17 Days Everest Base Camp, Guge Kingdom, Mt. Kailash Group Tour

17 Days Everest Base Camp, Guge Kingdom, Mt. Kailash Group Tour Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Lhasa,  Elevation: 3600 meters

As you arrive in Lhasa, our professional local guide and driver will meet you and transport you to the hotel.

The rest of the day is free for you to explore the city of Lhasa. Navigate through the many shops in Barkhor Square to take pictures, eat some local food, and buy souvenirs.

Overnight in Lhasa.

Credit: @sarahitenteixeira

Day 2: Lhasa city discovery tour

Day 2 of our 17 Days Everest Base Camp, Guge Kingdom, Mt. Kailash Group Tour will be on Lhasa city discovery.

Your first Lhasa attraction of the day will be the Jokhang Temple. Also known as Qoikang Monastery, this sacred temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Jokhang Temple houses one of the most significant Buddha statues in Tibet.

In the afternoon, we will visit the Potala Palace, Tibet’s most famous architecture and attraction. Towering above Lhasa with more than 1,000 rooms and 10,000 shrines, the Potala Palace served as the winter residence of the Dalai Lamas for hundreds of years.

After lunch, you will go to the 15th-century Drepung Monastery, one of the top 3 Gelugpa monasteries in Tibet.

In the evening, attend an inspirational and enlightening talk by a renowned local Tibetan expert over a dinner. The topics range from tradition and culture to architecture, festivals, costume and Tibetan symbols.

Credit: @katietsang7

Day 3: Lhasa guided tour

As we continue our exploration of Lhasa, we will first go to a Tibetan village and visit a local family in their home. We will arrange for us to have an in-depth conversation with the family about their life and culture.

Next, we will visit the 600-year old Sera Monastery, one of Tibet’s largest Buddhist monasteries. In each weekday afternoon starting from 3pm, you can witness many monks engaging in Buddhist philosophy debates in the monastery compound.

Our next stop will be the Shol Tolpa Handicraft Center. Here, we can see and learn about the extraordinary array of authentic Tibetan traditional & contemporary crafts. They include: Tibetan pottery, Thangka painting, sewing work, paper arts, and Buddhist statue fabrications.

Credit: @izzshariff

Day 4: Lhasa—Yamdrok Lake—Karo La Glacier— Gyantse — Shigatse (Distance: 354km, Elevation: 3840m)

Day 4 of our 17 Days Everest Base Camp, Guge Kingdom, Mt. Kailash Group Tour will be the start of our real Tibet adventure!

This morning, we will depart from Lhasa and drive to Yamdrok Lake, one of Tibet’s most beautiful lakes.  From Yamdrok Lake, you can see the 7191-meter peak of Nojin Kangsang in the distance. You will then travel along the lakeshore and drive up to the amazing Karo La Glacier before arriving in the town of Gyantse.

In Gyantse, you will visit the Pelkor Chode Monastery (Palcho Monastery). At Palcho Monastery, you can see the largest stupa (Buddhist pagoda) in Tibet.

From Gyantse, you will go for a short drive to Shigatse, Tibet’s second-largest city. Between Gyantse and Shigatse, you will have the chance to stop at some traditional farming villages.

Upon reaching Shigatse, you will explore the large complex of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery.

Credit: @chrisflorick

Day 5: Shigatse – Lhatse (Distance 150kms, Elevation: 4200m)

On the fifth day of our 17 Days Everest Base Camp, Guge Kingdom, Mt. Kailash Group Tour, we will go from Shigatse to Lhatse.

From Shigatse, we will go for a 3-hour drive through the rugged and beautiful landscape of central Tibet.

Along the way, we will also do a stopover at the great Sakya monastery. Founded in the 11^th century, the monastery is the principal seat of Sakyapa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.

Credit: @choebay

Day 6: Latse —Saga (Distance: 340Km, Elevation: 4500m)

Today we will drive by 340 kilometers of Tibet and Himalaya wilderness. Counting on our luck, we might observe some unique wildlife along the way.

By the end of day 6 of this 17 Days Western Tibet Small Group Tour, we will reach Saga and spend our night here.

Credit: @tibethighlandtours_tht

Day 7: Saga – Manasarovar Lake (Distance: 520km, Elevation:5000m)

Today will be one of the first main highlights of our 17 Days Everest Base Camp, Guge Kingdom, Mt. Kailash Group Tour.

It marks the beginning of our wild western Tibet adventure.  As we drive long the Yarlung Tsangpo River, we will have a spectacular view of Tibetan Plateau landscape.

