12 Days Tibet Hiking Tour from Tingri to Ra-chu Valley and Mount Everest Base Camp

Tour Overview

This 12 Days Tibet Hiking Tour from Tingri to Everest Base Camp provides a heady mix of solitude, wildlife sighting and physical challenge. You will first experience the unique Tibetan...

Code of Tour: YCT0000001829

Length of Travel: 12 Day

Destinations of Tour: Lhasa - Yamdrok Lake - Shigatse - Old Tingri - Trekking to EBC - Sakya - Lhasa

Departure City: Lhasa

Price of Tour: Request

Type of Tour:

Features of Tour: Nature Hiking Minority Landscape Climbing

More Map & Picture

This 12 Days Tibet Hiking Tour from Tingri to Everest Base Camp provides a heady mix of solitude, wildlife sighting and physical challenge. You will first experience the unique Tibetan Buddhism culture in the famous monasteries and palaces such as Potala palace and Jokhang temple. Then you will accomplish 70 km trekking in 4 days and the route of Tibet trekking is on the plateau with altitudes ranging from 4400m to 5200m. On the way to Everest Base Camp you will have enough time to explore the valleys and glaciers below the massive north-face of Mt. Everest and view the most magnificent scenery on the world’s highest mountain.

Brief Itinerary

• Day 1: Lhasa Arrival
• Day 2: Lhasa
• Day 3: Lhasa
• Day 4: Lhasa-Gyangtse
• Day 5: Gyangtse-Old Tingri
• Day 6: Trek to Lungchang
• Day 7: Trek to Nam-La
• Day 8: Trek to Zommug
• Day 9: Trek to Rongbuk
• Day 10: Rongpuk – Sakya
• Day 11: Sakya-Lhasa
• Day 12: Lhasa Departure

Google Map

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Lhasa by Train or by Flight

Sightseeing and Activities:Arrive in Lhasa by Train or by Flight
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:None

Upon your arrival, your local tour guide will pick you up at the airport or railway station and escort you to your hotel in Lhasa. The rest of the day for you is to take a good rest so as to adapt yourself to the high altitude of Lhasa. Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Day 2 Lhasa

Sightseeing and Activities:Potala Palace, Tibet Museum, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, a preferable choice is to visit the famous Potala Palace and explore the grandest of this myriad chapels, and you will experience its audience halls, and appreciate the jeweled and Golden burial chortens (stupa Tombs) of past Dalai Lamas, and tremendous number of Buddhist frescoes, Thangkas, combinations of mandala, etc. Tibet Museum is an important window to introduce the glorious culture of Tibet. As Tibet Museum is free in Lhasa, it is highly recommended to visitors. In the afternoon, tourists can pay a visit to the holiest temple in Tibet, i.e. the Johkang Temple built during Songtsen Gonpo’s reign by princess Wencheng of Tang Dynasty, 647 A.D, and Barkor Kora, an equally important street surrounding the Johkang Temple.

Day 3 Lhasa

Sightseeing and Activities:Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

Today, you will visit two important monasteries in Lhasa, the Drepung and the Sera. Drepung monastery is situated at the foot of a mountain and was founded by Jamyang Choeje in 1416. It used to be the home to 10000 monks and Ganden podrang in Drepung was renowned for its role as the centre of government during the fifth dalai lama and later relocated to the famous potala palace during the fifth dalai lama. Having finished the lunch, tourists would continue to visit the Sera Monastery, which was founded in 1419 by Tsongkapa’s disciple Jamchen Choeje. The highlights of Sera Monastery is its Buddhist Scriptures debating held in the courtyard mostly around 4:00 – 5:00 in the afternoon. Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Day 4 Lhasa – Gyantse (3950meters)

Sightseeing and Activities:Yamdrok-tso lake, Gyangtse Kunmpum
Accommodation:Gyantse
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

By using the Friendship Highway , we will make our way to Gyantse, and reach Kambala pass which is at an altitude of 4794m high. Overlooking deep turquoise Yamdro-tso Lake from the top of the pass Kangpa-la which is 4700m above the sea level, you can see the fabulous shade of Yamdro-tso Lake that resembles a coiling scorpion with deep blue in colour. Then we will head for Gyangtse, and visit the famous stupa – Gyangtse Kumpum, one of the most stunning architectural wonders in Tibet. Stay overnight in Gyantse.

