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7 nights/8 days Overland Tibet Tour

Day 01  Arrival Lhasa and acclimatization

Welcome to Tibet at Gonggar Airport! Lhasa, the capital of China's Tibet Autonomous Region, has a history of more than 1,300 years. It is the political, economic, cultural and transport center of the region. Lhasa covers an area of close to 30,000 square km. It has a downtown of 544 square km and a population of 400,000; 140,000 of its people live in the downtown area. Lhasa is home to the Tibetan, Han, and Hui peoples, as well as many other ethnic groups, but the Tibetan ethnic group makes up 87 percent of the total population. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to the hotel. Here, air is extremely pure and the sky is deep blue. This day would be kept for your acclimatization. It is advisable to drink plenty of water and have a good sleep for next day’s program.  

Day 02  Lhasa sightseeing [B]

Visit Potala Palace and Jokang Monastery today, then walk on the Barkhor Street surrounding Jokhang, a big free market with its prolific stalls for selling local specialties.

Day 03  Lhasa sightseeing [B]

Visit Drepung Monastery for the whole morning, later after lunch, visit Sera Monastery.  We can do the Sera Kora walk of about 1 hr and then catch the famous debate session (if the debate session is in process) of the monks before returning back to Lhasa. 

Day 04 Lhasa/Yamdrok Yumtso/Gyantse, 300km [B]

Drive to Gyantse, the famous historical city in Tibet, along the Kyichu River. On the Ganba La (4,796 m) have a fantastic view of the holy lake of Yamdrok Yumtso (4441 m).

Gyantse, some 200km southwest of Lhasa, is one of the least Chinese-influenced towns in Tibet and is worth a visit for this reason alone. Gyantse is famous for its wool carpets and palkhor choide chorten.  

Visit Palkhor Monastery and Kumbum Stupa.  

Palkhor Monastery built in 1427, is notable for its superb Kumbum (10,000 images) stupa, which has nice tiers and, according to the Buddhist tradition, 108 chapels. The lower tiers contain excellent murals. The dzong (old fort) that towers above the village offers a fine view over the valley. The monastery houses monks from Gelugpa, Sakyapa and Kahdampa order. It is very strange that they eventually got along with each other although they quarreled and fought. The monastery is the only monastery that houses monks from different orders in harmony. As a result, its structural style, deities enshrined and murals are very special.  

Day 05 Gyantse/Shigatse, 90 km [B]

In the morning, take a short hike to Gyantse Dzong. There are amazing views of Gyantse, the monastery compound at the end of town and the surrounding Nyang-chu valley. Later, drive onward to Shigatse, which is the second largest city in Tibet and also the hometown of Panchen Lama.

Shigatse connects with three countries of Nepal, Bhutan and Sikkim in the south, Ngari in the west, Nagqu in the north and Lhasa and Shannan in the east. It occupies an area of 176,000 square kilometers, the latitude being between 82'E and 92'20''E and longitude between 27'23''N and 31'49''N. It is 800 kilometers from east to west and 220 kilometers from north to south, with a border of 1,354 kilometers.

Historically, Shigatse was called Tsang, which was an important administrative district of Tibet. During the reign of the Tubo Kingdom, the ruling class divided its central part into two divisions of Wei and Tsang,according to geographic conditions.Tsang,with Shigatse as its center, was again divided into Yeru (present-day Nyang Qu River area) and Rulha(present-day upper reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River). The area extends to Gamba La Mountains in the east and Kangdese Mountains in the west. Because Tsang is located mostly along the upper Yarlung Zangbo River, it was also called Houtsang, a name still used today.

Visit Tashilumpu Monastery, the main attraction of Shigatse city and its free market.

Day 06 Shigatse/Shegar, 310 km [B]

Morning continue driving to Shegar via Gyatsola Mountain Pass (5220m). It takes 6-7 hours to get there covering 310 km. The road is bumpy and dusty. Visit Sakya Monastery en route.

Shegar is a base town of Mount Everest in the province of Xizang Zizhiqu. It is the starting point for expeditions to Mt. Everest via Tibet. Shegar is also known as Zhekar Dzong or Xegar or Tingri.

Day 07 Shegar/Zhangmu, 260 km [B]

Drive early morning to Zhangmu passing through the 5,000 m high Nyalmo Tong La, which is decorated with multicolored prayer flags fluttering in the wind. With clear view the Shisha Pangma high over 8,000 m (Mt. Everest) appears on one side and on the other side the enormous Gaurisankar ranges stretch forward in the distance. Drive over the Thang-La Pass (5214 m) to Nyalam. Afterwards visit the meditation cave of Milarepa. Milarepa, the yogi, has played an important role in the religious life of Tibet and his teachings still influence the people everywhere. Along the zigzag road we drive down Nyalam (3.600 m) gradually and leave the landscape of the high plateau behind us and see the Himalayas covered in the sea of clouds before vreaching Zhangmu. Zhangmu is one of the most busiest town in Tibet being a border town and a trade route between India / Nepal and Tibet.  

Day 08 Zhangmu/Kathmandu [B]    

After completing the China Immigration and China Customs formalities, drive down to the other side of Friendship Bridge. Your Tibetan Vehicle will leave you on the Tibet Side of Friendship Bridge and then you’ll cross the bridge on foot before coming across the Nepal Immigration Post where our border handling agent will be waiting for you to guide you towards your vehicle for Kathmandu. From Friendship Bridge to Kathmandu, the distance is about 95 km but due to landslides in between, the distance could be longer so kindly be prepared for those unexpected extra hours. Our vehicle will drop you at your pre-booked hotel in Kathmandu or at the airport for your onward journey.

Tour Packages
Lhasa Tour | Overland Tibet Tour | Fly in / Fly Out  with Tsedang | Everest Base Camp) Fly in / Fly Out | Itineraries in Shalu Nartang Trekking | Trekking Itineraries in Tibet | Trekking From Damxung to Nam Tso Lake |  Trekking From Yanpacheng to Monastery | Old Tingri to Everest Base Camp | out tour with Tsedang and Xegar | Kangshung Face Of Mt. Everest