24-Day Pilgrimage | Mt. Kailash & Central Tibet through Upper Humla Simikot

September 22nd – October 16th, 2025

with Tempa Dukte Lama and Geshe Tsewang Ngodup Rinpoche

Tempa Lama has 25 years experience leading and co-leading pilgrimage trips to Tibet, Nepal and India (Menri Monastery) as well as medical service trips to Humla, Nepal.

Tempa Dukte Lama and Geshe Tsewang Ngodup Rinpoche will be offering a 24-day pilgrimage from their home valley of Humla, Nepal, to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarowar in Tibet.

Mount Kailash is one of the most sacred places on Earth. In the Bon tradition, Mount Kailash is viewed as the center of the universe. It is the soul mountain for the ancient kingdom of Zhang Zhung, where the Tibetan Bon religion originated. Mount Kailash is the citadel of the celestial deity Gekhöd, the patron deity of Zhang Zhung. The area surrounding this sacred mountain is home to many Bon and Buddhist yogis and yoginis who live in long-term retreat. The pilgrimage will include daily teachings, meditation and Bon rituals with Tempa Lama and Geshe Tsewang Ngodup Rinpoche.

Tempa Lama has been leading and co-leading sacred pilgrimage trips and medical service trips to Tibet, Nepal, and India for the past 25 years.

We will begin our journey in Kathmandu where we will visit sacred cultural sites. Then we will fly to Simikot, Humla via Nepalgunj. In Humla we have the special opportunity to participate in the opening of Pal Samten Due Dul Wosel Ling Bon temple that has been sponsored by Olmo Ling. The temple and the traditional Tibetan Medicine clinic Sorig Tenpe Menkhang form two halves of a new building that was completed in 2018 through the efforts of Humla Fund and later Olmo Ling under Tempa Lama’s guidance. On the occasion of the temple consecration, Geshe Tsewang Ngodup Rinpoche and Tempa Dukte Lama will offer the empowerment of Du Tri Su, one of the three sacred Heart Mantra practices of Bon.

From Humla we will trek and drive to Lake Manasarowar. Stepping on the shore and taking a bath in the sacred Lake Manasarowar or drinking from its water is believed to purify the karma of a hundred lifetimes. We will explore the nearby Garuda Valley and visit Guru Gyam Monastery. Then we will begin the Kailash Kora – the sacred circumambulation route of Mount Kailash. Circumambulating this sacred mountain can help cleanse the karmic traces of the unwholesome actions of many past lifetimes. As part of the Kora we will cross Dolma La Pass at 18,471’, the highest altitude of the trip.

After completing the Kailash Kora we will drive to Sag and Shigatse. We will visit Tashi Lhunpo Buddhist Monastery and the Bon Monasteries Menri and Yungdrung Ling. Then we will drive to Lhas where will have two days for sightseeing and visits to the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and Barkhor Street.

24-Day Pilgrimage Itinerary

Days 1 through 8

Our journey will begin in Kathmandu, where we will spend the first day sight-seeing and visiting some of Kathmandu’s many sacred sites such as Patan, Swayambhunath, and Boudanath.

We then fly to Simikot, Humla, via Nepalgunj. We will spend five days walking through this beautiful green valley along the Karnali river on our way to Tibet.

On Day 5, we Tempa Dukte Lama will hold an opening ceremony and Du Tri Su Initiation at Soring Tenpe Menkhang Clinic that was built by the Humla Fund.

Sorig Tenpe Menkhang clinic, built by Humla Fund.

We will pass through the traditional old villages Dharapari (day 6), Salli Khola (day 7), and Tumkot (day 8), which are inhabited by Bon, Buddhist, and Hindu people.

Karnali, a province in Humla, Nepal (left) and view towards Dharapari (right) in Humla, Nepal

Days 9 through 11

Trekking through Thadodunga (day 9) and Nara Pass (day 10) we will cross the border to Tibet and drive to Purang in Western Tibet. On day 11 we will drive to Lake Manasarovar. Lake Manasarovar is one of the most sacred lakes in Tibet, revered by Bon, Buddhist and Hindu people alike. It is one of the highest lakes in the world and is known for its pristine blue color. Stepping on the shore and taking a bath in the sacred Lake Manasarovar or drinking from its water is believed to purify the karma of a hundred lifetimes.

We will also visit Thrugo Gompa on the shore of Lake Manasarowar.

Days 12 through 19

Tempa Dukte Lama and Geshe
Tsewang Ngodup Rinpoche
in front of Mount Kailash, Tibet

On days 12 and 13 we will drive to Garuda Valley and visit Guru Gyam Bon Monastery and Darchen at the foot hill of Mount Kailash. Our pilgrimage will then take us along the circumambulation route of Mount Kailash. Circumambulating this sacred mountain can help cleanse the karmic traces of past unwholesome actions. Day 14 We will stop by Dira Phuk Monastery on the north side of the mountain.

Days 15, 16 and 17 we will trek to Zutrul Phug Monastery. We will complete the circumambulation of Mount Kailash by trekking to Zogdue, and then driving to Saga and Shigatse to visit Tashi Lhunpo Monastery.

