- HOME
- JOURNEYS
EXPERIENCES:
HIKING
YOGA
PILGRIMAGE
SAFARI
MEDITATION
TYPES:
DESTINATIONS:
TIBET
BHUTAN
NEPAL
DATES:
2023
2024
All
- C-19
- BOOK
- STORE
PILGRIMAGE TO MOUNT KAILASH & SACRED SITES IN TIBET
18 DAYS
FROM $5,700
Activity Level
Strenuous
Designed for experienced & active travellers in good physical condition. These itineraries may include full-day hikes (sometimes at high altitude) and/or full-day excursions. Trails often include steep ascents/descents on mountainous terrain.
Service Level
Ultimate Journeys
Ultimate Journeys feature a fully immersive itinerary with a particular theme. Great distances are covered using only the best vehicles available. These itineraries are carefully designed to be comprised of daily sessions of meditation and philosophy, an intimate introduction to the rich Himalayan culture, exclusive access to remote & sacred sites, and visits/talks with local specialists & experts. All-inclusive services include: travel by the highest quality land transportation vehicles and/or plane, knowledgeable local guides, porters, first-class accommodation, healthy & delicious meals, and experienced & dynamic Himalayan Hermitage facilitators as well as local specialists & experts.
Group Size
Max 21
The Journey in a Nutshell
Discover Tibet, the rooftop of the world. A sacred land of nomads and endless space where mantras of compassion have been recited for centuries.
Mount Kailash is the epicenter of Tibetan Buddhist cosmology, so this truly is the-pinnacle-pilgrimage-of-a-lifetime with a three day circumambulation, or kora, around this sacred mountain in far-west Tibet, starting on the auspicious time of the full moon!
All inclusive 18 day / 17 night itinerary of; healthy vegetarian meals, accommodation, and transportation.
Facilitators
Himalayan Hermitage founders Sisse & Alex d’Artois will be guiding this journey.
Alex d’Artois
Co-Founder & Facilitator
Sisse d’Artois
Co-Founder, Facilitator & Photographer
Itinerary
Explore Lhasa, the city of the Gods in Tibetan, with scents of butter-lamp offerings and juniper incense wafting out of its temples, monasteries, and houses, while visiting some of the most sacred sites in the city.
We make the journey out to west Tibet where, on the full moon, we will start a three day kora around Mount Kailash, believed to be the centre of the universe in Tibetan cosmology. This is an epic pilgrimage journey of a lifetime.
Please make sure to arrive in Kathmandu no later than Monday, May 22nd to hand in your passport for us to prepare the Chinese group visa for Tibet.
Day 1: Group gathers in Kathmandu
Day 4: Visit to Potala Palace & the Jorkhang Temple
Day 5: Drepung & Sera Monasteries
Day 8: Shigatse & Tashilungpo Monastery
Day 12-14: Kora around Mount Kailash
Day 15: We travel to Kyirong at the Nepal border
Day 16: Travel to Nuwakot in Nepal
How to Prepare for this Journey?
Physically:
This journey is designed for experienced and active travellers in good physical condition. The itinerary includes full day hikes, especially around Mount Kailash and sometimes at high altitude. Trails around the mountain will include steep descents/ascents on mountainous terrain. Once we reach Lhasa and travel across the Tibetan plateau we will be up in high altitude, ranging from 3,650meters (11,995′) in Lhasa, up to 5,000meters (16,400′) on the highest pass around the Mount Kailash kora. Here is a rough outline of our 2 nights, 3 days’ Kora around Mount Kailash. Overall, we can expect to walk an estimated 52-53 km for our entire circumambulation around the mountain. We walk at a comfortable pace and take breaks whenever it is needed:
- Day 1: Darchen to Dirapuk Monastery (6 hr walk, 20 km, 200 m ascent)
- Day 2: Dirapuk Monastery to Dzultripuk Monastery (7-8 hr walk, 18 km, 550 m ascent, 600 descent)
- Day 3: Dzultripuk Monastery to Darchen (3-4 hr walk, 14 km, 150 descent)
High altitude sickness is not uncommon for those who embark on a journey up into the thinner layers of oxygen in the Himalayas. The main thing to do throughout the journey is to hydrate plenty, and making sure to have at least three warm and nutritious meals in a day. This helps the body adapt to the lesser intake of oxygen. We will be bringing extra oxygen all throughout our journey through the Tibetan plateau in case it will be needed. To learn more about how to stay healthy on a big trip, especially into higher altitude, read this blog here.
