Tibet trekking tour with Tibet Shambhala Adventure: An authentic and unique experience
The plateau of Tibet occupies an extensive area of land that is approximately four times the entire area of France. The country is situated at an average elevation over 14,800 ft or 4,500 m which makes it to have referred as the “Third Pole” of the world due to the reference of the volume of ice and glaciers which lies in the Himalayas.
The Tibetan weather in the morning and night is much colder and drier as compared to the weather conditions of the countries in the lower altitude or near the sea because of the elevation. The dry cold weather is also due to the blocking of the moisture due of the tropical monsoon by the Himalayas from reaching the north part of the country. Tibet is a paradise for the trekkers. You can avail to enjoy various trekking programs in Tibet which are described below:
1) Mount Kailash Pilgrimage with three days trekking around Mount Kailash
The Mount Kailash is located to the western part of Tibet and it is 1210km distance from Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. The peak of Mount Kailash is situated at a height of 21778ft or 6638m above sea level and is considered as the holy mountain by different religions. The Buddhist religion believe Mount Kailash as the Palace of Samvara or Demchok in Tibetan, The Bon religion believe Mount Kailash as the sacred seat of the Lord Shenrap, Hinduism believe Mount Kailash as the abode of Shiva, Jewish also believe Mount Kailash as a sacred mountain and many other minor religions in the world also believe Mount Kailash as a sacred, miraculous and miserable mountain.
To start Mount Kailash Pilgrimage tour, you can either fly to Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal and take two different options, one of the options is you can fly from Kathmandu to Lhasa which is just one hour flight over the peaks of the Himalayan Mountain peaks including Moutn Everest and another option is to drive to Kyirong border from Kathmandu which takes 8-9 hours eventhough the distance is only 150km because of a bad road condition or fly from Nepal Ganj to Simikot and then 6 days trek to Mount Kailash through Hilsa border which is the closest border to Mount Kailash. From the border to Mount Kailash, it just takes your 3 hours’ drive.
Another way to go to Mount Kailash is you can fly from your country to Chengdu or other cities in mainland China and then fly to Lhasa and gradually travel to Kailash.
Lhasa to Mount Kailash: From Lhasa, you can have two options to go to Mount Kailash, one is overland to Mount Kailash by visiting the most beautiful sites of Tibet including Gyantse, Shigatse, Everest and Mount Kailash and another way to get to Mount Kailash is just to fly to Ali, Ngari in Tibetan which is one of the six prefectures in Tibet and it is bordered to India, Nepal, Ladhak and Xinjiang.
We have a variety of Mount Kailash tour programs from Lhasa according to our different customer’s needs, 14 days Lhasa to Mount Kailash pilgrimage tour, 16 days mount Kailash pilgrimage tour, 18 days Mount Kailash pilgrimage tour with Everest base camp, 20 days Mount Kailash pilgrimage tour with Guge Kingdom and Tholing, 10 days Mount Kailash pilgrimage tour by flight in and out between Ali and Lhasa.
Nepal to Mount Kailash: 11 days Mount Kailash tour from Kyirong to Kailash and back to Kyirong border, 12 days Mount Kailash tour from Kyirong to Kyirong border, 16 days Mount Kailash tour with Guge Kingdom and Tholing from Kyirong border to Kyirong and 18 days Mount Kailash tour with Guge Kingdom, Tholing and Mount Everest. 9 days mount Kailash trekking from Hilsa to Mount Kailash and exit at Kyirong border, 14 days Mount Kailash tour from Hilsa to Kailash with Guge Kingdom so on.
With all those different types of Mount Kailash pilgrimage tours, trekking around Mount Kailash, known as Mount Kailash Kora is the most highlight of doing Kailash pilgrimage tour and it is something that you should not miss. The circuit or the Mount Kailash Kora is 52 km which generally takes around 3 days for completion and some of our clients request to design to have 4 days Kailash Kora with two nights at Dhiraphuk monastery in order to hike closer to the northern face of Mount Kailash and do some meditation in newly built Dhiraphuk monastery. The average daily trekking distance is long but worth all the effort for trekking around and getting very close to the Mount Kailash. To have information about Mount Kailash trek, please visit View all Kailash tours.