On day 18 we will visit the Bon monasteries Menri and Yungdrung Ling. Menri Monastery was the traditional seat of Bon for many centuries prior to the re-establishment of Menri in exile in India. It was established in 1405 by the Bon master Nyamed Shenrab Gyaltsen in place of Yeru Wensaka, which had been destroyed by a flood. Since then, Menri has become the mother monastery of all Bonpos, and the abbot of Menri is given the title of world spiritual head of the Bon tradition. Until 1959 there were about 500 monks studying in four colleges of Menri: Lingmed, Lingtod, Lingke and Lingzur. Yungdrung Ling Monastery was founded by Ling Nangton Dawa Gyaltsen in 1836. It became the second largest Bon study center in central Tibet next to Menri Monastery, with four colleges: Kunseling, Kunkyabling, Kundragling and Yungdrungling.

On day 19 we then drive to Gyantse via Lhasa, where we will visit Palcho Monastery with the Kumbum Stupa, one of the most famous and exquisitely built and decorated temples in Tibet. This stupa is built as a sacred Mandala – a concentric and very detailed design that symbolizes the awakened body, mind, and energy of the Awakened One.

We will cross the highest point of our trip, Dolma La pass (Khandgar Glacier) at 18,600 feet and Yamdrok Lake.

Dolma La pass, Tibet

Days 20 – 22

On day 20 we will visit the Jokhang and the Potala. We will visit Barkhor Street with its holy ritual walk path and colorful market, and will have time to look for gifts for our loved ones.

The Potala Palace was the traditional winter residence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the main spiritual and political center of Tibet until the escape of the 14th Dalai Lama from Tibet in 1959. Built in 637 by king Songtsen Gampo, the Potala is famous for its architectural beauty and grandeur and has been inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994.

Potala Palace, Tibet

The Jokhang was the first Buddhist temple built in Tibet around 642 by king Songtsen Gampo for his Buddhist wife, princess Wen Cheng of China. ‘Jokhang’ means ‘House of the Buddha’. The Jokhang is regarded as the most holy place to many Tibetans and has been the destination for millions of Tibetans on pilgrimage. The sacred shrine in its main hall houses the Jowo statue of Shakhyamuni Buddha, the oldest Buddhist statue of Tibet, brought by princess Wen Cheng 1,300 years ago. The Jokhang is also part of the Unesco World Heritage Site “Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace”.

Day 21 will be a rest day to explore Lhasa.

Day 22 we will visit the Yumbhulhakhang Palace and drive to Lhatse.

Days 23 – 25

Day 23 will be spent driving to Kirong.

For the final days of the trip, day 24 will be spent driving and exploring Kathmandu.

Day 25 will be our scheduled flights home.

About Tempa Dukte Lama

Tempa Dukte Lama, Lake Manasarowar

Over the past 25 years Tempa Lama has led and co-led many pilgrimage trips to Tibet, Nepal and India (Menri Monastery) as well as medical service trips to Humla, Nepal.

Genyen Tempa Dukte Lama is an ordained lama of the Tibetan Bon tradition. He is the founder and spiritual director of Olmo Ling Bon Center and Institute in Pittsburgh, PA, and Founder of The Humla Project. He is an artist and poet and has authored seven books: Jang Chok Ancient Tibetan Bon Ritual (2023), Origin of the Medicine Buddha (2021), Thrul Khor: Ancient Tibetan Bon Yoga (2019), Heart Drop of the Loving Mother (2014), Journey into Buddhahood (2013), Inexhaustible Miracles (2011) and The Intimate Mind (2011). He is dedicated to making the Bon teachings available in the West through teachings and publications and through training senior students.

Tempa Lama studied at Menri Monastery, India, from a young age under the close guidance of the late H.H. 33rd Menri Trizin, the worldwide spiritual head of the Bon tradition until 2017. Tempa Lama has lived in the US since 2000 and teaches in the US, Canada, Mexico and Europe, helping people bring a practice of healing and happiness into their lives.

About Geshe Tsewang Ngodup Rinpoche

Geshe Tsewang Ngodup Rinpoche,
Mt. Kailash

Geshe Tsewang Ngodup Rinpoche is the abbot of Pal Samten Due Dul Wosel Ling Monastery in Humla, Nepal, and the first Geshe in the Yungdrung Bon tradition from Humla. Rinpoche studied at Menri Monastery, India, from 1992. In 1998 he enrolled in the Bon Dialectic School at Menri where he studied the three Bon Paths of Liberation, Sutra, Tantra, and Dzogchen. He was awarded the Geshe degree at Menri in 2014. On March 8th, 2023, the auspicious birth anniversary of Buddha Tonpa Shenrab, he was enthroned as the abbot of Pal Samten Due Dul Wosel Ling Monastery with the blessing of His Holiness 34th Menri Trizin Rinpoche and His Eminence Menri Ponlop Yangton Thinley Nyima Rinpoche. Rinpoche has served as Secretary and Vice-president of the Bon Dialectic School, leader of the Menri Mask Dance, as General Treasurer of the Yungdrung Bon Monastic Center (YBMC), and most recently as General Secretary of the YBMC.

Please Contact Olmo Ling with Any Questions!

If interested in joining us on our 2025 Pilgrimage to Tibet, please email us at bon@olmoling.org and we will provide you with our itinerary and other necessary documents.