Kathmandu to Lhasa Overland Tour
- Duration:
- 8 Days
- Price:
- From USD1684
- Route:
- Kathmandu-Tingri-Shigatse-Lhasa
- Season:
-
- Spring
- Summer
- Autumn
- Winter
- Tour Type:
- Private Tour
Overview
This is a popular overland trip across Nepal & Tibet. From the moist, green oxygen-rich jungles of Kathmandu to the wild and wholly Tibetan countryside, then finally reach Lhasa(the Place of the Gods). En route, visit Everest Base Camp and see Mt Everest’s north face framed in the prayer flags of Rongbuk Monastery, appreciate Karola Glacier and alpine Yamdroktso Lake, etc. Finally, visit the holy city of Lhasa and its prominent historical architecture of Potala Palace, the mystical Jokhang temple, the sprawling Drepung monastery and Dalai Lama's royal garden Norbulingka.
| Day | Route | Attractions & Activities |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kathmandu to Gyirong, 160km, Approx. 8hrs | Pick up from your hotel to Gyirong |
| 2 | Gyirong-Tingri | Gyirong Valley, Mt. Shishapangma, Lake Peikutso |
| 3 | Tingri - EBC - Tingri | Rongbuk Monastery, Everest Base Camp |
| 4 | Tingri to Shigatse | Tashilhunpo Monastery |
| 5 | Shigatse - Gyantse - Lhasa | Pelkor Chode Monastery, Karola Glacier, Yamdroktso Lake |
| 6 | Lhasa Sightseeing | Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street |
| 7 | Lhasa Sightseeing | Norbulingka, Drepung Monastery |
| 8 | Departure from Lhasa | Send off to the airport/railway station |
Daily Itinerary
CollapseAfter breakfast, your driver will pick you from your hotel(altitude: 1300m) and drive to Gyirong port(altitude: 2000m). Although the distance is only 160km, it takes about 10 hours to Gyirong border due to the muddy road condition. Alternatively, you can choose to take a helicopter to Gyriong from Kathmandu, which only takes 25 mins but the price would be much higher.
After arriving at Gyirong port and getting through the custom, you will meet your Tibetan guide and driver. They will take you to Gyirong town（altitude: 2000m) for acclimatization.
Stay overnight in Gyirong
Gyirong Valley is the westernmost and deepest of the five Himalayan valleys. It is full of vitality and green, also known as "Tibet's last secret realm" and "the back garden of Mount Everest". Here you can see the different beauty of Tibet - snow-capped mountains, glaciers, grasslands and lakes. From Gyirong to Nyalam County and then to Tingri, you will follow the 219 National Highway, and see the winding snow-capped mountains. Among these snow-capped mountains, the most famous is Shishapangma, which is 8,012 meters above sea level and is the fourteenth highest mountain in the world. At the foot of Shishapangma is Peikutso Lake, the only and largest barrier lake in Shigatse City. It is shaped like a gourd and extremely blue.
Stay overnight in Tingri
About 3km from the Friendship Highway, you get to the village of Chay. From Chay, it’s a winding drive up to Pang-la (5,050m). The view here is stupendous on a clear day and features major mountains of the Himalayan range, including Makalu, Lhotse, Everest, Gyachung and Cho Oyu. The road then descends past a couple of photogenic villages and runs down into the fertile Dzaka Valley and Tashi Dzom village. The dirt road then runs up the wide valley, to Pagsum village. The next main village is Cho Dzom and from here the road turns south towards Rongbuk Monastery. The first view of Mt.Everest appears half an hour before you reach Rongbuk. After sightseeing at Rongbuk and Everest Base Camp(5,200m), you will return to Tingri for the night.
Stay overnight in Tingri
Drive from Tingri to Shigatse today via G318, which covers a distance of 250km and takes about 4hrs. Please feel free to ask your driver to stop at any time if you want to take a photo of the fantastic view along the way.
In the afternoon, you will visit Tashilhunpo Monastery - the home of Panchen Lama. It was founded by the 1st Dalai Lama in 1447 and is a historic and culturally important monastery in Shigatse.
Stay overnight in Shigatse
Drive Shigatse to Lhasa via Gyantse by Southern Friendship Highway. You will pass by the fertile Nyangchu Valley, a wide agricultural plain where colorfully decorated yaks and horses are used by Tibetan farmers to till the land. Arriving at Gyantse, you will visit Pelkor Chode Monastery. This magnificent multi-door structure is not only the largest stupa in Tibet but also has old sculptures and paintings all around its inner walls. En route, you will see Karola Glacier, which looks spectacular from the highway, as well as the holy Yamdroktso Lake with its turquoise color and snowcapped Mt.Nyenchen Khangsar in the distance.
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
In the morning, we will visit Norbulingka, which is a typical Tibetan-style royal garden, the summer resort of the Dalai Lama. There are a lot of towering trees, exotic flowers and plants in the garden, as well as many collections of cultural relics, Buddha statues, pagodas, thangkas, murals, etc. They are all very precious treasures.
