11 Days Travel through Tibet to Nepal

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Day 1

Arrival Lhasa Gonggar Airport    Tsedang (Shannan) 
Arrive at Lhasa Gonggar Airport, be met by the TCT guide and transferred directly to Tsedang, where 110km away from the airport. Enjoy the rest of the time by your own arrangement and acclimate the high altitude meanwhile. Stay overnight at Tsedang.
Meals: No meals
Accommodation: In Tsedang

Day 2

Tsedang
Today, you will have a one-day trip around Tsedang including Samye Monastery, and Yombulagang Palace, the first palace in Tibet.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Tsedang
  

Day 3

Tsedang    Lhasa
After breakfast, you will be transfer to Trandruk Monastery, one of the oldest monasteries in Tibet for a visiting, then drive back to Lhasa in the afternoon.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Lhasa

Day 4

Lhasa
A trip to Lhasa would be incomplete without a visit to Potala Palace, the landmark of the city, and Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Lhasa

Day 5

Lhasa
After breakfast, you will take a short visit to Drepung Monastery, a Yellow Hat Sect where the Dalai Lamas were trained, and on to Norbulingka Park, the former summer palace of the 7th Dalai Lama which now houses a small zoo of rare mountain animals. Also visit Sera Monastery where the monks can be seen in red robes and curved yellow hats.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Lhasa
   

Day 6

Lhasa    Yamdrok Lake    Gyangtse
Drive to Gyantse crossing the Khamba La (4790 metres) from where you can see one of the four Sacred Lakes - Yamdrok Lake, and huge mountain ranges. Visit the Pelkor Chode Monastery afterwards.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Gyangtse
   

Day 7

Gyantse    Shigatse
Drive to Shigatse and visit Tashilhunpo Monastery, founded in the 15th century, where the monks still practice the art of making mandalas with coloured sands. Stay overnight at Shigatse.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Shigatse

Day 8

Shigatse    Tingri
Today we drive to Tingri the new town, which also known as Shegar and overnight here. En route visit Sakya Monastery, which is divided into the south and north two parts. It is of typical Yuan Dynasty style of resembling castles. There are a lot of historical articles in the monastery, among them are found a lot of the imperial certificates, gold signets, crowns, costumes bestowed by the Yuan Dynasty emperors. It has over 10,000 volumes of Tibetan books on astronomy, medicine, calligraphy, and history. So the Sakya monastery enjoys the title ‘the second Dun Huang Cave.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Tingri

Day 9

Tingri   Mt. Everest Base Camp    Tingri
Although it's just 100km from Tingri to Everest Base Camp (5200m), it takes about 4 hours since the cracked winding roads demand much caution. But the views are stupendous on a clear day, and feature a huge sweep of the Himalaya range including peaks over 8000, Makalu, Lhotse, Everest, Gyachung and Cho Oyu. When you finally get to Base Camp, the first sight of the mighty Everest simply leaves you speechless. All the hardship you bear along the way makes sense at this while. The best moments to watch Mt. Everest's are early morning and late evening when Everest is shining like a goddess in the sunglow.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Tingri

Day 10

Tingri    Zhangmu
Drive to Zhangmu (350km, bumpy road, around 6 hours driving), and stay overnight there. Though you will spend much time on driving, it is not a boring one. During the way, you can enjoy the spectacular highland scenery through the windows, and you may also take a far view of local villages/towns along.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: In Zhangmu
 

Day 11

Depart from Zhangmu to Nepal by bus 
Pass Zhangmu Port and depart from Tibet to Nepal. You could take public bus from Zhangmu to Kathmandu. (It’s easy to find the bus, Nepal travel is more convenient for independent tourist comparing Tibet).
Meals: Breakfast

End of service

Day 1

Arrival Lhasa Gonggar Airport    Tsedang (Shannan)
Arrive at Lhasa Gonggar Airport, be met by the TCT guide and transferred directly to Tsedang, where 110km away from the airport. Enjoy the rest of the time by your own arrangement and acclimate the high altitude meanwhile. Stay overnight at Tsedang.
Meals: No meals
Accommodation: In Tsedang

