Day 01: Kathmandu to Lhasa (3600m)

Today we fly from kathmandu to Lhasa. It is a very exciting flight where you fly all over the shores of the Himalayas. If visibility is good, you can see green valleys, white glaciers and many of the Himalayas’ highest mountain peaks. After landing in Lhasa, we go to centrally located cozy hotel established to cater service to tourist. The day is used to relax in and go for short walks in the city, helps in acclimatization or help our body to adopt new climate and weather condition. This process helps us to be mentally and physically fit to go on higher altitude and prevent ourselves from altitude sickness.

Day 02 and 03:  Tour of cultural and historical sites in Lhasa.Today, we go to visit historical and Buddhist religious sites such, such as Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street, Sera Monastery and Drepung Monastery.

As we are in Lhasa, we must visit the Potala Palace, the seat of His Holiness Dalai Lama, who now lives in Dharamsala, India, in refugee status like many other Tibetan refugee. The Potala is a huge palace with hundreds of rooms. Only a small part is open for tourists to visit.

Visit Sera and Drepung monastery the large monasteries located in the outskirt of Lhasa city. It’s hard to imagine that around 30,000 monks lived here in before the control of Tibet by china

We walk on the Barkhor, the sacred tour around the Jokhang temple with hundreds of cheering pilgrims who have sometimes come from very far. The Jokhang is the religious heart of the Tibetan Buddhist world.

Day 04: Lhasa – Shigatse 3900 m

Today we drive to the Gangba la pass located at the altitude of 5030m from the sea level to Shigatse. We drive along the fantastic deep blue Yamdro-Tso (Tso = more in Tibetan) and pass the Kubum monastery in Gyantse. A high tower with 13 stories building. In each ring, a number of sacred chambers are made, specially dedicated to a deity.

Day 05: Shigatse – Rongbuk monastery 5009m/ Everest basecamp 5200 m

Then we drive further over the Tibetan plateau to Tingri. On the new road it is around 2 to 3hour drive from Tingri to Rongbuk located at the altitude of 5009m from the sea level. Rongbuk Monastery was founded in 1902 by the Nyingmapa sect Lama Ngawang Tenzin Norbu in an area of meditation huts and caves that had been in use by communities of nuns since the 18th century. Hermitage meditation caves dot the cliff walls all around the monastery complex and up and down the valley. From the top of the Kyaoola pass located at the altitude of 5180m from sea level, we can see an astonishing   Eagle’s eye view  of the Himalayan mountain range with four mountains peaks above 8000 meters: Choyu (8201m), Makalu (8463m),  Lhotse (8516m) and Everest (8848m). All these peaks are located in Nepal’s territory.

Day 06:  Everest base camp 5200m- Kerung 2600 m

Today we go to visit the Everest Base camp (bus or hiking) where you are just a little closer to the highest mountain in the world from Tibet (but not in Tibet). After spending some time we come back to Rongbuk we further drive on the old road to Tingri and to Saga. Now we also have a view of the Mt. Shisapangma located in south central Tibet, 5 km away from the border of Nepal is one of fourteen mountains peak higher than 8000m. We now drive parallel to the Langtang range of Himalaya from the north side. Langtang range is also located inside the Nepal’s territory.

Day 07: Kerung – Nepal – Kathmandu border 1200 m

We are now driving down into a green jungle! The snow mountains left behind and we enjoy the flowers, trees, fern and mosses covered perpendicular walls and waterfalls. We drive to the Tibetan-Nepalese border post at, Rashuwaghadi. At Rashuwagadi we cross friendship bridge built across the Trishuli river and we have to enter in to Nepal.  Here we have to do necessary border formalities and drive from Rashuwaghadi to Kathmandu (130 km 8 hours). In Nepal time is 2 hours and 15 minutes ahead than in Tibet.