Tibet Everest Base Camp Tour– 08 days
Why to go
Standing at 8848 meters above sea level, Mount Everest is the highest peak in the world, and also the main peak of Himalayas. The summit is situated on the border between china and Nepal, and its south side belongs to Nepal, while north side belongs to Tibet Autonomous Region of china. The shape of the mountain is just like a huge pyramid, which is the most fascinating destination for tourists all over the world. Moreover, traveling at the foot of Mount Everest symbolizes the limit of self-challenge as Mount Everest enjoys the reputation of the roof of the world with more than 40 high peaks in 7000 meters above sea level nearby.
What to see
You can visit Lhasa, the political and religious center of the Holy Land in Tibet and enjoy world-renowned Potala Palace; Jokhang temple, built in 1300 years ago; some significant monasteries of Gelug sect, such as drepung monastery and Sera monastery; Namtso lake and Yamdrok Lake of three holy lakes; the cradle of Tibetan civilization—Shannan; and Shigatse. Of course the highlight of this tour is Mount Everest, the highest peak on the summit of the Earth.
When to go
The highly recommended travel seasons of Mount Everest are from April to June, and September to December. A bit cold as it is in winter, the weather is fairly ideal for travel since it is the dry season in Tibet. Thus, you can enjoy Mt. Everest in clear weather. On the other hand, the traditional high season of tourism — July and August are not a good choice to appreciate Mt. Everest, as it is the rainy season and the mountain is shrouded in cloud and mist.
Day 1 Lhasa Arrival Welcome to the roof of the world! You will be picked up by local tour guide at the airport hall or train station, then be escorted to your hotel in Lhasa city in a private vehicle.
After arrival at your hotel, the rest of the day is free for you to explore the local area and acclimatize yourself to this high altitude city at the top of the world.
Note: 1. Go for some walking to acclimate the high altitude but avoid strenuous activity after arrival; 2. You’d better not have bath; 3. Drink more water, and have some fruit; 4. Have a good rest.
Day 2 Lhasa Take the challenge of climbing up to Potala Palace (3,650m above sea level) and get a great view of Lhasa’s urban areas. Great photographic opportunities along the way up as you will have a great view of the traditional Tibetan architecture. Hear the story of the Dalai Lamas and see chapels that the Dalai Lamas studied, rested and worked in. Pass former Dalai Lamas’ graves which are decorated with treasure beautiful treasures. Continue your tour to Jokhang Temple, which is within walking distance from Potala Palace. It is considered the spiritual center of Tibet. You will see many pilgrims worship within or nearby the temple. Enter the first floor of the temple and absorb the religious atmosphere, you will see pilgrims are donating butter oil to keep the lights burning for the Buddha. While learning about more Buddhas and Lamas than you can possibly remember you will gain a feeling for the vast history of Tibetan Buddhism. You might also hear red-robed Lamas praying. Walk up to the roof of the temple, take some pictures of the gold roof and enjoy the beautiful sunshine of Lhasa while observing pilgrims praying in front of the temple.
Finally, join locals in a traditional pilgrimage route by taking a relaxing walk in a large circular path around Jokhang Temple at Barkor Street. The street is filled with pilgrims taking part in religious activities and street venders selling a wide variety of traditional Tibetan goods and religious items. If you like you can also ask your tour guide take you to visit a Thangka workshop to marvel at the fabulous Thangka art work. There are cafes along the street as well. You can relax and enjoy the life in Lhasa in a lazy afternoon.
Note: 1. Don’t climb the Potala in a rush, which may cause hard breath; 2 Please try not to disturb pilgrims. You can take pictures from a distance. 3. Don’t fear to bargain and compare price if you do shopping in Barkor Street; 3. If you still have energy in the evening, you can go to the square on your own in front of the Potala Palace around 8:30pm to enjoy the 2-hours music fountain for free; 4. On this day, you will be mainly outside, please bring plenty of water, a hat, sun cream, and sun glasses.
Day 3 Lhasa After breakfast, you will firstly visit the Norbulingka Park, the former summer palace of Dalai Lama. Explore the beautiful gardens and experience one of the most holy sites in Tibetan Buddhism while soaking up the rich history. Next, come toDrepung Monastery, which was once the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery housing 10,000 monks in its heyday. Learn about the lives of Tibetan monks.
