| Trip Code |
PTTFD/013/33DKT |
| Naam van de tocht |
Mt. KAILASH MANSAROVAR 33D
| |
| Route van de tocht |
SIMIKOT IN-LHASA UIT
| |
| Tour Catagory |
**
| |
| Minimum groep |
05 Personen |
| Totale Trip |
33 Dagen |
| Kathmandu |
05 Dagen |
| Kailash Trek |
28 Dagen |
| Basis van verzorging |
3 maaltijden per dag (gedurende de trek), B/B Plan terwijl u
in Kathmandu bent |
| Deze trek wordt geleid door |
Deepak Rai |
Booking Deadline
The last booking date of above tour is 45 days prior to the departure date of
tour for Tibet and Bhutan and 15 days prior for Nepal.
Day 01
Arrive Kathmandu meet at the airport and transfer to hotel welcome drink,
check in, fixed the room and luggage. Completely free day rest or short
walking. (Service starts)
Day 02
Kathmandu sight seeing for Hindu temple: Pashupatinath, Buddhist shrine
Swayambhu Stupa.
Day 03
Free day for your own shopping and personal interest.
Day 04
By plane to Nepalgunj. The flight takes about 1½ hour. This town of 47.000 in
habitants close to the Indian border is a junction and regional center of
western Nepal. The center of the town is dominated of a bazaar and you will
see the typical Tongas, horse drawn passenger carts, in the streets. A large
part of the population is Muslim and you will see several mosques as well as
several Hindu temples. In Nepalgunj you have the last chance to stock up on
the snacks and fruit before the trek. Besides the bazaar there is a
supermarket in the center of the town since Nepalgunj is situated at a quite
low altitude, the weather will be hot and humid.
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Day 5-12
By plan to Simikot in the morning, 50 minutes. The flight will take
you across almost the entire breadth of Nepal. Hopefully the morning
is clear and you can stop the 7.031 m. peak of Saipal Himal in the
west. Simikot is the center of the district in Nepal. It takes about
two weeks to walk from here to the nearest car-road. The region is
closed for ordinary tourist and it requires a special permit to
visit Simikot. The small town is situated in a green valley with the
runway of the airport in the middle.
The altitude of Simikot is about 2.900 m. You will have six days of
walking to reach Khojarnath on the Tibetan side of the border. You
will walk partly along the Humla Karnali River, which is a tributary
river to the Ganges. The trail has been serving as the trade route
between Nepal and Tibet for long. You will pass small villages along
the way, the further away the fewer villages. The landscape will be
both sandy and green. Near the villages there will be cultivated
fields and trees.
The first day of trekking you start by climbing some 300m. And then
going down even more than that. Your first night of camping will
probably be at an elevation of about 2.300m. Day 2 and 3 will also
offer about 3-500m. Climb. Day 4 and 5 will include more climbing.
During day 4 you will reach about 3.600 m. and day 5 you will pass
the Nara Lagna pass of 4.580 m. Only stone marks the border crossing
to Tibetan. Just after the border will pass Sher, which is the
trading place for trade between the Humli and Tibetan peoples.
Nepalese wood and rice is exchanged for again and salt, which is
carried back by goats.
Today Purang is still an important trading town in the area. Traders
come from India, Central Asia, Nepal, Tibet and China. There are
several markets; the Darchula Bazaar (Nepal), the Humla Bazaar and
the Chinese Bazaar. By the time of your visit there will be probably
also are many religious pilgrims on their way to or from Mt. Kailash.
You will stay the night of day 11 in a guesthouse. Dinner of day 11
and lunch of day 12 will not be included; instead you should take
the chance to try some of the local Purang restaurants. You can
change money in Purang, but probably not traveler's cheques.
