Saga Dawa Festival Tour From Tibet - 15 Days

Lhasa is the capital and the largest city of Tibet. You can take a train to Lhasa from mainland China or travel by flight. A local guide of Himalayan Trekkers will be waiting for your arrival at the station or airport according to your convenience and will take you to your hotel. 

The city is about 25 km away from the station and further away from the airport. You will follow a road cutting through the trans-Himalayan range along the Tsangpo or Brahmaputra River followed by the Lhasa River.

The first day in Lhasa is for you to rest and acclimatize yourself to the high-altitude plateau climate with a very thin atmosphere. We have to take things slow due to the low concentration of oxygen.

Lhasa is historically and culturally important to Tibetans and Buddhists because it has some of the greatest monuments. One of the most important monuments, the Potala Palace, welcomes you from a distance as you enter Lhasa. We will be visiting this palace resting atop the red hills on this day. 

The palace was built in the 7th century by the 33rd Great King and later renovated in the 17th century by the Dalai Lama. Since the 17th century, it has become the winter palace of the Dalai Lama.

The palace is huge and will take most of your morning for a thorough walkthrough. In the afternoon we will be visiting the holiest temple in Tibet, the Jokhang Temple. It is situated at the center of the old Lhasa city and surrounded by the rustic Barkhor Street. 

The 33rd Great King was the one to have built it in dedication to Buddha. Within the temple, you will find an image of Buddha Sakyamuni at the tender age of 12. Pilgrims take on a Kora (encircle) around this temple to convey their offerings to Buddha. Being one of the most important sites in Buddhism, the temple attracts a huge number of pilgrims during the Saga Dawa festival.

You will also find two of the grandest monasteries in Lhasa. Both these monasteries are part of the “Great Three” Gelug monasteries in Tibet. The first one, Drepung Monastery was founded in the 15th century by one of Tsongkhapa’s main disciples- Jamyang Choje. It is a huge monastery that can house over 100,000 monks and features the biggest monastery kitchen in the world.

After going through the immense Drepung Monastery we will be visiting the Sera Monastery. This monastery houses a monk’s debate every day between 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM except Sundays. This debate includes many philosophical discourses and will imbibe great wisdom into you.

On this day we will be undertaking a long drive of 360km and thus have to start early. You will come across many sites that are only possible in high-altitude travel. You will also be traveling through many high-altitude passes that will give you extraordinary views of the trans-Himalayan ranges in a backdrop of clear blue sky. 

The first pass you will be crossing is the Gampa La at 4790m and you will get a view of the electric blue Yamdrok-Tso from there. You can also spot Mount Nyenchen Khangsar standing at an elevation of 7191m along the lake, a holy peak for the Tibetans.

The Koro La Glacier Pass will be the next one to come on your way followed by Simila Mountain Pass. After this, you will enter Gyangtse, the third-largest Tibetan city where we will visit the Pelkor Monastery and Kumbum Stupa.

Shigatse, the second-largest city in Tibet is about an hour and a half drive from Gyangtse. After the hectic travel of the day, you can spend the remaining time resting and acclimatizing yourself for the increased elevation on the following days. You can also have a pleasant walk through the barley fields over here.

We have to obtain an Alien’s permit to enter Everest Base Camp (EBC) area which is available at Shigatse. On the morning of the fifth day, we will visit the Tashilunpo Monastery which was the seat of the Panchan Lama and then continue our journey forward.

Tso La at 4600m and Gyatso La at 5248m are two high mountain passes with a majestic view that you will traverse through today. Once you have reached Gawu La (5198 m) you will get an unhindered view of the gigantic Himalayas on all sides and have officially entered the Everest National Nature Reserve. You can stay the night in tents or in the guesthouses.

Saga is about 450 km away from the EBC and thus we have to start really early. This ensures that you get to see the extravagant sunrise with the first light of the sun falling upon Everest, and the mountain glowing in a red blaze. 

We commence our journey after watching this unforgettable serene and you will also get a glimpse of Mt. Shishapangma (8012 m) on the way. It is the 14th highest peak in the world.

This place also has attractive fauna and if you are lucky you will get to see wild animals en route.

The Saga Valley lies in between the Himalayas on one side and the Gangdise Range on the other side. You will be traveling along this valley on your way to Darchen. Crossing the Mayom La at 5112 m will open your view to Mt. Naimonanyi standing tall at 7694 m. You will soon be crossing the holy waters on the Mansarovar Lake and then reach the southern base of Mt. Kailash, the holiest mountain in Tibet, attracting both Hindus and Buddhists.

The morning starts with you getting a slice of the Buddhist culture. The old prayer flag is taken down and a new one is erected in its place in a flag hoisting ceremony at Tarboche. This marks the beginning of the Saga Dawa festival.

Following the impressive flag hoisting ceremony, you will trek to Sarshung Valley from where the trek to Drirapuk commences. Drirapuk Monastery is a calming site beside the Lachu Valley after the moderate 13km trek. Both the west and the north face of Mt. Kailash are open to you.

We will continue with our Kora around Mt. Kailash and will pass through Droma La at 5630m, the highest point in this trek. There are many teas stops along the way and you can see pilgrims offering their prayers on the way. The pristine Kadoe Lake is going to take your breath away and if there is time we can take a visit to Zutulpuk Monastery.

The last day of the Kora will have you walk 7km up to Zongto. Buses depart from Zongto for Darchen at regular intervals or you can walk your way up to Darchen which is just 5km away. Mani stones are piled all along the Kora.

We will be following the same route back to Saga after crossing the Mansarovar Lake.

The distance between Saga to Sakya is about 350 km through appreciable hilly terrain interspersed with wonderful sights. So, enjoy the pristine view and keep it forever etched in your heart.

Sakya is an old town in Tibet and has a rich cultural tone. You can go through the ancient town at your leisure and also visit the Sakya Monastery which is filled with murals and scripture, all beautifully crafted and preserved. You will also find this monastery to have a unique design as it features a Mongolian style of architecture- something that is not seen in the other places you have visited.

The Yalong Valley is an exceptional route back to Lhasa filled with glorious views of the mountains. There is a raised platform that gives a grand view of the Yalong River bed. We can also visit an incense workshop conducted by a local family on the way. 

The Saga Dawa festival tour from Tibet has come to an end and it is time to say goodbye. We will see you off at the train station or the airport. 

Note: We can also take you to Gyirong Border if you want to visit or go to Nepal at the end of this tour. The journey from the 12th day onward will be different as Gyirong falls on a different route. We will also make one extra stop at Kelong valley, a truly remarkable site near the foothills of the Himalayas and one that attracts lots of tourists all year round!