2 ) Kartha valley trek or Kangshung face trek
Kangshung face trek can be also started, traveling from Kathmandu to Kyirong border and after two days slowly driving, you will reach Kartha Qu or Kartha village but we recommend to start Kangshung face trek from Lhasa because you will spend at least three nights in Lhasa, visiting around and then slowly moving up to the higher elevation by spending three more nights on the way including Gyantse, Shigatse, Sakya and Kartha Qu which help you gradually getting acclimatized to the altitude.
Kartha qu is the village where you will meet all your cooking team and camping equipment. From Kartha Qu, you will leave the vehicles and load all the equipment on the Yak and begin your Himalayan caravan life. As usual, Tibet Shambhala Adventure operates unique and custom-made Tibet trekking and Kangshung face trek is one of the most beautiful and absolutely unique Tibet trekking tour in the Kangshung valley. Kangshung face trek takes in one of Tibet’s most beautiful and off the beaten trekking areas. The Kangshung valley known as Kangshung face or Kartha which is the home of Tenzin Norgye who is the first ever Everest climber. During your Kangshung face trek, you will pass by beautiful Tenzin Norgye’s village. The people in the villages are farmers and they mainly grow barley. They also rear cattle sheep, Yak. If you are lucky, you can also see some festivals going on in the villages including horse racing.
The Kangshung face trek shows you the most magnificent and very close scenery of Mount Everest (8844m) with it’s lovely glaciers from Pethang Ringmo, and the closest views of Lhotse (7790m), Makalu (8475m) as well as beautiful forested landscapes with many small lakes, pastureland, and Tibetan nomad camps. The Kangshung face trek is started from the altitude of 3600m to the highest point of 5250m when you cross Langmala pass. This Tibet trekking tour needs between 17-20 days in general which include nine full days trekking. The average daily trekking hours is between 5-7 hours. The Kangshung face trek is rated as one of the world’s most beautiful treks by many of our clients in so we highly recommend this most beautiful Tibet trek to those who are not only physically fit in walking but also those who really like being in nature, walking off the beaten trails, enjoying the most beautiful view of the great Himalayan snow peaks, including Mount Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Chisha Bangma etc. On clear days the view to the south is outstanding. Makalu is the impressive peak to the southwest dwarfing all of the other summits from this angle, including Everest. Jomo Lhotse is the closer, north peak of Makalu. Pethang Ringmo is the lone bullet-shaped summit a little farther to the right and the big trio at the far west end of the Kangshung valley, from left to right, are Lhotse Shar, Lhotse and Mount Everest and it’s huge east glacier.
3) Old Dingri to Everest base camp trek
Old Dingri to Everest base camp trek can be started, traveling from Kathmandu to Kyirong border and after spending a night in Kyirong, you can directly drive to old Dingri which is 4 hours drive but we recommend to begin this trek, traveling from Lhasa because you can slowly acclimatize to the altitude by spending three nights in Lhasa, visiting the most highlight of Tibet including the Potala Palace, Jokang temple which are listed in the UNESCO world heritage site. After three days sightseeing in Lhasa, you can slowly drive towards old Dingri, on the way, visit beautiful Yamdrok lake, historical site of old Gyantse town and Tashi Lhunpo monastery in Shigatse, the seat of the Penchen Lama. We propose itineraries of old Dingri to Everest base camp trek between 12-14 days but of course Tibet Shambhala Adventure is always happy to customize your Tibet trekking tour if our number of days trekking does not fit your Tibet travel plan.
The trek to Everest base camp from old Dingri is one of the oldest Tibet trekking routes. When Tibet was introduced to tourism in 1984, Everest basecamp quickly became the most popular trekking destination. In the one hand, there were very few vehicles in Tibet at that time and in the other hand, despite being on a road, one had a feeling of remoteness in grand scenery, making this route an outstanding trek.
