Tibet to Nepal Overland Tour Itinerary
Prices from $985
Main Attractions: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Drepung and Sera Monasteries, Yamdrok Lake, Kumbum Stupa, Tashi Lumpo Monastery, Everest Base Camp, Rongbuk Monastery, Gyirong
Duration: 7 days
Maximum Group Size: 10 people
Cost: Prices start from $985 (based on standard accommodation, double occupancy in the hotel rooms)
Maximum Elevation: 5,050 m/ 16,570 ft
PLACES WE VISIT
ITINERARY
Day 1 – Arrival in Lhasa
You arrive at the Lhasa Gonggar Airport or the train station. The airport is 62 km/ 39 miles away from the city, and it takes approximately one hour to get to the hotel from there. On the way to Lhasa, you will enjoy beautiful views of the mountains. The train station is located in Lhasa, and you will only need a short transfer to the hotel.
Depending on the time of your arrival, you might have some free time to spend in Lhasa. Our guides will be happy to advise you on what you can do with your time in Lhasa. After you check in the hotel, you are welcome to explore the city, visit nearby temples, do some shopping, try delicious Tibetan food in one of the local restaurants, or just take a rest.
Walking around Bakhor Street can be an excellent choice for your first day in Lhasa. You will join crowds of pilgrims, local Tibetans, and monks circumambulating the Jokhang Temple.
Most importantly, on your first day in Tibet, be sure to relax, enjoy your day and allow some time for acclimatizing.
Day 2 – Lhasa City Tour: Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple
This tour visits the two most important religious sites in Tibet.
The Potala Palace was the seat of the Dalai Lamas since the 17th century. First, the guide will take you to the Chak Pori Hill to take photos of the majestic Palace. We will then go inside and spend approximately 1.5 – 2 hours there. While there, you will see many of its most famous artifacts.
There will be free time for lunch after visiting the Potala Palace.
Time permitting, you can walk around the Potala Palace and join many of the local Tibetans.
Next, we will walk towards the Jokhang Temple. It was built in the 7th century to display the Jowo Shakyamuni Statue – the statue of the 12-year-old Buddha before his enlightenment. The statue was created at the time when the historical Buddha lived. It is elaborately decorated with gold, jewels, and precious stones.
After visiting the temple, we recommend taking a walk around Bakhor Street.
Day 3 – Lhasa City Tour: Drepung and Sera Monasteries
We are visiting the two most important monasteries in the capital.
We will first visit Drepung Monastery, which once was the largest monastery in the world with over 10,000 monks living there. It was the residence of Dalai Lamas before the Potala Palace was built.
There will be free time for lunch after the Drepung Monastery.
In the afternoon we are visiting Sera Monastery. It was founded by Tsongkhapa’s disciple in the 15th century. Nowadays it is famous for monks debate that you can witness. Debates are a very important part of learning and understanding Buddhism. Monks gather in the courtyard in the shade of the trees to refine their knowledge.
Day 4 – Driving to Shigatse: Yamdrok Lake and Glaciers
Today we will travel on some of the most beautiful roads in Tibet on our drive to Shigatse. Be prepared to take photos of the breathtaking views as we go up to the highest point of the day – Kamba La Pass (almost 4,800 meters / 15,750 ft).
Our next stop will be at Yamdrok Lake. It is one of the holy lakes in Tibet, and it is famous for its turquoise colored water.
After that, we will head towards Gyantse. On the way there, we will make a stop to see the spectacular glaciers. In Gyantse, we will visit the monastery and Kumbum, the largest stupa in Tibet.
Finally, we will reach Shigatse late in the evening and stay there overnight.
Day 5 – Driving to the Everest: night by the Everest
Today we will be driving through towering mountain ranges, and going through several high passes and Everest viewpoints. We will reach a tent camp near the Everest Base Camp in the evening.
Depending on the traffic and weather conditions, we might have time to visit the Rongbuk Monastery – the highest monastery in the world.
We will stay in a tent for the night. You can order dinner and breakfast there as there is an English menu available.
Day 6 – Driving to Gyirong pass. Nepal border
In the morning, you can wake up early to catch the sunrise at Mount Everest. You can order breakfast in a guesthouse or relax,walk around and enjoy the spectacular view.
We will take one last look at the Everest, before heading to the Tibet-Nepal border.
Today we will be driving through one of the most beautiful areas in Tibet. You will see rocky and snowy mountains, green forests, high waterfalls. As always, we will make several stops along the way to take photos.
Day 7 – Departure from Tibet
The guide will take you to the border in the morning. Once you cross it, you will continue your journey in Nepal.
WHY CHOOSE US
INCLUDED WITH TOUR
HOTELS
Lhasa: Yak Hotel
Shigatse: Gesar
Everest Tent Camp
UPCOMING TOUR DATES
ALTITUDE ON THE TOUR
We start our Tibet to Nepal tour in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet at an elevation of 3,650 meters. At this altitude, some travelers can experience mild symptoms of altitude sickness. We spend three first days in Lhasa. It is enough time for most visitors to acclimatize and continue the journey to higher areas. Along the way, we will be traveling through various high passes.
On the way, we will cross two high passes: Gyatso-la pass (5248 m) and Gyawu-la Pass (5191 m). We will also spend a night by the Everest at an elevation of 5,050 meters.
Always tell your guide if you experience symptoms of altitude sickness. All our guides are trained to respond and we always have oxygen supply if you need it.
