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Trek to Heavenly Lake

New Itinerary! Surrounded by spectacular snow-covered mountains, Namtso Lake on the Tibetan plateau is a place of desolate beauty and the site of a holy hermitage that draws pilgrims from all over Tibet. In Tibetan, Namtso means "sky" or "heavenly lake," and at an elevation of more than 15,000 feet, this vast sapphire sea is perfectly named. On this extraordinary trek, you'll follow an ancient salt trade caravan route across the glaciated valleys and mountains of the Nyenchen Thanglha range to the pebbled shores of the lake, visiting sacred spots, holy shrines, and passing nomadic herdsmen along the way. Once… more

Trek to Heavenly Lake

New Itinerary! Surrounded by spectacular snow-covered mountains, Namtso Lake on the Tibetan plateau is a place of desolate beauty and the site of a holy hermitage that draws pilgrims from all over Tibet. In Tibetan, Namtso means "sky" or "heavenly lake," and at an elevation of more than 15,000 feet, this vast sapphire sea is perfectly named. On this extraordinary… more

Trip at-a-glance

Price: From $4,690* per person
When: June, July
Number of days: 14
Group size: 18

This trip is offered by:

Mountain Travel Sobek

Call them at 1-888-MTSOBEK (687-6235) about this trip and mention you saw it at TravelDragon, or contact them.

Trip details

Itinerary: Trek to Heavenly Lake

Day 1 - Meet in Chengdu, China.

Day 2 - Fly to the Gongkar airport near Lhasa, Tibet (11,800'). Drive to Samye Monastery. Afternoon to explore and begin acclimatizing to the higher altitude.

Day 3 - Hike to Hepo Ri, a hill east of Samye where Guru Rimpoche (Padmasambhava) founded Tibetan Buddhism.

Days 4-6 - Drive to Lhasa and visit its cultural monuments, including the Potala Palace, former home of the Dalai Lama, the busy Barkor bazaar, and the Jokhang, the spiritual heart of the city. You'll also visit Ganden Monastery, a site almost completely destroyed during the Cultural Revolution but now being painstakingly restored. Here you'll enjoy fabulous views of the Kyichu Valley and make a kora (sacred circuit) with the local pilgrims.

Day 7 - Drive to the roadside town of Damxung (13,550'). Meet our trekking crew and begin the hike to Namtso Lake.

Days 8-12 - Hike past large moraines, across rivers, and through a glaciated valley to the Kong La (16,900') with its spectacular views of Namtso Lake. Descend to Tashi Do hermitage (15,060') on the shores of the lake and explore its remarkable monastery, grottos, cave temples, and twin limestone watchtowers. While here you'll make a short kora around Tashi Do Chung (Little Auspicious Rock—popular with pilgrims) or Tashi Do Chen (Big Auspicious Rock).

Day 13 - Return drive to Lhasa.

Day 14 - Fly to Chengdu and depart.

  • This trip/accommodation may accommodate for certain types of disabilities. Contact the provider for more information.
*TRAVEL INFORMATION DISCLAIMER: Travel product and pricing information are the travel provider’s base estimates, published here as a convenience to TravelDragon users without verification by TravelDragon. Your actual price will vary depending upon length of trip, travel dates, number of traveling guests, transportation (e.g. airfare, rail passes, etc.), and optional service features such as room categories or individualized food requirements. This base price estimate may or may not include all necessary fees, taxes, government-imposed surcharges. Be sure to confirm availability, total price and trip details with the travel provider using the contact information provided here.

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