Lhasa Nyingtri Tsedang EBC Kathmandu Overland Tour

This is the first day in Tibet. Your guide will greet you at Lhasa Gonggar Airport/Railway Station and transfer you to your hotel. It usually takes around 1 hour to drive from Lhasa Airport to downtown Lhasa and takes about 20 minutes from Lhasa Railway Station. Tourists could have a look at the Yarlung Tsangpo River, the largest and longest river in Tibet on their way to the hotel. After check-in, you can have a good rest first. And if you feel like going out, you can wander around the city. But just remember that don't take too much stuff, try to go with a light pack. Meanwhile, drink some more water, and do not move strenuously. It’s really useful to get acclimatized to the 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

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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

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In today's excursion outside of Lhasa city, we'll take you to Ganden Monastery which is about 50km northeast of Lhasa. Ganden Monastery is the most special one of the top six Gelug monasteries in Tibet, as it's built by the founder of the Gelug sect - Tsongkhapa in 1409. It's quite worth seeing if this is your first time to travel to Tibet.

En route, we will also visit the less-known-by-tourists Drak Yerpa hermitage, which is about 16km northeast of Lhasa. It's an ancient temple that has a history of more than a thousand years. After passing through a rugged path to the temple, you can see the beautiful scenery in the distance. Compared to the Jokhang Temple and Sera Temple, which are full of incense, there are not many tourists. Only devout Tibetans burn mulberry to worship here, and you can feel the tranquility brought by Tibetan Buddhism.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

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On the way to Namtso, you will have a far view of the Nyenchen Thanglha Snow Mountain. Enjoy the view of the vast grassland and spectacular natural scenery. You'll arrive at Namtso Lake after passing Nagela Pass(5150m). Namtso Lake is one of the three most holy lakes in Tibet, also the third-largest salt lake in China and the highest lake in the world. The name Namtso means “lake from heaven” in the Tibetan language. And the gorgeous landscape is really like heaven.

In late afternoon, you will drive back to Lhasa.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Today we will depart from Lhasa via the G318 national highway, then enter the Lhasa-Nyingchi Expressway and proceed along a canyon. We will visit the national forest park, 5A scenic spot Draksumtso Lake, which means "green water" in Tibetan. The lake is surrounded by snow-capped mountains, and there are Tibetan-style temples on the islands in the lake. It is a famous sacred lake and holy place of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism.

After visiting Draksumtso, continue to Bayi Town (Nyingchi), at an altitude of only 2500 meters. You can enjoy the Southern Niyang River Valley along the way.

Stay overnight in Nyingchi

Lulang means “Loong King Valley” in the Tibetan language, or “a place that will make you forget your home”. It is located abt 80km from Nyingchi. Lulang is not only a forest but also grassland and a pasture. There is dense vegetation, diverse species and prosperous wildflowers. In each season, it shows a different landscape.

Stay overnight in Nyingchi

After breakfast, we will drive from Nyingtri to Tsedang, known as the "Birthplace of Tibetan Culture". All the way, the beautiful scenery on both sides of the Niyang River is accompanied. The distance is 540 kilometers and the estimated travel time is 6.5 hours or so.

Stat overnight in Tsedang

Today, you will visit the major sights of Yarlung Valley in Tsetang, which is considered the cradle of Tibetan civilization. We will go to Trandruk Monastery in the early morning. It's also one of the earliest Monasteries in Tibet. The Pearl Thangka is the highlight of this visit. Then we will head to Yumbulagang Palace, which was the first palace in Tibetan history. The scale of the temple is small, but it's very spectacular as it's towering over the hill and condescending on the top.

Stay overnight in Tsedang

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Tour to Shigatse via Gyantse, en route you will pass by Khamba-la Pass(4794m), where you will be amazed by the breathtaking glimpse of the holy Yamdrok Lake with its turquoise color and snowcapped Mt.Nyenchen Khangsar in the distance. About two-hour-distance away from Yamdrok Lake is Karola Glacier. It isn’t a big glacier, but the white glacier is spectacular from the highway, and it is close enough (about 300 yards) to walk from the highway.

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. Then head to Shigatse via the fertile Nyangchu Valley, a wide agricultural plain where colorfully decorated yaks and horses are used by Tibetan farmers.

Stay overnight in Shigatse

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In the morning, you will visit the home of Panchen Lama - Tashilhunpo Monastery and then drive to Lhatse, a small town located 150 km from Shigatse, and you may have lunch in the local restaurant. After a short rest, you will go ahead to Tingri. You will pass Tsola Pass(4,600m), and Gyatsola Pass(5,248m). In the late afternoon, you enter Mt. Everest National Nature Reserve. You can enjoy the panorama of the Himalayas at Gawula Pass (5,198m). Then you'll drive along the New Zigzag road to Everest Base Camp(5,200m) to stay overnight. If the weather is good, you can have a clear view of the sunset of the Golden Everest Peak.

Stay overnight in Nomad Tent(Dorm Bed) / Guesthouse

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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

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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