Tibet Overland with Everest Base Camp

On arrival at Kathmandu-Nepal International Airport via various airlines, our guide and staff will receive you for a short transfer to the heart of Kathmandu city, where your hotel is located, after checking into your rooms and then meet other members of the trek at the hotel lobby for briefing. Information on Tibet Overland and Everest base camp briefing includes useful details to make your holiday in Tibet more enjoyable. The evening group welcomes dinner in a lovely Nepalese Restaurant with an introduction to the Nepalese culture of various parts of Nepal with folk dance and music.

The morning after a good breakfast, enjoy a tour of Kathmandu’s places of great interest, where our city guide leads you on a short drive and walks to visit famous historical and religious monuments with old palaces. Most of the ancient temples, Stupas, and monasteries, including royal courtyards, are listed as world heritage sites in the chapter on fascinating wonders. After an enjoyable back to the hotel, for the final meeting and preparations for the most wonderful adventure Tibet Overland with Everest base camp.

Morning as per flight time for Lhasa flight transfer to Kathmandu airport for a scenic flight of an hour or more to land at Gongor in Tibet international airport, which is close to Lhasa, during air views of the world’s highest mountains with Mt. Everest.As the plane landed at Gongor Airport, after going through security and immigration, then received by our Tibetan guide and driver for a short drive towards the eastern side of Lhasa city within significant areas populated mostly by Tibetans. Afternoon relaxes and takes a short walk around the Barkhor market square, where most hotels are located.

Morning our Tibetan guide meets you at the hotel lobby after your pleasant first overnight in Lhasa, a short drive takes you to the west side of the city with an uphill drive to Drepung Monastery, the largest and most important monastery in Tibet, built as a university for Tibetan Buddhism scholar in earlier days, which was also a resident of many high priests to 5th Dalai Lama, till Potala Palace construction was completed. An interesting tour of the Drepung Monastery interior and around religious and prayer rooms; from here tour of Jokhang Temple, located in the heart of Lhasa around the busy Barkhor market. Visit the monastery as well first Buddhist temple of historic importance and tales of ancient times. The tour takes you inside the temple and on the scenic terraces for beautiful photographs of the colorful, busy Barkhor Market and its surrounding, with views of Potala Palace nearby. An afternoon tour of another exciting and important Shera monastery and watching young monks in debates are one of the high light of the visit. The rest of the day is free for individual activities and shopping for souvenirs.

On the last day in Lhasa, an exciting morning tour of the magnificent Potala Palace, was built in early 640 AD. Started by Songsten Gampo, from his private meditation cave, during the time of the 5th Dalai Lama, this majestic Potala Palace was constructed. This beautiful palace represents a landmark of Tibet that dominates the whole of Lhasa and Kyuchi valley. The afternoon tour continues with a short drive to Norbulingka, a summer palace of semi-modern with a lovely large garden of tall trees, our guide takes you around the summer palace’s important sites, and then ends the day with free leisure time.

The morning after an early breakfast, a Tibetan guide and driver receive you for a long scenic overland journey towards southern areas of Tibet. Drive leads near the airport with an uphill winding road to reach Khamba-La at 4,800 m high. From the pass, enjoy the panorama of vast Tibetan landscapes with Yamdrok Tsho, the turquoise lake down below. From the pass downhill to Yamdrok Tsho Lake and then reach Nagarktse, a small town for a hot lunch stop, the afternoon drive leads onto a wide-open plain witness herd of Yaks grazing on a large green field, then reach Gyantse, the 4th largest city in Tibet, after Lhasa, Shigatse, and Chengdu. Time permitting, enjoy a short tour of the famous Gyantse Dzong (fort) Pelkor Chode Monastery and Kumbum Stupa- a special landmark of Gyantse. After an interesting tour, a few hours’ drive on a good road to Shigatse for overnight in Tibet’s second-largest city.

The morning after breakfast, as per local Chinese Beijing Standard Time, is around 8 a.m. (which is 2 hours and 15 minutes ahead of the Nepal Standard Time Zone). Tour takes you to a magnificent Tashilumpo monastery with its golden roofs and its wonderful complex, the seat of his holiness Panchen Lama, the second head of state after Dalai Lama. Tour with our guide takes you around many prayer chambers and halls where you can witness a bronze statue of the future Maitreya Buddha; the bronze image stands 21 meters tall. From here, back to the hotel or nearby Tibetan restaurants for nice lunch, in the afternoon, visit the local market of Shigatse, an interesting place to observe Tibetan customs and culture and various Tibetan tribes.

