Kailash & Mansarovar Sacred Mandala Journey with Thomas Holy Mount Kailash The most sacred mountain in the Tibetan Buddhist world is also considered by many to be the center of the universe. Uncannily symmetrical, this remote and remarkable peak is located in the far west of Tibet, 1200 km from Lhasa. Mt. Kailash (6714m) is not only geographically one of the most important mountains in Asia, it is also the source of four major rivers, namely, the Indus, Sutlej, Karnali and Tsang Po which nourish Asia with water. In Sanskrit Kailash means luminous crystal. Hindus believe Mt. Kailash to be the abode of Lord Shiva and his wife Parvati. Tibetan Buddhists call the mountain Kang Rinpoche, the Jewel of Snow, and regard it as the body mandala of Korlo Demchog and his consort, Dorje Phagmo (Cakrasamvara and Vajravarahi). A pilgrimage to this great sacred and magical landscape is the most precious of pilgrimages for both Tibetan and Indian people, a journey they hope to experience at least once in a lifetime. Horse year: Every sacred site has a zodiac sign. For Mt. Kailash this is the horse year. It is said that the local deities will be present in a 13 fold intensity and therefore this results in a far higher blessing than in usual years. In the same way every kora counts 13 times (This does not mean one can go into the inner kora! Here we need actual / physical 13 outer koras to enter!) So in 2014 it is more meritorious then in usual years and there will be many Tibetan pilgrims all the time on the mountain. Expedition or Inner Purification All trips to Mt. Kailash have expedition character. Long drives on dirt roads require a lot of patience, tolerance and little expectations. In return we will see some of the most untouched and beautiful landscapes and we are likely to meet genuinely nice people. Seen as a pilgrimage, the vast open spaces encourage deep personal inner experiences. Therefore certain undigested events may (and probably will) suddenly pop up in the mind. Consequently, this journey is generally quite the opposite of a usual holiday or trek, where one seeks to forget about home and past. The journey tends to retrieve memories and you may find yourself taking a conscious look at events in your life and realise how much one is connected with everything. Guide: Thomas Toth, Hungarian, born in 1969. He lives over the past 8 years in Nepal, India & Ladakh, where he studies and practices Buddhism under the guidance of several great Tibetan masters. His fist visit of Mt. Kailash was in 2002 (also the horse year). I perceive the experience of western Tibet to be mind opening and consequently showing us a total different dimension. Ever since my first visit I had the aspiration to return to the holy mountain, because I believe it can bring transformation / change to our life. Mandala Journey: Consciously we choose a simple trip (budget level) without support team, like sherpa cooks etc. We plan to do the kora the same way Tibetan pilgrims do, being flexible and light, sleeping in monastery guesthouses and pilgrim shelters and eating local food. On the top of having a true pilgrimage experience, it will also cost a lot less than a tour with full Snow Jewel Page 1 www.snowjewel.com
board. However, Thomas and a Tibetan guide will always be with you to provide support in various ways. Tour Operator: Roger Pfister, Swiss, born in 1960 has been based in Boudhanath, Kathmandu in Nepal since 1995. During this time he has owned and operated Snow Jewel, leading expeditions to remote locations in Nepal and Tibet. In addition, he has worked for over five years as a volunteer for the British operated not-for-profit ROKPA Nepal. Roger has practiced extensively in both the Tibetan and Theravada traditions, completing annual Vipassana retreats in Thailand at Wat Ram Poeng and in India at Bodhgaya and Sarnath with Christpoher Titmuss. During his time in Nepal, he spent two years with intensive study at Ka- Nying Shedrup Ling, the official seat of very venerable Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, as well as Pullahari Monastery under the guidance of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche. His inaugural trip to Mt. Kailash was during the spring of 1996 and since then he has made over 100 circuits of the mountain and 14 of Lake Manasarovar. Group Size: Minimum 7, maximum 15 people. Duration: July 25 th 10 th August 2014. Price: RMB 9 800 ca. US$ 1625/ 1225Euro Included: drive from Kathmandu to the border in a private bus with Nepalese guide; Private Transport - drive from the border to Mt. Kailash, Lake Manasarovar and back to the (see itinerary); all permits and road tolls in Tibet; local guide, driver; Western guide Excluded: Chinese visa fee; visa for Nepal; all cost for food and overnight, all entrance fees, horse and horse driver for personal ride; porter, cost in case of an emergency; airport transfer and hotel in Kathmandu; personal expenses; insurances; tip. Of course we cannot determine or foresee your spending behaviour, however with a moderate way of spending you will need about 100-150 CNY / day this will cover food, simple accommodation & entrance fees (Grass land 65Y/ Kailash 300Y). A porter on the kora will cost 120 CNY / day. Remark: Accommodation / activity Add-ons in Nepal: If want us to book a room in a monastic guesthouse, the cost is: single 20$, double 30$. Airport transfer 10$ per PAX. For Nepal programs we can send you a variety of offers from city tour, trekking to safari, just let us know. Dates: July 20 th : arrival in Kathmandu; hand over of passport Chinese visa form, 10-17.00 Latest handover before 10 am July 21 the next morning! At 4 pm briefing for the tour. July 21-24 th : Chinese visa; Free days July 25 th : Earliest departure, evening 22.00 Itinerary Short Itinerary Short Day 1: Kathmandu Kodari/Zhangmu - Nyalam / Guesthouse (G.H.) Day 2: Nyalam / acclimatisation, excursion with land cruisers / G.H. Day 3: Nyalam / acclimatisation or trekking / G.H. Snow Jewel Page 2 www.snowjewel.com
