14-Day Mount Kailash Kora, Guge Kingdom & Northern Lakes Tour

Day 1: Arrive in Lhasa (3,650 m)

1. Lhasa
   1h
   You are met at Gonggar Airport or Lhasa railway station and taken to your hotel. Rest well: this route has only two nights in Lhasa before heading west.

Day 2: Potala Palace, Tibetan crafts and the Barkhor

1. Potala Palace
   2h · Admission ticket included
   Visit the Potala Palace on a timed ticket.
2. Barkhor Street
   3h
   At a handicraft center you mix Tibetan incense and try woodblock printing, then walk the Barkhor pilgrim circuit.

Day 3: Yamdrok Lake and the Karola Glacier to Shigatse (3,850 m)

1. Yamdrok Yumtso Lake
   1h · Admission ticket included
   Cross the Kamba La (4,790 m) above turquoise Yamdrok Lake.
2. Karo La Glacier
   Pass by
   Pass the Karola Glacier and continue through Gyantse to Shigatse.

Day 4: Across the plateau to Saga or Zhongba (about 4,600 m)

1. Saga County
   30m
   A long drive west across the Sangsang Grassland, with the Himalaya on the southern horizon.

Day 5: Lake Manasarovar to Darchen (4,675 m)

1. Lake Manasarovar
   45m · Admission ticket included
   Pass red and yellow mineral dunes and deep-blue Gongzhu Tso, then stop at the shore of sacred Lake Manasarovar, with Mount Kailash rising beyond it. Overnight at Darchen, the start of the kora.

Day 6: Kailash kora day 1: Tarboche to Dirapuk (5,100 m)

1. Mount Kailash
   6h · Admission ticket included
   After a short eco-bus ride to Tarboche, walk about 14 km up the Lha Chu valley, past mani stones and pilgrims, to Dirapuk, facing the north face of Kailash.

Day 7: Kailash kora day 2: over the Drolma La (5,630 m) to Zutulpuk

1. Zhuomala Mountain Pass
   10h · Admission ticket included
   The big day: about 20 km on foot, climbing to the Drolma La, the highest point of the kora, then descending past Gauri Kund to Zutulpuk and Milarepa's cave. Tea houses on the route sell drinks and noodles.

Day 8: Kailash kora day 3, then west to Zanda

1. Mount Kailash
   3h · Admission ticket included
   Walk about 7 km downhill to the end of the kora, return to Darchen and drive into the canyon country of Zanda (about 3,700 m).

Day 9: Guge Kingdom ruins and earth forests to Shiquanhe (4,300 m)

1. Guge Kingdom
   2h 30m · Admission ticket included
   Explore the tiered ruins of the Guge Kingdom, seat of a western Tibetan kingdom from the 10th to the 17th century.
2. Zhada Earth Forest National Geopark
   1h 30m · Admission ticket included
   Then explore the Zanda and Xiayigou earth forests.

Day 10: Salt lakes of the north to Gaize (4,500 m)

1. Gar County
   Pass by
   Cross the northern plateau past Nyer Tso, a salt lake glittering with crystals.
2. Gerze County
   30m
   Pass the Pero Tsetso viewpoint and nomad pastures on the way to Gaize.

Day 11: Dangra Yumtso and Wenbu village (4,700 m)

1. 2h
   Drive across the Changtang grasslands past Tong Tso to Dangra Yumtso, the holiest lake of the Bon religion. The night is in Wenbu, a village between red cliffs and the lakeshore.

Day 12: Serling Tso and the lakes to Baingoin (4,750 m)

1. Selincuo National Nature Reserve
   2h
   Pass Tangqung Tso, a salt flat known as the Sky Tree, vast Serling Tso and Bangkog Tso, where Tibetan gazelles and waterbirds are often seen.

Day 13: Namtso Lake and back to Lhasa

1. Lake Namtso
   3h · Admission ticket included
   Walk on Namtso's Tashi Dor peninsula below the Nyenchen Tanglha range, then cross the Nagen La (5,190 m) back to Lhasa.

Day 14: Depart Lhasa

1. Lhasa
   1h
   After breakfast, shared transfer to Gonggar Airport or Lhasa railway station.

Pickup details

On Day 1 your Tibetan guide meets your arriving flight or train at Lhasa and transfers you to your hotel. After booking, please share your flight or train arrival details and your Lhasa hotel so we can confirm the exact pickup time. The final day includes a transfer back to Lhasa airport or railway station for your departure.

• Not recommended for pregnant travelers
• Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
• Travelers should have a high level of physical fitness
• Send a passport scan and your Chinese visa as soon as you book. The Tibet permits are applied for about four weeks before arrival.
• These are shared group tours (up to 12 travelers). The guide or vehicle may change during the trip.
• The Potala Palace is closed on Mondays, so the order of sightseeing may change.
• Luggage: one suitcase (26 in max) and one small backpack per person.
• Free shared transfers cover any train, flights arriving 08:00–22:00 and flights departing 08:30–22:30.
• March is a sensitive month for foreign groups. If a departure cannot run for policy reasons, the tour price is refunded.
• A very remote, high-altitude trip, with nights from 4,300 to 5,100 m and the kora up to 5,630 m. You need good fitness and should consult a doctor if you have heart or lung conditions. Arriving in Lhasa a day or two early helps. There are no departures from November to mid-April.
• This is a high-altitude trip. Travelers with heart or lung conditions should consult a doctor.