Kailash Tour with Saga Dawa Festival

saga-dawa-festival-in-kailash
Duration14 Days
CountryTibet
Maximum Altitude5613m

Saga Dawa Festival is an important Tibetan Buddhist festival, held every year on the full moon day of the fourth lunar month of the Tibetan calendar, to celebrate Sakyamuni's enlightenment. Each year people from all over Tibet gather here that day to attach the prayer flags they brought from home, to pray, and to help erect the huge flagpole on the Kailash Kora. The whole ceremony is led by a Tibetan Lama from a nearby monastery. Hours before the actual rising of the flagpole from the ground, people circumambulate the flagpole and pray and throw 'wind horses' (little pieces of colored paper with Buddhist scriptures on them) into the air. They help to remove last year’s prayer flags and attach new ones. As a visitor, you are almost forced to follow them as they go around and around, time after time. Along the sides, on the slope of the nearby hills, a lot of people are sitting to watch the 'spectacle' and there are musicians who play all the time on their horns and symbols. We can really feel a sudden great sense of happiness surrounding us.

The Saga Dawa festival is held for a month around the Tarboche valley of the Kailash region. The main day of the Saga Dawa festival in 2025 is the 11 of June. Touch Kailash Travels and Tours will manage your entire travel plan to explore the Saga Dawa Festival 2025. The tour covers Lhasa and other historical cities of Tibet. The tour starts with a scenic Himalayan flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa. Exploration of Lhasa city including Potala Palace and others during your one full day sightseeing. Drive towards west Tibet by crossing many other historical Tibetan cities and high passes from where high mountain views of Tibet and Nepal Himalayas are seen crystal clear.

Our main destinations Mount Kailash and Manasarovar are reached via the Kerung border of Nepal. Stay overnight at typical Tibetan mud houses and take your food from local restaurants. Mount Kailash Parikrama is the adventure in this tour, which is 3 days of trekking by crossing 5613 meters of Dolma La pass. You also have the option to take a personal helper and pony at this part. Finally, explore the Saga Dawa Festival and drive back to Kathmandu via Kerung Border.   

Highlights:

  • Scenic Himalayan flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa and back 
  • Driving on a paved road until the base of Mount Kailash (Darchen)
  • Magnificent view of Tibetan and Nepal Himalayas
  • Pass over 5,000 m passes with beautiful prayer flags and panoramic mountain view
  • 3 Days Mount Kailash Parikrama 39 KM walking (option: can take horse )
  • Crossing the Highest Pass Dolma La (5613m) while in Mt. Kailash Parikrama
  • Holy Lake Manasarovar and hot spring 
  • A different view of Mount Kailash 
  • Exploration of Saga Dawa in Tarboche Valley 
  • Explore Tibetan culture, Society, and Landscape
Itinerary
Trip PlanExpand All

Arrival in Kathmandu. Our representative with pick up you from Tribhuban International airport and transfer you to the Hotel. Walking tour at the touristic hub (Thamel) you can plan to buy your personal equipment for your trip. Our guide will help you. Overnight at Hotel. 

Touch Kailash Travels and Tours will take care of your visa and other necessary documents. Trip briefing, and do the final packing for the Trip. You also have option to visit some historical places in Kathmandu valley.  

Start driving to Shyaprubesi from Kathmandu after your breakfast in Hotel. You will be inside of Langtang National Park today. Rest at a local tea house after your long drive on the bumpy roads. 

Max Altitude: 2250m Duration: 7 hrsDistance: 117km

Drive to Kerung from Shyaprubesi. Cross Nepal Tibet border and finish immigration formalities. You will meet your Tibetan guide and further drive to the first town of Tibet, Kerung. Overnight at a guesthouse in the village of Kerung. 

Max Altitude: 2900m Duration: 2 HoursDistance: 40 Km

We continue our trip to Saga, a town in Tibet. After 6/7 hours of drive from the village of Kerung through Lhatse and Sang sang, pass several lakes, towns and high plateau nomadic sites we reach Saga, where we will be staying overnight at the best available accommodation. The home of the Panchen Lama, which is essentially a walled town with cobbled and twisting lanes that revolve around a magnificent monastery. 

