Included Services Shineray 400 / Yamaha YBR 250 / BMW G650 GS Overnights stays in 3* hotels and guest houses English speaking tour guide Accompanying vehicle for pillion riders, equipment and luggage Meals (Breakfast, lunch), mineral water Gas, engine oil, spare parts Help with applying a Chinese visa

Holy Mt. Kailash Expedition

On this expedition adventure we cross the wide open spaces of the Tibetan Himalaya plateau. Snow capped mountains, vast lakes, small villages and important monasteries lead the way to holy Mt. Kailash and Mt. Everest Base Camp on the border to Nepal and India. 2014, the year of the Kailash, attracted thousands of Buddhist pilgrims from all over Asia.

It’s a really …

… huge mountain. I really enjoyed the tour to Mount Kailash. It was a lot of fun doing this expedition with a group.

Rudolf A.

We were …

… a really fun group. The bikes ran well and the roads were nice to drive too. Nice tour.

Heiner H.

Great Organization …

… by Tibetmoto. It is not easy to travel to Tibet alone. That’s why I chose Tibetmoto. Our guides knew their way around and you could tell that the company already had a lot of experience!

Felix K.

On Request

15 days / 14 nights / 9 riding days

Expedition motorcycle tour with overnight stays in camps, basic accommodation and 3* hotels (Lhasa, Shigatse )

Holy Mt. Kailash Expedition – Itinerary

Day 1: Acclimatization and sightseeing day in Lhasa

Transfer from airport to hotel. We visit the Potala Palace and the Norbulingka summer palace of the Dalai Lama. After lunch we take a walk with hundreds of pilgrims and cicumbulate the Jokhang Temple, Tibet’s most important temple in the heart of the old town. In the afternoon we have time for the bustling traditional Bharkor market. 3-star boutique hotel accommodation in the old town of Lhasa.

Day 2: Lhasa – Shigatse

Our first day on the bike takes us to Shigatse, a city thats around 280 kilometers far away and is home to one of the largest monasteries of Tibet – the Tashilhunpo Monastery.

Distance: approx. 270 km

Day 3: Shigatse – Lhatse

150 kilometers further west we get to the old town of Lhatse. Once we arrived, we have a enough time to visit the old fortification Lhaste Dzong from where we have a fantastic view over the great Yarlung Tsangpo gorge. The canyon is the deepest of its kind worldwide and even longer then the Grand Canyon in the United States.

Distance: approx. 150 km

Day 4: Lhatse – Saga

Cities and even villages are becoming increasingly rare and we left civilization far behind us. On our drive over the high plateau we will see more and more Tibetan nomands and endless horizon.

Distance: approx. 300 km

Day 5: Saga – Manasarovar Lake

On the way to Kailash, which we are pretty close too, we drive along large herdes of grazing yaks. After crossing the 5200 meter high Mayum La pass we see the Kailash mountain for the first time looming over the Plateau: The Kailash in the north west, the Manasarovar lake below us in the Northeast. By the lake side we set up camp beside nomads and enjoy the sunset.

Day 6: Manasarovar – Dirapuk

Early in the morning we make our way to Darchen at the base of the mountain. During the Kailash Year thousands of pilgrims have gathered from all over Tibet in Darchen. We leave our bikes at Darchen and begin our ascent by foot or by horse according to your personal taste. After a 5-6 hour hike, we set up our camp in Dirapuk (4860 meter high) on a green meadow landscape. Those who want to turn back here can return to Darchan and take a rest.

Day 7: Dirapuk – Zuthul Puk

From Dirapuk we walk up to the 5636 meters high Dolma La. In this part of the trail Tibetan pilgrims leave personal items to symbolize the fact that material things can not be taken over in the next life. From the highest point we go down to Zuthul Puk where we will camp with pilgrims. Our longest hiking day is around 8-9 hours.

Day 8: Zuthul Puk – Darchen

On the way back to Darchen we walk across green meadows, which are inhabited by nomads, and along small water streams. Our hike back takes around 4 and 5 hours.

Day 9: Rest Day in Darchen

After our long hike we have earned a rest day and quarter ourselves in the best hotel of the village. For a whole day we have the possibility to make photos of pilgrims or simply just relax. For the people who are still fit we offer a day trip to the villages and pilgrimage sites at Lake Manasarovar.

Day 10: Darchen – Zhongba

The first part of our journey back to Lhasa is identic to the way out.

Day 11: Zhongba – Gyirong

Here we leave the road and follow the Yarlung Zangbo river course.The small, well-paved road without significant traffic leads us through small remote villages.We are now very close to the border with Nepal. Between us and Nepal there are only five- and six thousand meter high mountains.

Distance: approx. 270 km

View through prayer flags on Mt. Everest

Day 12: Gyirong – Everest Base Camp

We continue our drive through fertile valleys and little villages to the southern Friendship Highway. From here we have to take a 50 kilometer long bumpy gravel road until we arrive at the Everest base Camp. We will find simple accomodation near the Rongbuk monastery.

Distance: approx. 270 km

Day 13: Everest Base Camp – Sakya

The village of Sakya is famous for its monasteries, its smoke and butter candles filled temple halls and its surrounding high walls. The walls are called the “Great Wall of Tibet” by the locals.

Distance: approx. 270 km

Day 14: Sakya – Lhasa

From Sakya we continue north-west, through small villages and fertile valleys towards Lhasa. A good time to say goodbye to the seclusion of the Tibetan landscape. From Palchen monastery in Gyantse we drive along the shores of wide Yamdrok Lake. In the evening we will have a big shared dinner.

Distance: approx. 420 km