Chengdu Tibet Nepal Overland Tour by Flight
- Duration:
- 13 Days
- Route:
- Chengdu-Lhasa-Shigatse-EBC-Gyirong-Kathmandu
- Season:
-
- Spring
- Summer
- Autumn
- Winter
- Tour Type:
- Private Tour
Overview
It's a good idea to go to Tibet from Chengdu after visiting the giant pandas and enjoying its local food and culture. You will take a flight from Chengdu to Lhasa, then experience an epic overland journey from Lhasa to Kathmandu, spend one night at Mount Everest Base Camp, and arrive in Kathmandu via Gyirong Port. You will explore spectacular scenery, have a better understanding of Tibetan Buddhism and feel the mysterious charm.
Day | Route | Attractions & Activities |
---|---|---|
1 | Arrive in Chengdu | Pick up and transfer to the hotel |
2 | Chengdu Sightseeing | Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, Wenshu Temple, Jinli Street |
3 | Flight: Chengdu-Lhasa | Send off and pick up |
4 | Lhasa Sightseeing | Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street |
5 | Lhasa - Gyantse - Shigatse, 360km, Approx, 7hrs | Yamdroktso Lake, Karola Glacier, Pelkor Chode Monastery |
6 | Shigatse - Tingri - EBC, 350km, Approx. 7hrs | Tashilhunpo Monastery, Sunset of Golden Everest Peak |
7 | EBC – Gyirong Border, 370km, Approx. 8hrs | Everest Base Camp |
8 | Gyirong - Kathmandu, 160km, Approx. 7hrs | Transfer to Kathmandu via Gyirong Border |
9 | Kathmandu Sightseeing | Swyambhunath Stupa, Boudhanath Stupa, Pashupatinath Temple |
10 | Kathmandu - Nagarkot, 35km, Approx. 1.5hrs | Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Nagarkot Village |
11 | Nagarkot-Kathmandu, 35km, Approx. 1.5hrs | Patan Durbar Square, Patan Museum |
12 | Kathmandu Sightseeing | Kathmandu Durbar Square |
13 | Departure from Kathmandu | Send off to the airport |
Daily Itinerary
CollapseUpon arrival at the airport/railway station, you will find your guide/driver holding your name sign at the exit. Then they will transfer you to your hotel in downtown Chengdu. The rest of the day is your free time.
Stay overnight in Chengdu
You will spend a whole day visiting Chengdu which has a reputation of a land of abundance. In the morning, pay a visit to Chengdu Panda Breeding Center, the home to giant pandas. The Panda Breeding Center is 10km(6 miles) in the north of Chengdu. When you arrive here, you will just catch up with the pandas' feeding time so pandas are at their most active. Then you can visit the panda museum. It takes about 2.5 hours to visit this site. After visiting Panda Breeding Center, we will drive you to Wenshu Monastery, the best-preserved Buddhist temple in Chengdu. It is the home of the Buddhist Association of Sichuan Province and Chengdu City. In Wenshu Monastery, you can visit the cultural relic and taste the delicious vegetarian food for dinner. After dinner, you may enjoy a short walk at the ancient Jinli Street. Then drive to Daci Temple, a tranquil place in Chengdu's bustling downtown areas, a few steps away from the Chunxi Road the largest shopping center in Chengdu. After a whole day's journey, it's highly recommended to have a rest and appreciate the transitional Cultural Show, including the face-changing performance.
Stay overnight in Chengdu
Transfer to the airport for the flight to Lhasa, which takes about 2.5 hours. Upon your arrival at Lhasa Airport, look for your Tibetan guide who will hold your name sign waiting for you at the exit. Then transfer to your hotel in downtown Lhasa. After arriving in Lhasa, please have a good rest and get acclimatized to high altitude.
Stay overnight in Lhasa
In the morning our guide will meet you at the hotel and first take you to visit the famous Potala Palace, the cardinal landmark of Tibet and the masterpiece of Tibetan architecture. It was first built by the 33rd King - Songtsen Gangpo in the 7th century and rebuilt later by the 5th Dalai Lama in the 17th century. Now it's a museum and world heritage site.
In the afternoon, we will go to visit Jokhang Temple in the center of the Lhasa old town. Jokhang Temple is the most sacred temple in Tibet and it is always bustling with earnest local pilgrims since the early days. After that, you will take a walk around the Barkhor Street - one of the most devotional circuits as well as a crowded central market of Lhasa. Barkhor Street is a very ancient round street surrounding the Jokhang Temple and the locals are always proud of it. As a symbol of Lhasa, it‘s also a must-see place for visitors.
