Tibet Everest Base Camp Tour Itinerary

We will pick you up at your hotel and arrange for transportation to the airport in Kathmandu.

This flight over the Himalayas from Kathmandu to Lhasa is truly unforgettable. During the spectacular flight we see a number of 8000 people in Nepal including Mount Everest, Lhotse, Cho Oyu and Makalu.

Upon arrival at Gonggar Airport in Tibet, there is transportation to the hotel in Lhasa.

The drive from the airport to Lhasa takes about 1.5 hours, including the Tsangpo. The Tsangpo rises in Tibet near the holy mountain Mount Kailash. When entering India, the name Tsangpo changes to Bhramaputra.

From far away we see the characteristic Potala, the former winter palace of the Dalai Lama, rising on the horizon.

We use the rest of the day to acclimatize, Lhasa is 3650 meters and we feel that all too well.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Accommodation: Hotel
• Place: Lhasa
• Altitude: 3665m

We visit some of the most beautiful places in the still enchanting Lhasa; the Potala palace, the Jokhang temple and the Barkhor square.

The world famous Potala Palace is the former winter seat of the Dalai Lama and is of course a must for everyone to visit. The Potala is a really huge building of thirteen floors and a height of 117 meters. In total, the building consists of more than a thousand rooms. Many of the rooms are closed but some of the private rooms and meditation rooms are open to the public.

From the roof of the Potala you have a beautiful view of Lhasa.

The seventh century Jokhang temple is the spiritual heart of Lhasa, it is the most sacred place of Tibet. In the Jokhang is a beautiful statue of Sakyamuni that is lit by candles from yak butter. Pilgrims and believers shuffle past the sacred statue in the temple and make offerings of yak butter. From the roof of the temple you have a beautiful view of the city and the Potala rising high above the city.

The Barkhor square, near Jokhang, is the Medieval center of the city of Lhasa. Here it seems as if time has stood still for a long time. Pilgrims from Tibet, Nepal and India walk their sacred laps praying here. The lively Barkhor Bazaar with countless shops and market stalls winds its way through the old center of Lhasa.

Buddhists and pilgrims walk their holy rounds (kora) around the Jokhang and the Barkhor Bazaar. These koras are always walked with the clock hands and are a lively spectacle.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Accommodation: Hotel
• Place: Potala, Jokhang & Barkhor

The monasteries of Drepung and Sera are located just outside of Lhasa. In ancient times, before the Chinese invasion, the monastery founded in 1416 was home to many thousands of monks. Now there are only around 200 left. Drepung was built on the Gambo Utse mountain and was once one of the richest and largest monasteries in the world. The white monastery buildings are piled up, as it were, against the slope.

Both Drepung and the Sera monastery date from the 15th century (1419). Just like Drepung, Sera belongs to the yellow cap sect (Gelugpa). In the past the monastery was known for its tantric education. Nowadays debates are held here daily by the monks present. The monks discuss with each other loudly about Buddhism and faith. To reinforce their arguments, they clap their hands hard and sometimes stomp on the ground. A few thousand monks used to live here, now a few hundred still live.

Beautiful rock paintings can also be admired around the Sera monastery.

On this day you will also visit the old summer palace of the Dalai Lama, the Norbulinka . Just as for the Potala, the Dalai Lama stayed here until his flight from the Chinese in 1959 for the Norbulinka. Especially the throne room is beautiful. The Norbulinka was built in 1755 by the 7th Dalai Lama.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Accommodation: Hotel
• Place: Norbulinka

The sacred Namtso lake is 190 kilometers from Lhasa at an altitude of more than 4700 meters. Driving through beautiful mountain landscapes, it takes more than 5 hours to get there.

Along the way we pass a more than 5000 meter high pass. Once over the pass you have a view of the beautiful blue lake that is completely surrounded by mountains, the highest of which is more than 7000 meters. We spend the night near the lake in a guesthouse.

The next morning you can enjoy a beautiful sunrise and we have time to walk around the lake. Around noon you will leave for Lhasa again.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Accommodation: Hotel
• Place: Namtso Lake
• Altitude: 4718m

The sacred Namtso lake is 190 kilometers from Lhasa at an altitude of more than 4700 meters. Driving through beautiful mountain landscapes, it takes more than 5 hours to get there.

Along the way we pass a more than 5000 meter high pass. Once over the pass you have a view of the beautiful blue lake that is completely surrounded by mountains, the highest of which is more than 7000 meters. We spend the night near the lake in a guesthouse.