Day 13
You will have the morning to walk around the town of Purang. Leave
by car after lunch to Darchen (120 km, about 2 hours). The road will
pass the Gurla La (la-pass) of 4.590m. If the day is clear you could
perhaps see the Mt. Kailash. After the pass the road goes between
two lakes. On the right is the holy lake Manasarovar and on the left
is Rakshas Tal, which traditionally is considered to be the Lake of
Demons. Darchan (4.560 m. altitude) is a small palce from where the
Kailash circuit starts. Once again you will stay in tents and have
the meals cooked.
Day 14-16
Mt. Kailash is the most holy mountain to pilgrims of our different
religions. Hindus, Buddhists, jainists and flowers of Tibet's old
per- Buddhist belief Bonpo, all makes pilgrimages to the 6.714 m.
high, snow -covered mountain. All four religions have different
believes. What is common is the belief that Mt. Kailash is the
throne of gods and the place where the divine takes earthly. To make
a kora around the mountain is believed to release you from all your
sins for a lifetime.
The pilgrim path around the mountain is about 53 kilometers long.
You will have three days trip complete the trek. Some pilgrims do it
as fast as in one day. Other makes it slower. You might even meet
pilgrims who proceed by prostrating, lying down to pray for every
step they take! The Saga Dawa Festival will take place at Tarboche
on first day of trekking. This is the most important festival of Mt.
Kailash, celebrating the enlightenment of Buddha. It takes place
every at full moon of the fourth lunar month. A giant flagpole is
ritually taken down and the prayer flags are changed for new ones.
After the flagpole is upright again, the Tibetans try to tell the
future by watching its position. If the pole is erected straight it
will mean happiness for all of Tibet.
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Day 17
One day of rest by the holy Lake Manasarovar at an altitude of 4.530m. Many
pilgrims also circuit the Manasarovar while they are on their Kailash
pilgrimage. It is walk of 85 kilometers, and too far to do in one day. You may
visit any of the monasteries by the lake. One is Chiu Gompa, where the Sutlej
River has its source.
Day 18-20
By car to Tingri (about 750 k.m). The journey will take three days. The road
partly follows the Brahmaputra and you have to cross tributary rivers several
times. The sandy lower mountains on the plateau will dominate the landscape.
In the end of the Journey you will able to see the snow covered Himalayas in
the south. Be prepared that the road will not be good. You can make stops
whenever you wish, just tells the driver. You will stay in tents along the way.
In Tingri you will stay in the guesthouse. The Bum Chu River situates Tingri
at a wide plain. Due to its strategic position, the town has earlier played an
important role in the trade between Nepal and Tibet.
Day 21-22
Car to Mt Everest Base Camp (about 71 km.). During the drive you will pass the
Lamar La (5.662 km.), which is the highest pass of the trip. You will have one
and a half day at the base camp (altitude 5.150 m.). The Mt. Everest, or
Qomolungma in Tibetan (8.848 m.) is situated on the border between Nepal and
Tibet. Most climbers try to reach the top from the Nepali side, which is
considered less difficult. The month of May is Peak season for climbing Mt.Everest.
Every year there are a few expeditions trying to attack the world's highest
mountain from the Tibetan side. You can make a visit to Rongbuk Gompa, the
world's highest monastery, at an altitude of 4.980 m. Regardless of the season
visiting in the Everest Region, it requires being prepared for extreme
conditions. The sun is very strong at these altitudes; sun hat and plenty of
sun block are a must.
Day 23
From Mount Everest Base Camp to Shegar it is a total of 119 km. There is a 4WD
track going through and inhabited valley. The road is in bad condition and the
drive may take a while. You will pass the magnificent Pang La at 5.200 m, from
where you will have a wonderful view over Mt Everest. You can stop any time.
Stay in guesthouse.