The trek to Everest base camp of 3-4 days begins in a desert valley to the south of the friendship highway. For almost 15 years, the trek to Everest base camp is followed in the trail valley of Lungjiang village in Dingri prior to the construction of the road from old Dingri to Everest base camp via Pangla pass. Since there was a bigger road from old Dingri to Everest base camp in 2009, the trek to Everest base camp via Lungjiang valley is not interesting any more but Tibet Shambhala adventure explores a new trekking route from old Dingri to Langkor monastery near Tsamda hot spring which is another right hand valley from Dingri to Everest base camp trek. From Langkor, you will trek to Cho Oyu base camp and from Choyu base camp to the foot of Lamna la pass so with this new trekking route to Everest basecamp, you completely avoid the road and again enjoy a feeling of remoteness and off the beaten trail with a fantastic view of Cho Oyu, Everest in the distance. The average elevation of the trek is between 4300-5000m above sea level.
4) Everest Advanced base camp trek
Everest Advanced Base Camp trek which we have named the world’s highest trek, is an credible journey to advance base camp at camp IIII ( 20500ft,6250m ) and the base of the North Col via the east Rongphu glacier. Nowhere else on this planet can you hike on a trail to such elevations without needing crampons, ice axes, or mountaineering skills. This tributary of the main Rongphu glacier flows through a remarkably flat valley in a great arc around the Changtse massif ( 24878ft, 7583m, marked by a triangular peak symbol on Everest’s North peak. Along the central crest of this glacier a corridor of flat moraine, known to climbers as the Serac highway, winds safely between the towering ice pinnacles all the way up to camp III.
Everest Advanced base camp trek is one of the most adventurous treks in Tibet and it is the highest trek in the world. It would take four days for you to complete the trekking if you already have another trek like four days Everest base camp trek before the Everest advanced trek. If you come to Rongphu monastery without the first trek in Tibet, then , you need to have a track of an additional of 3 days on every side for acclimatization and resting. This serves that purpose of climbing up and down as per the convenience of the trekkers while they acclimatize.
The trek begins after reaching the Rongbuk monastery from where you can have a look at the valley that is directed towards Mount Everest. Trek from Rongphu monastery to Everest base camp takes two hour walking and from Everest base camp, you will have to go with pack Yak and Yak men to carry all your camping equipment and luggage on the Yak. The best period of doing this trek is in April, May, June, September and mid-October. You can also trek to Everest advanced base camp in July & Aug as well with a good conditioned glaciers during this period as well.
Even if you can see that many websites from google up-load Everest advanced base camp trek in their menus but a trek of this nature is best left for a professional and experienced Tibetan trekking company to organize because you need very strong and perfect trekking equipment, professional trekking guides and cooking team with all the best equipped trekking gears. The guides and cooks must have a very good knowledge of the Himalayan region and must have lots of knowledge being in the high altitude and glacier make sure that they know how to choose the best camp site and how to protect you from being headache and sick from altitude. The Tibetan company must have proper equipment of camping including best dome tents, kitchen, dining, toilet, oxygen cylinder and Gamo bag and a very strong relationship in the government to have all the necessary permits from the related offices including China Tibet Mountaineering Association.
5) Tsurphu to Yampachen trek
Tsurphu to Yampachen trek is one of the closet trekking routes from Lhasa. It is just 65km drive from Lhasa. You take Qinghai Tibet highway from Lhasa at the distance of 40km. At the iron bridge with colorful prayer flag, take off the Qinghai Tibet high way and drive through the Gurung village valley. You will pass by some beautiful villages and Tibetan watermill where they grind the barley to have Tsampa. Tsampa is a typical Tibetan food, made up of roasted barley. After 25km drive from the main road, you will reach Tsurphu monastery which is the beginning point of Tsurphu to Yampachen trek.
