7 Days Kathmandu to Lhasa Overland Small Group Tour with Mount Everest Base Camp

Tour Overview

For this 7-day Kathmandu to Lhasa tour, we have a chance to see amazing views of the Himalaya and the picturesque Tibetan countryside greet you on the overland drive...

Code of Tour: YCT0000003564

Length of Travel: 7 Day

Destinations of Tour: Lhasa

Departure City: Kathmandu

Price of Tour: Request

Type of Tour:

Features of Tour: Nature Culture History Minority Landscape

More Map & Picture

For this 7-day Kathmandu to Lhasa tour, we have a chance to see amazing views of the Himalaya and the picturesque Tibetan countryside greet you on the overland drive from Kathmandu to Lhasa en route from renowned Everest Base Camp, to Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet, the Tashihunpo monastery, the seat of the Panchen Lamas. Then to Gyantse, with its unique Palkor Monastery and KumbumChorten. The tour ends in Lhasa. 

Highlights

• Go down into the bowels of the Potala Palace, the impressive but spiritless citadel of the Dalai Lamas;
• Join the shuffling, murmuring pilgrims around the shrines of the Jokhang Temple, the spiritual heart of Tibet;
• Follow monks, mendicants and fellow pilgrims around the Barkhor Street, Lhasa’s fascinating medieval pilgrim circuit;
• Take in a prayer meeting or some monk debating at Sera and Drepung Monastery, two of the largest and most intact of Tibet’s great monasteries;
• Marvel at the turquoise waters of Yamdrok-tso Lake, one of Tibet’s most sacred lakes.

Brief Itinerary

• Day 1 Kathmandu to Rashuwaghadi
• Day 2 Gyirong to Tingri
• Day 3 Tingri to EBC to Shigatse
• Day 4 Shigatse to Lhasa via Gyantse
• Day 5 Lhasa
• Day 6 Lhasa
• Day 7 Lhasa Departure

Google Map

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Kathmandu to Rashuwaghadi 130km

Sightseeing and Activities:the sightseeing along the way
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:none

Our staff will pick up from your hotel in Kathmandu in the morning and then we will drive along small mountain road to the border at Nepalese side; on the way you can enjoy thewaterfall, river, gorges, forest. Finally, we will arrive at Rashuwaghadi.

Stay overnight in local guesthouse in the Gyirong County (2700m)

Notice: Transfer from Kathmandu to Rashuwaghadi is an option need to pay extra 250USD/car， or use the public jeep transfer around 30-50USD/per person.

Day 2 Gyirong to Tingri 300km

Sightseeing and Activities:snow-capped mountain, evergreen forest, Tongla Pass, epic mountain vista of Himalayan range
Accommodation:Tingri
Meals:breakfast

After you enter Tibet, you will be meeting the Tibetan tour guide at Gyirong border and then you will get transferred from Gyirong to Old Tingri (4300m). On the way, you will enjoy the view beautiful border line and snow-capped mountain and evergreen forest. As you pass Tongla Pass (5100m) , you can appreciate the epic mountain vista of Himalayan range.

Stay overnight in hotels in Tingri. 

Day 3 Tingri to EBC to Shigatse 450km

Sightseeing and Activities:Gawu La Pass, panoramic view of Himalayas, Everest Base Camp, Rongbuk Monastery
Accommodation:Shigatse
Meals:breakfast

Today you will travel from Tingri to EBC and later keep moving to Shigatse. On the way to EBC, you are expected to pass famous Gawu La Pass(5198m) where top 4 highest peaks along Great Himalayas are within easy sight. And you can enjoy the panoramic view of Himalayas in the moring. Then we will visit long-awaited Everest Base Camp (5200m) on Tibet’s side. You can explore the Rongbuk Monastery (5154m) the highest Buddhist monastery in the world. Later, we are about to drive to Shigatse. 

Stay overnight in hotels in Shigatse.

Day 4 Shigatse to Lhasa via Gyantse 375km

Sightseeing and Activities:TashiLhunpo Monastery, Barley Mill, landscape of Barley Field, Khumbum, Palkhor Chode Monastery, Gyantse old street, Manak Dam Lake, Korola Glacier, Gangbala Pass, turquoise Yamdrok Lake, Mount Nyenchen Khangsar
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:breakfast

In the morning, you will visit the famous Tashilhunpo Monastery where you can see the well preserved largest statue of Jampa(future Buddha) in the world. This monastery is the seat of Tibet’s second highest incarnation, the Panchen Lama. In summer, we can also visit traditional Barley Mill and view the landscape of Barley Field.

After visiting the Tashilhunpo Monastery, there is a short drive just 90km to Gyantse, which boasts a variety of important cultural and historical sites – Kumbum, Palkhor Chode Monastery and Gyantse old street and magnificient vista of Gyangtse Fortress. 

Then, we drive 280km to Lhasa, as you pass Manak Dam Lake, you may hang pray flag at Simila Mountain Pass; Next, comes the close view of Karola Glacier on the roadside;  Then, you will pass the Gangbala Pass (5030m) to view turquoise Yamdrok Lake and snow-capped Mount Nyenchen Khangsar. Finally, you will also cross the Brahmaputra River and finally reach Lhasa.