Enjoying a lovely tour of Shigatse, around places of great interest morning drive heading on the main Lhasa and Kathmandu roads, known as Friendship Highway. Drive heads due south to Larze town, located on mid-way of Lhasa-Kathmandu highway and road to Mt. Kailash around Tibet far southwest. From Large, the drive climbs to Gyatsho-La pass at 5,220 m, the highest point of the adventure, marked with thousands of Buddhist prayer flags and a board with the name of the pass and heights. Being on the top downhill to our overnight stop in a simple local guest-house or lodge at Shegar, also called New Tingri, a windswept town on route to Nepal and Everest base camp.

Morning having breakfast at Shegar, the drive leads past the check-post where our route diverts from the main road heading high up at Pang-La Pass, 5,200 m, almost the same height as Everest north base camp. From the top, enjoy a grand vista of Himalayan peaks that border Nepal and Tibet, with views of Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho-Oyu, and Shisapangma with an array of peaks. After a great panorama downhill to Tashi Dzong village, then follow the river to reach Rongbuk Monastery, overnight in a simple and basic lodge next to the monastery. From Rongbuk, enjoy the towering North West Face of Mt. Everest of Chomolungma, as known in Tibet for Everest. Beyond Rongbuk Monastery, vehicles are not allowed, except for local transport of horse-cart, motorbikes serve as taxis or few hour hikes to reach the northern base camp of Everest at 5,200 m high, with the closest views of the world’s highest peaks. Take a short ride on local transport, then spend the day at Rongbuk to visit the monastery, where British Expedition in early 1921, the famous Irving and Mallory stayed on their way to Mt. Everest summit.

On a leisurely morning at Rongbuk, people who have not visited the base camp on the first day can have the opportunity in the morning after breakfast for a few hours. From Rongbuk, back on the main highway to reach the windswept town of Old Tingri, where a good local lodge is located on the roadside with views of Mt. Everest and Cho-Oyu peaks. Overnight in the best lodge available at Old Tingri before heading towards the border of Tibet and Nepal at Kyirong.

Enjoy the last views of Mt. Everest from the lodge at Old Tingri, after breakfast drive leads further south around the great wide plain of Tibetan arid and dry plateau to reach near Lalung-La Pass, where our drive diverts from the old highway towards rough roads close to the base camp of Mt. Shisapangma. As the drive follows the great range of snow-mountains that lines between Nepal and Tibet, the views include Shisapangma, Dorji Lakpa, and Langtang Himal range as the drive leads past Paigat-Tsho large lake to reach Kyirong for the last overnight halt in Tibet. This place, also called Gyirong Zangbo, is close to the Gyirong River, a tributary that flows to join the Trisuli River in Nepal.

Morning getting excited to reach back into Nepal after the last breakfast in Tibet, then a short drive to the frontier immigration post of China for passport and visa formalities. On completing the security check short walk to enter Nepal at Rasuwagadhi, as well as bidding farewell to our Tibetan guide and drivers. Who took care of you on this marvelous journey in Tibet, and then walked to the check-post on the Nepal side after going through visa and other formalities back in Nepalese soil where a drive leads you through many farm villages within lush green surroundings to reach Dhunce town for an overnight stop before Kathmandu. A headquarter town of Rasuwa district located within Langtang Himal and the gateway to various trekking around the Langtang region.

A leisurely morning in this large interesting town populated by Tamang people, the hill tribes of Central Himalaya and Langtang region. After a good breakfast, an exciting drive to reach Kathmandu, as the road follows through nice farm villages and the town of Ramche and Manebhanjyang. As the journey continues around warm low areas of Trisuli Bazar and heading past Nuwakott to reach Kathmandu and transfer to your respective hotels. Afternoon at leisure on last overnight in Kathmandu for individual activities and shopping Nepalese souvenirs.

Last day in Nepal in the country of Himalayan wonders, as per your international flight time, either morning, afternoon, or evening. Vertex Holiday guide and staff transfer you to the airport for a homeward journey or to the next port of call after a wonderful time in Nepal and adventure on Tibet Overland with an Everest base camp tour.