Tsurphu monastery was founded in 1187 as a meditational retreat circa by Dusum kyenpa, a Lama from Kham or the eastern region of Tibet who received his teachings from a disciple of the ascetic Milarepa. Dusum Kyenpa is now regarded as the first Karmapa, beginning a lineage of Trulkus or reincarnation that continues to this day. During the next five centuries, Tsurphu grew into a great religious center. Today, Tsurphu is the largest monastery of Kagyupa school in Tibetan Buddhism with many monks’ residences, six major temples and Karmapa Labrang. Behind Tsurphu monastery, there is rocky cliff with some small caves where many Tsurphu monastery monks do meditation there.
Tsurphu to Yampachen trek is an extremely beautiful Tibet trekking tour which is started from Tsurphu monastery. This medium level Tibet trek not only takes you to the beautiful Tibetan Jatang, known as northern plateau of Tibet and a gorgeous natural landscape of Tibet including snowcapped mountain, grassland, nomad camp and holy monastery but also takes you to the most holy city and cultural heart of Tibet including Lhasa city which is the capital city of Tibet. Tibet Shambhala Adventure offers you more unique and authentic Tibet trek that will arrange you a Tibetan family visit and a nomad camp visit during your trekking which gives you a chance to communicate with local Tibetans and get more knowledge about Tibetan culture and it’s people to get more authentic experience.
The average elevation of Tsurphu to Yampachen trek is from 4300-4910m above sea level and it is a three days trekking tour and you can trek from Tsurphu to Yampachen during the entire season in Tibet which is from April till end of October. You will see beautiful Tibetan nomad camp, lots of Yak and Sheep, beautiful grassland, a great view of Nyenchen Thangla snow mountain and the whole valley Yampachen valley. You can also see some wild animals during your trek such as blue sheep, ibex, wolves, foxes, rabbits etc. You can visit a Tibetan nomad family and experience how a Tibetan nomad lives their life.
6) Ganden to Samye trek
Ganden to Samye is a four days trek, started from Ganden monastery. Ganden monastery is one of the three great Gelukpa religious centers in the Lhasa area, about 52km by road from Lhasa city center and ended up at Samye monastery which is the first monastery of Tibet, built in the 8th century which is 140km distance from Lhasa and 50km distance from Tsetang, the cradle of Tibet. On your first day of Ganden to Samye trek, you will visit Ganden monastery and it is very important to walk around Ganden monastery as outer circumambulation of Ganden monastery which takes you two hours walk and gives not only introduction to the life story of Tsongkapa, the founder of Gelukpa school of Tibetan Buddhism but also it can really help you to slowly acclimatize to the altitude. Ganden to Samye monastery is mid ranged level trek and the average elevation of this trek is 4400m-5000m high mountain pass. The total distance of the Ganden to Samye Tibet trek is around 80Km and the average daily walking hour is around 5-6 hours. The most part of the trek is not very difficult except the Shugarla high mountain pass which is over 5000m above sea level. Trekking over Shugarla mountain pass is a difficult walking day because in the one hand, it is not easy to trek in the higher altitude since you have very less oxygen and lose your energy and in the other hand, during summer time, you also have to cross several small streams and rivers from here and there.
This Tibet trekking gives you a feeling of loneliness, remoteness, dominated by a pasture mountain, nomad camp with their remote lonely lives, beautiful small lakes, stream flow surrounded by many Yak and Sheep. You can also see some wild animals including blue sheep, fox, wolves etc., Beautiful and sweet sound mountain birds, the most historical monasteries in Tibet and some of the most sacred meditation caves from which you can get blessing and good will wishes for your life and Yarlung valley with a fertile agricultural land and Brahmaputra river. The best time to do this trek is from May till mid October.
