Overview
Saga Dawa Festival is an important Tibetan Buddhist festival, held every year on the full moon day of the fourth lunar month of the Tibetan calendar, to celebrate Sakyamunis enlightenment. Each year people from all over Tibet gather here that day to attach the prayer flags they brought from home, to pray, and to help erect the huge flagpole on the Mount Kailash Kora. The whole ceremony is led by a Tibetan Lama from a nearby monastery. Hours before the actual rising of the flagpole from the ground, people circumambulate the flagpole and pray and throw wind horses (little pieces of colored paper with Buddhist scriptures on them) into the air. They help to remove last year’s prayer flags and attach new ones.
The Saga Dawa festival is held for a month around the Tarboche valley of the Kailash region. The main day of the Saga Dawa festival in 2023 is the 4th of June. Touch Kailash Travels and tours will manage your entire travel plan to explore the Saga Dawa festival 2023. Tour is covering Lhasa and other historical cities of Tibet. Tour starts with a scenic Himalayan flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa. Exploration of Lhasa city including Potala Palace and others during your one full day sightseeing. Drive towards west Tibet by crossing many other historical Tibetan cities and high passes from where high mountain views of Tibet and Nepal Himalayas are seen crystal clear.
Detail Itinerary
Day 01 :- Arrival in Kathmandu. Overnight at Hotel (1350m)
Arrival in Kathmandu. Our representative with pick up you from Tribhuban International airport and transfer you to the Hotel. Walking tour at the touristic hub (Thamel) you can plan to buy your personal equipment for your trip. Our guide will help you. Overnight at Hotel.
Day 02 : Day in Kathmandu. Visa and trip preparation. Overnight at Hotel
Touch Kailash Travels and Tours will take care of your visa and other necessary documents. Trip briefing, and do the final packing for the Trip. You also have option to visit some historical places in Kathmandu valley.
Day 03: Drive to Shyaprubesi and overnight at Local tea house (117km – 7 Hours, 2250m)
Start driving to Shyaprubesi from Kathmandu after your breakfast in Hotel. You will be inside of Langtang National Park today. Rest at a local tea house after your long drive on the bumpy roads.
Day 04: Drive from Syaprubesi to Kerung (40 Km – 2 Hours, 2900m) Overnight at Guest House
Drive to Kerung from Shyaprubesi. Cross Nepal Tibet border and finish immigration formalities. You will meet your Tibetan guide and further drive to the first town of Tibet, Kerung. Overnight at a guesthouse in the village of Kerung.
Day 05: Drive to Saga (390km – 6/7 hrs, 4500m) Overnight at guest house
We continue our trip to Saga, a town in Tibet. After 6/7 hours of drive from the village of Kerung through Lhatse and Sang sang, pass several lakes, towns and high plateau nomadic sites we reach Saga, where we will be staying overnight at the best available accommodation. The home of the Panchen Lama, which is essentially a walled town with cobbled and twisting lanes that revolve around a magnificent monastery.
Day 06: Drive to Manasarovar (277 km – 6/7 Hrs, 4590m. Overnight at Guest house
You can have the first view of Mt. Kailash and Manasarovar from here. We reach the Manasarovar Lake and overnight at the guest house. Manasarovar is the highest lake of freshwater, a place of pilgrimage, attracting religious people from Nepal, India, Tibet, Russia, and other neighboring countries. Taking bath at Manasarovar and drinking water from here is believed to clean all the sins. You have the option to explore Chui Gumba and Hot spring near Manasarovar.
Day 07: Exploration of Lake Manasarovar and drive to Darchen (40km – 1Hrs, 4575m). Overnight at Hotel
We explore the Manasarovar Lake and continue our drive to Darchen, Darchen is known as the base camp for Mt. Kailash. Overnight at the best available accommodation at Darchen.
Day 08: Kailash 1st Day Kora Derapuk. ( 47 km Driving, 14 km walking /6 Hours – 5000m) Overnight at Mud House
Another 7-kilometer rough road till the valley of the god. Start walking about 14 kilometers and reach Derapuk. North face of Mt Kailash. We stay overnight at the guest house in Derapuk.
Day 09: Kailash Kora 2nd Day Juthulpuk 4750m (19km – 8/9 Hours) Overnight Mud house
Tough day today from Derapuk to Juthulpuk by crossing Dola Ma pass of 5613 meters. start your walk early in the morning. Almost flat land walking till the base of Dolma La. Hard uphill near from pass and reach Dolma La which is all covered with prayers flags. Then immediately start you walking downhill. Gauri Kunda can be seen on the way after dolma La. Reach Juthulpuk Monastery and overnight at Mud House.
Day 10: Trek to Chongdo and Drive to Darboche valley. Exploration of Saga Dawa festival. Overnight at guest house in Darchen
Morning visit at Juthulpuk Monastery. Start all flat walking about 6 kilometers up to our driving crew. Further, drive to Darboche valley and observe and celebrate the Saga Dawa Festival. All the Tibetan gather here for the final day of Saga Dawa Festival. It is also difficult to get accommodation here for newly arrived people.
Day 11: Drive back to Saga (7 hours). Overnight at guest house.
After concluding the Saga Dawa Festival morning rituals, we will start our drive back to the town of Saga. After 7 hours of driving on paved roads, we arrive at Saga, where we will be spending the night in a guest house.
Day 12: Drive to Kerung (5/6 hours) and Overnight at Guest House
We will continue our return to the Nepal-Tibet border of Kerung. After 5-6 hours of driving, we arrive at Kerung. Overnight at guest house.
Day 13: Drive back to Kathmandu. Overnight at hotel.
The Tibetan guide will arrange all the necessities for the immigration formalities in the early morning. We will be crossing the Nepal-Tibet border and drive to
the capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu through the same way of Langtang National Park.
Day 14: Departure
Our representatives will drop you at the International Airport for the final departure after concluding the Saga Dawa Festival trip. You can as well chose to rest and continue with any other activity in Nepal.