In the afternoon, you are heading to Drepung Monastery, which means Monastery of Rice Heap in the Tibetan language. The entire monastery is large in scale and the white buildings cluster and cover the hillsides. Drepung monastery is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery, also the highest-ranking monastery in the Gelug Sect.
Stay overnight in Lhasa
Your tour ends today. Our guide and driver will collect you from your hotel to transfer to Lhasa Airport/Railway Station for your next destination.
Tour Price and Service
From US$1684 p/p
Based on 3-star hotels for 2 people in low seasons. Price varies according to travel season, number of people and level of accommodation.
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.
Thank you for your mail. sorry for the late reply, I was a little bit sick after the trip LOL, Thank you for helping me organizing the trip, you were very helpful, fast respond, communicative, and informative During the trip, my guide Tenzin and Namka, taking care of all of us- ensuring that we are ....
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Typically Asked Questions from Our Clients
Asked by Wolf***
Hello,
we would like to visit Tibet through Kathmandu and we would like to ask you for a offer with planning (for a privat tour).
Are ideas are so far to arrive in Kathmandu on the 25th of May 2025 and depart from Kathmandu back to Europe on the 8th of June. In this two week we would like to do an approx. 8 days trip to tibet.
Could you please offer us a package with Lhasa, EBC etc.
We bet on your advice whether it is better to do it with two flights or with an one way flight tour.
Lokking for your proposal.
Dear Wolf****,
We can arrange the Kathmandu to Lhasa Overland Private Tour departing on 29 May 2025. Currently, the flight between Kathmandu and Lhasa departs every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I suggest you fly to Lhasa and then drive south to Kathmandu, in this case, you don't need to get back to Lhasa again. The Lhasa to Kathmandu route gives you more time to adapt to the high altitude of EBC than the Kathmandu to Lhasa route.
Asked by Ana ***
Hello,
I'm a solo traveler and would like to join a group tour from Kathmandu to Lhasa for 7 or 8 days.
I will be in Nepal and my visa expires 11 November.
Do you have any group tours confirmed that exit Nepal around that date?
I'll entry China on Italian passport (15 days visa free) and exit Tibet with a train to the East (Chengdu probably).
I'd rather do homestays or hostels, or even camping for one or two nights.
Dear Ana****,
Up to now, we don't have a group tour from Kathmandu to Lhasa overland around 11 Nov. It's not easy to recruit enough tourists to join this group tour as it is about only one month left. In addition, the Tibet permit takes about 12 working days.
I suggest you consider a tour starting and ending in Lhasa. I recommend 8 Days Lhasa to Everest Base Camp Group Tour to you. For this group tour, we have a departure date of 15 Nov. You can take a flight to a mainland China city on 11 Nov., visit the city for two/three days then take a train to Lhasa.
Not all hotels or guesthouses can receive foreign tourists. 3-star hotels or similar are the basic hotels for foreign tourists. In addition, hotels in Tibet are not as good as those in mainland China cities.
Asked by Mich***
I would like to do the tour when we have school vacation....specifically from November 11-19, 2 person. I would be coming from Istanbul, Turkey
Dear Mich****,
According to the policy of the authority, all international tourists enter Tibet by air or land from Nepal, they need to apply for a China group visa at the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu.
It's difficult to apply for a China Group Visa because it requires at least 4 travelers on the same itinerary together and all applicants from one list must come to the Visa Center for application. If some of them will not come then the application will not be accepted. I suggest you apply for a China visa at your nearby Chinese Embassy to make it applicable. And we can provide you with supporting documents after you book with us. Then you can fly to Lhasa via other cities in China.
We can arrange a similar 8-day Lhasa to Everest Base Camp Tour for you.
Asked by sand***
I would like do visit Tibet in November 2023, near de full moon. I will stay in Kathmandu, so I need a tour from there, by land to Lhasa and other places and back to Kathmandu by plane. Do you have same tour package similar?
Dear Sand****,
Tourists from Kathmandu to Tibet overland are required to apply for China Group Visa. It requires 4 applicants to present together for an interview and have their fingerprints collected. For tourists on the same Group Visa, they should exit China at the pre-arranged city together, as the exiting city listed on the group visa should be exactly as same as their export city. In addition, we won't open Kailash tours from November till early April because of the cold weather and snowy road conditions. Would you consider postponing your tour in 2024?
If you have any further questions or doubts, please let me know without hesitation. It is my pleasure to work with you at any time.
Asked by Patr***
Hi. Hope this mail finds you well. We are interested in a +/- 13 days trip from Katmandou to Lhasa the "Friendship Highway" . BUT because of our jobs, it has to take place between 28 AUG and 15 SET. Any proposal?
Dear Patr***,
According to the policy of the authority, all international tourists enter Tibet by air or land from Nepal, they need to apply for a China group visa at the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu.
It's difficult to apply for a China Group Visa now because the visa center in Kathmandu requires 4 applicants to present together for biometrics. If some of them cannot come then the application will not be accepted therefore the China group visa cannot be issued.
So I'm afraid you can't get a China group visa at the China visa center in Kathmandu.
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