7) Yamdrok lake trek from Langthang Dewachen
,Yamdrok lake trekking is started from Langthang Dewachen, a beautiful village in the southern part of Lhasa at the distance of 125km from Lhasa and 40km from Lhasa Gongkar airport. The Yamdrok lake trek from Langthang Dewachen starts from Lhasa city and drives you to the southern part of Lhasa through Gongkar county. Gongkar county is located on the banks of the Barhmaputra at a point where the river valley is at its widest, which is why Gongkar airport was constructed.
From Gongkar county, you will continue your journey towards eastwards as far as the Dol valley on the south bank of the Brahmaputra, driving through very beautiful and traditional styled Tibetan villages of Jidishol and Namgyel shol surrounded by their beautiful barley fertile lands. When you reach the first campsite at Langthang Dewachen, you will visit a Tibetan family and communicate with local people to get more deeper and authentic experience of your Tibet trek. You will get a chance to communicate with locals to know how they live their daily lives. Two days indeed off the beaten trek to Yamdrok lake from Langthang Dewachen will give you a chance to see the less visited Tibetan villages and towns, remote and isolated monasteries, different wild animals including blue sheep, wolves, foxes, antelope and flocks of Yak and sheep.
Crossing the Jeshul La pass at the elevation of over 5000m is another challenging and exciting day. From the top of the pass, you will have a very beautiful birds eye view of the eastern arm of Yamdrok lake and the Kurla kangri snow covered mountain which is bordered to Tibet and Bhutan at the elevation of over 7000m above sea level. After two hours trek down the small valley of Kangru village, you will reach a small monastery called Kangru, known as Ganden Choeling monastery. Eventhough it is a small monastery, it is worthy to visit as the monks and nuns in the monasteries are very friendly and welcoming. You can communicate with monks and nuns to get more knowledge of the Tibetan monks daily lives and way of their studies.
.After two full days trek to Yamdrok lake with a tremendously beautiful overnight camp at the Yamdrok lake shore, you will take a loop tour from the eastern part of Yamdrok lake all the way to the western part and enjoy the most beautiful view the lake where usual tourists don’t get chance to see it, landscape of beautiful villages, grassland, nomad camp, Noejin Kangsang snow-capped mountain along the way. The average elevation of the trek is 3900-5000m and the best time to do this trek is from May till October but you can trek through the year if you don’t fear to have cold weather and snowy pass in the winter because it does not snow heavily and the mountain pass is always opened.
8) Derge to Yilhun Lhatso trek
Derge was a big and important kingdom in Kham region from 15th to 19th century and it was considered as the center of Kham in the olden days with a very large monastery of Derge Gongchen and very popular Derge printing house. Today, Derge is a county seat under the administration of Sihuan Gardze Aotonomous Region and it is located to the northwest of Chengdu via the Tibet Sichuan highway at the distance of around 1032km and to the fareast of Lhasa at the distance of around 1360km.
Dege is one of the most beautiful parts of Kham region to visit with it’s many historical cultural sites of the monasteires such as Derge Gonchen, Derge printing house, Palpung and Dzongsar monastery etc and extremely beautiful natural landscape of green dense pasture land, forested mountain, rocky hiils, snow-capped mountains and lots of small lakes, glaciers and Yilhun Lhatso lake.
How to form the valleys around the Derge county and how important the valleys are: there are five adjacent tributaries of the Dri Chu drain the rugged Trola foothills to the east of Derge: The Pa Chu, Me Chu, Ting Chu, Dzin Chu and Ngu Chu. Each of these valleys has regions where the fertile river plains support fields of barley, wheat, and potatoes. The hillsides are covered in spruce forest, and the upper slopes are home to nomad, known as Drokpa in Tibetan with large herd of Yaks, Sheep and horses. It is within these prosperous valleys that the four great monasteries of Palpung, Dzongsar, kathok and Pelyul were founded.
Derge to Yilhun Lhatso trek is an extremely beautiful and unique Tibet trek in the Kham region. This Tibet trekking tour starts from Chengdu and slowly driving for 4-6 days, exploring around Dartsedo, Lhakang, Lithang, Pelyul. On the way, you will enjoy beautiful green fertile land with beautiful vilalges in the middle of the barley field, exotic culture of the Kham tradition and religion in Kardze and Derge counties to have the extreme authentic experience of the heart of the eastern region of Tibet.
