Saga Dawa Festival Tour in Mt Kailash and Lake Manasarovar

Trip Information

Adventure Pilgrims Trekking offers 14 days Pilgrimage Tour/ trek for Saga Dawa Festival to Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasorovar driving and trekking to Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasarovar. Mt. Kailash, at 6714 m, also known as Tise, Kailasa and Kang Rinpoche (Jewel of the Snows), has since time immemorial been celebrated in many Eastern cosmologies as Mt. Meru, the axis Mundi. And as the center of the physical and metaphysical universe, Mt. Meru is sacred to the Buddhist, Jains, the Hindus and the Bonpos. For the Hindus, the mountain represents the seat of Lord Shiva; for the Buddhists, a terrestrial projection of the cosmic mandala of Dhyani-Buddhas and Boddhisatvas. The Wheel of Life; for the Bonpos, Kailash was the sacred nine storeys Swastika Mountain, upon which the Bonpo founder Sherab alighted from heaven. Four of the great rivers of the Indian subcontinent originate from here: the Karnali (longest river in Nepal), which feeds into the Ganges (south), the Indus (north), the Sutlez (west) and the Brahmaputra (Yarlung Tsangpo, east).

Apart from the religious value of this place, Mt. Kailash is also very famous for its natural beauty. It’s a challenging place to go so many adventure seekers might find this place great. This trek includes lots of driving and hiking. 14 days Pilgrimage Tour to Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasorovar will be a very memorable trip for you if you are an adventure seeker and a fit person.

Day 01 : KATHMANDU-NYLAM, 3750 M, 155 KMS
Today we will drive to Nyalam from Kathmandu across the lush greenery of Nepalese countryside, along with but in opposite direction to the Bhote Koshi River, right up to the Nepal-Tibet border from the border we will drive on the steadily climbing road to the town of Zhangmu and on to Nyalam. We will call it a day here in Nyalam and spent our night in Nyalam Guest House.

Day 02 : NYLAM-PELGU TSO, 4595 M, 57 KMS
today we leave Nyalam behind and drive to Pelgu Tso through the Thong La Pass. The road then drops before climbing again to Lalung La Pass. From here we will have an incredible view of Shisha Pangma (8012 M). We will call it a day and camp for today in a suitable place. 

Day 03 : SAGA, 4280 M
today we will drive from our camping site to Saga, which is a typical Chinese and Tibetan town. This town is the gate away the pilgrims who are visiting Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasarovar.

Day 04 : PARYANG, 4750 M, 255 KMS
it’s a 145 Km drive from Saga to Zhongba.The road is fine and the trip will take about 4-5 hours of driving. In Zhongba there is a small monastery at the western end of town. You can stop by and visit the monastery if you wish to. Roads beyond Zhongba are very bumpy and dusty. Though the Sceneries are very beautiful and you might want to stop now and then to take a few snaps.

Day 05 : LAKE MANASOROVAR, 4560 M, 260 KMS
it’s a long and difficult drive from Paryang to Lake Manasarovar. The road is very bumpy and dusty. And it will take about 10 hours to complete this journey. On the way we will pass several rivers and we will pass Mayum La pass too. The scenery is stunningly beautiful with panoramic views of the Himalayas. Upon the arrival of Manasarovar we will spend our night camping at Hor Qu.

Day 06 : DARCHEN (4560 M), 30 KM
Darchen is about 30 Km away from our camping site on the north direction. This is the main gate away for the Kailash pilgrims. Here we will arrange yak or ponies for Kailash Circuit trek.

Day 07 , 08 : KAILASH CIRCUIT TREK - DIRAPHUK : (6 hrs)
the Kailash circuit covers three days of trekking. Its 53 Km long and it’s not an easy route to trek on. 

Kailash (KORA) circuit day 1 : Darchen- Diraphuk :
This trek will take about 6 hours of hiking and climbing. We will head west in clockwise direction and after few kilometers the trial climbs up to cairn at 4730m, from where Mt. Kailash comes to view. En route we will visit Tarboche, where annual flagpole raising ceremony takes place in Saga Dawa.

Kailash circuit day 2 : Dhiraphuk- Zutrulphuk :
Today we will cross Dolma La pass at the height of 5630 m and frozen Lake of Gouri Kunda at 5608 m. This is the lake where Hindus worship and immerse themselves in icy water of the lake.

Kailash circuit day 3 : the final day of Parikrama is an easy 2-3 hours of walk down to where the river emerges on to the Barga plain. Today we will complete the 3 days Kailash circuit and drive to Darcha and then to Lake Manasarovar today. We will be spending the night at Chiu Gompa this day. Chiu Gompa is situated on the edge of rocky cliff overlooking the Lake Manasarovar and Mt. Kailash.

Day 10 : LAKE MANASOROVAR - Rest day or self exploration
this is the day you will rest and explore the Manasarovar area on your own. You can explore the meditation caves in these areas. You can take a bath in the holy water of Manasaovar Lake or can just pass the peaceful hours in the Chiu Gompa.

Day 11: LAKE MANASOROVAR –PARYANG
Today we will follow the same road we drove in from Paryang to Manasarovar to go back to Paryang. As you already know it will take about 10 hours of bumpy ride with fantastic Sceneries on the both side of the road.

Day 12 : PARYANG –SAGA
Today we will drive from Paryang to Saga and spend the night in Saga.

Day 13 : SAGA-NYLAM
Today we will drive from Saga to Nyalam through the barren plains of Tingri.As you leave the Tibetan plateaus you will progress towards the Nyalam city where you will spend the night at a cozy warm hotel.

Day 14 : BACK TO NYALAM AND KATHMANDU
Today after the morning breakfast you will drive from Nyalam to Zhangmu, through the winding downhill road offering you fantastic views of beautiful waterfalls. This drive will take around an hour. A few kilometers drive from Zhangmu will take you to the friendship bridge on the Bhotekoshi River, which separates Tibet from Nepal. You will drive through the lush greenery of Nepalese countryside for five hours to reach Kathmandu to enjoy its evening markets and bustling beauty. En route you can stop for quick fish snack at Chehere and Dolalghat. 

Included in the Cost