Our first stop is the stunning Lake Mansarovar. Lake Mansarovar is greatly revered and respected not only in Buddhism, but also Hinduism, Jainism and Bon.

After Lake Mansarovar, we will continue our journey to Darchen. Darchen is the base camp for our Mount Kailash Trekking.

Have an early rest at the camp to prepare our body for the trekking tomorrow.

Credit: @thelongwaytoindia

Day 8-10: Kailash Trek [1^st Day] (Distance: 20km, Elevation: 5080m)

The first day of our Mt. Kailash trek will take us 20 kilometers from Darchen around Mt. Kailash to Dirapuk Monastery (5080m). This is actually the ancient pilgrimage route of Tibetan Buddhists and Indian Hindus pilgrims.

Spend the night in a small guesthouse near the monastery.

Credit: @onefinesunday

Day 9 Kailash Trek [2^nd Day] (Distance: 18km, Elevation: 5630m)

The second day of our Mount Kailash Trek will take us over the Dolma La Pass, the highest pass on the circuit at 5630 meters. Excellent views of mountain peaks, ranges and glaciers will accompany us for most of the day.

From Dolma La Pass, you will descend to Zultul Puk Monastery (4820 meters). The total trekking distance this day is 18 kilometers.

Credit: @sillenmartin

Day 10 Kailash Trek [3^rd Day] (Distance: 14km, Elevation: 5630m)

The third and final day of our Kailash trek will cover 14 kilometers from Zultul Puk Monastery back to Darchen town.

After the trek, we will return for one final night along the shores of Lake Mansarovar.

Credit: @oneflightout

Day 11: Darchen—Guge (Distance: 254km, Elevation: 3699m)

Today we will drive further west to the Kingdom of Guge in western Tibet. Observing the massive ruins of the ancient Guge Kingdom will be our second highlight of the journey.

We will end the 11^th day of our 17 Days Everest Base Camp, Guge Kingdom, Mt. Kailash Group Tour with a stay in Zanda, a small town near the ruin.

Credit: @lovenaturepeace

Day 12: Guge—Manasarovar lake (Distance: 290km, Elevation: 4597m)

Today we will visit the Guge Ruins and Tholing Monastery.

After visiting these two attractions we will drive back to Lake Mansarovar for our night’s stay.

Credit: @sine_atikarn

Day 13: Lake Manasarovar—Saga (Distance: 897km, Elevation: 4500m)

Today, we are spending the day travelling back from Lake Mansarovar to Saga.

Overnight in Saga.

Credit: @nic0lecann0n

Day 14: Saga— Mount Everest Base camp (Distance: 493Km, Elevation:5200m)

Today marks the second main highlight of our 17 Days Everest Base Camp, Guge Kingdom, Mt. Kailash Group Tour, seeing the great Mount Everest!

We will drive to Rongbuk Monastery and walk to the lap of the mighty Mount Everest. At the Pang La Pass, we will have a reasonably good view of some of the world’s highest peaks; Makalu, Lhotse, Cho Oyu, and Mount Everest.

Later, we will be taking the fascinating zig-zag route to Mount Everest base camp.

Overnight in Tent Guesthouse near Rongbuk Monastery.

Credit: @masaru_kung

Day 15: Everest Base Camp to Shigatse (Distance: 350km, Elevation: 3840m)

Day 15 of our 17 Days Everest Base Camp, Guge Kingdom, Mt. Kailash Group Tour will start with a wonderful sunrise over Mt. Everest.

After watching the sunrise, you will begin the journey back to Shigatse. You will stop at some farming villages as well as the small farming town of Lhatse.

When you arrive in Shigatse, you should have enough time to explore the main market street. If you’re looking for more action, you can even hike the pilgrimage path at Tashi Lhunpo Monastery again.

Credit; @edisonwlighthouse

Day 16: Shigatse—Lhasa (Distance: 260km, Elevation: 3600m)

The last full day of our tour will take you back to the Tibetan capital city of Lhasa.

Once you arrive in Lhasa, you can complete your last-minute souvenir shopping or walk the pilgrimage circuit around Jokhang Temple one more time.

Credit: @nmrlicious

Day 17: Depart Lhasa

Today is the last day of your 17 Days Everest Base Camp, Guge Kingdom, Mt. Kailash Group Tour.

In the morning, you will be transferred to the Lhasa airport or train station to depart Tibet.

Thank you once again and we hope to see you soon.

Assuming 17 days are not enough for you, go for our 19-Day Mount Kailash, Guge Kingdom, Mount Everest Private Tour

or the 19D18N Changthang Crossing Private Tour