Lhasa to Kathmandu Overland Tour with EBC - 11 days

You can fly into Lhasa from any of the major cities in China or from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport. You can also take a train ride via the world's highest railway service to Lhasafrom Xining, Golmud, Xian, Chengdu, etc.

The Gonggar International Airport in Lhasa is located about 60km from the main city, and it takes around 1 hour and 20 minutesto reach the city from the airport.The road to the airport follows thebeautiful Yarlung Tsangpo river which flows down to India and becomes the mighty Brahmaputra River.

Please send in your arrival details after you book your tour so that our representative can pick youup from the respective arrival point.Once you reach Lhasa, you will be driven to your hotel.

You can take a rest and relax in your room. As Lhasa is situated at an elevation of 3650 meters, it's normal to feel a bit lightheaded or giddy.You will feel alright after a good rest. If the discomfort persists, you can always use the services ofthe oxygen lounge at the hotel or a clinic.

Drink lots of warm fluids and water to keep your self hydrated, as dehydration speeds up altitude sickness.

Overnight in Lhasa

Your sightseeing tour starts after breakfast. Follow your guide to some of the main attractions inthis beautiful city. You will visit the Dalai Lama's winter residence, the magnificent Potala Palace.

This fabulous palace is perched atop Red Hill with a view of Lhasa. Walk inside the gorgeous chapels, assembly hall, and museum. Within the palace complex are also the tombs of the former Dalai Lamas. Later, you will visit the Jokhang Temple in the main city, which is an important socio-religious and heritage site.

The Jokhang Temple, one of the oldest temples in Tibet, was constructed to house the Buddhist statues and relics that King Songtsen Gampo's two wives, Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal and Princess Wengchen of China, brought with them as dowries. The main deity worshipped inside the temple is the Jowo Buddha.

Outside the Jokhang Temple, one can find scores of pilgrims from allover Tibet continually bowing down and prostrating them selves in a state of utter devotion.Your tour will come to an end with a stroll around the bustling Barkhor Street. It's a great place to observe the locals and purchase mementos and handicrafts from the shops lined along the street.

Overnight in Lhasa

Today's tour includes visits to two major Tibetan monasteries, Drepung and Sera. Drepung Monastery can be reached by taking a drive towards the city's western neighborhood. Themonastery, which lies at the base of Mount Gephel, first opened its doors in the fifteenth century.This majestic monastery is among the three major monastic universities of the Yellow Hat, or Gelugpa Sect.

The monastery expands over an area of 250,000 square meters and is Tibet's largest monastery. It used to be the official residence of the Dalai Lama before it was moved to the Potala Palace.

Within the monastery are outdoor spaces or courtyards, massive assembly areas, scripture halls, silver pagodas, murals, and statues of prominent lamas and other Buddhist deities. Over 10,000 monks were receiving education at Drepung during the height of its fame. There are now justroughly 7,000 monks enrolled at the university, a drop from the previous amount. Afterward, you can enjoy a drive to Sera Monastery, another significant Gelugpa monastery.

Sera Monastery was founded in the fifteenth century and is situated at the northern end of Lhasa. Alongwith three colleges, the monastery features hermitages, or meditation caves.

You can tour the great assembly hall, monastic grounds, chapels, and the debating courtyard where monks debate. It is oneof the few monasteries where tourists are allowed to witness the lively debates. After watching the debates, you can return to your hotel and get ready for the next day's journey to Gyantse.

Overnight in Lhasa.

After spending three days in Lhasa, it's time to bid goodbye to this amazing city. Your next destination is Gyantse, a historic Tibetan city. Enjoy breathtaking views of the Himalayan landscapeas you drive along the picturesque Friendship Highway.

On the way, you cross the stunning Yamdrok Tso Lake, the 5,200-meter Karo La Pass,the 4,900-meter Khamba La Passand the 4,200-meter Simila Pass. On reaching Gyantse, once the third-biggest city in Tibet, you can visit the sacred Pelkor Chode Monastery. Built in the fifteenth century by the prince of Gyantse, the monastery houses the majestic Gyantse Kumbum.

Overnight in Gyantse.

You hit the road quite early in the day and head towards Sakya, a small town with a rich history. On the way, you will stop at Shigatse and visitthe Tashilhunpo Monastery, the seat of the Panchen Lama.

