12 Days Lhasa to Kathmandu Tour with Shalu to Nartang Trekking

Upon your arrival in Lhasa, your tour guide will hold a board with your name on it at the exit and greet you with auspicious white Khata/Hada. A private car will take you to the reserved hotel, and the guide will give a brief introduction of the itinerary as well as dos and don'ts in Tibet. Then, you can take a good rest at hotel to acclimatize to Tibetan plateau environment.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Today, you’ll pay a visit to the famous Potala Palace, the world culture heritage and the winter palace of Dalai Lama. You can explore its audience halls, the jeweled and golden burial chortens (stupa tombs) of past Dalai Lamas, meditation cave of the 33rd Great King of Tibet, and tremendous number of Buddhist frescoes, thangkas, combinations of mandala, etc.

Then you will head to the holiest temple in Tibet, the Jokhang Temple, built during Songtsen Ganpo's reign by Princess Wencheng of Tang dynasty, 647 A.D. Here you can observe sincere pilgrims making prostration in front of Jokhang Temple. While entering inside the temple, you can see the statue of Buddha Sakyamuni at the age of twelve. On the top of Jokhang Temple, you can enjoy the panorama of old Lhasa City and great vista of Potala Palace.

Then you can do the kora with pilgrims and locals by circling the Barkhor Street around the temple, buy some souvenirs, and taste sweet tea and local snacks in local tea house. Later, you can take your family to explore farm products like yak butter in Tromzikhang, the famous farm produce market.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Tips: Please follow your guide’s guidance when visiting Potala Palace especially during peak season, and dress properly when visiting the Buddhist site. Please kindly note that taking photo is not allowed inside the Buddhist hall.

Drak Yerpa Hermitage (4,885m) is about 32km from Lhasa and is one of the best off-the-beaten paths for Buddhist exploration. When hiking to the monastery, you can visit multiple meditation caves used by Guru Rinpoche and King Songtsen Gampo.

In the afternoon, you will visit Sera Monastery, which was founded in 1419 by Tsongkapa's disciple Jamchen Choeje. The most interesting thing is to see monks debate in the courtyard at around 3-5 in the afternoon. By yelling at each other, slapping hands and rolling mala, two monks make a pair to debate on philosophical issues. You can also appreciate the delicately-made Mandala, sanding paintings, and massive Buddhist scriptures inside Sera Monastery.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

You will pass over the Gampala Pass (4790m) and have a far view of Yamdrok-tso (4400m) at the viewing platform there. Then at the lake, you can see many snow-capped mountains surrounding it and and have spectacular far view of the holy Mount Nyenchen Khangsar (7191m), the highest mountain near Lhasa. Later, you will stop by the Karola Glacier on the roadside. When arriving at Simila Mountain Pass, you can hang auspicious prayer flags on the mountain pass and view Manak Dam Lake.

Then you’ll go to the heritage Gyantse, Tibet's third largest city after Lhasa and Shigatse. In Gyantse, you can visit Pelkor Monastery and Nepali-style Kumbum Stupa, with nine floors and unique chapels in each tier, this stupa is considered the largest one in Tibet. You can also enjoy the far view of Gyantse Fortress.

Continue your trip to Shalu Monastery (3980m), the seat of Buton Rinchendrub (1290-1346), the great master of the Tibetan translation of the Indian Buddhist. After a brief visit of Shalu Monastery, you will move to the camping site a few kilometers away and start your 2-day scenic trekking there.

Camp around Shalu Monastery.

After breakfast, you will trek to Upper Lungsang (4060m) which is about 12km away. Along the way, you will pass Ripu Hermitage, flood plain, Phunup Village, Showala Pass, and experience the authentic Tibetan farmer's countryside life.

Camp at Upper Lungsang.