Stay overnight in hotels in Lhasa.

Day 5 Lhasa Tour – Potala Palace, Johkang Temple, and Barkhor Street

Sightseeing and Activities:Potala Palace, Jokhang temple, statue of Buddha Sakyamuni, Barkhor street
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:breakfast

Today’s tour will first bring you to the Potala Palace which is the winter palace of the Dalai lama. It was put to use since the 7th Century by the 33rd great king of Tibet. The most valuable collections of Potala Palace are the gilded burial stupas of former Dalai Lamas and meditation Cave of the 33rd great king of Tibet.

Then after lunch, tourists head to Jokhang Temple which was founded by the 33rd great king of Tibet in the 7th century. Inside you can see the statue of Buddha Sakyamuni at the age of twelve. Outside, you can see pilgrims making prostrating in front of Jokhang Temple. Around the temple is Barkhor Street, where you can do kora (a religious circle of a building or mountain) with pilgrims and locals, and explore the old market.

Besides, We can taste Tibetan tea with locals in tea house; The welcome dinner will also be arranged accordingly;

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Day 6 Lhasa

Sightseeing and Activities:Drepung monastery, Sera Monastery
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:breakfast

In the morning ,you are going to visit Drepung Monastery which is one of the “great three” Gelug monasteries of Tibet, founded in 1416 by Jamyang choge, one of the Tsongkhapa’s main disciples. You can visit biggest monastery kitchen inside the monastery and enjoy Buddhist Sculpture Carving workshop near Drepung. 

In the Afternoon, Tourists will visit Sera Monastery which is another one of the “great three” Gelug monasteries of Tibet. The hot attraction is the Monks debate at around 3 – 5 in the afternoon. In addition, you can tour  the Tibetan religious scripture printing house; inside the monastery, you can see three sand Mandalas and colorful Rock Painting of Buddha.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Day 7 Lhasa Departure

Sightseeing and Activities:Depart from Lhasa
Accommodation:none
Meals:breakfast

You will be accompanied with tour guide to airport/train station by private car, which wraps up the entire tour. 

Recommended Hotels

Quotations

Service Included:

• Tibet travel permit and all other necessary permits to Tibet;
• All entrance ticket fees for all tourist sites listed in the itinerary;
• Meals as specified in the itinerary;
• Local tour Transfers, 5-29 seats comfortable Tourist Vehicle according to Group Size.;
• Knowledgeable English-speaking Tibetan local tour guide shared in your group;
• Comfortable Hotel Accommodations;
• Service Charge & Government Taxes;
• The above tour price does not include single room supplement. If you are a solo traveler, you need to share one room with another tourist (same sex in most cases); if you prefer to stay in one room by yourself, you will have to pay the single room supplement. And the exact price depends on market fluctuation in high and off season of Tibet tour. For the exact price, please refer to your travel consultant.
• Arrangements include planning, handling, operational and communication charges.
• Welcome Dinner in local restaurant when group members meet in Lhasa
• Free Airport shuttle transfer between Lhasa Gongar airport and Hotel on designated time.
• Group tours only include a welcome dinner after your arrival in Tibet.
• Tibet Handy Map
• Drinking water Provided during the trip
• One shared big Oxygen tank in the car;
• Tourist accident/casualty insurance;
• Optional Items:
• * Private Transfer from Kathmandu to border Rashuwaghadi(130KM), 250USD/car

Service Excluded:

• International flight to and out of China;
• Domestic flight/train to and out of Lhasa. (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.)
• Lunches and dinners are not included, please pay on site by yourself.; usually it costs about USD3-15 per person for one meal in TAR (Tibet Autonomous Region).
• Tips to tour guide and driver, you are suggested to tip them 7 USD/day in total.;
• 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.
• Notice：
• The price Quotation does not include Kathmandu to border transfer. If you need this service, please pay to our Nepal office according the group size.
• Or buy a seat of public jeep transfer from Kathmandu to Rashuwaghadi transfer with about 30-50USD per person. Our company can arrange that for the guests.

Travel Tips:

1. What Are the Features of Our Group Tours
Our Group Tours are budget tour packages with great service which have covered the most popular destinations in Tibet with reasonable trip lengths. Joining in our group tours, you will choose your travel dates from our fixed departures and travel in a small group with maximum members of 12 people.

2. 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.)

3. Available Months to Visit Tibet
Generally speaking, you can travel to Lhasa all year around. But months from April to October are more recommended. If you want to extend your trip to other regions, such as Shigatse, Mount Everest, Namtso, Ngari, etc, you are suggested to visit during April to October. Other months are usually very cold, and possible have heavy snow, especially in regions like Mount Everest, Mount Kailash, Namtso Lake, etc.

4. 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.

5. 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. You can also fly to Lhasa from Kathmandu(1.5hrs) .Xian(32hrs), Chengdu(43hrs), Shanghai(47hrs), Chongqing(42hrs), Lanzhou(25hrs), Xining(22hrs), Guangzhou(54hrs).

6. 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.