Day 5 Gyangtse – Old Tingri

Sightseeing and Activities:Tashilunpo Monastery
Accommodation:Old Tingri
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

We will have a early start in the morning and drive to Shigatse that is 90km from Gyangtse and visit Tashilunpo Monastery and the spectacular tombs of Panchen Lamas in Shigatse. Then we drive along Friendship Highway to Old Tingri via Lhatse and Shegar. Your guide will do preparations for the trek, while you may have a good view of Cho Oyu. Stay overnight in local guest house or dorm bed.

Day 6 Trek to Lungchang(4510 m) (5 hours/12km/150m up)

Sightseeing and Activities:Trek to Lungchang(4510 m) (5 hours/12km/150m up)
Accommodation:Camping
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

Our trekking begins from Old Tingri all the way to the Tingri plain. The Trekking route will pass part of the Ra-chu Valley, we will see the beautiful valley scenery with extensive meadows and packs of sheep and goats. The rest of the day we can visit a small Monastery in Choelun. This region is home only to herders and barley harvesters. Stay in camp in Lungchang.

Day 7 Trek to Nam-La (5150 m) (8 hours/21km/200m up)

Sightseeing and Activities:Trek to Nam-La (5150 m) (8 hours/21km/200m up)
Accommodation:Camping
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

The challenging trekking really starts today as we go up into the mountains. Much uphill walking will be done as we climb towards the top of Nam-La. And we would camp down the top of this pass. Camping at Nam-la valley.

Day 8 Trek to Zommug (4790m)(8hours/22km/360m down)

Sightseeing and Activities:Trek to Zommug (4790m)(8hours/22km/360m down)
Accommodation:Camping
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

Start In the morning, the trek will allow us to meet the yak herders and their families. Our camp will be pitched in the small village of Zommug. Trekkers are about to view the amazing sunset in this barren village. Camping tonight.

Day 9 Trek to Rongbuk (5100m) and EBC (5200m)(15km/6hours/290m up)

Sightseeing and Activities:Trek to Rongbuk (5100m) and EBC (5200m)(15km/6hours/290m up)
Accommodation:Everest Base Camp
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

On our last day of trekking we will wind our way to the final destination, i.e.Rongbuk and Everest Base Camp. Along the way we can also visit the Rongbuk Monastery. There remains historical sites. Stay at Tent guesthouse.

Day 10 Rongpuk – Sakya

Sightseeing and Activities:Xiqian hot spring
Accommodation:Sakya
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

We will have a short ride from Rongpuk to Lhatse, then follow the Friendship Highway back to Sakya. You may relax by enjoying the Xiqian hot spring near Lhatse. Stay at Sakya Hotel.

Day 11 Sakya – Lhasa

Sightseeing and Activities:Sakya Monastery
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

The last itinerary for this trip is to visit the famous Sakya Monastery. The Sakya tradition inside Sakya Monastery is one of the four main Buddhist schools in Tibet. It was from here that the whole of Tibet was governed during the period of Sakya hegemony and even now there are buildings of historic importance to be seen here. (The largest book in the world is in Sakya’s great library, written with gold). Stay in the hotel in Lhasa.

Day 12 Departure from Lhasa

Sightseeing and Activities:Departure from Lhasa
Accommodation:Lhasa Departure
Meals:Breakfast

Our guide will accompany tourists to the airport or railway station to see you off. With that wraps up the entire tour.

Recommended Hotels

Service Included:

• Tibet travel permit and all other necessary permits to Tibet;
• All entrance ticket fees for all tourist sites listed in the itinerary;
• Personal knowledgeable English-speaking Tibetan local tour guide;
• Personal comfortable, clean and safe vehicle with reliable Tibetan local driver; vehicle ranging from 4WD land cruiser to minibus depending on your group size;
• All lodging listed in the itinerary; it’s your decision about the accommodation class: luxury 5-star international hotel, comfortable 4-star hotel, economic 3-star hotel or budget hostel, guesthouse or tent. Please tell us your accommodation preference when submitting the enquiry; we will arrange the best-value hotels for you.
• Domestic flight/train tickets listed in the itinerary;
• All meals listed in the above itinerary.