Trek through the farming fields to the Ngor Village and visit the Ngor Monastery there. Renowned for its Sanskrit library and Newar-style (a tribe in Nepal) murals, Ngor Monastery once possessed five assembly halls, 18 colleges and 400 monks. Keep trekking across a steep slope of raw expanses of rock and passing several villages, saddles, and one electric utility, you will arrive at Nartang Monastery and meet the driver waiting there for you. After a brief visit to the monastery,you will take the car ride to Shigatse (3900m), the second biggest city of Tibet and the seat of Panchen Lama.

Stay overnight in Shigatse.

In the morning, you will go to the home of Panchen Lama - Tashilunpo Monastery, and visit the golden statue of Future Buddha and assembly hall there. After getting your Alien’s Travel Permit, you will head for Lhatse and have lunch there.

Afterwards, you will pass Tsola Pass (4,600m) and Gyatsola Pass (5,248m). Shortly after entering Mt. Everest National Nature Reserve, you can appreciate the panoramic view of Himalaya at Gawula Pass (5,180m). Keep marching along the new zigzag road to Everest Base Camp, you can get closer view of Mt. Everest peak. You can also enjoy the sunset of golden Everest peak at the lodging area if time and weather permits .

Stay overnight at tent or Rongbuk Monastery Guesthouse.

Tips: Besides the oxygen supply, your guide will also meter your oxygen saturation sporadically to ensure a safe Mt. EBC trip for you. It is advisable to prepare some snacks and wear warmly because the lodging at EBC is basic and the temperature there is relatively lower.

In the morning, you can admire the stunning sunrise of Everest peak if weather permits. After having a full view of the magnificent Mt. Everest, you will visit Rongbuk Monastery, the highest monastery in the world as well as the unique Nyingma Sect monastery where nuns and monks live together.

After that, set off from EBC to Kyirong Border. On the way, you can enjoy breathtaking vista of Mt. Shishapangma and the Pekutso Lake. After passing the Ghungtang Lhamo (5236m), you will arrive at Kyirong Town in late afternoon.

Stay overnight in Gyirong Town.

Tips: You can use our binoculars to enjoy the vista of Mt. Everest at Rongbuk Monastery, and prepare some cash for dealing with Nepal Visa at Gyirong Port.

After passing through China Customs with the assistance of you Tibetan guide, you will meet you Nepali guide on the other side of the border and enjoy the jeep transfer service to your hotel in Kathmandu.

Tips: The road to Kathmandu is bumpy. To avoid motion sickness, it is suggested not to eat too much for breakfast.

Stay overnight in Kathmandu.

The day starts with a tour of Kathmandu City, and takes in the famous Kathmandu Durbar Square. The most famous square in the city, the Durbar Square is the Royal Palace square in the city, and is surrounded by ancient buildings from the early 16th century. The magnificent architecture, exquisite decorations, and the intensity of historical items gives a great insight into Nepali culture.

You then continue the tour with a visit to the Swayambhunath Pagoda, which is one of the oldest Buddhist sites in Nepal. Swayambhunath is a huge golden stupa festooned with prayer flags that flutter in the breeze, on a hill that overlooks the entire city. Then it is on to Patan City, the second largest city in the Kathmandu Valley area. Patan City has one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Nepal that dates back to the 12th century, and is a great place to explore the Buddhist culture of Nepal.

Stay overnight in Kathmandu.

You will also get to go further afield in Nepal, to visit the ancient Hindu temple of Pashupatinath, and Boudhanath, one of the largest stupas in Asia, and a focal point for Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal. Set on the banks of the Baghmati River, Pashupatinath is one of Nepal’s famous UNESCO sites, and the sunset over the temple roofs is spectacular.

Another great place to see is Boudhanath, located on the ancient trade route. It is a place of meditation and part of the spiritual journey around Kathmandu. With one of the largest stupas in the world, it has been the site of many Tibetan prayers over the centuries. Bhaktapur Durbar Square is the last place to visit for the day, with its pagoda and shikhara temples strewn around the royal palace. The square really highlights the ancient building arts of Nepal.

Stay overnight in Kathmandu.

Your guide will pick you up from your hotel in a private car, take you to Tribhuvan Airport, and help you with your luggage and checking in for your flight from Nepal.