【2024】Itinerary—Algari, Tibet to the Holy Mountain (14 days)—Mount Everest and the Holy Lake in Tibet

Today is a gathering day. Partners from all over the world fly to Lhasa Gonggar Airport. The staff will pick you up at the airport according to the flight arrival time and take you to your hotel in Lhasa to rest.
For those of you who have just arrived on the plateau, what you need most from now on is to learn to slow down your pace, relax your mind, and go to the hotel to have a full rest so that your body can slowly adapt to the atmosphere and environment of the plateau. Zahidele!!

[Intimate reminder]
From the moment you set foot on the plateau, remember "slow, slow, slow"!
Walk slowly, talk slowly, meditate slowly. Only by slowing down can you appreciate the beauty of this journey. If you have a slight headache, dizziness, vomiting, etc. during the process, it is normal and will usually get better the next day after you get used to it. If the symptoms are severe, please contact us immediately Inform the tour guide or our Lhasa staff.

In the morning, visit the world’s highest ancient castle-style building complex【Potala Palace】, is the residence of the Dalai Lama for generations and the center of Tibetan political and religious power.
Before climbing to the Potala Palace, you have to climb 1080 steps. Although it will be a little tiring, you can overlook the entire city of Lhasa and enjoy the beautiful scenery in the process, which makes us forget about our physical fatigue!
In the afternoon visit the holy place in the heart of Tibetan Buddhist believers【Jokhang Temple】.

“Going to Lhasa without going to the Jokhang Temple means you haven’t been to Lhasa!”

These are the words of the famous Lama Nyima Tsering in the Jokhang Temple, and they are also a view shared by almost every traveler. The Jokhang Temple combines Tibetan, Tang, Nepalese and Indian architectural styles and has become an eternal model of Tibetan religious architecture.
After leaving the Jokhang Temple, you can walk around the Jokhang Temple clockwise, imagining that you are a Tibetan who is turning around the Pakhor, or you can【Bajiao Street】Go shopping at the handicraft market, or simply walk slowly on the streets and feel the warmth of the City of Sunshine, or find a sweet teahouse and learn from the tranquility and contentment of your Tibetan friends.
[Intimate reminder]
Tickets for the Potala Palace are pre-purchased and have visit time restrictions. We will flexibly adjust the itinerary sequence based on the actual reserved visit time. There will be a security check procedure when entering the Potala Palace: no dangerous items are allowed, and no photography is allowed after entering the Potala Palace.

Today is a day where you can’t stay in bed! After everyone had breakfast together, we were about to set off from Lhasa and cross the 4,900-meter-high mountain.【Gambala Snow Mountain】, to the highest freshwater lake in the world【Yamdrok Yongcuo】go ahead.

【Yamdrok Yongcuo】Known as the most beautiful water in the world, the blue lake is connected with the snow-capped mountains in the distance, making people feel relaxed and happy.

The car detoured around Yamdrok Yumcuo and passed by the location of the movie "Red River Valley"【Karora Glacier】, the glacier just beside the road is breathtaking.

Go all the way to the Anti-British Heroes Town【Gyantse】, this is an ancient city with a history of more than 600 years, and it is also a transportation fortress from front Tibet to back Tibet.
overlooking[Zongshan Anti-British Site], and visit the 100,000 Pagoda, which is the only one that integrates the three major sects of Tibet and is famous for its exquisite murals and sculptures.【Baiju Temple】.
Then drive to the second largest city in Tibet【Shigatse】.

Get up in the morning and drive to Everest Base Camp, passing by【Lazi】,【Dingri】of xiegel, to【Xiegel】When you arrive, you can overlook the majestic form of Mount Everest, and then arrive at the highest temple in the world.【Rongbuk Temple】, this is the best angle to look up at Mount Everest. continue to go【Everest Base Camp】Go forward and gaze up close at Mount Everest, the world's highest peak at an altitude of 8,848 meters.

