Tibet Permits: please refer to the important information in the Tour Details section under 'Visas and Entry Requirements' at the time of confirming your booking.
Essential Tibet
12 days, Chengdu to Kathmandu
Itinerary
Day 1Chengdu
Arrive at any time and get settled in. Your China and Tibet adventure kicks off with a welcome briefing with your CEO and fellow travelers. If you're up for a meal, join your CEO for a local dinner after the briefing.
Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet Your CEO and Group
Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.
Accommodation
Below is an example of the hotel we may use in this city. For the actual hotel your specific departure will be using, please check your voucher.
Rongcheng Hotel (or similar)
Day 2Chengdu/Lhasa
Today begins your journey to Tibet. Board a flight to Lhasa and as you make your way off the plane, you will be greeted by your Tibetan CEO. Grab your bags and head to the hotel and join your CEO for an orientation walk of Lhasa.
Orientation Walk
Join your CEO for an orientation walk around Lhasa.
Plane
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.
Accommodation
Lhasa Banak Shol Hotel (or similar)
Day 3Lhasa
Spend the morning with your CEO exploring the Unesco World Heritage site of Jokhang Temple. Walk throughout the complex and take note of the many original pieces still intact from the original construction. Then, continue the tour in Lhasa's oldest district to explore Barkhor Street, an ancient and holy pilgrimage path. Then enjoy free time in the heart of the Tibetan Quarter. We recommend getting some lunch at a local teahouse. In the evening, we'll have a cooking class of traditional Tibetan food and then sit down together to eat what we made.
Jokhang Temple Tour
Enjoy a tour of this beautiful temple, which has been called the spiritual heart of Tibet. Watch prostrating pilgrims circle the temple day and night, some of them traversing the extremes of the Tibetan landscape by foot to come here and celebrate their faith. Make a kora ("revolution" in Tibetan) of the Barkhor, the holiest devotional circuit, which surrounds the Jokhang and houses a market bazaar where people bargain for Buddha images, yak skulls with ruby eyes, woodcarvings, carpets, prayer wheels, and the odd goat's head.
Barkhor Square Orientation Walk
Explore the square with your CEO and learn more about this city.
Your Foodie Moment: Tibetan Cooking Class
Join your group for a local Tibetan cooking class. Make delicious, local dumplings called momos. Then sit together and enjoy your yummy creations!
Accommodation
Lhasa Banak Shol Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:
DinnerDay 4Lhasa
Start today's adventure with a visit to the Potala Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This dzong fortress was the winter palace of Dalai Lamas for over three hundred years. Then in the afternoon, visit Sera monastery and witness the monks at debate. This unique cultural practice allows for a deeper understanding of Buddhist philosophy and visitors are allowed to observe as per a set schedule.
Potala Palace Tour
Enjoy a tour of Potala Palace, a magnificent structure and true architectural wonder built in the 1600s and steeped in history. This is where the Dalai Lamas would meditate, handle affairs of state, and eventually where their burial stupas remain. Check out the golden statues, three dimensional mandalas, ancient scriptures, and the devoted pilgrims who circle the palace day and night. This is truly a remarkable place.
Sera Monastery Tour
Visit the Sera Monastery and witness the monks engaged in lively debate, a philosophical practice they have held for hundreds of years.
Accommodation
Lhasa Banak Shol Hotel (or similar)
Day 5Lhasa/Gyantse
Set off early this morning for Gyantse. The drive to Gyantse is a spectacular one, crossing three passes over 5,000m (16,404 ft) and skirting the shores of the beautiful turquoise lake, Yamdrok Tso. Enjoy a visit to the lake in the morning. Then visit Karola Glacier en route and grab a bite of lunch if you wish in Nagarze.
As you make your way from Lhasa to Gyantse, make a few important stops along the way. First, visit Yamdrok Lake, a stunning freshwater blue lake thought to be part of a sacred group of four lakes guarded by a local deity. Then, drive through Karola Pass en route to Karola glacier where you will stop to admire the view of the Tibetan stupa flanked by glacial mountains all around. Arrive to Gyantse and if you have steam left, join your CEO to hike to the Gyantse Fortress for a birds-eye view of the area.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Orientation Walk
Get your bearings of Gyantse on CEO led orientation walk.
Accommodation
Gyangtse Yutok Hotel (or similar)
Day 6Gyantse/Shigatse
Today provides another opportunity to visit a sacred Tibetan Buddhist site in Gyantse. Visit Pelkor Chode Monastery this morning to admire the many sculptures and paintings lining the walls. See Gyantse Kumbum, the iconic multi-leveled edifice. Then, travel to Shigatse and visit the Tashilunpo Monastery, one of the most culturally significant monasteries in Shigatse. Witness monks going about their day and choose to join in with the kora, a meditative practice.
Pelkor Chode Monastery and Gyantse Kumbum Visit
Enjoy a visit to these two significant places in Tibetan Buddhism. Pelkor Chode Monastery was founded in 1418 and is regarded as the centre of Gyantse. Gyantse Kumbum (meaning 100,000 images) is an 8 story structure containing a seemingly endless series of tiny chapels full of Buddhist images – Buddhas, demons, protectors, and saints.
