24th May: Day 1 Arrive in Kathmandu, airport pickup to our 4 star hotel : most flights arrive late at night so just a relaxed evening.   

24th – 29th May: DAY 2-4: Exploring Kathmandu and organising Tibet Visas: Our 4 star hotel has relaxing gardens for our Intention setting circles and meditations + yoga & meditations There is much to do in Kathmandu including markets, music concerts, cooking classes and site seeing. (B)=Breakfast

30th May: DAY 5: Group Flies Kathmandu to Lhasa in Tibet over the Himalayas (airport pickup to our Tibetan 5 star hotel) (B)

14 Days TIBET Kailash to KYIRONG border Tour

30th MAY: DAY 01 TIBETAN LEG: ARRIVAL IN LHASA BY AIR FOM KATHMANDU
A short flight into Tibet with a panorama of the snowy Himalayan ranges and a drive to Lhasa.You will be greeted by our Tibetan guide and driver to transfer to your hotel in Lhasa city. From the airport to Lhasa is about 60km and takes less than an hour on the recently built highway with beautiful scenery along the route.. Check in to the hotel and relax overnight in Lhasa.

31st MAY: TIBET DAY 2: EXPLORE LHASA ON ESCORTED TOUR. (B)
Attractions; Jokhang temple and bustling Bakhor street and Sera monastery.
Today is your first day on the high plateau and some of you may have a mild head ache as we adjust to the higher altitude. A relaxed visit to Jokhang Temple in the center of the Old Lhasa city. This is one of the most sacred temples in Tibet and is always bustling with ardent local pilgrims. After that you have time to walk around  Bakhor street and the busy central market of Lhasa.In the olden days it was the most famous local market but now it is mainly a tourist shopping center. A visit to the Sera Monastery, built in the fifteenth century by the Jamchen Choji Sakya Yeshi who is a disciple of Tsongka Pa.  A few different monastic colleges in Sera are home to several hundred monks from different parts of Tibet. The famous Buddhist philosophical debates among the monks happen every day in the afternoon except Sunday. Continue to acclimatise with overnight in Lhasa.

1st JUNE: TIBET DAY 3: LHASA ESCORTED TOUR. (B)
Attractions; Potala palace and Drepung monastery
Today we will visit the famous Potala Palace, the cardinal landmark of Tibet and a masterpiece of Tibetan architecture. It was first built by 33^rd King Songtsen Gangpo in the 7^th century and later in the 17^th century rebuilt by the 5^th Dalai Lama. Since then it was home to the Dalai Lama and his government. Climbing the long steps is quite a challenge but it is worthwhile to leave your footprints in the spiritual palace of the God of compassion, listed as a World Heritage site in 1994. In the afternoon we will visit the Drepung monastery, once the worlds’ largest that housed more than 10,000 monks. It was the residence of the Dalai Lama prior to the Potala Palace where there are many things to see walking through the narrow and twisted corridors around the monks’ apartments. Continue to acclimatise and get over jet lag for the rest of the day. Overnight in Lhasa

2nd JUNE. TIBET DAY 4: Travel day LHASA(3600m) – GYANTSE (3900m) – SHIGATSE(3900m), 350 km. (B)
Attractions; Yamdrok lake, Mt.Nyechen Kangsar glacier, Gyantse Kubum stupa and Pelkhor Choede monastery.
We start our drive towards the south west, through the zigzag road climbing up the Kampa la pass (4700m), where you will catch a breathtaking glimpse of the holy Yamdrok lake with its turquoise colour and snowcapped Mt.Nyenchen Khangsar in the distance, continuing our drive along the lake for a few kms. Lunch stop at Nagar Tse. The rest of the day will be spent enjoying the many magnificent valleys and exquisite Tibetan villages that we pass through; en route we will stop at Karo La (5150m) to see the holy  Nyenchen Kangsar glacier. Arrival at Gyantse where we visit Kumbum Stupa and Palkhor Choede monastery. This magnificent multi-door structure is the largest stupa in Tibet. It is not only well known for its architecture but also its old sculptures and paintings  around its’ inner walls Late afternoon drive to Shigatse which is only 90km. Overnight in Shigatse

3rd JUNE JUNE TIBET DAY 5: SHIGATSE (3900m) – LHATSE (4200m), 150km. (B) .                                                                                                                                         Attractions; Tashi lhunpo monastery and Sakya monastery.                                                                                                                                                                                                   Today we will visit Tashi Lhunpo monastery in the morning. Tashi Lhunpo monastery is one of the largest functioning monastery in the western part of Tibet which has more than 600 years of history. It is an awesome experience walking with local pilgrims through temples and twisted lanes within the old buildings in the campus. Then drive to Lhatse for the night, en route we will drive off the main road to Sakya monastery which is located in a small village. This area and monastery has a unique architectural design and colour. 

4th JUNE TIBET DAY 6: LHATSE (4200m) – SAGA (4500m), 340km. (B)
Today we will drive straight to Saga through the long valley of the Brahmaputra tributary. Compared to the last few years, the road condition is much improved as it is recently been reconstructed and paved. Overnight at Saga.

5th JUNE TIBET DAY 7: SAGA – DARCHEN (5000m), 520km 
Attractions: View of Lake Manasarovar and Mt Kailash as the full moon builds.
Today the thrilling journey across the dry and vast plain with stunning views of great Himalaya in the south and Trans-Himalayan in the north. The moonscape plain of the region is home to sparse lone nomads whose lifestyle remains close to what it has been for centuries. Sand dunes and picturesque mountain views as well as the holy lakes are a wonderful sight here. Then we will arrive at Manasarovar Lake (victorious lake) in the late afternoon, which is one of the holiest lakes in Tibet and every year it receives hundreds of  pilgrims from every corner of the Tibetan plateau,India and Russia. The lake is surrounded by several prominent peaks like Gurla Mandata (7760m). Then we will further drive to Darchen which is the starting point of the Mt Kailash (7762m) trekking where you will also have great view of  Kailash. Darchen is a small nomadic village with an increasing number of guesthouses and restaurants making it more accessible. On your arrival you will have plenty of time to explore the town and you can also hike around the hills to get physically ready for the trekking. In the afternoon your guide will arrange other trekking necessities such as porters and yaks for your luggage. Your guide will help you to find a selection of restaurants according to your taste. Overnight at Darchen.