You will go on beautiful 7 days Derge to Yilhun Lhatso trek or vise verse from Yilhun Lhatos to Derge trek which is dominated by snow-capped mountains, beautiful dense forest, pasture land with beautiful nomad camps and lots of their herds including Yak, Sheep and Horses, being grazed on the beautiful pasture land, glacier lakes and gorgous Yilhun Lhatso lake.
The landscape of this 7 days trek is very similar to the scenery in Switzerland and many of our clients often admire that it is even more beautiful landscape than the scenery in Switzerland. In a word, it is the most beautiful trekking in Tibet.
After finishing your trek, you can continue exploring around other parst of Kham such as visiting Yachen hermitage and Serta monastic school or extending your tour to Amdo part, north easern par of Tibet including Amdo Ngapa, Juzhaiguo, Chengdu or you can directly drive back to Chengdu via Lhakang, Dartsedo and Chengdu.
The best time of doing this trek is from May till Mid October and it is always recommend to book the trek with an experienced travel agent make sure to have all the necessary camping equipment and pack Yak or horse to carry your luggage and equipment.
9) Minyak Gangkar trek
Minyak was a small kingdom in the Kham regioin and a lot of famous Tibetan Geshe or master of a metaphysic degree in Drepung and sera monasteries came from Minyak region including the most famous 95th Ganden Throned King which is the lineage of the Gelukpa monasteries highest master ranking since Tsongkapa in 15th Century. Minyak is a very beautiful area in the lower part of the Kham region which is located to the south west of Chengdu at the distance of around 500km distance and to the east of Lhasa at the distance of around 1730km.
14 days Mount Minyak Gangkar trek is started from Chengdu and slowly driving towards Minyak Gangkar region. Chengdu is the largest city in the western China and city has different kinds of ethnic groups including Tibetan, Chinese Muslim, Yi ethnic and the majority are Chinese. Driving to Minyak Gangkar mountain through Yangan and Dartsedo. Passing beautiful Tibetan villages and Xindoqiao junction where you can drive to Kanze county and Serta Buddhist unniversity and the road left side is the way to Minyak Gangkar snow mountain.
Mount Minyak Gangkar snow mountain is the highest mountain in the lower part of Kham region and rom the point of religious people’s faith, Mt Minyak Gangkar is one of the most sacred Snow capped mountain in the Kham region and from the view of the tourists, it is a very attractive and high snow mountain which provides a fantastic Tibet trekking route where you can be in the nature, extremely beauutiful view of snow capped mountain, grassland, The snow peak of Mount Minyak is 7556m high above sea level.
Minyak Gangkar trek is an extremely off the beaten trail and the most least visited parts of Tibet trekking tour.The trek begins at Kangding known as Dartsedo in Tibetan. Dartsedo is the capital city of the Kardze prefecture and a huge Tibetan nomadic area bordered to Sichuan. Nowadays, there are different ethnics of Tibetan, Chinese, Muslim etc . During Minyak Gangkar trek, you will see many Tibetan farmers with their beautiful fertile of agricultural land and their beautiful Tibetan tradional houses, completely built by wood, stones and mud. At the same time, you can visit many remote monasteries, Tibetan family visits and some activities with local Tibetans in order to get more deeper understanding of the local people’s life style and culture of Khampa people which makes this trek more unique and localized.
During your trekking, you will visit Minyak Gangkar monastery and after an hour walk towards Mount Minyark Gangkar, you will get a panoramic view of the whole Minyak Gangkar and beautiful pasture land with Tibetan nomads, dense forested gorge, rocky hills, beautiful glacier lakes and snow-capped mountain. The best time to do this trek is in April and end of September and October but you can do this trek during summer time as well. To get more information, please visit Tibet Trekking.
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