Sacred Mt. Kailash Expedition: Immerse in the Saga Dawa Festival Experience

Bhaktapur Durbar Square Bhaktapur, the City of Devotees, is a treasure trove of artistic masterpieces shown on the city's temples and monuments. UNESCO world heritage site Bhaktapur Durbar Square is an exquisite and open space facing south, surrounded by buildings ranging from the 13th to the 18th centuries. The Pachpanna Jhyale Durbar, a 15th century palace with 55 carved windows, and the palace entrance, the Golden Gate, a masterwork in repoussé art, have given beauty to this royal plaza. The magnificent Durbar Square, with its magnificent monuments, depicts the glory days of the Malla dynasty, when art and architecture flourished in the valley's three cities. Pashupatinath temple Pashupatinath temple is devoted to Lord Shiva and is one of Asia's four most revered religious sites. The site itself is supposed to have existed since the beginning of the millennium when a Shiva lingam was unearthed here. It was established in the 5th century and later rebuilt by Malla kings. This is Nepal's largest temple complex, spanning both sides of the Bagmati River and considered extremely holy by Hindus. The main pagoda-style temple, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, has a gilded dome, four sides plated in silver, and high-quality wood carvings. Boudhanath stupa Boudhanath is located 11 kilometers northeast of Central Kathmandu. Since the 5th century, it has dominated the skyline with its purity and beauty. It is one of Asia's largest stupas and Nepal's largest spherical stupa. Boudhanath is a renowned tourist site. This stupa complex is surrounded by more than 50 monasteries and is home to a huge number of Tibetan refugees and Buddhist pilgrims. Before the Panchayat era, Boudhanath was known as Khasti Mahachaitya. Khasti Mahachaitya translates as "great stupa of dewdrops." However, King Mahendra renamed it "Boudhanath" during the Panchayat regime in the 1960s. The earliest stupa at Boudhanath is thought to have been built in 600 AD, when Tibetan King Song Tsen Gampo converted to Buddhism. However, the first stupa was demolished by Mughal kings. However, according to the Gopalaraja-vamsawali, the stupa was built during the 5th century by Lichhavi king Sivadeva. This stupa's building is linked to a number of rulers. Many Nepalese chronicles date this stupa to King Manadeva's time. Similarly, excavators discovered Amshu Verma's bones in the late 15th and 16th centuries. Aside from this, there are several myths and stories surrounding the construction of this ancient stupa. Buddhanilkantha - The sleeping Vishnu Budhanilkantha Temple, located in Budhanilkantha, Nepal, or Narayanthan is a Hindu open air temple dedicated to Lord Mahavishnu. Despite the temple's name, Budhanilkantha does not derive from the Buddha; rather, it is derived from Sanskrit and means "Old Blue Throat", a title bestowed upon Lord Shiva by the gods following his consumption of poison to preserve the world. Samudra manthan is mentioned in the Hindu scriptures Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu Purana, and the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, and is intimately tied to the genesis of Gosaikunda. According to mythology, the spring that supplies the pond in the Budhanilkantha temple is connected to Gosaikunda, giving it a direct connection to Lord Shiva's water supply. This is why its name is dedicated to Lord Shiva, even though the statue is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, because the water pond on which the statue stands gets its water from Gosaikunda, which was the result of Lord Shiva drinking the poison and storing it in his throat, resulting in him having blue throat. The statue represents Lord Vishnu, who, together with Shiva and Brahma, is considered one of the "Trimurtis". We then head back to our hotel to rest and prepare for our trip ahead.

Altitude: 2380m Distance: 122km, about 7-8 hours drive We will drive along the Pasang Lhamu route to the Kyirong border via Dhunche-Syabrubesi. It is 120 kilometers from Kathmandu to Syabrubesi and will take approximately 7 to 8 hours to reach.

Altitude: 2700m Syabrubesi to Rasuwagadhi – 15 km (30 min) * Rasuwagadhi to Kyirong town – 35 km (1 hrs) * Kyirong town to Kyirong County – 70 km (2 hrs) Today after an early breakfast, we drive to the Nepal / China border, Rasuwagadhi (1800m), 15 kms, 30 mins drive and after completion of immigration and custom formalities; we meet our local Tibetan guide. We then drive 35 kms for approximately 1 hour to Kyirong (2700m) which is surrounded by lofty snow-capped mountains and dense forests. In the afternoon, we take a walking tour of Paba Temple (2850m), a Gelugpa temple built by Tibetan King Songtsan Gambo at the proposal of his wife Nepali princess Bhrikuti. The Nepali style temple with delicate murals is only within minutes walk from your hotel.

Altitude: 4640m Distance: 300 km, about 4.5-5 hours drive After breakfast, we will depart for Saga at 9 a.m. On the journey, you'll get to see the high passes, Ganesh Parvat, Lake Peiku Tso, and the Brahmaputra River. Pack a hot lunch to eat on the beach of the Brahmaputra or in Saga town.

