Mount Kailash, Everest Base Camp & Lhasa Motorbike Tour – 18 Days

You will be welcomed by our guide and transferred to your hotel in Kathmandu as you arrive at Kathmandu Airport. Our guide will collect your original passport and utilize it to apply for a China Group Visa which takes at least 3 days to be processed.  You can relax or take a stroll around the hotel. Later, our guide will provide a briefing on the upcoming tour and the motorbikes that we will be riding.

We will visit Kathmandu’s Durbar Square, one of three durbar (royal palace) squares in the Kathmandu Valley, in the morning. Then we’ll go on a tour of Swayambhunath. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Nepal’s holiest Buddhist sites, it is also the source of the mythological beginning of the Valley. We will depart in the afternoon for Patan City, which is about a 20-minute drive from Kathmandu. Patan’s core Durbar Square is densely packed with temples. It’s an architectural focal point with significantly more temples per square meter than Kathmandu or Bhaktapur.

Pashupatinath, Nepal’s most prominent Hindu temple, will be our first trip. Islamic conquerors destroyed the historic buildings on the site in the 14th century, smashing the stone linga to tiny little pieces, yet it rose again behind their retreating backs. Later, we will travel to Boudhanath, one of South Asia’s largest stupas, which has become the center point of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal. We will visit Bhaktapur Durbar Square in the afternoon. It is a collection of pagodas and shikhara architectural temples centered on a brick and wood palace with fifty-five windows. Our staff will obtain your China group visa and assist you in preparing for your motorcycle tour the following day.

It’s the official start of the adventurous motorcycle tour. Today, we will go north on a zigzag mountain road to Syabrubesi (2380m). It is a lovely village nestled within Langtang National Park. As you approach the Sino-Nepal border in the valley, the road becomes bumpier. So, while riding on a twisting route in the mountains, you have to be very cautious.

We will drive from Syabrubesi (2380m) to the Kerung border after breakfast. It’s around 45 minutes long and covers 20 kilometers. We will continue driving to Kerung area (2700m) after we clear our customs and then spend one night there for improved acclimatization before climbing higher to Old Tingri. We will pay a visit to Padmasambava cave in the afternoon.

We will start riding up to Saga in the morning. The 102-kilometer road takes approximately 5-6 hours in bike. We will see the calm Pekutso in the distance against the snow-capped Mt. Shishapangma’s on the way. We’ll arrive in Saga County late in the afternoon.

We’ll head northwest today, to the well-known Lake Manasarovar, which is near to Mt. Kailash. We’ll drive to Paryang for the first three hours (4700m). The spectacular view of the pyramid-shaped summit of Mt. Kailash and the lovely view of Manasarovar (4,590m) will come into view as we leave Paryang and drive closer to Lake Manasarovar. It’s a fantastic opportunity to shoot some awesome photos of both Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar together.

We’ll get up early and bundle up in warm clothing to watch the spectacular sunrise over Manasarovar. We’ll either participate in a short ritual or take a brief holy bath alongside Manasarovar Lake, or simply ride our motorcycles along the lake’s edge. We’ll then drive to Darchen, a small town at the foothills of Mount Kailash that serves as the start and finish point for the Mt. Kailash kora. You will require a good rest to start the Kailash Parikrama from tomorrow.

We’ll ride from Darchen to Sarshung Valley in the morning and park our bikes there. At Sarshung village, we’ll meet Yaks and porters. After that, we will begin our 13-kilometer trip from Sarshung to Diraphuk Monastery, which will take us through the Lachu valley and rivers. Today you can see both the west and north faces of Mount Kailash. Finally, later that evening, we will also pay a visit to Diraphuk Monastery.

Today, we’ll trek across Dromala pass (5630m), the Kora’s highest pass. You can stop for a break in a teahouse along the way. When walking downwards, you may witness native Tibetans prostrating in the Kora trail and the magnificent Kadoe Lake. We will also visit Zutulphuk Monastery and stay overnight in guesthouse.

On the third day of the kora, you will travel back to Sarshung valley, from where we will start your ride towards Darchen. There are stacks of Mani Stones along the Kora. We’ll finish the trek around noon and recover at our lodging.

Today we will ride back to Saga from Darchen via the same route passing by Lake Manasarovar and leaving Mount Kailash behind. We will stay overnight in Saga after a long ride of around 490 kilometers which takes around 7 hours to complete the ride.

We will have another long ride to Everest Base Camp once we leave Saga. The entire journey runs parallel from Old Tingri to EBC. Though the graveled and sandy road presents a minor obstacle, the beauty along the way, which is dominated by soaring peaks and vast Himalayan ranges, will leave you speechless. We’ll go to the famed Rongbuk Monastery (5154m) and use Rongbuk as a foreground in order to get some great photographs of Mt. Everest. Also don’t forget to meditate within Tsongkhapa’s cave. At night, you have the option of sleeping in a tented camp at the base of Mt. Everest or at a guesthouse, depending on your preferences.

If the weather permits, you may watch the spectacular sunrise over Mt. Everest from the lodge area in the morning. After breakfast, we’ll continue northeast to Shigatse along the well-known Sino-Nepal Friendship Highway. It would be a long journey, punctuated by breath-taking Himalayan landscape and a beautiful view of Shigatse.

Today we will travel via Gyantse, one of Tibet’s most beautiful counties. The beautiful Gyantse Fortress at Zongshan Hill, which overlooks the entire Gyantse town, will take your breath away. If time allows, we will take a stroll down Gyantse town’s historic street. Then we’ll get back on the road. Colorful prayer flags can be hung above the Simila Mountain pass and the vast Karola Glacier can be seen from the highway. Another highlight would be driving past the turquoise Yamdrok Lake on the winding road. We will arrive at Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, after a hard journey.

The Potala Palace, a UNESCO world heritage site and the Dalai Lama’s winter palace, is our first trip. You can visit the former residence of the Dalai Lama, as well as his conference room and religious chamber, by slowly walking up the steep stone steps to the White and Red Palaces. From the pinnacle of Potala Palace, you may get a bird’s-eye view of Lhasa city and the Lhasa valley.

We’ll eat lunch before heading to the renowned Jokhang Temple. It is Tibet’s most sacred Buddhist site. Outside the temple, you’ll see devout Tibetan pilgrims of all ages prostrating themselves in front of the Jokhang, as well as lengthy lines of Tibetans walking along the Barkhor circle. Then we can do the kora and buy some souvenirs by circling Barkhor Street with pilgrims and locals. We will then enjoy a delicious sweet tea in a local tea shop and pay a visit to Tromzikhang, the famed farm produce market, later in the evening.

We will visit Drepung monastery in the morning, which is one of Tibet’s “big three” Gelug monasteries, founded in 1416 by Jamyang Choge, one of Tsongkhapa’s principal students. We will also tour the monastery’s largest monastic kitchen and participate in a Buddhist sculpture carving class near Drepung.
We will visit Sera Monastery in the afternoon, which is one of Tibet’s “big three” Gelug monasteries. The Monks Debate, which takes place between 3 and 5 p.m., is a big draw. We can also take a tour of the Tibetan holy scripture printing house, which has three sand Mandalas and a brilliant Buddha Rock Painting.

Today will be the last day of your tour. You will be departing for Kathmandu. You will be dropped to the airport as per your flight time schedule.