Day 4: Day 5: Day 6: Day 7-09: Day 10: Day 11-14: Day 15: Day 16: Day 17: Nyalam / acclimatisation or trekking / G.H. Nyalam - Saga / G.H. Saga - Darchen / G.H. Kailash Kora / trekking / camp Kailash Kora / drive to Lake Manasarovar ½ Resday / G.H. Lake Manasarovar / Kora / G.H. Chiu Gompa - Saga Saga - Nyalam Nyalam Kathmandu Itinerary Detailed Day 1: Day 2: Early morning transfer to the Nepalese border, 130km, 5h drive, immigration Nepal, after that walk over the Friendship Bridge where the Tibetan guide and drivers are waiting for you. Border formalities in Zhangmu after another 8 km drive. Lunch break, after that 60km drive in about 1.5h to Nyalam at 3700m. Rest and acclimatisation day at Nyalam. For your comfort and safety it is best to just relax. After lunch, we make a short visit to the Milarepa cave by land cruiser 15km and walk about 2-3km back through nomad villages and then drive back to the hotel. If you don t feel well simply relax! Day 3/4: During these two days in Nyalam we offer short treks, a bit longer every day, so that we can adjust to the altitude. Day 3: Phukaro cave about 3-5h, easy walk. Day 4: Trek to Dara Tso at 4300m in about 6-7 h. This is a medium trek. Day 5: Day 6: 7-8h drive from Nyalam to Saga (4300m). We begin our overland journey with a day drive, along the way we cross the Tongla pass (5120m) with a marvellous view over the Himalayas. Along the foot of Shisha Pangma (8012m), we drive through a paradise-like environment. We stay the night in a simple pilgrim guesthouse. 6-8h drive from Saga to Darchen (4750m). We cross over a pass of 4800m and will enter the high desert of western Tibet. We pass Paryang with a nice Himalayan view in the grasslands. Then, through beautiful landscape, we travel 270km from Paryang to Darchen (4560m), to the base of Mt. Kailash. After crossing the Mayumla pass (5216m), we drive along the shores of Gung Gyu lake, before getting the first glimpse of the holy Mt. Kailash. In Darchen we stay in a hotel (public bath). Day 7-8: Starting the Kailash kora. First, the trek takes us to Tarpoche, the so-called centre of the universe, and then we pass Chuku monastery (those who have lots of energy can go for a short visit). After a 6-7h casual walk, we will stay just below the north face of Mt. Kailash near Dirapuk monastery (4900m) where we have one full day for rest and acclimatisation. During the rest day we will have time to do some small excursions to the north face for two hours and/or to Dirapuk monastery where we can find a small cave in which the famous yogi Gyalwa Gotsangpa practiced meditation for a long time! Day 9: Now the heart of the kora begins. We slowly start to walk up to the Tara- Pass/Drölma-La (5630m) where we have a break before we descend to the valley. Snow Jewel Page 3 www.snowjewel.com
From here we trek all the way down to the Zutulpuk monastery (4790m). This will be a solid 8h hike and we will need all the energy reserves we have built up the day before. Day 10: Finally, the easy part is coming, we walk 3-4h to Darchen where we have lunch in a simple restaurant. Afterwards we will drive to Chiu Gompa village at Lake Manasarovar (4560m). Here we can have a bath in the hotsprings (50 CNY). Afterwards we drive to Seralung gompa where we stay in the monastery guesthouse with the most amazing view of Lake Manasarovar, Gurla Mandata (7728m) and Mt. Kailash. Day 11-14: Manasarovar Lake Kora. 4 days from monastery G.H. to the next monastery G.H. This kora is so beautiful, that it cannot be put in words. However, the pictures reflect the vastness, and help to imagine how it looks in reality. Day 15-16: Drive back from Manasarovar back to Paryang, Nyalam. G.H. Day 17: 4h drive to Nyalam, we descend the high desert and enter the green of Nepal. In Zhangmu we leave the Tibetan crew and a private bus will take us back to Kathmandu in 4-5h. Snow Jewel Page 4 www.snowjewel.com
General Information Please Note We will not be responsible for extra cost incurred by landslides, road blockages and other weather-related or political problems. You are responsible for your own health. Our arrangements are designed to allow sufficient time for acclimatisation. Accommodation will occasionally be in shared rooms (small dormitories). During the Kailash kora accommodation will be very simple. We assume you are prepared to share rooms/tents with others, regardless of gender. We reserve the right to increase the tour price should the Euro in relation to the Chinese Yuan (RMB) depreciate significantly. Visa and Passport Information Visa Nepal Is best applied for upon arrival in Nepal. You will need a passport photo. For your first entry in a calendar year you get a 30 day or 90 day multiple-entry visa valid from the date of entry. The visa costs US$ 40 or US$ 100, respectively. Tibet Group Visa Will be obtained in Kathmandu. For this, we need one passport photo and a filled in visa form please print out here; http://snowjewel.com/visalinks.html Visa- Fee US$ 114 in cash, payable upon arrival when handing over the passport. (US citizens must pay US$ 198.) Passport Validity Minimum 6 months from date of entry. Contact Information: Roger Pfister, Snow Jewel P.O. Box 7003, Boudha, Kathmandu, Nepal Fax: 00977-1-44 71 902 Phone: 00977-1-491 47 42 Mobile Nepal: 00977-98 510 21 989 Mobile China: 0086-13 989 010 360 Email: roger@snowjewel.com Webpage: www.snowjewel.com May all beings be happy! Snow Jewel Page 5 www.snowjewel.com