The Kingdom of Guge was founded in 868 and became a focal point for the preservation of Buddhism in Tibet until the 17th century. After the assassination of King Lang Darma in 842 by his own brother, Buddhism in Tibet was completely snuffed out for nearly 100 years. In 1040, a renowned Indian Pandit named Atisha arrived in Guge Kingdom and spent some time at Tholing Monastery where he created a resurgence of interest in Buddhism that eventually spread all over Tibet. Tsaparang and Tholing retained their importance within Western Tibet as political and religious centres until the 17th Century. Today, more than 300 years later, all that remains is a huge complex of caves, living quarters and temples, some of it in an excellent condition, the rest in ruins. This place can be visited in combination with the Mt. Kailash & Lake Manasarovar Tour via either a northern route (Shiquanhe) or a southern route via Saga – Paryang and Manasarovar. The trip can be designed to accommodate your personal preferences for time and destinations.
Below, we have designed an itinerary that commences in Kathmandu to Zhang-Mu then continues onward to Western Tibet. The tour eventually takes us to the Guge Kingdom and brings us back to Kathmandu via Zhang-Mu (the Tibetan border town).
Route: Kathmandu – Mt. Kailash – Guge Kingdom and return back
Mode of transport : Land Cruiser
Maximum elevation : 5400 m
Itinerary:
Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu
Day 02: Free time
Day 03: Jeep tour: Kathmandu to Nyalam
Day 04: Jeep tour: Nyalam to Saga, meet with group
Day 05: Jeep tour: Saga – Paryang
Day 06: Jeep tour: Paryang – Lake Manasarovar (Chhurgu Gompa)
Day 07: Jeep tour: Chhurgu gompa to Darchen via Rakash taal
Day 08: Jeep tour: Darchen to Darboche then start trekking to Dera Phuk Gomba (4860 m)
Day 09: Trekking, Dera Phuk Gomba to Zutul Phuk (4750 m)
Day 10: Trekking, Zhutulphuk gomba to Darchen
Day 11: Jeep tour: Darchen to TirthaPuri
Day 12: Jeep tour: Tirthpuri – Guge Kingdom
Day 13: Sightseeing around Tholing and Guge Kingdom
Day 14: Jeep tour: Guge Kingdom to Tirthapuri
Day 15: Jeep tour: Tirthapuri to Chiu Gompa
Day 16: Jeep tour: Chiu Gompa to Paryang
Day 17: Jeep tour: Paryang to Saga
Day 18: Jeep tour: Saga to Nyalam
Day 19: Drive, Nyalam – Zhangmu – cross the border then drive back to Kathmandu