Service Excluded:

• International flight to and out of China;
• Chinese visa (Note: we could help you with the Chinese visa application, like providing the invitation letter, presenting the hotel or domestic flight reservation copies, etc that you may need. )
• Domestic flight/train not listed in the itinerary. (We can provide you the domestic flight/train ticket booking service at the BEST discount price; please contact us our travel experts for the details.)
• Meals not specified in the itinerary; usually it costs about USD3-15 per person for one meal in TAR (Tibet Autonomous Region).
• Tips and gratitude to tour guide and driver;
• Personal expenses, like laundry, phone call, snacks, soft drinks (please do the best to avoid the alcoholic beverages during your Tibet trip), optional tour activities, etc.

Travel Tips:

1. Tibet Permits

There are several permits required to visit Tibet. Tibet Entry Permit, issued by Tibet Tourism Bureau, is the most important one which has to be obtained before your trip because you must have it to take your flight/train to Tibet. To get the permit, you have to book a Tibet tour with us, and send us your passport and Chinese visa about 20 days in advance, and then let us apply for the permit (all Tibet permits can only be applied by travel agency). If you travel to other prefectures like Shigatse, Nyingchi, Shannan, etc, you also have to obtain an Alien Travel Permit. If you travel to Mount Everest, you have to obtain a Border Permit. (Tibet Discovery, with office in Lhasa, has always kept up with the latest news on Tibet Permits. Traveling with us, all your permits are guaranteed as long as you are qualified to the requirements.)

2. Available Months to Visit Tibet

Generally speaking, May to early October is the best time to for a Mount Kailash trip. July and August are the peak season and rainy season. It may be too cold to travel in Kailash area from November to March. There is usually heavy snow. The conditions in Namtso Lake and Mount Everest area are quite similar with Kailash. While other places like Lhasa, Gyantse and Shigatse are suitable for travel all year around.

3. High Altitude Sickness

The average altitude of Tibet is about 4000 meters above the sea level (Lhasa: 3700m; EBC: 5200m; Namtso: 4718m). You may suffer a bit from High Altitude Sickness in the beginning days of your Tibet trip if you haven’t had rich high plateau travel experience. But don’t worry too much, the high altitude can be acclimatized usually in 2~3 days. Our suggestion is to take a physical examination and get suggestions from your doctor, and also bring some medicines to prevent from High Altitude Sickness before your trip. While in Tibet, you should keep warm all the time, avoid strenuous activities, drink more water and eat more vegetables and carbohydrates. You’d better not take showers during the first two days after your arrival at Tibet. If you don’t feel well, get help from your tour guide or go to the hospital without any delay.

4. How to Go to Tibet

Basically you have two options – flight and train. Currently, you can take a flight to Lhasa from Beijing(4.5hrs), Xian(3.7hrs), Chengdu(2.5hrs), Chongqing(3hrs), Kuming(3hrs), etc. Among all these cities, Chengdu and Xian have more frequent flights to Lhasa. Kathmandu also has several flights to Lhasa each week.

If you a train travel, you can take a train to from Beijing(40.5hrs), Xian(32hrs), Chengdu(43hrs), Shanghai(47hrs), Chongqing(42hrs), Lanzhou(25hrs), Xining(22hrs), Guangzhou(54hrs).

5. Packing and Wearing Ideas

Firstly you can’t forget your passport and Chinese Visa. A large backpack and a smaller one are recommended (the smaller one can be used for daily activities). Also bring the necessary medicine you need. Other stuffs like sunglasses, snow glasses, hats, lip balm, sun block are recommended. As for wearing, you are suggested to dress in layers (both thin and thick jackets). Down jacket is necessary in Spring and Autumn. A pair of durable and comfortable shoes is necessary.