Altitude: 4,575m Distance: 32km, about 1/2 hours’ drive Morning have a ritual purification bath at Manasarovar and some time to explore before driving forward to Kangsa Village also known as Darchen, Tarchan, or Taqin. This is the seat of the Parga Township, Purang County, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. Darchen is located directly in front of Mount Kailash, the sacred mountain. At 4,670m (15,321 ft) it serves as the starting and ending point for the Mount Kailash parikarma/kora.

Altitude: 4590m Distance: 500km, about 7 hours drive We will drive to Drongpa County, which was founded around the bountiful resources of the Brahmaputra River. We will make a stop in a small village along the main road that consists of only a few basic guesthouses, restaurants and a small monastery known as “Old Drongpa”. Scattered around the monastery you will be able to observe a pile of yak heads that are carved with “sutras” and “mantras”. New Drongpa is another small town with a few shops, hotels and restaurants located about 25 kilometers from Old Drongpa monastery. We will continue on to the Baryang Township (elevation 4750 meters) and drive around to our lodge on the banks of Lake Manasarovar where we will spend the night.

Altitude: 4,920m Distance: 18km, 6km drive, 12km trek, about 5-6 hour Buddhist pilgrims traditionally begin the 52-kilometer religious trek around Mt. Kailash at Darchen (elevation 4574 meters), which is also the finishing point for the circumnavigation of the sacred mountain. We drive to Tarboche and walk through the gates of Yam Dwar before reaching Shersung valley to be greeted by our porters and pack animals for the trek ahead. Yam Dwar The Hindi translation of Yam Dwar is "the gateway of the God of Death." It serves as the beginning of the Mount Kailash circumambulation. As such, it occupies a central place in Hinduism. Going through the Yama Dwar is necessary in order to go to Shiva's residence. It is where the Kailash parikarma begins. It is believed that the Yamraj himself watches over Lord Shiva's residence. According to Hindu mythology, completing the circumambulation of Yam Dwar is equivalent to completing the Kailash Yatra. Individuals will be granted a position in heaven after completing the Yam Dwar circumambulation, according to Hindu mythology. Yama is obligated to judge your actions after your death. However, it is said that if you walk through this dwar, Chitragupta would delete all of your terrible deeds from the book of judgment. Yamraj's accountant is Chitragupta. He keeps track of each and every person's good and negative activities. After another couple of hours of trekking, we will find a grassy plain populated by nomads, who will be happy to offer up their tents as a place to relax with some soft drinks for a while. From here, we will travel on for another approximately two hours to a place known as Drirapuk (elevation 4920 meters) where we will spend the night in a monastery’s guesthouse that offers the best accommodations in this area (although it is still very rustic.)

Altitude: 4,820m Distance: 19km, trek about 7-8 hour This second day of our circuit of Mt. Kailash will be the toughest as we ascend 762 meters up to the Dolma-la Pass. The peak of this pass lies about 5630 meters above sea level, so we’ll get an early start as the sun begins its rise over the mountain ridges above us. Once we have reached the peak of the Dolma-la Pass, we’ll stop for a rest and the opportunity to admire all of the fantastic scenery around us. Then we will begin our descent to the Lhachu Valley, which will take us about one hour. After another short rest, we’ll trek on for another four hours to our final destination for the day. We will walk along the right side of the river to finally reach Dzutrulpuk, whose name means “miracle cave of Milarepa” in the local language. We will be glad that we got an early start to reach Dzultrulpuk so that we will get there before the other groups – there are a limited number of rooms available here. We will have time this evening for some rest and relaxation in the guesthouse as we prepare for the final stretch of our trek tomorrow.

Altitude: 4,575m Distance: 9km, trek 5km, drive 4, about 3 hour trek Today we will complete our trek around Mt. Kailash, beginning by visiting the many caves, temples and shrines that have been built upon around Milarepa’s cave. It is an easy walk back towards Darchen, taking only about 3 hours of trekking to reach the end of the valley where our driver will meet us to take us back up to Darchen where we will spend the night.

Altitude: 4600m Distance: 500km, about 6 hours’ drive Say our final farewell to the abode of Lord Shiva. Our drive to Saga takes us through the windswept territory of rural Tibet, driving through numerous small villages and camps of yak and sheepherders. With all of the beautiful scenery surrounding us, we will have plenty of opportunities photo stops if you like.

Altitude: 2700m Distance: 300km, about 6 hours’ drive We drive back through the same stunning landscapes to the small quaint town of Kyirong. On arrival at your leisure to explore this small town.

Early morning after breakfast clear China exit formalities and say our farewell to this mystical land and transfer to the Rasuwagadhi border to Nepal. Here we complete Nepal immigration formalities then we drive back the same scenic route to our hotel in Kathmandu. This will end your tour services in Tibet. The rest of the evening is at your leisure or explore the Kathmandu valley on your own.

Depending on when your flight is back to your home country we will help transfer you to the airport for your trip back home, and we hope you have completed a beautiful and spiritually uplifting tour..