Stay overnight in Lhasa
From Lhasa to Gyantse is about 264km, en route you will pass by Gambala Mountain Pass (4790m), where's the best place to overlook the Yamdroktso Lake. Later we will pass and enjoy the Karola Glacier, which looks spectacular from the highway. Then visit the main monastery in Gyantse - Pelkor Chode Monastery, famous for its exquisite architecture and intact murals and statues. Finally head to Shigatse via the fertile Nyangchu Valley, a wide agricultural plain where yaks and horses are used by Tibetan farmers to cultivate this land.
Stay overnight in Shigatse
In the morning, you will visit the home of Panchen Lama - Tashilhunpo Monastery, which was founded by the 1st Dalai Lama in 1447, a culturally important monastery in Shigatse. Then you will leave Shigatse for Lhatse for lunch. After a short break, you will continue to Tingri via Tsola Pass(4,600m), and Gyatsola Pass(5,248m). In the late afternoon, you enter Mt. Everest National Nature Reserve, with countless prayer flags flying in the wind. After ascending to Gawula Pass(5,198m), you can enjoy the panorama of the Himalayas. Then you will drive along the zigzag road to Rongbuk Monastery .
You will stay overnight at Everest Base Camp(5,200m). You can see the glorious sunset of Golden Everest Peak if the weather is good.
Stay overnight at EBC
You can get up early and enjoy the sunrise of Everest Peak at the lodging area if the weather is good. After sightseeing, we will drive to Gyirong, the border that connects Tibet & Nepal. On the way, tourists can enjoy the breathtaking vista of Mt. Shishapangma and Pekutso Lake. After passing the Ghungtang Lhamo(5,236m), we will arrive in Gyirong in the late afternoon.
Stay overnight at Gyirong Town
Drive to Gyirong Port in the early morning. You are required to walk on your own to cross the border bridge which is about 50m long. Your Nepali driver will greet you on the other side of the bridge and transfer you to Kathmandu. Although the distance between Gyirong Port and Kathmandu is only over 160 kilometers, due to the poor mountain road conditions, it takes 6-7 hours from Gyirong Port to Kathmandu.
Stay overnight in Kathmandu
Today you will start to explore Kathmandu with our experienced Nepali guide.
Firstly, you will go to Swyambhunath Temple to see the stupa there. Swyambhunath was built 2000 years ago, even older than Kathmandu city! It's one of the World's Cultural Heritages in Nepal. And it's also called "Monkey Temple" as there are hundreds of wild monkeys living around it. The Swyambhunath Stupa is the second largest stupa in Nepal. The Buddha's eyes were painted on the four sides of the stupa, which means Buddha is watching you. The paint makes it so sacred that many pilgrims come to worship.
Then you will go to see the largest stupa in Nepal, as well as in the world. Boudhanath Stupa is located in the eastern of Kathmandu. 90% of Nepalese are Hindu devotees. You can see Lord Shiva everywhere. But here, Boudhanath is a holy place of Tibetan Buddhism as it's located in the main trading pass between Nepal and Tibet. So, every morning, there are many Tibetan Buddhists doing kora here, which is really an impressive scene.
In the end, we are heading to Pashupatinath Temple, the largest Hindu temple in Nepal. The god of destruction - Shiva is enshrined in it. "Pashu" means "all living creatures", and "Patinath" means "the lord". This temple is also known as the "corpse cremation temple" because it's the place where Hindu devotees cremate the dead bodies in public.
Stay overnight in Kathmandu
Today we are going to visit Bhaktapur Durbar Square first. “Durbar” means “Palace” in Nepalese language. There are three famous Durbar Squares in Nepal, one is in Kathmandu, one is in Bhaktapur, and the last is in Patan. After the 6th. The King of the Malla Dynasty died, and all his three sons wanted to be the new king, so they controlled three different places and fought each other. These three Durbar Squares were built during that time. Bhaktapur Durbar Square is bigger than the other two squares. There are many temples, statues and palaces over 500 years of history there, thus it’s called “The Treasure of Medieval Nepalese Art” and “Outdoor Museum” as well.
Nagarkot is 35km northeast of Kathmandu on the northern fringe of the Kathmandu Valley. Nagarkot is famous for its Himalayan views- the Himalayan peaks at sunrise are a magnificent sight to behold. Nagarkot is surrounded by thickly forested hills of pine trees which give you an idyllic scene.
Stay overnight in Nagarkot village
After enjoying the great sunrise of Himalaya in Nagarkot, today we are going to another Durbar Square---Patan Durbar Square. It’s also one of the world's cultural heritages in Nepal. The biggest difference compared with the other two squares is the Newari classical architecture here.
In the afternoon, we are going to the Patan Museum. It may be the best museum in the South Asian Sub-Continent. It’s a complex of modern and ancient architecture art. The specialty seeing is those bronze statues, which are gods of Hindu and Buddhism. There are three showrooms of Hindu while 2 of Buddhism.