At night, stay in the tent area of the Everest Base Camp. When the night covers the earth, you can walk out of the tent and enjoy the bright moonlight and brilliant starry sky when you are awake.
[Intimate reminder]
The altitude of Mount Everest is as high as 5,200 meters. You may have headache symptoms at night and have difficulty falling asleep. This is a normal phenomenon. Please do not panic too much. Continue to slow down your pace, relax your mood, and feel the beauty of Mount Everest. The symptoms will change over time. Slowly soothe.
Note: According to the announcement of the scenic spot, the longest Everest trip can only reach Rongbuk Monastery. The actual situation is based on the announcement of the scenic spot.Rongbuk Monastery is the best place to view and photograph Mount Everest.

No matter you had a good night's sleep the night before, or you were tossing and turning, you must get up early this morning to welcome the dawn of Mount Everest with us.

While the peaks are still sleeping in the dawn, Mount Everest has been covered with the dazzling morning glow like a goddess's costume.

Accompany【Everest】The first ray of light rises through the majestic, majestic and winding Himalayas for thousands of miles, and climbs over the 5,200-meter-high Gawula Mountain in desolation and silence.
In addition to Mount Everest (elevation 8848), in the distance there are also Labji Kang (elevation 7367), Cho Oyu (elevation 8201), Lhotse (elevation 8516), and Makalu (elevation 8463). Waiting for the snow-capped peaks in the world, you can look at the majestic and solemn Shishapangma Peak (8012 meters above sea level), the only top mountain in the world with an altitude of over 8,000 meters that is entirely located in China.

With nostalgia for Mount Everest, we continued to move forward, admiring the scenery surrounded by mountains, and passing by a roadside plateau lake.【Pegucuo】, overlooking the 8013-meter-high【Shishapangma Peak】(Tibetan "Shishapangma" means "harsh climate", formerly known as[Eminent Monk Praising the Peak], located in Nyelam County, Tibet Autonomous Region), enter【Saga】A vast no man's land.

【Saga】Located in the northwest of Shigatse Prefecture, the county's border is 105 kilometers long, and National Highway 219 runs through the entire territory. From there, it reaches Shigatse and Lhasa in the east, Ali, Purang and other important roads in the west, and is adjacent to Jilong County and the Kingdom of Nepal in the south. Saga is located at the northern foot of the Himalayas and the southwestern edge of the Gangdise Mountains, on the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra River. There are plateau scenery such as sacred mountains, holy lakes, vast grasslands, and herds of yaks.
The county has an average altitude of over 4,600 meters and has a typical continental plateau climate, with severe high and cold temperatures, long winters and short summers, thin air, sufficient sunshine, and large temperature differences between day and night.

After everyone enjoyed breakfast together, we walked along National Highway 219 and passed through the town of [Payang] in Zhongba County. This is a small town with a western style and the highest altitude town in the world, with an altitude of 4,700 meters. Along the way, you can enjoy the vast scenery. The grassland scenery gradually enters the embrace of the sacred mountain [Kangrinboqe] and the holy lake [Manasarovar Lake], and then goes to the ghost lake [La Pleiacuo] and spends the night in Taqin.

[Mount Kailash] is the main peak of the Gangdese Mountains in China and one of the top ten most beautiful and shocking mountains in China.
The top of the mountain is 6,721 meters above sea level. It is the second highest peak in the Gangdise Mountains. In Tibetan, it meansSnow mountain baby, the fault on the south side descends to the Xiangquan Valley and the Manasarovar and Laangtso lake basins. Covered with ice and snow above an altitude of 6,000 meters, there are 28 modern glaciers, mainly cirque glaciers and hanging glaciers. There are more glaciers on the south slope than on the north slope.
Kailash is the main peak of Mount Gangdise, a large mountain range, with a circuit of 52 kilometers.
Mount Kailash is often shrouded in white clouds.The locals believe that it is a blessing to be able to see the peak..

For centuries, Kailash has been a fascinating place for pilgrims and explorers, but no one has been able to climb this sacred mountain, or that no one has dared to touch the center of the world.

【Manasarovar】

It means "undefeated, victorious" in Tibetan and is known as the "Holy Lake".
It is located between Mount Kailash, the main peak of the Gangdise Mountains, and Namunani Peak of the Himalayas, in Purang County, Tibet Autonomous Region.

