Nepal to China by Road: Enjoy a China Tibet Nepal Tour along the China Nepal Highway

The route from Nepal to China is one of the most spectacular routes in the world, traveling from the stunning Kathmandu Valley in Nepal over the mighty Himalayas, and crossing the vast Tibetan plateau through Lhasa along the renowned Friendship Highway into mainland China.

An immense journey of epic proportions, to travel from Nepal to China by road will take you through some of the most stunning landscapes in the world. Here we share the detailed information about the overland journey from Nepal to China visa Tibet.

China Nepal Friendship Highway

Distance of Sino-Nepal Highway from Kathmandu to Lhasa

Once you have crossed the border to Gyirong Port in Tibet, you will normally head straight to Gyirong Town, around 24 kilometers from the border. From the border itself, to Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, it is a drive that covers around 836 kilometers, or around 520 miles.

China Nepal Highway Route

The route from Gyirong to Lhasa partially follows the Sino-Nepal Friendship Highway, along the G318 National Highway, which is part of the vast highway that stretches from Shanghai in Eastern China to the Nepali Border at Zhangmu. From Gyirong Port, you will travel to Gyirong Town, around 24 kilometers to the north, where you will head east to meet up with the Friendship Highway at Nyalam, to the west of Old Tingri. From there, it is a long journey through Shigatse to Lhasa, although it is a straight and fast road.

Kathmandu to Lhasa Overland through the Sino-Nepal Highway

Road condition of China Nepal Friendship Highway

The road of Sino-Nepal friendship highway from Gyirong Port to Lhasa is now one of the best roads in the region, in terms of condition. Since it has become a major route for tourists from Lhasa to get to Shigatse, Mount Everest, and on into Nepal, following the opening of the border crossing at Gyirong Port, the road has been upgraded with major renovation work, and is now an asphalt highway for its entire length.

Altitude Changes along China Nepal Highway

The plateau on which Tibet lies has an average altitude of around 4,800 meters above sea level, and while this is very high for foreign travelers, the road from Gyirong to Lhasa heads over passes that are at an even higher altitude, several of which are above 5,000 meters (16,400 ft).

Starting in Gyirong, the altitude is around 1,800 meters, which is relatively low. In Gyirong Town, where you can stop to acclimatize, the altitude has already increased to around 2,700 meters, which is the optimum altitude for intermediate acclimatization to the higher altitudes of the plateau.

If you are traveling to Everest Base Camp on your trip across the plateau, you will reach 5,200 meters at the base camp, and around 4,348 meters at Old Tingri, the point where the road from Everest connects with the Friendship Highway.

After leaving Tingri, you will travel to Shigatse, at around 4,000 meters, and then on to Lhasa, which lies at 3,656 meters above sea level. Along this route, you will also cross four high passes, including: Gawula Pass (5,198m), Gyatsola Pass (5,248M), Tsola Pass (4,600M), and Gampala pass (4,790 m), and pass by Lake Yamdrok, which lies at around 4,441 meters above sea level.

Highlights from Nepal to China by Road via Tibet

Mount Everest Regions

The world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest lies on the border with Nepal and China, in the Tibet Autonomous Region. This stunning region of Tibet, known as the Qomolangma National Park, is one of the most stunningly beautiful parts of the plateau. There is an option on most Tibet Nepal tours across the plateau to take a slight detour from the Friendship Highway to visit the Everest Base Camp, the most popular destination in Tibet. The route from the main highway is around 100 kilometers long, and takes you to the base camp and the stunning Rongbuk Monastery, the highest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the world.

You will not miss the chance to visit the Mount Everest Natural Reserve on your way from Nepal to Tibet

Shigatse

Shigatse is the second city of Tibet, and the home of the famous Tashilhunpo Monastery, the seat of the Panchen Lama, who is Tibet’s second highest incarnations after the Dalai Lama. Built in the 15th century by the 1st Dalai Lama, the monastery is one of the most important monasteries in Tibet, and was the center of local government in the Shigatse area for centuries.

A prefecture-level city, Shigatse lies within the historical Tsang region of ancient Tibet, and is the current terminus of the Lhasa-Shigatse Railway, which will eventually extend all the way to Kathmandu in Nepal.

Yamdrok Lake

One of the Great Three Holy Lakes of Tibet, Lake Yamdrok lies nestled among the beautiful slopes of the southern Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains, to the southwest of Lhasa, around 115 kilometers by road. Believed to have been created by the Tibetan protector goddess, who threw nine talons of gold into the air to join the dozens of lakes that originally lay in the area, legend says that, if the lake should ever dry up, Tibet will no longer be habitable for the Tibetan people.

Yamdrok Lake lies on the side of the way from Shigatse to Lhasa

Lhasa

The capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region and one of the world’s most beautiful cities, Lhasa is the center of local governance in the region. Originally little more than a village, which was then known as “Rasa”, the city was built as the center of the Tibetan Empire under the reign of the 33rd Tibetan King, Songtsen Gampo. The cultural and spiritual center of Tibet, the city’s main landmarks include the stunning Potala Palace and the sacred Jokhang Temple.

