Kathmandu Kailash - Mansarovar Tour

ITINERARY:

Day 01:
Welcome for Arrival to Kathmandu: A representative of Bhandari Tours and Travels will be waiting for your flight to land at Tribhuvan International Airport and welcome you to the beautiful country of Nepal. You will then be transferred to your hotel and assisted in the check-in process as well. You can choose to spend the evening roaming the streets of Kathmandu or just relaxing in your room. You will spend your overnight at hotel.
Kathmandu: Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal and situated in a valley, approximately at a height of 4,600 ft., surrounded by four major mountains namely Shivapuri, Phulchowki, Nagarjun and Chandragiri. The city is the gateway to Nepal Tourism and the centre of the country’s economy. Its history dates back to over 2000 years ago and it was on the ancient trade route between India and Tibet which caused a fusion of artistic and architectural traditions of other cultures that can be witnessed even today.
Day 02:
Visa Collection and Day Sightseeing in Kathmandu: Kathmandu is a wonderful place for sightseeing and you’ll spend most of your day visiting the major and most renowned sights in the city like Durbar Square, Pashupatinath, Bouddhanath and Swayambhunath. In the evening, you can choose to go shopping for mementos and local craft as a remembrance or just relax in your room.  You will spend your overnight at hotel. At the evening visas and the permits of the tour members are distributed and short briefing about the tour to Tibet is provided at your hotel lobby.
Durbar Square: In history, Durbar square was the king’s seat of ruling and it is here that kings were crowned and their undisputed authority legitimized. Today, it is the traditional heart of the old town and still boasts of some of the world’s most spectacular architecture. The entire square is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is made up of three loosely linked squares and many terraced platforms which make for a great spot to view Kathmandu in motion.
Pashupatinath: Pashupatinath is Nepal’s most important Hindu temple and stands on the banks of the holy Bagmati River. The temple is located 100 m. away from the end of the runway at Kathmandu’s International Airport and is a powerhouse of Hindu spiritual power to where, devotees of Shiva and Sadhus flock from across the entire sub-continent. Non-Hindus cannot enter the main temples but the surrounding complex of Shaivite shrines, Lingams and Ghats (stone steps) is fascinating and definitely worth the visit.
Bouddhanath: Famed for its Stupa, Bouddhanath pulsates with life as thousands of pilgrims gather daily to make a ritual circumnavigation of the dome beneath the watchful eyes of the Buddha. This is one of the few places in the world where Tibetan Buddhist culture is accessible and unfettered. The lanes around the Stupa are crammed with Monasteries and workshops that make butter lamps, ceremonial horns, Tibetan drums, singing bowls, and plumed hats for Lamas and other essential Buddhist paraphernalia.
Swayambhunath: Swayambhunath is a place that offers one of the definitive experiences in Kathmandu. This sacred locale, a monkey temple, is always mobbed by monkeys and is a chaotic jumble of Hindu and Buddhist iconography. A gleaming white Stupa makes for its centre and is topped by a gilded spire painted with the eyes of the Buddha. What makes it an absorbing experience are the ancient carvings made into every spare inch of space and the smell of incense and butter lamps hanging heavy in the air.
Day 03:
Kathmandu to Nyalam (3,700 m.) via Tatopani Border (2720 m.): You leave early in the morning and drive to the Kodari (Tatopani) Border which is around 110 km away and takes approximately four to five hours to reach. After completing the immigration formalities, you will then cross the border and drive approximately for two hours to reach Nyalam. You spend overnight in a hotel.
Day 04:
Rest Day in Nyalam: Today is an important rest day as you give your body sufficient time to acclimatize to the higher altitude. You are free to explore the market place and surroundings at Nyalam on your own.  You spend overnight in a hotel.
Day 05:
Nyalam to Saga (4,580 m.): You are taken for drive from Nyalam to Saga which is around 155 km away and should approximately take four hours to reach. You will drive along the famed Brahmaputra River and also cross the Lalung La pass.  You spend overnight in a hotel or a guest house.
Day 06:
Saga to Paryang (4,750 m.): Drive from Saga to Paryang which is around 255 km away and should approximately take seven hours to reach. You will cross Zhongba on the way. You spend overnight in a hotel or a guest house.
Day 07:
Paryang to Lake Mansarovar (4,560 m.): Drive from Paryang to Mansarovar (Chiu Village) which is around 260 km away and should approximately take six to seven hours to reach. You spend overnight at guest house or tent camp depending on the availability.
Day 08:
Lake Mansarovar to Darchen (4,550 m.): After your Holy Bath and Puja (praise) at Lake Mansarovar you are taken for drive to Darchen which is around 30 km away and should approximately take an hour to reach. The remaining day is for you to spend at leisure.  You spend overnight in a hotel.
Day 09:
Darchen to Dirapuk (4,765 m.) for the Kailash Parbat Parikrama / Pradakshina: Today, you start your holy trek (Parikrama /Kora) in which you circumambulate Mt. Kailash. You begin with an hour’s drive towards Dirapuk, after which you have to trek for approximately four hours to reach Dirapuk. The trek offers myriad views the western face of Mt. Kailash and its fantastically changing hues at sunrise and sunset. Also, for aged travelers and those not able to undertake the trek for fitness concerns, we can arrange a horse ride or a yak ride provided we are informed for the same well in advance.  You spend overnight at a tented camp.
Day 10:
Dirapuk to Zutul-puk (5,610 m.): Trek from Dirapuk to Zutul-puk via the Drolma-la Pass which takes approximately eight to nine hours to complete. En-route, you will also pass Shivasthal, one of the highest points in your trek and if legend is to be believed, where Lord Shiva and his wife Parvati used to sit. You spend overnight   at tent camp.
Please note that some parts of this leg of the circumambulation cannot be traversed on horses/yaks. However these parts are few and involve trekking for only around 15-20 minutes.
Day 11:
Zutul-puk to Darchen (4,550 m.) and on to Lake Mansarovar (4,560 m.): Trek from Zutul-puk to Darchen, which should take you around four hours, to finish your circumambulation of Mt. Kailash. You will then drive to Lake Mansarovar which you should reach in approximately an hour. You spend overnight at tent camp.
Day 12:
Lake Mansarovar to Paryang (4,750 m.): Drive from Mansarovar to Paryang which is around 260 km away and should approximately take six to seven hours to reach. You spend overnight in a hotel or a guest house.
Day 13:
Paryang to Saga (4,580 m.): Drive from Paryang to Saga which is around 255 km away and should approximately take seven hours to reach.  You spend overnight in a hotel or a guest house.
Day 14:
Saga to Nyalam (3,700 m.): Drive from Saga to Nyalam which is around 155 km away and should approximately take four hours to reach.  You spend overnight in a hotel or a guest house.
 Day 15:
Nyalam to Kathmandu via Kodari Border (720 m.): Today you leave early in the morning and drive to the Kodari (Tatopani) Border which should take approximately two hours to reach. After completing the immigration formalities, you will then cross the border and drive approximately for four to five hours to reach Kathmandu. You spent your night in the hotel after enjoying a Nepalese cultural program in the evening and farewell dinner in a typical Nepalese restaurant (Bhanchha Ghar).
Day 16:
Departure Transfer to Your Port of Destination: Today is the last day of an exciting part of your life as you leave Kathmandu. A representative of Bhandari Tours and Travels will transfer you to the international airport (TIA) and wish you goodbye.