Manasarovar Lake is also called Mafamu Co and was once called Ma Chui Co. It was once connected with Laangcuo (ghost lake), but later it evolved into an endorheic lake due to blockage by flood sediments and ice water accumulation.
At an altitude of 4,587 meters, the lake water comes from the melted ice and snow of the Gangdise Mountains. It is clear, sweet and spotless.
The deepest part of the lake is81.8 meters．The transparency in the center of the lake is as high as 14 meters, is currently the most transparent lake in China and alsoThe world's highest freshwater lake.

[Laangcuo] is known as "Ghost Lake", which means "poisonous black lake" in Tibetan
Located in Pulan County, Ngari Prefecture, with an altitude of 4,574 meters, it is separated from the freshwater holy lake [Manasarovar Lake]. It is a brackish water lake, so the lake water is not drinkable by humans and animals. This is probably the origin of the name "Ghost Lake".
According to legend, there is a gate to the universe between the two lakes [Laangtso] and [Manasarovar], secretly connecting the waters of the two lakes.

The water quality of the Holy Lake and the Ghost Lake is completely different: the water of the Holy Lake is refreshing and sweet, but the water of the Ghost Lake is bitter and difficult to swallow.

Ghost Lake is often windless and has three-foot waves. There are crimson hills beside the lake, and the colors are weird and blurry. When Tibetans worship the holy lake, they do not forget to pray more sincerely next to the ghost lake. Because they have tolerant understanding and open-minded compassion.

[Laangtso] relies closely on the holy lake [Manasarovar Lake]. To the west of it, a beautiful crescent-shaped lake of the same blue is outlined, and [Manasarovar Lake] is shaped like the sun. , their original shapes show a kind of harmony, an ultimate state of incomparable beauty.

It is said that if you turn around Kailash Kailash once, you can wash away the sins of your life; if you turn ten times, you will avoid suffering in hell in five hundred reincarnations; if you turn a hundred times, you can become a Buddha and ascend to heaven in this life.
According to legend, the Buddha Sakyamuni was born in the Year of the Horse, so one turn around Kailash in the Year of the Horse is equivalent to thirteen turns. Therefore, many people turn around the mountain in the Year of the Horse in the Tibetan calendar. A round trip to Kailash is about 52 kilometers, and it usually takes about three days to hike. The roads along the way are rugged, and the food and accommodation conditions are poor.

The opposition between these two poles makes people think of the great symbol of the embrace of the deity and the mother of Buddha: the harmony and unity of the universe and even the spirit of an insect.
Good and evil are two opposites, but here they live in peace and coexist peacefully.
The ghost lake and the holy lake live under the same snow-capped mountain. There is no hatred or war, only the desolate years of staying with each other for hundreds of millions of years.

In the early morning, we boarded an eco-friendly bus and set off from Tachin, heading deep into the valley to prepare for hiking around the mountains.
There are yaks and horses in the valley for people to experience, and there are also luggage porters to provide convenience for guests carrying large luggage.
【Remark】The tour fee does not include horse riding, yak riding and luggage handling fees.

Adjust your breathing, prepare your posture, and use your feet to measure this piece of pure land.
Along the valley, blue skies and snow-capped mountains accompany you all the way. Occasionally, a river meanders through, allowing you to experience the miraculous craftsmanship of nature in the most authentic way.

PhotographyJean-Marie Hullot

Along the way, you will also see the west and north sides of "Gangrenbo Qi Peak". One side is towering into the clouds, soaring into the sky, and the other side is layered and endless. You can see it after a long and winding trek, and have a wonderful encounter with a mountain peak. With a diverse and unique perspective, I deeply understand that what I thought was special in the past is actually not special at all.

After trekking all the way, we arrived at Zhire Temple. Among the colorful prayer flags, we rested and fell asleep with a sense of devotion to our faith and awe of nature.