We will go back to Kathmandu in the late afternoon.
Stay overnight in Kathmandu
Today we will go to visit the last Durbar Square -- the one in Kathmandu.
It seems you witness the history of Nepal when you are in Kathmandu Durbar Square as you can see many ancient buildings, artistic carvings, and mysterious temples. Meanwhile, the whiz of motorcycles, street vendors, walking people, football-playing children, flying pigeons, cows, sheep, dogs, and cats make Kathmandu Durbar Square a big busy market in modern times. You can wander around and enjoy your leisure time with the locals. Oh, don't forget to try the special Nepalese food - Momos, one kind of cheap food with great taste.
Stay overnight in Kathmandu
Guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel according to your flight schedule to transfer you to Kathmandu Airport for your flight home.
Our Service
INCLUSIONS
- Tibet Tourism Bureau Permit and all other necessary permits to Tibet;
- All entrance tickets fee for tourist attractions listed in the itinerary;
- Experienced local English-speaking tour guide;
- Travel-licensed vehicle according to group size & season as itinerary needed including gas and parking fee;
- 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 guesthouse. Please tell us your preference;
- Breakfasts provided by hotels;
- Pick-up & Drop-off service from Airport/railway station;
- Travel Agency Liability insurance;
- Government tax;
- Express delivery fee of Permit (eg. SF. Express);
- Food & lodgings for guide & driver;
- Oxygen tank for emergency use;
- Two bottles of mineral water per person per day.
EXCLUSIONS
- International flight to and out of China;
- Chinese Visa/China Group Visa; (Note: we could help you by providing the hotel or domestic flight reservation copies for your Chinese Visa or the invitation letter for your China Group Visa)
- Domestic flight/train to and out of Lhasa; (We can help you book the domestic flight/train ticket at the BEST price. Please contact us for details.)
- Meals are not included but we will recommend some good ones for you according to your requirements. Usually, it takes 5-15 USD per person for each meal.
- While the gratuity for guide and driver is NOT mandatory, it is expected. Based on their service, you can tip them on the last day of the tour. Each of you is suggested to tip them 8-15 USD/day in total;
- All the commission and tax charged by PayPal, Bank, and government when making payment. (e.g. PayPal --- 4.4%. Wire transfer --- 2%);
- Personal expenses, like laundry, phone call, snacks, soft drinks, optional tour activities, etc.
- Anything not mentioned in the Inclusions.
Typically Asked Questions from Our Clients
Asked by Mr. ***
Is it possible to combine the first part of this tour with the Tibet tour of my first enquiry, skipping Nepal?
Dear Wilfried, Yes, it's possible to combine your Tibet tour with Chengdu tour. Please let me know which month you are going to visit, and also your preferred hotel class. I can quote you accordingly.
Asked by Kart***
Nepal & Lhasa - Any Group Tour with flight options and I am living in shanghai
In your inquiry, you mentioned you would like to have the 12 Days Chengdu Tibet Nepal Overland Flight Tour which is a private tour. As travelers less than five, we often suggest them join our small group tour to keep the cost down. How about dividing this tour into two parts? 7 Days Lhasa Mt. Everest Kathmandu Overland Group Tour +6 Days Nepal Private Tour. May I know when would you like to do this tour?
Asked by Fede***
August 2019
Chengdu Tibet Nepal Overland Flight Tour
Could you help me with fligths roundtrip from italy?
In your inquiry, you mentioned three of you would like to do the 12 Days Chengdu Tibet Nepal Overland Tour which is a private tour.
We can book the domestic flight ticket for you. You would better to book the flight ticket from Italy to mainland China by yourself.
Asked by Nikk***
I am hoping to do this tour late April 2019 preferably starting April 22. How much will this trip cost?
In your inquiry, you mentioned that you are interested in our Chengdu Tibet Nepal Overland Flight Tour, which is a private tour. And you want to have it in April 2019. Frankly speaking, the cost of a private tour for a solo traveler would be a little bit expensive. For people less than five, we usually suggest them join our small group tours to keep the cost down.
So, how about we divide this tour into two parts? Tibet (group tour) and Nepal (private tour).
Asked by Lore***
Hi Penny. Would you please price this tour for me? It looks appealing to me as I can get Tibet and Nepal in one tour. Thank you.-Lorenzo
Dear Loren, please let me know when you plan to do this tour first and then I can provide you the cost accordingly. Besides, I have to remind you that all the borders between Nepal and Tibet still are closed now. So you have to return to Lhasa and then fly to Kathmandu (Nepal) instead of travelling to Kathmandu directly through the Zhangmu Port after visiting the EBC.
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