Tibet
China
     

Kailash & the Guge Kingdom
Saga Dawa 2009

Lhasa - Gyantse - Shigatse - Sakya - Mount Kailash - Saga Dawa Festival - Guge Kingdom - Lake Manasarovar - Everest Base Camp

Sacred spaces and stunning landscapes! Magnificent temples, mountain passes, snow-capped peaks, nomad camps, pilgrims – this is truly a journey to stir the senses and nourish the soul - of all the destinations in Asia, the most sacred and sublime. The days of travel are long, the roads are dusty and bumpy - and it is a world that will take your breath away.

Explore the heart of central Tibet, the great temples, monasteries and palaces of Lhasa, Gyantse, Shigatse & Sakya before traveling west, back in time and history through dramatic landscapes to Tibet's most sacred pilgrimage sites - Mount Kailash, Lake Manasarovar, Tithapuri - and to the region that was once the heartland of Tibet, the ancient kingdom of Guge.

After the raising of the new flag-pole at Tarboche join pilgrims on the 3-day circumambulation of Mount Kailash. It is challenging due to altitude, but within the capabilities of any healthy person - and timed to coincide with the full moon, it is an incredible time.

Stunning views of Qomolangma (Mt Everest) and a day trip up to base camp are a fitting finale to this incredible journey before we leave the Tibetan Plateau behind, plunging into a lush green world as we descend almost 2000 meters in just 30kms to the border town of Zhangmu.

Of incredible geomantic power Kailash (Sanskrit) or Kang Rinpoche (Tibetan) marks the center of the Earth for Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and Bon. To Buddhists it is the abode of Demchok, the wrathful manifestation of Buddha Sakyamuni. To Hindus it is the dwelling of Shiva, the destroyer and according to the Sanskrit tradition of Vishnu Purana it is a representation of Mount Meru, the cosmic mountain at the center of the universe. It is the place where the founder of Bon descended to Earth and where the founder of the Jain faith was spiritually awakened.

Kailash is also the geographical watershed of South Asia, here its great rivers are born - the Indus, the Sutlej, the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) and the Karnali / Ganges. At its foot lies the most venerated of Tibet's lakes, Manasarovar, believed by Hindu's to have been formed in the mind of Brahma.

Once the heartland of Tibet, the remains of Zhangzhung date back over 3,000 years. Later the kingdom of Guge flourished from the 9th to the 15th centuries, with its strong links to Ladakh and Kashmir it is extremely important in terms of Buddhist art history. The remains of this kingdom stand in a landscape so overwhelming as to defy description.

Itinerary
Days 1-2 Kathmandu or Chengdu Days 3-6 Lhasa Day 7 Gyantse Days 8-9 Shigatse Day 10 Sakya - Lhatse Day 11 Saga Day 12 Pasum Days 13-14 Tirthapuri & Khyunlung Days 15-16 Guge Day 17 Darchen Day 18 Saga Dawa at Tarboche Days 19-20 Kailash Kora Day 21 Kailash kora - Lake Manasarovar Day 22 Paryang Day 23 Saga- Paiku Tso Day 24 Lao Tingri Day 25 Rombuk (Everest Base Camp) Day 26 Nyalam Day 27 Kathmandu

Saga Dawa 2009
May 21 - June 16

Group Tour Cost
€2050 p/p

Flight Cost
Chengdu-Lhasa €165 p/p OR
Kathmandu-Lhasa USD316 p/p
Mount Kailash
Asia's most sacred mountain, Kailash is central to the Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Bon faiths. To travel here and make the 53km kora (circumambulation) is the most important pilgrimage most will ever make.
Guge Kingdom
In an incredible canyoned landscape on the banks of the Sutlej River, Guge was established in the 9th century. The surviving 15th & 16th century temples and murals are amongst the most outstanding examples of Buddhist art.
Potala Palace
The symbol of Tibet, this awesome palace containing over 1000 rooms and 200,000 images dominates the city. The 7th century building was replaced by the current 130,000square meter structure in the 17th century.

Jokhang Temple
This 1300-year-old, golden-roofed building is the spiritual heart ofLhasa and of the Tibetan world. The courtyard in front of the entrance is almost constantly filled with prostrating pilgrims – inside the labyrinth of shrines, halls and galleries are dimly lit by butter lamps and filled with pilgrims and incense and house some of the finest treasures of Tibetan art.

Gyantse
Built at the center of the trade routes from Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan, by 1440 Gyantse’s most impressive architectural achievements had been completed – the Kumbum, the dzong and Pelkor Chode monastery.
Tashilumpo
Founded in 1447 the original building was built above a sacred sky-burial site, the stone slab of which can still be seen on the floor. At its peak it housed 4700 monks and is still the largest functioning monastic community in Tibet. The most amazing image is the 26m Maitreya, covered with 279 kg of gold.

Lake Manasarovar
The ‘Lake Conceived from the Mind of God’ is a brillant turquoise expanse of water, pure beyond conventional scientific confirmation. Its sun shape a balance and contrast to Rakshal Tal. Chiu Gompa, spectacularly perched on a rocky pinnacle, is the site of the cave where Padmasambhava lived for the last 7 years of his life.

Tithapuri
An important pilgrimage site associated with both Mount Kailash and Padmasambhava. Dramatically situated in a ravine of red and white earth, rock formations and hot springs on the banks of the Sutlej River.
Khyunlung
Pristine limestone hot springs, a cave city, incredible rock-carvingsand a Bon monastery along the Sutlej River - the remains of Tibet's earliest civilization.
Sakya
Once the political center of Tibet, the walls of Sakya's great fortified monastery are painted the dark gray typical to buildings in the area.
Rombuk & Everest Base Camp
The view from the world's highest monastery is incredible, and from EBC at 5200m, even more stunning.

Kathmandu
Busy streets, temples and shrines and shopping to keep you busy for days.

Physical Grading: Challenging
Culture Shock Grading: High
Accommodation: Twin share - 10 nights, Twin or Multishare (as available) - 3-4 nights, Camping - 13-14 nights
Transport: 4WD landcruisers, support truck private bus
Group size: 6-11 (Fixed Departure)
Accompanied by: Tour Leader &/or Tibetan Guide (according to group size)
Meals: 13 days (B,L,D). Please allow approx €6-8 per day for meals not included

Included Activities:
Lhasa: Jokhang Temple, Potala Palace, Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery, Pelkor Choede & Gyantse Kumbum, Tashilhumpo Monastery, Sakya Gompa, Tholing, Tsaparang, Tithapuri, Mount Kailash, Qomolangma National Park, Everest Base Camp.
     


Tibetan Expeditions
100 Beijing Dong Lu, Lhasa, Tibet, PRC
Tel: +86-891-6330489
Fax: +86-891-6330482
Mobile: +86-891-6571338
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