. Start all flat walking about 6 kilometers up to our driving crew. Further, drive to Darboche valley and observe and celebrate the Saga Dawa Festival. All the Tibetans gather here for the final day of the Saga Dawa Festival. It is also difficult to get accommodation here for newly arrived people.

Day 1305 June 2023: Darchen to Saga After concluding the Saga Dawa Festival morning rituals, we will start our drive back to the town of Saga. After 7 hours of driving on paved roads, we arrive at Saga, where we will be spending the night in a guest house.

Altitude: 4640m
Meals: B, L, D
Distance: 470km – 9 hours

Day 1406 June 2023: Saga to Kerung Today will be a simple day. We drive in comfort and amazing scenery to Kerung, the last village town of Tibet to Nepal. We will be staying overnight and resting today

Altitude: 3000m
Meals: B, L, D
Distance: 170 km – 5 hours

Day 1507 June 2023: Kerung to Kathmandu After completing the immigration procedures at the Nepal-Tibet border, we will drive back to Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. Afternoon souvenir shopping and overnight at the hotel.

Altitude: 1400m
Meals: B, L, D
Distance: 175 km – 8 hours

Day 1608 June 2023: DepartureOur representatives will drop you at the airport as per the flight timings, we conclude our Lhasa Kailash Tour with great memories.