More information on how to deal with altitude sickness: 7 Tips for Altitude Sickness Prevention
PREPARE FOR YOUR TOUR
ADD EXPERIENCES
OUR CLIENTS ABOUT US
The best guide, we have ever met – thank you Gyaltsen very much!!!
August 2018 – It was wonderful trip to Tibet. Our friendly guide, Gyaltsen, has told us a lot about religion and culture of this amazing country! He has also made our journey very comfortable, since everything was very well planned. He told us about Tibetan traditional medicine preventing altitude sickness – we could sleep well at night after we took it everyday in the evening.
We were very lucky that we could see Mt. Everest (not covered by clouds) and spend night at Mt. Everest Base Camp.
We recommend strongly – if you want to visit Tibet, contact Gyaltsen!
Agnieszka
Private 16-Day Trip in Tibet
I had a fulfilling & satisfying 16-day trip in Tibet with my ever so attentive tour guide & driver. My fears and uncertainties were allayed as I began my travels with them. It had been such an enjoyable pilgrimage that I looked forward to travel with them soon; real soon.
Terry Singapore
A perfect trip
Our trip to Tibet in April 2015 exceeded our expectations on every level, the whole experience was nothing short of magical.
In April 2015 we joined a 7 day tour in Tibet. Far and away, the highlight of our trip was our local guide, Gyaltsen.So fantastic that we felt like he became part of our family.
Useless to say he contributed to make our trip perfect. First, his knowledge is nothing short of awesome, starting from his fluent English. He made the history, geography and culture of Tibet come alive for all of us.
His patience with our varying multi-cultural group and our different timings to adapt to high altitude was also amazing.
On very top of that we were in Tibet during and unexpected and exceptional situation: the earthquake. Again they all, expecially Gyaltsen, not only understood our needs but had to the keen ability and knowledge to know how to handle the situation.
After this experience, we will be recommending a trip to Tibet to everyone we know with an interest in travel, and will suggest they use this company to plan their trip. Can’t say enough good things about it!
An experience for life in Tibet thanks to guide Gyaltsen
It is my pleasure to write this review about our trip with guide Gyaltsen in Tibet. It was our second trip to this fascinating country and culture. We – my wife, daughter and me – were interested in the history, culture and religion of Tibet and in its amazing landscape and nature. During 10 days we experienced numerous impressions, which widened our horizon and view on life. Landscapes of breath-taking beauty, monasteries full of history and culture, and kind and hospitable Tibetan people will stay in our mind for the rest of our life. From Lhasa we traveled to Gyantse and further Shigatse, finally reaching Everest base camp, passing through ancient towns and villages, monasteries, valleys and mountains of the Himalaya.
Gyaltsen is a highly educated young man with a deep knowledge of the history and cultural background of his home country. He is very kind, always helpful, respects the wishes of his tour guests and speaks perfectly English. He flexibly adapted the tour to our wishes and did his best fulfil our expectations in this visit to Tibet – getting a deep insight into culture, religion, history and Tibetan everyday life, and experience the landscape of the Himalaya mountains. Dr. Werner Nader and family, Hamburg, Germany
A must visit
It was with great experienced having the private tour with Mr.Gaps. Realizing the much differences between Tibetan and others. So much mysteries to know about. We were having a birthday party too!
It is a peaceful and tranquil place everyone dreams of. Away from the hustle and bustle of cities, people go round chasing something unrealistic.
Mr.Gaps is very kind to provide me a local traditional medicine for my headache ?
I would love to go back with more adventure activities…. definately will look for Mr.Gaps!
Rongbuk Temple Meditation Liberation
Gaps is very humble and helpful, thoughtful and insightful, and able to flavour a tour in quite a unique manner, catering even to spiritual desire. It was Gaps that introduced me to Lama Acu Sangye at the foot of Mount Everest. And I have him to thank for such an enlightening experience.
The meeting of Lama Acu, in the darkness of the southernmost Rongbuk Temple meditation cave at the foot of Everest 16,900 feet above sea level was both the geographical and spiritual apex of my Himalayan pilgrimage through China, India, Ladakh, Nepal and Tibet – but it was nothing that he said and nothing that he did.
Lama Acu lead me to the inner chamber of the cave complex and we sat and meditated.
While the world without was wrestling with real and imagined acts of terror and occupation, I was wrestling with a very personal subjugation, heightened by a re-reading of the 14th century Nyingma text revealed by Karma Lingpa known as the Bardo Thodol or the Tibetan Book of the Dead or Liberation through Hearing During the Intermediate State.
After meditating with Acu for some time in the relative warmth of the temple cave, I decided to go on my way. Climbing up the stone steps, back out to the surface I was struck by a truly profound realisation.
I was stood at the very foot of the tallest peak in the world – and yet somehow I had forgotten this completely while inside the cave. It occurred to me then all of a sudden that if I was able to ignore such a physical colossus, it must be possible to ignore anything that I encounter – physically or mentally. And that, quite simply, was the realisation, that was the liberation.
ABOUT TOURS IN TIBET
CARS IN TIBET
For our group tours, we use a variety of cars depending on group size and weather conditions. On some of the days, we will be driving long hours and we are trying to arrange the most comfortable car for your journey.
Here you will find photos and descriptions of tourist cars in Tibet:
PACKING AND WHAT TO WEAR
Even in summer weather in the Everest region can get cold. We suggest packing some warm clothes for your tour. The best way to stay comfortable is to dress in layers.
The sun is always very strong in Tibet. A pair of sunglasses and a sunscreen are a must!
More suggestion on packing and clothes:
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