Continue Your Road Trip from Tibet to Mainland China

There are four roads that lead from Tibet to mainland China, in three different directions.

The first, and most popular, is the Qinghai Tibet Highway, which runs from Lhasa to Xining, in the Chinese province of Qinghai, in northwest China.

The second most popular is the Sichuan Tibet Highway, a long extension of the G318 National Highway, which runs east from Lhasa, and down to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province. This is also part of what is known as the Yunnan Tibet Highway, which turns off from the Sichuan Tibet Highway at Markam, in the Chamdo Prefecture of Tibet. The road turns south into Yunnan from Markam, and runs to Kunming, the provincial capital.

The road from Tibet to mainland China via Sichuan and Yunnan offer the most beautiful scenery along the way.

The fourth and final road from Tibet to China, the Xinjiang Tibet Highway, starts in Lhasa, and follows the Friendship Highway for part of its route, eventually heading north from Lhatse, into the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Prefecture, ending at Kashgar.

>> View All of Our Tibet Overland Tour

You can also experience a unique land journey by train from Lhasa to other parts of China

You can also take a Tibet train tour from Lhasa to mainland China. The stunning Qinghai Tibet Railway runs from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, all the way across the plateau to Qinghai Province to Xining, the provincial capital. Crossing the vast Tibetan plateau, and the immense Changtang Grasslands, the train leaves Tibet across the Tanggula Mountains, crossing the Tanggula Pass, the highest railway pass in the world, and then crosses Kekexili to the Kunlun Mountains to drop down to Xining.

This stunning journey is one of the most spectacular trips in the world, and offers travelers the chance to see parts of the plateau that they would otherwise not get to visit in the northeastern prefecture of Nagqu, Tibet.

Check the China Tibet Railway Route Map, you can choose either of the Tibet train from Lhasa to major cities in mainland China.

It is also possible to get the Tibet train from Lhasa to one of six other gateway cities in China, including Guangzhou in southern China, Beijing and Shanghai in eastern China, Lanzhou in central China, and Chongqing and Chengdu in southwest China. With trips ranging from 22 hours to 55 hours, this is the ultimate in train travel in Asia.

Travel Documents Required for Nepal Tibet China Tour

China Group Visa

If you are traveling to Tibet from Nepal, then you will not need to make the application for the Chinese Entry Visa with the Chinese Embassy before you travel. For visitors coming from Nepal, a Chinese Group Visa is issued by the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu as a requirement for those crossing the border from Rasuwa Gadhi to Gyirong Port or flying from Kathmandu to Lhasa.

The visa is applied for once you arrive in Kathmandu, ready for your tour to Tibet, and takes around 3 working days to process, so you need to be in Nepal at least five working days before your expected date of travel. The visa will be processed by our agent in Nepal, as personal applications are not permitted at the Chinese Embassy. The agent will collect your passport, and use that, and the Tibet Travel Permit, to make the application. Applications submitted on a Monday morning before 11:00am will be available for collection by the agent on Wednesday afternoon.

Tibet Travel Permit

The most important permit you will need for traveling to Tibet, the Tibet Travel Permit is required for all international tourists to the region, and is needed to get into Tibet and travel around the area of Lhasa. The permit can take around 20 days to process, so it is important to book your tour in advance to allow for the processing period. The processing requires a scanned copy of your passport photo and information page, and will be applied for by us once you have booked your tour. The Tibet Travel Permit cannot be applied for personally, and cannot be provided without a pre-booked tour. It is also needed to board the plane to Lhasa.

Alien’s Travel Permit for Driving through the Areas of Western Tibet

If you take an overland tour from Nepal to mainland China via Tibet, you will need to have an Alien’s Travel Permit, which allows you to travel to the unopened areas of Tibet outside the capital, such as Shigatse Prefecture and Mount Everest. This is applied for by us once you have booked your tour, and is required for you to cross the border into Gyirong County of Shigatse Prefecture. You will also need the Frontier Pass, which we will also apply for on your behalf, for all travelers entering Tibet from Nepal or traveling in the area of the Chinese borders with Nepal, India, and Bhutan.

Conclusion

The only way to travel from Nepal to China by road is to take an overland trip from Kathmandu to Lhasa and then go further to your destination in mainland China. It could be a lifetime experience to crossing the border onto the plateau at Gyirong Port and traveling overland through the Sino-Tibet Highway via the Himalaya regions.

To take your road trip from Nepal to China, you need to apply for several travel documents before you go, such as the Chinese Visa, Tibet Travel Permit and Alien’s Travel Permit.

We offer kinds of China Tibet Nepal tours, covering the best of these destinations, as well as Tibet Permit application and detailed tour arrangement. Or you can contact us to tell us your travel plan and ideas, so our travel experts can help you arrange your trip according to your needs.