Mentally:
Going on a pilgrimage journey across Tibet is no small feat. We recommend spending some time before going to really reflect on the reasons for why you would like to join. Visiting sacred sites where meditators have engaged in practices of mindfulness, wisdom and compassion for centuries can be quite a powerful experience. Whether you are a Buddhist practitioner or not, keeping an open and curious mind will enrich the experience considerably. The intention behind our journeys is very much to immerse ourselves into the cultures, traditions, philosophy and history of the Himalayas.
Accommodation
We will be staying in the best possible locations throughout the journey, ranging from high-end to more basic guesthouses and lodges with all basic facilities.
Famous Farm House in Nuwakot, Nepal.
This beautifully located Newari heritage Manor House is nestled in the Himalayan foothills in the ancient kingdom of Nuwakot.
Covid-19 Travel Protocol
As we prepare to welcome back travellers onto our journeys throughout the Himalayas, please review our new Covid-19 Travel Protocol carefully, to help us ensure safety for all travellers.
Pricing & What is Included
Pricing
- The Early Bird Special of $5,700 USD ends six months before the journey’s starting date
- The Normal Price is $6,000 USD
- The Single Room Supplement is an added $800 USD*
* Please note that in the event that there is no other solo traveller of the same gender with whom to share a double room, participants will be liable to cover 50% of the single room. During the two nights when we do Kora around Mount Kailash, a single room will not be an option as dormitory is the only possibility.
What is included
- 17 night / 18 day itinerary
- Transfers upon arrival & departure
- All accommodation as per itinerary
- All vegetarian meals (vegan possible too)
- Daily Dharma talks & introduction to meditation
- Notebook for journaling during the journey
What is not included
- International airfare to and from Nepal
- Personal Travel Insurance during the journey
- Visa for Nepal
- Any alcoholic beverages during the journey
- Any tip to local guides & porters
Dates
2023
May 24th – June 10th, 2023
Sisse d’Artois
More info
Alex d’Artois
More info
2024
May 12th – 29th, 2024
Sisse d’Artois
More info
Alex d’Artois
More info
Meditation & Buddhist Philosophy
Throughout the journey, group meditation sessions and discussions on Buddhist philosophy are interwoven into the daily schedule. This is what makes this journey truly immersive. As we discover a whole new outer environment, we will also look within ourselves to cultivate the hallmarks of the native tradition of the land; mindfulness, compassion, and wisdom.
Note: on days of extensive travel we will not always have time for meditation and philosophy sessions.
Meditation:
The whole of the Buddhist path is designed to orient us towards sanity and ultimately freedom from suffering. There are many meditation practices along the path, and we will start at the very beginning with Shamatha practice. Shamatha is Sanskrit for calm abiding and is where mindfulness comes from. In Tibetan, the word for meditation is gom, and this means to become familiar. This is an important aspect of the path because meditation is not another self-development practice to become a better person, or to create further self-deception of any kind, it is simply a practice to become familiar with one’s mind and reality as it already is.
Buddhist Philosophy:
Geshe scholars, who are in the same school of Tibetan Buddhism as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, will study philosophy for a minimum of 20 years! In our 18 days together, we will do our best to cover the basics and outline of the Tibetan Buddhist path. This includes exploring the:
- Śrāvakayāna, the foundational path of the renunciates – Impermanence, discontentment, selflessness of subject and object, and the inner workings of Karma; cause, condition, and effect.
- Mahāyāna, the noble path of the Bodhisattvas – Emptiness, Bodhicitta (awakened mind/heart), and the six Pāramitās (transcendent actions).
Inspirational Reading
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
DISCOVER
-
Book
- Travel Blog
-
Why Travel with Us
-
Testimonials