7 Days Yamdrok Lake Outer Kora Small Group Tour
Fixed dates, guaranteed to run
The group meets in Lhasa on the date you choose below and travels with one Tibetan guide and one vehicle, never more than 8 people. Holding a seat is free; you pay the US$100 permit fee only when you confirm, 30 days before departure. The same tour also runs as a private trip on your own dates.
Hold a seat — no deposit →2027 departure dates
Each date is Day 1, the day the group meets. Fly in from Chengdu that day, or board the train in Xining the day before. Click a date to hold a seat on it.
Overview
The outer kora goes all the way around Yamdrok Lake, about 230 km, clockwise, as the pilgrims go. It is too far to walk on a holiday, so each day you walk the most beautiful stretches of the shore — from a short stroll to two or three hours — and ride between them, and the circle still closes where it began, at the foot of the Gampala Pass.
The second day on the south shore, with a long line of snow mountains beyond the water, is the finest. One night is in a simple village guesthouse on the east side and one in the hotel at Nagarze. The date is Saga Dawa, the holiest month of the Tibetan year.
Tour highlights
- ✓The full clockwise circle around Yamdrok Lake, as pilgrims make it
- ✓The south shore with a line of snow mountains beyond the lake
- ✓Walk as much or as little as you like; the vehicle does the rest
- ✓Three easy days in Lhasa first: Potala, Jokhang, Barkhor, Sera, Tibet Museum
- ✓Saga Dawa, when the lake and the Barkhor are full of pilgrims
- ✓Villages on the far shores that day visitors never reach
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1Arrive in Lhasa (3,650 m) — a quiet first day
Your guide meets you at the airport or railway station with a white khata scarf and takes you to the hotel. The rest of the day is for rest. Lhasa hotel.
Meals: none
Day 2Lhasa — Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor kora
The Potala Palace in the morning, then the Jokhang Temple. In the afternoon walk the Barkhor clockwise with the pilgrims; in Saga Dawa it is full of people from all over Tibet. Lhasa hotel.
Meals: breakfast
Day 3Lhasa — Sera Monastery and the Tibet Museum
Sera Monastery with the monks' debate in the afternoon (not on Sundays), and the Tibet Museum. A third easy day in Lhasa means your body is ready for the lake, about 800 m higher. Lhasa hotel.
Meals: breakfast
Day 4Lhasa → Gampala Pass → outer kora day 1: the north and east shores
Over the Gampala Pass (4,794 m) to the start of the circle at its foot, and off clockwise along the north shore. Walk by the water near Dongra, then follow the east side of the lake south past Chamda, with more stops to walk wherever the shore is finest. Night in a simple village guesthouse near Lhunboxoi.
Meals: breakfast
Day 5Outer kora day 2 — the south shore and its snow mountains
The finest day of the kora. From Lhunboxoi to the Gyigu viewpoint, then west along the south shore through Doqoi and Dalung, with a long line of snow mountains beyond the lake. Walk the most beautiful stretches by the water, ride the rest, and reach Nagarze in the afternoon. Nagarze hotel.
Meals: breakfast
Day 6Outer kora day 3 — Nagarze → Baidi → Gampala, the circle closes → Lhasa
North along the west shore through Baidi, with a last walk by the water, to close the circle at the foot of the Gampala Pass where you started. Then over the pass and back to Lhasa. Lhasa hotel.
Meals: breakfast
Day 7Departure from Lhasa
Breakfast, then your guide takes you to the airport or railway station in time for your flight or train. If you leave in the afternoon there is time for one last hour on Barkhor Street.
Meals: breakfast
What's included
✓ Tibet Travel Permit and all other permits for the route
✓ English-speaking Tibetan guide
✓ Tourist vehicle with driver for the whole tour
✓ 6 nights: Lhasa 4, village guesthouse 1, Nagarze 1, twin share, with breakfast
✓ Entrance fees for every sight in the itinerary
✓ Lhasa airport or railway station pick-up and see-off
✓ Oxygen in the vehicle and an oxygen canister per person; travel accident insurance
✓ One night in a village guesthouse and one in a hotel in Nagarze
✗ Flights or trains to and from Lhasa
✗ Lunches and dinners
✗ Single room supplement (free for 5 rooms or 10+ travellers)
✗ Tips for the guide and driver
✗ Personal expenses and anything not listed
Questions travellers ask
What is the outer kora of Yamdrok Lake?
A pilgrims' circuit of about 230 km around the whole of Yamdrok Lake, made clockwise. On this tour it starts and ends at the foot of the Gampala Pass.
Do I walk the whole way?
No. It is too far to walk on a holiday, so each day you walk the most beautiful stretches, from a short stroll to two or three hours, and ride between them. The circle still closes where it began.
Inner or outer kora — which should I choose?
The inner kora, about 110 km, goes around the peninsula in the south of the lake from Nagarze and sleeps both nights in the Nagarze hotel. The outer kora, about 230 km, goes around the whole lake, sees the south shore with its snow mountains, and spends one night in a simple village guesthouse. Both leave on the same date and walk two to four hours a day.
When is the best time?
Late April to October. The most special time is Saga Dawa, the holiest month of the Tibetan year, expected around June in 2027, which is this departure.
How many people are in the group, and who are they?
Between 3 and 8 travellers, usually from several countries, with one Tibetan guide and driver for the whole tour. The same dates and prices are offered on our sister site tibettravel.com, run by the same office in Lhasa, so guests from both sites travel together in one group.
Do I pay a deposit to hold a seat?
No. Holding a seat is free. To confirm it, you pay the US$100 permit fee at least 30 days before departure, which starts your Tibet Travel Permit; the permit is included in the price. The rest is paid later, as explained on our how-to-book page.