Welcome to Nepal! Upon arrival in Kathmandu a HIM-NAT guide/representative will be at the airport to greet and take us to our hotel. Please look out for your name-card once you exit out of arrival area.

If time permits, explore Kathmandu’s medieval streets, including buildings dating as far back as the 16th century. Overnight stay in Kathmandu.

Accommodation

Hotel Manaslu

Meals

Maximum Altitude

1,350 m

Weather permitting, we have an option to start our day with an scenic mountain flight (optional) over the Himalayas. Or begin your morning visiting Kathmandu’s main sites, including Durbar Square, Teleju Temple and the House of the Living Goddess.

Next, we will visit Swayambhunath, perched high on a hill overlooking Kathmandu Valley. From here we can see the mighty Himalaya rising above the valley. Journey to nearby Patan, the city of arts and architecture founded in AD 250 and known for its fine works in bronze, silver and copper. Many of these treasures can be seen in the new Patan Museum. Also visit the Tibetan Refugee Camp to watch a demonstration in carpet weaving. Overnight stay in Kathmandu.

Accommodation

Hotel Manaslu

Meals

Breakfast

Maximum Altitude

1,350 m

Visit Pashupatinath Temple, the most sacred of all Hindu temples, before heading to Boudhanath and joining Tibetan pilgrims for a walk around its Buddhist stupa.

Afterwards, drive to Bhaktapur, a town with abundant medieval architecture. As we walk along its cobblestone streets, notice the many ornately carved windows for which the town is famous. Overnight stay in Kathmandu.

Accommodation

Hotel Manaslu

Meals

Breakfast

Maximum Altitude

This spectacular flight, on a China Airlines Boeing takes us to Lhasa. The flight from Katmandu to Lhasa is considered one of the most beautiful air routes in the world, as it provides sweeping views of Everest (8,848 m), Kanchenjunga (8,536 m) and other Himalayan peaks.

After landing at Gonggar Airport and meeting our Tibetan guide, it is 45 minutes more to Lhasa city through the new tunnel. Lhasa, the heart and soul of Tibet and one of the highest cities on earth at 3595 m /11,450 feet; Lhasa is also the most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau. Home of the Dalai Lamas and historic Potala Palace, the city reveals modern influences and a beautiful dichotomy between past and present. Spend the remainder of your day acclimatizing due to Lhasa's altitude. Overnight stay in Lhasa.

Accommodation

Kyichu Hotel

Meals

Breakfast

Maximum Altitude

3,595 m

This morning, make the pilgrimage to the vibrant Ani Tsangkung Nunnery where cheerful nuns bustle about. Next, discover the spiritual heart of Tibet and thick scent of incense at the sacred Jokhang, a 1,300-year-old temple housing Tibet’s most revered golden Buddha. After lunch, wander Lhasa’s Barkhor Bazaar, selling all manner of exotic goods.

In the evening, travel just outside the city to the renowned Sera Monastery where you witness lively “monk debates.” Later, discover the Dalai Lama’s former summer residence at Norbulingka, a 99-acre enclave of gardens, ponds and palaces. Overnight stay in Lhasa.

Accommodation

Kyichu Hotel

Meals

Breakfast

Maximum Altitude

3,595 m

After breakfast, visit Sanggye Dhunghor (One Thousand Buddha Cliff), where more than 200 statues are carved into a dramatic rock face, including that of Buddha Akshobya. Next, venture beyond the towering walls of the incredible Potala Palace, a 13-story architectural masterpiece and the former winter residence of the Dalai Lama and a UNESCO World Heritage celebrated for its priceless treasury of Buddhist artifacts and bejeweled tombs of past Dalai Lamas. The Potala was also the tallest building in the world for 200 years following its construction in 1645.

Enjoy the rest of your day at leisure to explore more of Lhasa or to rest at your hotel. Overnight stay in Lhasa.

Accommodation

Kyichu Hotel

Meals

Breakfast

Maximum Altitude

The real adventure begins today. Travel along picturesque Friendship Highway crossing over Karo la (5,010 m), Kambala (4,794 m) colorful Yamdrok lake and the Tibetan country. Appreciate the majestic views of Yamdrok lake, a deep blue body of water renowned for its unique beauty, and the Nazin Kang Sang glacier standing proud at 7,252 m.

Driving about 261 km, you will enter the town of Gyantse, a stunning example of a traditional Tibetan village filled with beautiful stone farmhouses. Gyantse is the third largest city in Tibet and it’s also known as the granary of Tibetan plateau. Overnight stay in Gyantse.

