13-day Adventure to Mt. Kailash and Holy Lake

Arrive in Lhasa and you will be greeted by our local guide and offered with Hada (Tibetan White Scarf) and a map of Tibet. Drive along Yalutsangpo River and Lhasa River for about 70km (paved road, about 1 hour's drive ) to the city, enjoy the Tibetan style villages and Nyetang Giant Buhhda,check in hotel in Lhasa and rest for acclimatization.

Tour starts from the religious Potala Palace built in the 7th century by the famous Tibetan king - Songtzen Gampo. The present one was built by the 5th Dalai Lama in the 17th century. It became known as the "Winter Palace" by the 1750, when the 7th Dalai Lama built the Norbulingka Park as his summer residence. After lunch, you will visit Jokhang Temple, situated in the old section of Lhasa. King Songtzen Gampo built this temple in the mid-7th century A.D. Now it is the most sacred place in Tibet and it is also the center of Tibetan Buddhism. Pilgrims come here to pay homage from all over Tibet. Then, visit Barkhore Street in the evening.

Full day sightseeing takes you to Sera Monastery (3 hours), located in the northern suburbs of Lhasa. It is a complex of 4 structures: the Great Assembly Hall and three colleges. It was founded in 1419 by Jamchen Chojey of Sakya Yeshe of Zel Gungtang (1355–1435), a disciple of Tsongkhapa. 'Sera' means wild roses and was called this because the monastery was surrounded by wild roses. One of the three main monasteries of Lhasa, it is the place where the monks' "famous daily sutra debates" take place.
Tips of Sutra Debates: Every day (except Monday) at 15:00 pm, there is a debate about Buddhist doctrines among the monks at Sera Monastery. The debating is held on the grounds and is a necessary way of learning sutras and scriptures. Visitors can watch the debate, but it is advised to keep quiet.
Then take a visit to Drepung Monastery which is the largest monastery of the Gelug Sect in Tibet. After that, you will visit Norbulingka Park. In 1752, the 7th Dalai Lama built the first palace here for successive Dalai Lamas to carry out their political and religious activities during the summer season. Today Norbulingka has become a public park for picnic, relaxing and entertainment.

3-hour driving to Gyantse (360 kilometers) and pass through Yamdrok Lake. You can also see Karola Glacier, Manla Reservoir (It is also called Lesser Yamdrok Lake by local people) and watch Tsong Burg from distance. You can also visit Pelkor Chode Monastery and Tashilhunpo Monastery.
Yamdrok Lake is one of the Three Holy Lakes in Tibet. For Tibetans, Yamdrok Lake is the largest and most important holy lake. It is believed that Yamdrok Lake is the female Guardian of Buddhism in Tibet and that the lake will bless and protect Tibetans. Every year, pilgrims make there way here from all over Tibet, mostly on foot prostrating themselves at full length every three steps. Local people will tell you that the waters can make the elder people become young again and can improve children's intelligence.
The Pelkor Chode Monastery (1.5 hours): Pelkor Chode Monastery (Kumbum), also named Palcho Monastery, is very different from other monasteries. Built as a Tibetan monastery, its structural style is very unique, reputed as the lord of Tibetan stupas. In addition, it is famous for the architecture, sculpture, and mural painting art. It lies about 270 kilometers (168 miles) south of Lhasa and 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of Shigatse at the foot of Dzong Hill.
Tashilhunpo Monastery (2 hours): Tashilhunpo Monastery was founded in 1447 by Gyalwa Gendun Drup (1st Dalai Lama) and is a historically and culturally important monastery. Its name means "heap of glory" or "all fortune and happiness gathered here". Painted in red and white, the buildings in the kloster stand closely together in terraced rows, offering a grand and majestic view. Tashilhunpo Kloster represents the Tibetan super architecture art in the Last Tibetan spirit.5 story temple which contains a 26 meters (86ft) sitting statue of the Maitreya Buddha (Jamba Chyenmu) id inside the grounds of the monastery. The statue was cast from 6,700 ounces of gold and over 115,000 kg of copper, making it the biggest copper Buddhist statue in the world.

Drive to Lhaze and visit Sakya Monastery, also called Tibetan Dunhuang Mogao Cave. Then, go to Saga County. You can enjoy the beauties of Tibetan mountains. The drive takes about 9 hours.
Sakya Monastery is divided into the south and north two parts. It is of typical Yuan Dynasty style of resembling castles. There are a lot of historical articles in the monastery, among them are found a lot of the imperial certificates, gold signets, crowns, costumes bestowed by the Yuan Dynasty emperors. It has over 10,000 volumes of Tibetan books on astronomy, medicine, calligraphy, and history. Thus, it is called Tibetan Dunhuang Mogao Cave.

Drive to Darchen and you will pass through Paryang. Paryang is a small town on grassland with unique Tibetan style. You will see Tibetan people in local dresses, yak and sheep wandering on grassland and among snow mountains. The drive takes about 9 hours.

Visit the holy mountain in Tibetan Buddhism, Mt. Kailash. In Tibetan, Mt. Kailash means Treasure Snow Mountain. It is the god of all mountains in Tibet. Darchen is both the start and terminus of pilgrims’circumanbulating. There are a huge amount of attractions and remains on Circumanbulation Path. You can see a holy remain almost every 500 meters on Circumanbulation Path. After visiting Mt. Kailash, drive to the Holy Lake, Lake Manasarovar and reside at the lake side of Manasarovar.

Visit Lake Manasarovar in the morning. Manasarovar means Invincible Jade Lake in Tibetan. It is located in the southeast of Mt. Kailash with altitude of 4,587 meters. It is a fresh water lake with the highest altitude in the world and also the king of holy lakes in Tibet. And then drive back to Saga.

Drive to Tingri and pass through Lake Peiku. The drive takes about 9 hours (310 kilometers). Reside in Old Tingri or in tents.

Arrive in Everest Base Camp. Enjoy your sightseeing during the drive. It takes about 9 hours (200 kilometers).

Drive back to Shigatse from Tingri (280 kilometers, 9 hours).

Drive back to Lhasa (280 kilometers).

Hotel to Gonggar Airport Transfer. End this distinctive and impressive Tibet Tour.