Lhasa Everest Base Camp Tour - 12 Days

Upon your arrival at the Gonggar Airport, our representative will welcome you and escort you toward Lhasa which is just an hour’s drive from the airport. We enjoy the view of the landscape along the beautiful Yarlung Tsangpo River (the Brahmaputra River) which is also the longest river in Tibet), and the Lhasa River. Once we are in Lhasa, you can rest for the remainder of the day and adjust to the high altitude. 

Note: You can arrive in Lhasa from the capital of Nepal or via different cities in mainland China. 

After breakfast, we head to the grand Potala Palace that is located on Red Hill. It was built by the Tibet ruler, King Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century. The current structure is built by the 13th Dalai Lama. The Potala Palace is recognized for its luxurious structures, complicated design, reverent ambiance, and great artworks. It is largely composed of the White Palace, also known as the Dalai Lamas' winter residence, an administrative building, and the Red Palace, a religious institution.

Following lunch, we proceed to the Jokhang temple, which was also built in the seventh century by King Songtsen Gampo, the 33rd ruler of Tibet. It is the oldest temple in Lhasa and the most important site for Tibetan Buddhism followers. The temple houses the life-size statue of 12-year-old Buddha Sakyamuni.  In front of the Jokhang Temple, you may witness pilgrims kneeling and doing prostrations.

Then, we will stroll down Barkhor Street which circles the Jokhang Temple. The street infused with Himalayan Incense is packed with pilgrims doing the holy Kora and visitors purchasing things in the markets. You can buy anything associated with Tibet during this time, including bundles of incense, scraps of yak butter, and clothes for monks.

The first site for sightseeing today will be the Drepung Monastery which is five kilometers outside of the city to the base of Gambo Utse. It is one of the Great Three monasteries of the Gelugpa sect founded by a disciple of Tsong Khapa named Jamyang Choge in the fourteenth century. The Manjushri Bodhisattva, Sitatapatra statues, rare sutra, and Jamyang Qoigy's conch shell are the main highlights of this monastery. It was formerly referred to as the mother of monasteries and is now one of the nation's holiest sites.

Then, after arriving back in Lhasa, we depart for the northern suburbs to see Sera Monastery, one of the Great Three monasteries. The building was given the Tibetan name Sera, which means "wild rose," in 1419 because roses were in bloom on the hill behind it at the time. The primary attraction of the monastery is the lively and original arguments held by the monks every afternoon in the debating field beneath the trees.

If time allows, we'll discuss Norbulingka Palace, another popular Lhasa sight. Two kilometers to the west of the Potala Palace was the Dalai Lama's summer residence. The 360,000 square meter garden around this palace is enormous, making it the highest-placed horticulture garden in the world and the largest man-made garden in Tibet.

We leave Lhasa after breakfast and slowly travel toward Gyantse which is about 260 km in distance. It is an exciting drive where we drive past the Khamba La Pass at 4794 meters which offers a breathtaking glimpse of the revered, blue Lake Yamdrok. Then after driving for a bit we will reach the lake. It is one of the three holy lakes in Tibetan Buddhism that is really eye-pleasing flanked by snow-capped hills, including the magnificent Nyenchen Khangsar, the tallest mountain nearby Lhasa.

After exploring, taking pictures, and making kora of the lake, we resume our journey to Gyantse. We cross past the second and last pass for today named Karo La pass at 5045 meters and view the stunning scenery of Mount Nyenchen Khangsar before reaching Gyantse for the night. Upon arrival in the town, we will check in at the hotel. After a brief rest and if time allows, we will visit the famous Pelkor Monastery which includes the Gyantse Kumbum. Considered the largest of the three Kumbums in Tibet, it has nine floors with unique chapels. 

In the morning, we will visit the Pelkor Monastery which is also called Pelkhor Chode and has priceless works of art. We will also explore its Kumbum Stupa which is a mandala-shaped stupa with 85 chambers, each with a variety of sculptures, and a total of 100,000 images of Buddhist deities. 

In the afternoon, we leave for the second biggest city in Tibet, Shigatse which is around 90 kilometers and two hours drive from Gyantse. On the way lies the Shalu Monastery which is built in the styles of the Han, Tibetan, and Indian cultures. We halt at the monastery for a short time to explore its arts and architecture before we reach Shigatse. After arriving at Shigatse, we will check in at the designated hotel and rest for a bit. 

Then later, we will visit the city’s main draw, Tashilhunpo Monastery which is one of the biggest active monasteries in Tibet. Tashi Lhunpo meaning the "mountain of happiness," was constructed by the His Holiness the First Dalai Lama in 1447 and is the seat of the Panchen Lamas who are the great scholars and the second-highest spiritual figure after Dalai Lamas. 

A scenic drive from Shigatse along the Friendship highway takes us to Shegar today. The drive is full of beautiful scenery. We will drive past the settlement of Lhatse and also drive past the Gyatso La Pass (5,220m). A brief stop at Natang Monastery is a must. 

Driving further ahead, we will stop at the Shakya Monastery with the biggest gold book in the world. Shakya Monastery was built in 1073 A.D by Gongjue Jiebu, to spread his esoteric theory of Buddhism to the whole world. The monastery had one of the largest monastic communities in Tibet before the Cultural Revolution. There are two monasteries of Sakya, one in the south and the other in the north. While the southern monastery, which was built like a fortification with a moat, is still in continuous use, the northern monastery, which was split into two pieces, is now just a simple ruin. This monastery got the name Sakya as it was built on a chalky hill and Sakya means chalky earth in Tibetan.

Then we continue onward to Shegar which is also New Tingri. If the time permits, we will visit the Shegar Dzong which translates to the Crystal Fort. It is one of Tibet's most remarkable structures and its collapsing defensive walls wind up the side of an impossible-to-climb mountain that towers over the town. We can view Mt. Everest in the distance from here. 

Following breakfast, we will depart from Shegar and drive through the Pang La Pass route to reach Everest Base Camp at 5050 meters. Pang La Pass is one of the most stunning Himalayan Passes at 5200 meters which is the highest altitude you will gain in this Lhasa Everest Base Camp Tour. It is also known as the Gawu La or Geu La Pass well-known for its 64 switchbacks from the south and 41 from the north. From the pass, we can enjoy the panoramic vistas of Mount Everest, Mount Shishapangma, Mount Lhotse, Mount Makalu, and Mount Cho Oyu, to name just a few. We continue our journey till we reach the Base Camp of the world’s tallest mountain, Mount Everest. We enjoy our night at the wool-tented guesthouse that is very basic but warm and comfortable giving you an extraordinary experience. 

We rise early in the morning to observe the ever-amazing sunrise over the mountains. Then after a delicious breakfast with Tibetan tea, we will drive to Rongbuk Valley and pay our visit to the highest located monastery in the world, Rongbuk Monastery. You can also interact with locals and monks, and learn about the history of the monastery and valley in their library before we make our way towards Shigatse via Shegar for the night. 

We bid farewell to Shigatse after breakfast and head back towards the capital Lhasa along the Yalong valley and Yalong River. You have some free time to look around the Barkhor and buy presents for your loved ones back home once in Lhasa. 

Your Lhasa Everest Base Camp Tour comes to an end with the return to Lhasa from Shigatse. So, you will be transferred to the Gonggar Airport after breakfast for the flight to Kathmandu or Mainland China from where you can take a connecting flight back to your home country.