Your tour ends at Sera Monastery, where you will get the chance to experience “Buddhism Scriptures Debating”. These debates are unique to Sera and are quite famous. Enjoy the debates!
Note: 1. Obey Buddhist manners and talk appropriately. 2. Feel free to ask tour guide questions about Buddhism or else; 3. Don’t forget take your sun glasses and suncream.
Day 4 Lhasa – Gyantse – Shigatse After breakfast, drive about 1.5 hours via Nyangchu Valley to visit the first attraction of today – Yamdrok Lake, one of three most famous holy lakes in Tibet. For Tibetans, it is one of the four holy lakes of Tibet and the home of the “wrathful deities”. The scenery of turquoise blue water in the lake with the reflection of surrounding snow-capped mountains is awesome. Leaving Yamdrok Lake, drive ahead to Gyangtse, you will see the imposing Karola Glacier. At 5,560 m (18,241 ft) above sea level, and with an area of 9.4 sq km (3.6 sq mi), this imposing glacier is visible from window.
Once arrival at Gyantse, feel hungry? Have a good lunch, then stroll to visit the Palkor Monastery. The highlight is the Kubum Stupa has a 35m-high chorten with its white layers trimmed with decorative stripes and its crown-like golden dome. At last, drive to the second largest city in Tibet – Shigatse.
Note: 1. Wear warm clothes to prevent from cold and wild; 2. Prepare some food and drinks in advance because you will spend much time on the road.
Day 5 Shigatse – Tingri – Rongbuk Monastery After breakfast, you will visit the Tashilumpo Monastery, the oldest and largest Gelug Monastery in Tibet. Here you will see a giant statue of Future Buddha, the largest one of its kind on earth, decorated with precious pearls, turquoises, corals and ambers.
Then drive to the Rongbuk Monastery (altitude: 5,200m), you will first arrive at Tingri town, then drive about 3.5 hours on bump road to Mount Everest. Though being a tough driving, but the views are stupendous on a clear day, and feature a huge sweep of the Himalaya range including peaks over 8,000, 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. Rongbuk Monastery is located at the foot of Mount Everest, and has earned the title of the world’s highest monastery standing at 4,980 meters high.
Overnight in Rongbuk.
Note: 1. Bring more food and drinks for long driving; 2. Bring a warm and thick coat for low temperature in Everest. 3. Avoid strenuous activity.
Day 6 Mt. Everest Base – Tingri (Shegar) – Lhatse Wake up early to enjoy the marvelous sunrise on the peak of the world. After breakfast, take a sightseeing bus to the Everest Base Camp which is about 8 km from Rongpuk Monastery. While you can also hike up if you are energetic. In the EBC, you can get the best Everest view. The peak is blessed with many extreme wonders. The top part of the mountain is covered with snow all the year round, when the sun shines on the mountain, the peak is like white pyramid. More often, the thick freely moves clouds and fogs, seems as if a flag with the mast of the peak was swinging, will shroud the peak. This peculiar phenomenon of Mt. Everest is known as “Flag Cloud”. An additional wonder generated here are the bright glaciers, where ices are formed into various shapes like bridges, pagodas and others.
After viewing the sunrise over Mt. Everest, drive about 3 hours (100km) on a fairly rough road back to Tingri (Shegar). Have lunch there, then drive to Lhaste. Tonight you will stay in Lhaste. You can have an interesting night here soaking in the local culture and relaxing after visiting the stunningly beautiful Mt. Everest. Stay overnight in Lhaste.
Note: 1. Sunrise starts around 6:30 am to 7am; 2. Get well prepared for long driving on the road.
Day 7 Lhatse – Lhasa While heading back to Lhasa (roughly a 400km trip) today, the surrounding scenery is quite nice. You will be able to see the Yarlung zangbu river along the way. Please feel free to ask the driver to stop any time you’d like to get out and stretch your legs or take pictures. You may even be able to see pilgrims praying along the way.
Note: The altitude is over 4,000m in some places, so while you should feel free to get out stretching your legs and taking a break, try to keep excercise to a minimum. The road is a wide paved road, so the condition is relatively good.
Day 8 Lhasa Departure Today is free for you until your tour guide transfer you to the airport in time for your flight or drop you off at Lhasa train station.
Note: 1. Please pack your luggage carefully, especially for small things like camera charger, power adaptor, mobile phone, phone charger, wallet and towel. 2. If your flight is arranged in the afternoon, please make sure you check out the hotel before 12pm.
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