From the moderate Ganden–Samye traverse to the 5,648 m Drolma La pass on Mount Kailash
Trekking in Tibet is a different sport from trekking in Nepal. The trails are higher (5,000–5,650 m on the most popular routes), the air is thinner, and the support runs by yak rather than by porter. The four mainstream Tibet treks are the 3-day Mount Kailash kora (5,648 m at Drolma La), the 4-day Old Tingri–Everest Base Camp route (5,200 m), the 5-day Ganden Monastery–Samye Monastery traverse (5,250 m at Shukla La), and the Tsurphu–Yangpachen alpine ridge (5,300 m).
Every Tibet Daily trek runs with a Tibetan-licensed mountain guide, a vehicle support crew at trailheads, and yaks for personal duffles. We carry portable oxygen on the EBC and Kailash routes and a Gamow bag for the Kailash leg. Walking days range 5–8 hours.
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View ItineraryA Tibet trekking tour is a multi-day high-altitude walk on the plateau, usually 3–9 days of walking, woven into a wider 9–15 day Tibet itinerary that includes the Lhasa acclimatisation block, vehicle support to the trailhead, and a pickup at the trail end. The four standard treks all sit between 4,500 m and 5,650 m. Unlike Nepal teahouse trekking, Tibet treks have no commercial lodge network; nights are tented at established camps or in basic monastery guesthouses (Dirapuk and Zutulpuk on Kailash, Rongbuk before EBC).
Compared with the Nepal-side EBC trek, Tibet treks are shorter, higher, and harder to start cold. Acclimatisation in Lhasa (3,656 m) for 3 days minimum and a Shigatse night (3,840 m) before the trekking leg are non-negotiable.
| Trek | Days walking | Max altitude | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Kailash kora | 3 days, 52 km | 5,648 m (Drolma La) | Moderate-strenuous |
| Old Tingri to EBC | 4 days, 70 km | 5,200 m (EBC) | Moderate-strenuous |
| Ganden to Samye | 4 days, 80 km | 5,250 m (Shukla La) | Strenuous |
| Tsurphu to Yangpachen | 4 days, 60 km | 5,300 m (Lasar La) | Strenuous |
The trekking window is the same as the wider Tibet calendar with a sharper edge: late April to early June, and September to early October. Drolma La on Kailash carries snow into mid-May and from mid-October; we close the kora outside that window. The Old Tingri–EBC trek is bookable through to late October but the nights at 5,000+ m turn brutal once the daytime drops below freezing. Ganden–Samye is workable from mid-April to early November.
Plan 11 days for the EBC trek (3 Lhasa nights, 1 Shigatse, 4 trekking, 3 return); 13 days for Kailash kora as part of a wider Lhasa–Kailash–Gyirong route; 9 days for Ganden–Samye including 3 Lhasa nights. Permit lead time is 25 working days for Kailash, 15 days for the others. Yaks and trekking porters are booked at the trailhead 24 hours before the start; cash payment in CNY.
Every trek is led by a Tibetan-licensed mountain guide who has personally walked the route in the past 12 months. Vehicle support meets you at the start and end of the trekking section. Yaks (CNY ~230/day) carry duffles and tents; you carry a 5–8 kg day pack. Tents are 4-season North Face VE25 or equivalent, two-person; sleeping bags are -15 °C synthetic on standard treks, -25 °C down on the Kailash route. Meals are cooked by a dedicated cook on the Kailash and EBC treks, and prepared by the guide on the shorter Ganden–Samye and Tsurphu routes.
What we don’t do: we don’t run “express” Kailash kora variants that compress the 3-day route into 2 days (the second-day ascent over Drolma La is the wrong place to push the schedule); we don’t sell trekking tours to first-time high-altitude walkers without prior acclimatisation buffers; and we don’t promise summit photos — fog and snow remain weather, not deliverables.
The 4-day Old Tingri–EBC trek as part of a 12-day Tibet adventure tour starts from USD 2,200 per person on 2-pax private basis. The 3-day Mount Kailash kora as part of a 13-day overland tour starts from USD 2,029 per person group basis. The 5-day Ganden–Samye trek with Lhasa starts from USD 1,800 per person 2-pax. Includes guide, support vehicle, yaks for duffles, tents and sleeping bags, all meals on trek.
You should be able to walk 6 hours a day at sea level carrying an 8 kg pack, with no cardiovascular conditions or recent surgery. The treks are not technical, but the altitude makes any exertion feel two clicks harder. We require a doctor’s clearance letter for travellers over 65, with COPD, with asthma requiring inhaler use, or with prior altitude problems above 4,000 m.
The Ganden–Samye and Old Tingri–EBC treks are doable for first-time multi-day trekkers in good fitness, with a 3-day Lhasa acclimatisation block beforehand. The Mount Kailash kora is technically moderate but the altitude and the second-day push to Drolma La are unforgiving — we recommend at least one prior multi-day high-altitude trek.
Mostly in tents at established camps. On the Kailash kora you sleep at Dirapuk Monastery guesthouse (4,890 m) and Zutulpuk Monastery guesthouse (4,790 m) — basic stone rooms with shared toilets. On the EBC trek you camp at Old Tingri, Lungchang, Pelung and Rongbuk Monastery guesthouse. On Ganden–Samye, all four nights are tented at high-pasture sites.
Personal: down jacket, waterproof shell, fleece, base layers, trekking trousers, sturdy hiking boots (broken-in), warm hat, sun hat, polarised sunglasses, gloves, headlamp, water bladder (2 L), trekking poles, sunscreen SPF 50+, lip balm. We supply tents, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, and group cooking. A 5,000 mAh power bank covers a 4-day trek with light camera use.
For the Old Tingri–EBC and Ganden–Samye treks, the standard Tibet Travel Permit covers the route. The Mount Kailash kora requires the additional Aliens’ Travel Permit and Military Permit because it is in Ngari Prefecture. The Tsurphu–Yangpachen trek requires no extra permit beyond the Tibet Travel Permit.
No. Foreign passport holders cannot trek independently in Tibet — every trekking route requires a registered Tibet agency, a licensed guide, and a vehicle for trailhead support and emergency evacuation. Yak hire is optional but strongly recommended above 5,000 m for any trek longer than 2 days.
Pick the route (Kailash, EBC, Ganden–Samye or Tsurphu) and tell us your trekking experience and recent high-altitude history. We send a fitness checklist and gear list within 24 hours. Permit processing begins on deposit; total booking-to-departure window is 6–10 weeks for non-Kailash treks and 8–12 weeks for Kailash.