Day 24
The drive to Shigatse (239 km.) will take five to six hours. Shigatse is the
second largest town of Tibet with about 40.000 inhabitants. Unfortunately,
most of the old, traditional Tibetan houses in town have been tore down and
replaced by modern buildings. The Tashilunpo Monastery, which is the seat of
Panchen Lama (founded in 1447), is situated here. It is counted among the six
largest Gelokpa Monasteries in Tibet. At its peak the Monastery housed around
4.700 monks. Today neither of the two present Panchen Lamas is residing here.
Both the Panchen picked by Dalai Lama and the Panchen chosen by the Chinese
government are in Beijing. The opening hours of the monastery is varying,
hopefully it is open on the day of your visit. The center of the complex is
the 26 meter tall Mastery Buddha (the Buddha of the future). There is also a
new golden stupa here, made with relics from, and in honor for the tenth
Panchen Lama. You will stay at Sangdrotse Hotel. Shigatse will be the last
larger town to stock up on some snacks before the long journey to the west.
Shigatse will probably also be the last place for a while where you can make a
long distance call home.
Day 25-26
Car to Gyantse (82 km.). Gyantse is situated in another fertile valley of
Central Tibet, that of the Nyang Chu River (a tributary of the Brahmaputra).
From the top of the hill by Gyantse Dzong you will have a nice view over the
town. Inside Pelkhor Chode, the great monastic complex, you will find the
giant stupa Kum Bum and the Tusklakhang monastery, both build on 15th century.
The Kum Bum known as the Stupa of Gyantse's populations remains primarily
Tibetan, making it an interesting place just to stroll around. There is a big
majority of typical Tibetan houses here. Gyantse is also a good place to visit
a special handicraft center. Stay at Gyantse Guest House.
Day 27-30
Drive to Lahaska (180 km.). You will pass two high passes and Karo La 5.010 m,
Khamba La 4.794 m. In-between the two passes you will drive along the holy
lake. Among Tibetans it is believed that in the beginning all of Tibet was
covered by water. The lakes that now exist area remnants of that big sea.
People believe that if the waters of the Yamdrok Tso would dry Tibet would no
longer be habitable.
One of the things you can do in Lhasa is to circumambulate. To circumambulate
is a religious ceremony where the Tibetan Buddhists show their devotion to
God. They walk in a clockwise circle around a certain building of holy dignity.
The most devoted pilgrims even prostrate round the building. Prostrating is
when you bow down and lies on the ground for every step you take. In Lhasa,
there is a long circumambulation to do. It's 8 kilometers long and will take
you around the main part of town, passing Potala and along the Lhasa River.
There is also a shorter one around Jokhang. To walk along the circumambulation
together with the pilgrims is an easy way to get contact with the Tibetans.
Another good way to look around town is to rent a bicycle and go around in and
outside of Lahsa.
Day 31
Plane to Kathmandu in the morning. Two more days in Kathmandu.
Day 32
Kathmandu free day for shopping
Day 33
Departure by flight. Do not forget
to save 1100 Rs for the airport tax.
SERVICE INCLUDES:
All arrival/departure and hotel/airport hotel transfer as per program, Tibet
visa fees, permits, entrance fees, yak fees, sight seeing as per program with
English speaking local Tibetan guide and monastery entrance fees,
accommodation with breakfast in specified hotels after camping trek as per
program on twin sharing basis with B/B in Tibet, all surface transfers in
land-cruisers/coaches (one land cruiser and a truck for luggage), flight to
Kathmandu-Nepalgunj-Simikot and Lhasa-Kathmandu (US$ 273 P/P) all meals, with
cook support with equipment & service provided from Kathmandu, during
camping portion, liaison officer for restricted portion of Nepal (Simikot),
Restricted trekking permit, National park fee, food transport expenses.
SERVICES EXCLUDES:
Urgent visa processing fee (if applicable- approximately US$ 27 per person)
Expenses due to natural calamities such as land-slides, snowfall,
land-blockades, any other reasons beyond our control and its Tibetan
counterpart, Nepal re-entry visa fee, Expenses of personal nature, drinks and
beverages, airport tax in Lhasa