6th JUNE TIBET DAY 8: 1st KAILASH TREK DAY TO DIRAPUK. 20km. FULL MOON 
Attractions; the views on the both side of the valley that you are going to trek.                                                                                                                                                               Today our trekking starts from Darchen and follows a small trail in a clockwise circuit around the Peak  of Mt Kailash on an average altitude of 4700m. You will encounter numbers of local Buddhist pilgrims along the way and several Bon believers walking in an anti-clockwise direction. After a 4 hour trek we will reach Tamdin(4780m) where nomadic tents serve us a  simple lunch and boiled water. From there it is only 4km to Dirakpuk monastery but the journey between has the some of the best scenery of the entire kora. Dirakpuk was rebuilt in 1985 located on the north side of the Lha-chu River facing the north face of Mt. Kailash. Dirakpuk  originally comes from a word Dira that means female yak horn and Puk means cave. A mythical story tells of a female yak that opened the original cave. Overnight at Dirapuk guesthouse.

7th JUNE TIBET DAY 9: 2nd KAILASH TREK DAY TO ZULTUL PUK(4790m) 18km.
Attractions: to cross the Dikpala (5000m) and Dormala (5600m) next to Dikpala .                                                                                                                                                        Today is the most challenging part of the trek where we will cross two high passes Although these are not too steep the altitude makes it quite tiring and slow. After we cross Dikpala (5000m) & Dormala (5600m), the passes are marked by heaps of prayer flags and cairns. We will have a special meditation time here at the back of Mt. Kailash with a great view of the holy peak. Then we will climb down into the long valley and stop for lunch at Shabjay Dakpo nomadic tent. Zuktul puk monastery (4790m) also contains the miracle cave that was built by two religious figures Milarepa and Naro Bonchung. There is a footprint and handprint of Milarepa inside the cave. Overnight at Zultul Puk.

8th JUNE TIBET DAY 10: LAST TREK DAY & DRIVE TO LAKE MANASAROVAR. (12km trekking and 80km drive).
Attractions; close view of the Manasarovar lake and Thuktso lake.                                                                                                                                                                           An easy day trek to complete the circuit. Our driver will pick us up from Tashi Do (which is also called Dzongsar). Drive to the holy Lake Manasarovar and overnight at guesthouses near the lake. This will again be a perfect place for meditation and reflection.

9th JUNE TIBET DAY 11: TRACE THE ROAD BACK TO SAGA
Today we will trace the road back to Saga for the night.

10th JUNE TIBET DAY 12: SAGA – EBC (5150m).
Attractions: Rongbuk monastery and Mt. Everest base camp.
Today we will drive along the Pekutso Lake towards Everest base camp with great views of Mt Shishapama and other peaks of the mighty Himalayas. Continuing towards the south-east from Old Tingri with views of the spectacular Himalayan Ranges and its mighty peaks over 8000m, Mt.Makalu (8463m), Mt.Lotse (8516m), Mt.Everest (8844m) and Mt.Cho Oyu (8201m). We  then leave the main road to Everest Base Camp located in the Rongbuk valley. Rongbuk is the highest monastery in the world and it is home to both monks and nuns. In the afternoon you have the option to do a short trek from the tent guesthouses community to E.B.C. This takes aprox 2 hours(6Km). Or you can take the dedicated minibus instead. Stay in a local tent guesthouse (best to have your own sleeping bag here)

11th JUNE TIBET DAY 13: RONGBUK (5000m) – OLD TINGRI (4390m) – KYIRONG(1800m), 
Attractions: Beautiful scenery over the Thongla Pass, impressive view of Mt. Shishapama, Peikutso lake.
As we awake the next morning, a striking view of  many luminous peaks is highlighted by the rising sun. Saying goodbye to this beautiful landscape we drive south towards Nepal and traverse the Thongla pass then along the Peikutso lake with views of Mt Shishapama, gradually descending into the Kyirong valley. Our destination is the Tibetan border town of Kyirong which has just opened its’ border to travellers. The Zhangmu border was previously closed after the deadly Nepal earthquake in April 2015. Overnight in Kyirong.
 
12th JUNE TIBET DAY 14:  KYIRONG (2300m) – SABRUBESI   – Drive Overland back to Kathmandu
Attractions; Sino-Nepal Friendship Bridge, typical Nepalese villages and Langtang national park.
Today we drive down to the friendship bridge and our guide will help us clear the Chinese Customs. Time to say our farewells to our Tibetan guide. When we cross the bridge we will arrive back in Nepal. There will then be an adventurous and probably bumpy 130 km drive from the border to Kathmandu city passing through the famously picturesque Langtang National park. Back in Kathmandu we relax in our 4-5 star accommodation close to many places of interest.

13-15th JUNE – BACK IN KATHMANDU: (B) We will relax now in a 4-5 star hotel and enjoy or last few days together with some special opportunities to relax and enjoy the markets, holy places, delicious restaurants and share our experiences and process the journey. Lots of options back including: cooking classes, local yoga, humanitarian, and adventures further afield.  Our journey together finishes with a special evening Dinner and Dance Ceremony.

15th JUNE – FLY OUT or ONWARD