Accommodation

Gyantse Hotel

Meals

Breakfast

Maximum Altitude

3,950 m

This morning, venture the jewels of Gyantse, the Gyantse Dzong and the Kumbum monastery. Gyantse Dzong is a historical fort built in the 14th century, and overlooks Gyantse and the surrounding Nyang Chu Valley. The Kumbum rises 35km above the town, and is crowned by a golden dome. The grounds boast a chorten (stupa), several chapels and a stunning collection of Tibetan Buddhist murals, which inspired the name of the complex. The word ‘Kubum’ means 100,000 images in Tibetan. After lunch, take a 90 km drive to Shigatse.

En route, stop at Shalu monastery; the structure embodies the Han, Tibetan and Indian styles of architecture. Following a brief look at Shalu, the journey continues to Shigatse, the second largest city of Tibet with perhaps the best preserved but controversial monastery, the Tashilhunpo gompa. Tashilhunpo Monastery of Gelugpa order, home to the Panchen Lama, is one of the largest functioning monasteries in Tibet. The main chapel - Maitreya Chapel posses a giant 26 meter high sculpture of Maitreya Buddha (the future Budhha). Overnight stay in Xigatse.

Accommodation

Shigatse Hotel

Meals

Breakfast

Maximum Altitude

3,900 m

Continue along the Friendship Highway. Beyond the small town of Lhatse you cross the highest pass on our journey, the Gyamtso La, 5,220 m. From here descend to some of the most spectacular panoramas of the drive. As the landscape opens into vast plains, many monasteries and camps of nomadic herders become visible in the distance. En-route opportunity to visit Sakya Monastery, the seat of the Sakya or Sakyapa school of Tibetan Buddhism, it was founded in 1073 by Konchok Gyelpo. Its powerful abbots governed Tibet during the whole of the 13th century after the downfall of the kings until they were eclipsed by the rise of the new Gelukpa school of Tibetan Buddhism. There is also preserved in this temple the largest book in the world in the great library written in gold letters; the pages are six feet long by eighteen inches in breadth. Overnight stay in Xegar.

Accommodation

Qomolungma Hotel

Meals

Breakfast

Maximum Altitude

4,050 m

Shortly after leaving Xegar, we turn off the Friendship Highway and head south over the Pang La pass 5,150 m towards the main Himalayan range. The view from the top is incredible with uninterrupted views stretching from Makalu to Shishapangma, and including Everest. Below the pass, Everest initially is hidden from view, but as we turn the corner into the upper Rongbuk Valley it reappears, more impressive than ever. The view here are stupendous on a clear day. Take horse cart to Everest base camp & back. It is now being feasible to drive up to EBC from Rongbuk, we easily reach base camp by our Jeep.

In Rongbuk, make the pilgrimage to Rongbuk Monastery, a Buddhist pilgrimage site founded in 1902 by a Nyingmapa Lama. Rongbuk is claimed to be the highest monastery in the world. Venture the cluster of meditation huts used by monks and hermits for over 400 years and feel the powerful spirit of Tibetan Buddhism. In addition to the huts, hermits retreated to the many caves that dot the cliff walls around the monastery and valley below. Explore the very paths used by hermits – ancient trails lined with hundreds of carved stones that embody sacred syllables and prayers. Overnight stay in Rongbuk.

Accommodation

Everest View Hotel or Local Guest House

Meals

Breakfast

Maximum Altitude

4,980 m

At first light of the day enjoy watching sunrise on Mt. Everest. It is a truly awe-inspiring place - the absolute north face of the highest mountain in the world soaring above you. After breakfast, take the short cut from Ronbuk to Zhangmu on the southern route past old Tingri rounding some hills at the start of the vast Tibetan plain looking to the south there are views of Shisa Pagma (8,012 m), the only 8,000 m plus mountain planted completely inside Tibet. Driving past Tingri, you will cross Lalung La pass at (5,124 m) and Shung La pass at (5,200 m), Nalyam pass (3,800 m) which offer enchanting & stunning Himalayan views in the south which compensate for the discomfort. As you descend gradually from the dry Tibetan Plateau, you will find yourself amidst the verdant and fertile vegetation of Zhangmu at 2,300 m in the Nepalese border. Overnight stay in Zhangmu.

Accommodation

Zhangmu Hotel

Meals

Breakfast

Maximum Altitude

2,300 m

A few kilometers drive downhill from Zhangmu to the Friendship Bridge over the Bhote Koshi River brings you to Immigration Control in Kodari, where you say thank you & good bye to your Tibetan guide and walk across the river to Nepal. Your Nepalese guide/escort, meets you at the border immigration and escort you to Kathmandu.

The scenic drive through the Nepalese country side along the Katmandu - Lhasa Friendship highway brings you back to fabled city Katmandu. Rooms are booked, showers are hot, and celebrate your successful trip tonight with a few cold beers when you attend a farewell dinner. Overnight stay in Kathmandu.

Accommodation

Hotel Manaslu

Meals

Breakfast, Dinner

Maximum Altitude

1,350 m

Transfer to airport for your homeward-bound flight.

Accommodation

Meals

Breakfast

Maximum Altitude