SILK ROUTE TO KAILAS & LHASA (SKTBT – 126) |
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20 days exploration of the old Silk route between Kashgar to Tibet |
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| Kashgar, also called Kashi, was once a major halt for caravans on the Silk Road .It is now a prosperous commercial centre with a population composed of Uighur, Tajik and Kirgiz nationalities. Here it is the Han Chinese who are the minority. Id Kah Mosque & Square are the center of the Kashgar which is the main shopping market. One of the sights not to miss is the Sunday animal market in the large field which is situated at a distance of half an hour walk eastward from the main market. The main attractions of Khasgar is the “Abakh Khoja Tomb”. It is nearly an hour walk from the main market to reach the Tomb. The Tomb of Xiang Fei, a concubine of the Emperor Quinlong, and those of her relatives are in the mosque. There is a cemetery behind the mosque has some holes in the graves with the occasional bone poking through. |
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TREK ITINERARY |
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Day 1: Kathmandu-Lhasa (3650 m), 90 kms Transfer to airport to connect SZ 408 KTM-LXA flight. Upon arrival you will be met by our Tibet representative and transfer to Hotel. |
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Day 2: LHASA Guided sightseeing tour of Potala, the winter palace of the Dalai Lama; Drepung, the biggest monastic university of Tibet and Nechung Monastery, temple of the State oracle of Tibet. |
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Day 3: LHASA Guided sightseeing tour of Jokhang, the central cathedral of Tibet, Barkhor, the bustling Lhasa market encircling the Jokhang Temple, Tibetan Medical Center and Norbulinka Palace. |
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| Day 4: Lhasa-Gyangtse (3990 m), 350 kms |
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Day 5: Gyangtse-Shalu-Shigatse (3860 m), 90 kms Drive to Shigatse. En route visit Shalu Monastery. Visit Tashilhunpo Monastery, the seat of Panchen Lama who is the 2nd in the Buddhist religious hierachy and Shigatse Market. 0/N Shigatse Hotel. |
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Day 6: Lhatze Drive to Lhatze. En route visit Sakya Monastery. Overnight camp. |
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Day 7: Saga, (4280 m) The road follows south of the Pelgu-Tso, continues across the plain with stunning Himalayan views. The route then follows a narrow gorge before climbing to a pass and dropping steeply down to a ferry crossing over the Yarlung Tsangpo. Overnight camp. |
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Day 8: Paryang, (4750 m), 255 kms From Saga it is 145 km to Zhongba. The road is good & the trip can be completed in 4-5 hrs. There is also a small monastery at the western end of town on a hill. From Zhongba onwards the southern road deteriorates. There is also danger of vehicles getting stuck. But this section of the road has panoramic views of mountains on either side of the road. |
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Day 9: Lake Manasarovar, (4560 m), 260 KMS From Paryang to Lake Mansorovar is a long drive of 10 hrs or more. There will be several river crossings & we drive past Mayum Ia pass (4600 M). The scenery is stunningly beautiful with panoramic views of the Himalayas. 0/N camp at Chu Gu. |
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Day 10: Darchen (4560 M), 30 kms About 30 kms north of Lake Manasorovar is Darchen, the main gateway & the village. Here we organize yaks or ponies for the Kailash circuit trek. |
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Day 11: Kailas circuit trek - Diraphuk: (6 hrs) This Kailas circuit covers 53 kms & can be done in 3 days. We head west in clockwise direction & after a few kilometers the trail climbs up to a cairn at 4730 m from where the southern face of Mt. Kailas comes to view. En route visit Tarboche where annual flagpole raising ceremony takes place during Saga Dawa. |
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Day 12: Diraphuk - Zutrulphuk, (4790 m), 6 hrs Toady we cross Drolma Ia pass (5630 M) & Gauri Kund Lake (5608 m) where Hindus worship & immerse themselves in the icy waters of the lake. |
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Day 13: Darchen - Lake Manasarovar (2-3 hrs) The final end of the parikrama is an easy 2-3 hrs walk down to where the river emerges on to the Barga plain. We complete the 3 day circuit trek of Mt. Kailash & drive to Chui Gompa, camp at Lake Manasorovar. |
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| Day 14: Lake Manasarovar - Tirthapuri |
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| Day 15: Thoiling Drive to Thoiling. |
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Day 16: Thoiling and Tsaparang Sightseeing around Tholing and Guge Kingdom and drive to Shiquanhe, administrative capital of Ngari prefecture. Overnight hotel. |
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Day 17: Ritok |
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| Day 18: Yecheng Drive to Yecheng. Overnight hotel. |
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Day 19: Kashgar |
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| Day 20: Train Station / Airport Transfer to airport or train station for your out bound flight. |
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Cost Includes: |
Cost Excludes: | ||
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