Tashilhunpo Monastery Visit
This massive complex is visited daily by hundreds of devotees, armed with yak butter to feed the lamps, who prostrate themselves around the stupas or walk up to the chapel that houses the 26m-high (85ft), gold-plated statue of the Maitreya (future) Buddha.
Accommodation
Gesar Hotel (or similar)
Day 7Shigatse/Sakya
Bid Shigatse farewell and travel onward to Sakya, and visit the Sakya Monastery and Nunnery. Return to the hotel on foot and choose to join your CEO for dinner.
Sakya Monastery Visit
Take in the stunning views of one of Tibet's oldest monasteries and surrounding landscape.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Accommodation
Luowa Hotel (or similar)
Day 8Sakya/Everest Base Camp
Pack an overnight daypack, and depart to make your way towards your overnight near Everest Basecamp. Visit the Rongbuk Monastery on an easy walk. Tonight, spend the night in yak hair tents that allow you to get as close as possible to Basecamp in the hopes of getting glimpses of Mt Everest. Choose to go on additional hikes to the upper monastery with your CEO.
Please note that the yak hair tents are closed for the winter (October-Early April). Everest Base Camp area may also close without warning due to bad weather, political issues, natural disasters, etc. If we do not stay in the tented camp, we will stay in a local guesthouse with an incredible view of the Himalayas on a clear day.
Pack a small overnight bag with everything you need for tonight and tomorrow morning. Your big suitcase will be safely stored and you will not have access to it until the following day.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Rongbuk Monastery Visit
Enjoy a visit to Rongbuk Monastery, the highest monastery in the world. It was first built in 1902 by the Nyingma Lama and originally housed more than 500 monks. Today, only about 50 monks and nuns remain, sharing the same prayer hall but maintaining separate residences. The nuns here are great fun and will be delighted to have you join their evening prayers.
Everest Viewpoint (North)
Take a short hike up to an Everest viewpoint about 2.2km away from Everest Basecamp. Even though the viewpoint isn't from the Basecamp, it doesn't mean the views will be any less breathtaking. Pack some water and your camera and get hiking for a tiny taste of what it's like to scale this magnificent mountain.
Your Local Living Moment: Everest Base Camp Yak Hair Tent
At the foot of Mt Everest, stay in a tent similar to those of nomadic Tibetan people. From a tent made completely on yak hair, take in the breathtaking view of Mt Everest.
Accommodation
Rongbuk Tent Guesthouse (or similar)
Day 9Everest Base Camp/Kyirong
Depart Everest and make your way back the way you came to the entrance of the park. Board a private vehicle headed to Kyirong. This border town is known for it's warmer climate and green landscape. Relax and enjoy the view.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Orientation Walk
Take an orientation walk of Kyirong town, 2400 m above sea level.
Accommodation
Kyirong Shell Hotel (or similar)
Day 10Kyirong/Kathmandu
Today, cross the border into Nepal. The overland journey from Tibet to Nepal is considered one of the most stunning drives in Asia. Once across the border, travel to Kathmandu to enjoy a final evening in the city.
Prepare for another beautiful driving day on your way to Nepal. Cross high mountain passes amongst fluttering prayer flags, enjoy jaw dropping views of the Himalayan range, stunning lakes and forest, then begin to descend in altitude towards lush, green Nepal. After immigration, cross the bridge joining Tibet and Nepal by foot. Jump in the vehicle and make the winding, bumpy, yet extremely scenic drive to Kathmandu.
Kyirong-Rasuwa is the main customs border crossing between Tibet and Nepal, for tourists and for commercial purpose. As such, it can be quite busy and there can be long wait times.
Border Crossing (Kyirong to Rasuwa)
Ready for a little more ink in your passport? Grab your bags and get ready to check another country off your bucket list.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Accommodation
Hotel Traditional Comfort (or similar)
Day 11Kathmandu
Join your CEO on a morning exploration of Bhaktapur. A World Heritage Site, Bhaktapur is made up of three large squares filled with shrines, temples and plenty of activity. In its heyday, Bhaktapur was the most powerful of the Kathmandu Valley kingdoms and its capital for 300 years. Return to Kathmandu for the afternoon at leisure. Join your CEO for an optional farewell dinner to your incredible journey through China, Tibet and Nepal.
Bhaktapur Excursion
Visit this unique old town known as the City of Devotees. Explore Hindu temples, pagodas, palaces, and monuments, including the beautiful wood-carved palace in Durbar Square. You can pick up clay pots and other souvenirs in the colourful open markets and taste home made yogurt, known as khopa dhau, which Bhaktapur is famous for.
Durbar Square Orientation Walk
Every orientation walk will be a little different, allowing our CEOs to show off their favourite bits of the square. Learn more about Durbar Square and Kathmandu and get a good introduction to Nepal.
Accommodation
Hotel Traditional Comfort (or similar)
Day 12Kathmandu
Depart at any time.