Max Altitude: 4500m Duration: 6/7 hrsDistance: 390km

You can have the first view of Mt. Kailash and Manasarovar from here. We reach the Manasarovar Lake and overnight at the guest house. Manasarovar is the highest lake of freshwater, a place of pilgrimage, attracting religious people from Nepal, India, Tibet, Russia, and other neighboring countries. Taking bath at Manasarovar and drinking water from here is believed to clean all the sins. You have the option to explore Chui Gumba and Hot spring near Manasarovar.

Max Altitude: 4590m Duration: 6/7 HrsDistance: 277 km

We explore the Manasarovar Lake and continue our drive to Darchen, Darchen is known as the base camp for Mt. Kailash. Overnight at the best available accommodation at Darchen. 

Max Altitude: 4575m Duration: 1HrsDistance: 40km

Another 7-kilometer rough road till the valley of the god. Start walking about 14 kilometers and reach Derapuk. North face of Mt Kailash. We stay overnight at the guest house in Derapuk. 

Max Altitude: 5000m Duration: 6 HoursDistance: 47 km Driving, 14 km walking

Tough day today from Derapuk to Juthulpuk by crossing Dola Ma pass of 5613 meters. start your walk early in the morning. Almost flat land walking till the base of Dolma La. Hard uphill near from pass and reach Dolma La which is all covered with prayers flags. Then immediately start you walking downhill. Gauri Kunda can be seen on the way after dolma La. Reach Juthulpuk Monastery and overnight at Mud House. 

Max Altitude: 4750m Duration: 8/9 HoursDistance: 19km

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 Tibetan gather here for the final day of Saga Dawa Festival. It is also difficult to get accommodation here for newly arrived people. 

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. 

Duration: 7 hours

We will continue our return to the Nepal-Tibet border of Kerung. After 5-6 hours of driving, we arrive at Kerung. Overnight at guest house. 

Duration: 5/6 hours

The Tibetan guide will arrange all the necessities for the immigration formalities in the early morning. We will be crossing the Nepal-Tibet border and drive to the capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu through the same way of Langtang National Park. 

Our representatives will drop you at the International Airport for the final departure after concluding the Saga Dawa Festival trip. You can as well chose to rest and continue with any other activity in Nepal. 

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Cost Details
Included
  • Arrival and Departure arrangement  
  • 3 nights twin sharing hotel in Kathmandu with breakfast 
  • 1 Night tea house/ Guest House in Shyaprubesi
  • Accommodation in Kailash, in basic guest houses
  • Private transportation in Kathmadnu and in Kailash region 
  • Drop to Kerung from kathmandu and Pickup
  • Tibet travel permit and Tibet visa 
  • Entrance fees of lake manasarovar and Kailash 
  • Immigration formalities and luggage transfer 
  • English speaking Tibetan guide
  • Helper or Yak to carry luggages and goods during Kailash round
  • Warm jacket and sleeping bag in returnable based if you need
  • Duffel bag to put your goods/equipment
Excluded
  • Lunch and Dinner in entire trip
  • Personal horse and helper during Kailash round
  • Personal expenses, Equipment, Insurance
  • All the extra expenses incase of delay permit from Tibet, late departure to Tibet because of Tibetan governement or any other cases which is not in our hand.    

 

Trip Note

This trip is group departure based. if you want to make it your personal tour, we can run as it your personal tour and itinerary can be customized as per your interest. 

Dates & Availability

Saga Dawa Festival Tour 2024 to Kailash itinerary is designed with drive in and drive out from Kathmandu. Alternative itineraries from Lhasa and Purang can also be operated. 

Essential Information

Governement of Tibet may change their rules and regulation regarding permit, Visa and entry of Tibet any time and it can be also at last hour of our trip. whatever complication comes because of Tibetan government, this kind of risk goes to clients personally.