| Days | Activity |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Day 01: Tsurphu Monastery – Leten. 4 hours, 11km. |
| Day 2 | Day 2: Leten – Bartso. 5-6 hrs, 15km. |
| Day 3 | Day 03: Bartso – Dorje Ling Nunnery. 4 hours, 15km. |
| Day 4 | Day 4: Dorje Ling Nunnery – Yangpachen Monastery and hotsprings. 4 hours, 14km. Drive to Lhasa |
Royal Mountain Travel is a Nepal-based sustainable tourism operator. We specialize in curating once-in-a-lifetime experiences to showcase indigenous and community based tourism projects. We work with travel agents and tourism companies to help plan travel experiences that highlight authentic, local lifestyles throughout some of the most unique landscapes on earth.
Day 01: Tsurphu Monastery – Leten. 4 hours, 11km.
Tsurphu Monastery: Tsurphu Monastery is around 70 km away from Lhasa, and it is the principal seat of the Karma Kagyü School of Tibetan Buddhism. It was founded in 1189 by the first Karmapa Dusum Khyenpa, who came from Kham, Eastern Tibet, and was one of the principal followers of Gampopa. The construction marked the site where he received a vision of the Cakrasamvara mandala. He was also credited with the inception of the tulku (conscious reincarnation) institution, which came to dominate Tibet’s spiritual and political life during the middle ages. Today there are around 300 monks living in the monastery, which houses some important relics of the school. The 17th Karmapa, the head of the order left for India in 1999, and now lives in Sidhpur, Himachal Pradesh. There is a circumambulation path around the monastery which takes around 2-3 hours to complete.
Trekking up a green valley crisscrossed with mountain streams. It is an area with rich wildlife, you may see various species of mountain goats. Ocasionally you see nomadic families camping here in black yakhair tents, and if you are lucky, you may have a cup of salty Tibetan tea in their company. As you reach the top of the ridge with enclosures made of rocks, look for a place to set up your tent.
Day 2: Leten – Bartso. 5-6 hrs, 15km.
After the first pass, Damchen Nyingtri, follow the cairns on the left side and descend into a valley. After another three hours of walk, you will cross the Lasar Pass, and descend into the Yangpachen Valley and head to Bartso. There are nomads around with their horses and yaks. Camp near Bartso, a nomadic village of about 6 houses.
Day 03: Bartso – Dorje Ling Nunnery. 4 hours, 15km.
Follow a wide trail leading across the valley and over another ridge, from where you can get a glimpse of Nyenchen Thangla, one of the holy mountains of Tibet. Around lunchtime you should reach a small nunnery called Dorje Ling, where you can set up your camp. Visit the teahouse operated by the nuns and make friends.
Day 4: Dorje Ling Nunnery – Yangpachen Monastery and hotsprings. 4 hours, 14km. Drive to Lhasa
It is a relatively easy 3-4 hours walk following the Nyango River in the grassy valley. A jeep will wait for you in Yangpachen to take you to the hotsprings and then back to Lhasa.
Yangpachen Monastery: Yangpachen Monastery belongs to the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism. It was founded by Mu Rabjampa Thujephel in 1490 on the advice of the 4th Shamarpa. It became the seat of the subsequent incarnations of the Shamarpa. The 14th Shamarpa, who would be the head of the monastery, just passed away in 2014.