Tsedang is one of the largest cities in Tibet and is located in the Yarlung Valley, 183 km southeast of Lhasa in Nedong County of Lhokha Prefecture (Ch. Shannan), Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It's the capital of the Shannan Prefecture (Lhoka Prefecture), it "exercises direct control over the affairs of 13 counties: Gongkar, Tranang, Nedong, Changye, Tso-me, Lhodrok, Nakartse, Zangri, Chutsum, Lhuntse, Tsona, Gyatsa and Nang."

Tsetang has been the capital of Yarlung since ancient times and was the seat of the ancient kings of Tibet and, as such, a place of great importance. In the 19th century it is said to have contained some 1,000 houses, a bazaar, a gompa and a fort.
As the capital of the Shannan Prefecture, it is the second-largest town in the historical Ü-Tsang region. It is at an elevation of 3,100 metres (10,170 ft) and has a population of about 52,000. It is only about 4 km to the northeast of the town of Nêdong but they have now basically merged into one city.

Day 2

Tsedang
Today, you will have a one-day trip around Tsedang including Samye Monastery, and Yombulagang Palace, the first palace in Tibet.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Tsedang
 
Tips: When you enter into a temple or monastery in Tibet, please take off your hats at the entrance to show your respects and follow the clockwise direction for visiting. No smoking, do not touch the Buddha statues, turn the Buddhism scriptures or toll the bell.

Built in the 8th century, Samye Monastery was the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet. Samye is famous for its sacred mandala design: the central temple symbolizes the legendary Mount Meru, center of the universe. It is a popular pilgrimage destination for Tibetan Buddhists, some of whom travel on foot for weeks to reach it.

Perched on the summit of the Jormo Zhaxi Ceri Mountain on the east bank of the Yarlung River, Yumbulagang is the first palace in Tibet. It was built for the first Tibetan King by Bon believers in the 2nd century, and became the summer palace of King Songtsan Gampo and Princess Wencheng. Then the 5th Dalai Lama changed it to the temple of Old-Yellow Hat Sect.
 

Day 3

Tsedang    Lhasa
After breakfast, you will be transfer to Trandruk Monastery, one of the oldest monasteries in Tibet for a visiting, then drive back to Lhasa in the afternoon.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Lhasa

Tradruk Monastery is one of the earliest Buddhist temples in Tibet. It is said that the temple was built by King Songtsan Gampo and later became the winter palace of the King and Princess Wencheng in Tsedang. Tradruk Monastery houses the Pearl Tangkha, which was made of 29,026 pearls and different precious stones.

Lhasa, whose name means 'the Land of Gods' in Tibetan, is the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region. Due to its sufficient sunshine annually, it is also famed as 'the Sunshine City'. It is the center of Tibet's political, economic, cultural and religious activities. Lhasa is an ancient city with its time-honored 1,300 years' history. It was called 'Luosha' or 'Luoxie' which mean 'dert-delivering-by-sheep' in the ancient times.
 

Day 4

Lhasa
A trip to Lhasa would be incomplete without a visit to Potala Palace, the landmark of the city, and Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Lhasa

The awe-inspiring Potala Palace, perched high above much of Lhasa, is the landmark of the city. The palace which consists of the Red Palace, the White Palace and some attached buildings was a complex of political and religious function. Now it is a huge treasure house for materials and articles of Tibetan history, religion, culture and arts.

Located at the center of the old Lhasa, Jokhang Temple is the spiritual center of Tibet. Built in 647 by Songtsen Gampo, it has a history of more than 1,300 years. The temple is the fine product of Han, Tibetan and Nepalese architecture techniques. Visitors will be treated to the sight of various exotic and sacred sculptures. Jokhang Temple also houses many invaluable cultural relics. Every year, the Great Prayer Festival is held here. 

