Saga Dawa Festival Tour (Day 15th of the 4th Lunar Month)
The most important festival for Tibetan Buddhism, the 'Saka Dawa Festival' commemorates Shakyamuni's Buddhahood and the death of his mortal body. At every monastery sutras are recited and 'Cham' dances are performed. It is said that good deeds in the month of this festival deserve 300 fold in return and this leads many people to donate large sums to the religious orders, monasteries and to the beggars that gather at this time of year.
Saga Dawa Festival Tour
22 Days trip, High altitude adventure touring (three day optional trek) 7 nights hotels, 14 nights camping.
A rugged overland journey across Tibet to witness the Saga Dawa festival beneath Mt Kailash, the most sacred mountain in the Himalaya.
Mt Kailash is the most sacred mountain in the Himalaya. It is also one of the remotest - located in far west Tibet and a week s overland drive from Lhasa. We have timed our journey to Kailash to coincide with the Saga Dawa festival when many hundreds of Tibetans gather to pay homage beneath the sacred mountain.
We fly to Lhasa and explore the Jokhang Temple, the Norbulingka and the Potala Palace as we acclimatise in the renowned capital of Tibet. At Gyantse we visit the Gumbum Monastery before continuing to Shigatse and the famous Tashilhunpo Temple.
Leaving behind the Lhasa to Kathmandu highway, we embark on a rugged drive across the Tibetan Plateau. On arrival at Mt Kailash, we transfer to Tarboche where throngs of Tibetan pilgrims have established their camps. The Saga Dawa festival is one of the most important in the Tibetan calender, celebrating the birth of the Sakyamuni Buddha. Following the festival we have the option of trekking around Mt Kailash before transferring to the shores of Lake Manasarovar to spend time camping alongside its sacred waters.
Our return journey traverses the Tibetan Plateau close to the snow-capped Himalayan Range before descending the Sun Kosi Gorge to Zhangmu and the Kathmandu Valley.
Itinerary
Day 01: Early morning flight to Lhasa - Over night in Hotel
Day 02: Sight seeing in Lhasa - Over night in Hotel
Day 03: Sight seeing In Lhasa - Over night in Hotel
Day 04: Drive Lhasa to Gyantse - Over night in Hotel
Day 05: Drive Gyantse to Shigatse - Over night in Hotel
Day 06: Drive Shigatse to Lhatse - Over night in Hotel
Day 07: Drive Lhatse to Sangsang - Over night in Camp
Day 08: Drive Sangsang to Sagar - Over night n Camp
Day 09: Drive Sagar to Payang - Over night in Camp
Day 10: Drive Payang to Mansarovar - Over night in Camp
Day 11: Drive Mansarovar to Mt. Kailash - Over night in Camp
Day 12: Rest day - Over night in Camp
Day 13: Rest day Saga Dawa Festival - Over night in Camp
Day 14 - 15 - 16: 3 days trekking Around Mt. Kailash - Over
night in Camp
Day 17: Drive to Mansarovar - Over night in Camp
Day 18: Drive Mansarovar to Payang - Over night in Camp
Day 19: Drive Payang to Drongpa - Over night in Camp
Day 20: Drive Drongpa to Sagar - Over night in Camp
Day 21: Drive Sagar to Zhangmu - Over night in Hotel
Day 22: Drive Zhangmu to Kathmandu - Over night in Hotel
