Kathmandu To Lhasa Tour Via Everest Base Camp

After breakfast, we drive along the Friendship Highway, an 800-kilometre scenic route connecting Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, with the Nepalese border. The route offers a beautiful landscape with cascading waterfalls, rivers, and hillside villages. We will stop for lunch at the border and pass through the Nepalese customs and immigration checkpoint. Early in the Morning scenic drive to Kerung Border Nepal Tibet Border through the beautiful Nepalese countryside and after necessary border formalities at Nepali immigration and cross the bridge process for all necessary formalities in Chinese immigration continue drive to Kerung Town. Stay Overnight at Guest House.

After Breakfast drive uphill to the height plateau of the world with the typical view of Tibetan landscape offering sheer feeling of the standing of the roof of the world from where weather permitting, breathtaking panorama of beautiful Himalayan ranges including Mt. Cho Oyu (8,201m) and Mt.Xishapangma (8,012m) but dwarfed by the vastness of the Tibetan plateau. From Tingri, one can enjoy the magnificence of Mt. Everest (8,848m) Stay Overnight at a Guest House.

We drive to Rongbuk, an adventurous route with coarse and bumpy roads. In Rongbuk, we will visit the Rongbuk monastery, which is the highest monastery in Tibet. Then we drive towards the Everest Base Camp (5,250m/17,220ft) while enjoying views of high peaks such as the Cho Oyu (8,201m/26,906 ft), Shishapangma (8,013m (26,289 ft), and the mighty Everest, known as Mt. Chomolungma in Tibet. We will make an approximately 16km round trip around the Everest Base Camp. The base camp itself is dry and barren, but the view of Everest is spectacular with its north face towering above us. Overnight in Shegar.

Note: On rare occasions, due to bad weather or political riots, the local government may close down the road to the Everest Base Camp for safety reasons, and without prior notice!

We drive towards Shigatse via Sakya. In Sakya, we visit the Sakya Monastery, which is the ancestral temple of the Sakyapa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The main architectures inside the castle are the Dajing Hall, the Buddhism Hall and the hall where the Sakya archbishop lived. We continue our drive to Shigatse, the second biggest city in Tibet. Overnight in Shigatse.

We visit the Tashilhunpo Monastery, a historic and culturally important monastery in Shigatse founded by the 1st Dalai Lama in 1447. We then continue our drive to Gyantse, located in the Nyang Chu valley on the ancient trade routes from the Chumbi Valley, Yatung, and Sikkim. On the way, we visit the Shalu Monastery., founded in 1040 and known for its beautiful ancient mural paintings. In Gyantse, we visit the Khumbum Stupa, Phalkot Monastery, and the Gyantse Fortress that was constructed in 1390 and guarded the town. The town is surrounded by a wall 3 km long. Overnight in Gyantse.

We drive to Lhasa crossing the Karo La (5,010m/16,432 ft) and Kamba La (4794m/15,725 ft) passes and Lake Yamdrok Tso (Turquoise Lake), one of the three largest sacred lakes in Tibet, also believed to be a transformation of a Tibetan goddess. Then, we cross the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) river and view the Potala Palace from a distance. Overnight in Lhasa.

Sightseeing in Lhasa begins with a visit to the Potala and Norbulingka Palaces. Built-in the 17century, Potala Palace provides amazing views of the entire city and houses the private quarters of the Dalai Lama, numerous grand staterooms, and chapels. Norbulingka Palace is the summer palace of the Dalai Lama and houses what is considered to be the largest man-made garden in Tibet. Next, we visit the Tibet Museum, the official museum of Tibet, which has a permanent collection of around 1000 artifacts related to the cultural history of Tibet. Overnight in Lhasa.

We visit the Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery, Jokhang Temple, and Barkhor Bazaar. The Drepung Monastery, which was built in the 14th century, is believed to have sheltered around 10,000 monks in the past. The history, culture, and religious beliefs of the Tibetan people are strongly concentrated and centered in this marvelous monastery. The Sera Monastery is a preserved monastery with white-washed walls and golden roofs. Jokhang Temple is another important sacred site that unravels more deep-seated mysteries of Tibetan Buddhism. We then stroll through the Barkhor Bazaar (market). With its open-air stalls, shops, and a crowd of pilgrims, it is the epicenter of Lhasa. Overnight in Lhasa.

Your adventure in the Himalayas has come to an end. You can do some shopping, return to Kathmandu, or continue to mainland China.