The local Tibetan lunch is very different from the previous cities, but you will find its specialist and enjoy it.

Then continue your visit to Barkhor Street, which is a famous commercial and commodity-distributing center in Lhasa, consisting of more than 120 handicrafts shops and more than 200 stalls. It is a good choice that should never be missed by tourists coming to Lhasa, for you can buy anything Tibet-related, from sacks of incense, chunks of yak butter to monk outfits. Barkhor is the road that pilgrims tramped out around Jokhang Temple through centuries. When walking along Barkhor Street, you should move in the clockwise direction.
 

Day 5

Lhasa
After breakfast, you will take a short visit to Drepung Monastery, a Yellow Hat Sect where the Dalai Lamas were trained, and on to Norbulingka Park, the former summer palace of the 7th Dalai Lama which now houses a small zoo of rare mountain animals. Also visit Sera Monastery where the monks can be seen in red robes and curved yellow hats.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Lhasa

Located 5 km from Lhasa, the Drepung Monastery is considered one of the three great monasteries in Tibet. It was first built in 1416, and held 7,700 monks in its heyday. In Tibetan language, Drepung Monastery means monastery of collecting rice.

Norbulingka means Jewel Garden. First built in 1751, it borrowed architectural style from the inland areas of China while maintaining local ethnic and religious features. Norbulingka served as a traditional summer palace and residence starting with the 7th Dalai Lama, and now it is the largest garden in Tibet.

The Sera Monastery is the last of the three principal Yellow Sect monasteries built in Lhasa. The setting itself is very beautiful with cobbled alleyways, temples and colleges. The highlight of visiting Sera Monastery will be watching monks debating inside the shady courtyard behind the main temple. Every day, hundreds of red-robed monks assemble in small groups and practice their debating skills.   
 

Day 6

Lhasa    Yamdrok Lake    Gyangtse
Drive to Gyantse crossing the Khamba La (4790 metres) from where you can see one of the four Sacred Lakes - Yamdrok Lake, and huge mountain ranges. Visit the Pelkor Chode Monastery afterwards.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Gyangtse

Yamdrok Lake is one of the three holiest lakes in Tibet. It is located 100 km southwest of Lhasa and surrounded by Mt. Kampala, Mt. Nyinchenkhasa, Mt. Chetungsu and Mt. Changsamlhamo. The holy lake is a pilgrimage site for Tibetans. Every summer, groups of pilgrims trek there to pray and receive blessings. Befitting its religious importance, the turquoise blue lake has indescribable scenic beauty, prompting the Tibetans to compare it with a fairyland in Heaven.  

p.s. From November to March of the next year, water of Yamdrok Lake will freeze due to the weather condition.
 

Day 7

Gyantse    Shigatse
Drive to Shigatse and visit Tashilhunpo Monastery, founded in the 15th century, where the monks still practice the art of making mandalas with coloured sands. Stay overnight at Shigatse.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Shigatse

Founded by the First Dalai Lama in 1447, Tashilumpu Monastery is one of the six big monasteries in Tibet. It is the seat of the Panchen Lama, the second ranking person in the Gelugpa Tibetan Buddhist hierarchy, after the Dalai Lama. The monastery houses the tombs of Panchen Lamas and a 22.4-meter statue of Mai treya Buddha. Tanshilumpu remains popular among the Tibetans, as they carry on coming here on pilgrimage.

Standing on the entrance of Tashihunpo, you can see the grand buildings with golden roofs and white walls. The remarkable Tangka wall which is nine-floor high, displays the images of Buddha on the 14th, 15th and 16th of May every year following the Tibetan Lunar Calendar.
 