The next morning you can enjoy a beautiful sunrise and we have time to walk around the lake. Around noon you will leave for Lhasa again.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Accommodation: Hotel
• Place: Namtso Lake
• Altitude: 4718m

Over the high mountain passes Kamba La (4795m) and Karo La (5010m) we drive today through the impressive Tibetan landscape. We often see grazing yaks under often clear blue skies with the snow-capped peaks and glaciers of the ever-present Himalayas in the background.

From Kamba La we have a truly magnificent view of the turquoise colored sacred mountain lake Yamdrok Tso (Tso is Tibetan for more) and the 7250 meter high white top of the Nazin Kang Sa. We then see a huge glacier at the top of the Karo La.

At the top of all passes (= la), many hundreds of prayer flags flutter exuberantly in the wind.

Driving on the Friendship Highway we can already see the Gyantse castle from far away.

In Gyantse, the third largest city in Tibet, we still see many houses built in traditional Tibetan style, as a result of which this city has retained its original Tibetan character.

The main street of Gyantse leads to the Palkhor monastery . The 35 meter high Kumbum stupa is the largest stupa in Tibet and one of the most beautiful buildings. Pilgrims sometimes walk endlessly around the stupa (kora).

Gyantse Dzong (= monastery castle) is situated on a mountain ridge and offers a view over the monastery and the city.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Accommodation: Hotel
• Place: Gyantse
• Altitude: 3950m

A short drive takes us from Gyantse to Shigatse where we have plenty of time to visit the impressive Tashilunpo monastery. Tashilunpo was founded in 1447 and is the seat of the Panchen Lama. In the monastery, which has a very extensive prayer room, you can see a beautiful 26 meter high golden statue of Maitreya Buddha (Buddha of the Future). Another recommendation is a visit to the Tibetan market of Shigatse.

Shigatse is Tibet's second city but unfortunately has largely lost its Tibetan character. You will find many pilgrims, who walk around the monastery with a bag of yak butter, prayer chains and prayer wheels

• Meals: Breakfast
• Accommodation: Hotel
• Place: Shigaste
• Altitude: 3900m

From Shigate a long drive takes us over two high passes to Shegar. The Tso La is 4950 meters high and the Gyalto La 5250 meters. From the pass we descend through a wild landscape to Shegar and we only see remote monasteries and nomad tents.

If there is time we will visit the Sakya monastery. The Sakya monastery is known for its unique library with thousands of Buddhist prayers. There are also beautiful authentic murals on display.

The village itself is very photogenic, the houses are painted gray with red and white vertical stripes on it.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Accommodation: Hotel
• Place: Shegar
• Altitude: 3800m

• Meals: Breakfast
• Accommodation: Hotel
• Place: Rongbuk
• Altitude: 4980m

We get up early to take the 7 kilometer walk to Everest Base Camp at 5200 meters . Nowadays it is also possible to drive by jeep to Everest Base Camp.

In clear weather, the sunrise is unforgettable. It is an impressive trip with fantastic views of the highest white peaks of the Himalayas. The North Face from the highest mountain in the world towers high above us, an impressive experience!

After returning to Rongbuk we drive to Tingri. This part of the journey takes us over the worst part of the road from Lhasa to Kathmandu. In about 3 hours we bump into Tingri where we stay in a simple guesthouse.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Accommodation: Hotel
• Place: Tingri
• Altitude: 4400m

Fantastic trip over the Lalung La and Tong La (both 5210 meters) with panoramic views over the Himalayas. We see Shishapangma, Gauri Shankar and Cho Oyu, among others.

A spectacular trip takes us steeply down from Nyalam (3750m) towards the Tibetan border village of Zhangmu. The road here is carved deep into a canyon and leads us along perpendicular mountain walls.

In Zhangmu, everything suddenly turns green around us and we see a number of waterfalls. The contrast with the Tibetan plateau that we have now left behind is enormous.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Accommodation: Hotel
• Place: Zhangmu
• Altitude: 2300m

Zhangmu is the border town between Tibet and Nepal. There is therefore a lively Tibetan-Nepalese trade in this village.

After the border post at Zhangmu we drive through a piece of no man's land until we reach the Friendship Bridge . We walk across the bridge to Kodari , the Nepalese border post, and get on the bus for the last part of our journey. Along the way we sometimes see rafters trying to conquer the wild Bhote Kosi (see our website - Nepal - Rafting) and we pass Barabise, a Nepalese trading village on the road from Tibet to Kathmandu.

Normally we reach Kathmandu after 5 hours.

In some cases it may be that landslides have taken place, which means that we will arrive later and sometimes even be forced to walk. It is also conceivable that the border formalities take some time.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Accommodation: Hotel
• Place: Kathmandu
• Altitude: 1330m