After a night of repairs, today we will pass through the highest altitude point of this mountain transfer [Dolma La Pass] (5630 meters)
Along the way, you will meet many devout Tibetans prostrating themselves in obeisance. The snow-covered road is a bit slippery, and the gravel rolling down the valley is rustling, making walking a bit difficult.
The so-called mountain road is actually the little traces of holiness made by Tibetans with their bodies and feet among the ice, snow and gravel, and the accumulation of time. Walking on the road to the holiness is a little difficult, but you can take a break at home teahouses at the right time. , after adjusting your physical strength, continue moving forward and arrive at your destination tonight.【Zuchu Temple】.

On the third day after climbing the mountain, as the altitude decreases, the surrounding color gradually changes from snow-white to emerald green. Small animals such as marmots among the bushes also become active, and the breath of life becomes stronger and stronger.
In addition to small animals, there are also piles of Mani stones, colorfully stacked among the snowy mountains and grass, like monks concentrating on prayer.
After completing the last 10 kilometers of hiking, it was noon and then drove to Zada.

Zada County is the most famous soil forest landform landscape area in the Ali region. The soil forest is a special terrain formed by the influence of orogeny in ancient times. The strata deposited at the bottom of the lake have been cut by flowing water for a long time and gradually weathered and denuded. The "trees" in the soil forest are scattered dozens of meters high and in various shapes, which is unique and interesting.Photography by Jean-Marie 

【Guge Dynasty】

The predecessor can be traced back to Xiangxiong Kingdom. The establishment of the dynasty probably started in the 9th century after the collapse of the Tubo Dynasty that unified the Tibetan Plateau. By the end of the 17th century, 16 hereditary kings had been hereditary.
It was a local political power established by the descendants of the Tubo royal family in the Ali area in western Tubo. At its peak, its ruling scope covered the entire Ali area. The Guge dynasty, founded by descendants of Tubo, occupied an area of approximately 1.83 million square meters and became the most powerful dynasty in western Tibet. It also made great contributions to the revival of Tibetan Buddhism. However, for some unknown reason, it seemed to disappear without a trace overnight. Become an eternal mystery.

It consists of palaces, temples, watchtowers, pagodas, and caves. There are more than 300 houses and more than 800 caves, which are piled up on the mountains and distributed on a high slope of more than 300 meters. The palaces and castles are piled on top of the mountains, from the ground to the top of the mountain. The building is 300 meters high. It is commanding, the terrain is steep, and it is majestic and majestic. After finishing the mysterious journey of the Guge Dynasty, we then returned to [Taqin] to experience the sacred mountain and holy lake up close again.

Get up in the morning and leave Taqin, take another look at Yanshan Holy Lake, and then drive along National Highway 219. The landscape that comes into view along the way is full of ice peaks, snow ridges, and cliffs, and the unique plateau style. Its charming charm attracts countless explorers. To conquer it, experience it, appreciate it.
The Tibetan children on the road showed smiling faces as bright as the sunshine on the plateau, and their pure eyes were like the clear blue sky. This is the day when we are closest to the sky. This day’s journey is long, so friends can close their eyes and relax in the car at the right time.

There are no special scenic spots today, all the beautiful scenery is on the road, on both sides of the road.
You can see paradise scenery everywhere, open your eyes, open your mind, and embrace the gifts that nature has given us.

After breakfast, visit Tashilhunpo Monastery, the resting place of the Panchen Lama’s soul and one of the six major monasteries of the Yellow Sect. It was also the residence of Panchen Lama for generations and was once the political center of Tibet.

The temple houses the world's largest seated bronze Buddha statue "Jamba Buddha" (Maitreya Buddha), which is 28 meters high. Then return to Lhasa. There is no need to be in a hurry on the way back, slow down and stop at the [Yarlung River Valley]. In the cradle of ancient Tibetan civilization, queue up quietly and let the river icebergs, pastoral pastures, river valleys, alpine vegetation... everything be within sight. Everything is hidden in the crystal-clear blue sky, as if it were nothing. The specks of darkness not far away are not flaws, but the beautiful reflection of sunlight penetrating through the white clouds.

After the trip, take a flight or train on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway to return to your warm home