Day 8

Shigatse    Tingri
Today we drive to Tingri the new town, which also known as Shegar and overnight here. En route visit Sakya Monastery, which is divided into the south and north two parts. It is of typical Yuan Dynasty style of resembling castles. There are a lot of historical articles in the monastery, among them are found a lot of the imperial certificates, gold signets, crowns, costumes bestowed by the Yuan Dynasty emperors. It has over 10,000 volumes of Tibetan books on astronomy, medicine, calligraphy, and history. So the Sakya monastery enjoys the title ‘the second Dun Huang Cave.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Tingri

Situated 160 km west of Shigatse, Sakya Monastery is the principal monastery of the Sakyapa Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Its medieval Mongolian architecture is quite different from temples in Lhasa and Yarlung. Sakya Monastery is famed as the "Second Dunhuang" due to its colossal collection of numerous Tibetan Buddhist scriptures, murals and Thangkas.

The main architectures inside the castle are the Dajing Hall, the Buddhism Hall and the hall where the Sakya archbishop lived. They all preserve the style of Yuan architectures. The Dajing Hall is in the center of the temple and occupies an area of 5,700 square meters. The columns and walls inside it are all painted dark red. There are 40 columns, each 10 meters high. On the western, northern and southern sides are fresco corridors while on the eastern side is the hall where Sakyapa Masters are enshrined. To the north of Dajing Hall is the hall for Sakyapa archbishop, with monks dorms on its north and back.

On the shelves of the Dajing Hall and the Buddhism Hall are displayed various hand-written Buddhist scriptures and books of Ming and Qing dynasties. It has the largest number of books among all the temples in Tibet. These scriptures and books are precious materials for research into the Tibetan history.
 

Day 9

Tingri   Mt. Everest Base Camp    Tingri
Although it's just 100km from Tingri to Everest Base Camp (5200m), it takes about 4 hours since the cracked winding roads demand much caution. But the views are stupendous on a clear day, and feature a huge sweep of the Himalaya range including peaks over 8000, Makalu, Lhotse, Everest, Gyachung and Cho Oyu. When you finally get to Base Camp, the first sight of the mighty Everest simply leaves you speechless. All the hardship you bear along the way makes sense at this while. The best moments to watch Mt. Everest's are early morning and late evening when Everest is shining like a goddess in the sunglow.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Tingri

The Base Camp is a small flat piece of land in front of the north face of Mt. Qomolangma. It is at an altitude of 5200m and many people might experience difficulties with the high altitude. Located at the border between China and Nepal, Mt. Qomolangma (also known as the Mt. Everest) with its north slope belongs to China and the south one to Nepal. The peak has been a dreaming attraction for world' s mountaineers. Recently more and more mountaineers start off from the Base Camp trying to conquer the world's highest peak while travelers trek to the foot of the peak to enjoy its beauty through their own eyes. Around Mt. Qomolangma, there are four peaks above 8,000 meters high, including Mt. Makarluh, Gosanthain, Zhuoyo, Shishabanma and other 14 peaks above 7,000 meters, which form a soul-stirring picture of Mt. Qomolangma natural scenery area.
 

Day 10

Tingri    Zhangmu
Drive to Zhangmu (350km, bumpy road, around 6 hours driving), and stay overnight there. Though you will spend much time on driving, it is not a boring one. During the way, you can enjoy the spectacular highland scenery through the windows, and you may also take a far view of local villages/towns along.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: In Zhangmu
 

Day 11

Depart from Zhangmu to Nepal by bus 
Pass Zhangmu Port and depart from Tibet to Nepal. You could take public bus from Zhangmu to Kathmandu. (It’s easy to find the bus, Nepal travel is more convenient for independent tourist comparing Tibet).
Meals: Breakfast 

Full price of this tour (per person in US$):

Recommended Hotels:

City	Standard Hotel ★★★	First Class Hotel ★★★★	Deluxe Hotel ★★★★★
Lhasa	Lhasa Shangbala Hotel	Lhasa Xinding Hotel	Four Points by Sheraton Lhasa
Shigatse	Shandong Hotel Shigatse	Shigatse Jiumu Yamei International Hotel	-

Optional Local Specialties & Night Shows:

City

Local Specialties

Nights Shows