The Panchen Lama is the second-most important religious leader of Tibetans after the Dalai Lama. Sakya is known for its ancient Sakya Monastery. An important monastery of the Sakyapa sect, the Sakya Monastery, was founded as early as 1073. The Chief Abbot of the monastery ruled over Tibet during the reign of Kublai Khan, and Sakya served as the capital of Tibet at that time.

The monastery spreads over a hill and awide valley. Its massive assembly hall was one of the fewancient structures that was left untouched during the Cultural Revolution. Worth visit in gis the Sakya Monastery’s library which has the largest collection of Buddhist scriptures in the Tibetan Highland.

Overnight in Sakya.

The most-awaited day of your trip is here! You will be driving to Rongbuk Monastery, which liesclose to the Everest Base Camp. Cross two high mountain passes en route–Gyatso La(5220m) and Pang La (5000m). From the highway you can enjoy sublime views of Mount Everest, Shisapangma,Cho Oyu, and Makalu, which are four of the highest mountains in the world. Rongbuk Monastery isright beneath the world's tallest mountain, and it's an out-of-the-world experience.

Congratulations! Only a few people make it up to here. After reaching Rongbuk Monastery, you will spend the rest of the day exploring Everest Base Campand the Rongbuk Glacier. The breath taking Rongbuk Glacier is 300 meters south of the RongbukMonastery. Photographing the glacier's natural ice formations and pinnacles is a pleasure.

Reaching Everest Base Camp via hiking above the monastery allows you to get a breath taking up-close view of Mount Everest's North Face. Standing next to the world's highest mountain is exhilarating, for sure, and you can savor the moment to the fullest.

Take photographs and enjoy the stunning view ofthe world's tallest mountain. While it's not possible to view the summit of Mount Everest from thesouth (Nepal side) side of the Everest Base Camp, from the north or Tibet side, the summit isclearlyvisible from the base camp.

Overnight in Rongbuk.

Make your way down hill from the Rongbuk valley and enjoy a drive to Kyirong. You pass Old Tingrialong the way, where you can savor breath taking views of Shisapangma and other peaks.

Overnight in Kyirong.

You get up early in order to journey across to Nepal. As you drive to the Nepalese border of Rasuwagadi, the vegetation becomes greener and the oxygen level in the atmosphere increases. Bid goodbye to your Tibetan guide and driver at the border.

After completing the immigration process, you will go to the Nepali side, where you will be met by Third Rock Adventures' guide and driver. From Rasuwagadi, you take the Pasang Lhamu Highway and drive past Dhunche and Syabrubesi.

These rural towns are the starting points of some of the popular Langtang treks.The drive to Kathmandu is filled with amazing views of the hills and mountains, even though thereare some rough off-road sections.

It takes about seven or eight hours to arrive in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. This is the last city you will explore on your journey. On reaching Kathmandu, you will be driven straight to your hotel, where you can finally call it a dayand enjoy a good night's rest.

Overnight in Kathmandu

You can kickstart your sight seeing tour with a visit to the largest Buddhist stupa in Nepal. The Bouddhanath Stupa is a massive white dome topped with a gilded turret. The base of the golden turret is painted with the all-seeing eyes of the Buddha. The Boudhanath Stupa sits on a raised stone plinth designed in the shape of amandala, representing the cosmos.

The stupa is animportant pilgrimage site for Buddhists as it holds the remains of the Kasyapa Buddha. It is also animportant center for Tibetan Buddhism.The semi-circular dome is surrounded by a prayer wheel, which pilgrims whirl as they make aparikramaorkora around the stupa.

At all times of the day, the stupa is crowded with devotees and pilgrims. On the periphery of the stupa are a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, souvenir shops,restaurants, and cafes. Later, you will visit the Pashupatinath Temple, the holiest Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva inNepal. The temple dates back to 400 AD.

The main shrine is a two-tiered, pagoda-roofed temple with silver doors and a golden pinnacle. Inside the inner sanctum is a massive, four-faced Shivalinga. Non-Hindus are not allowed inside the main temple. However, one can explore the complex without entering themain temple. The temple lies beside the Bagmati River, and one can watch the cremation rites at Arya Ghat, which lies below the temple. Dead bodies of Hindus are cremated at Arya Ghat.

Leaving the temple complex, you head towards the main city again and enter Kathmandu Durbar Square. Also known as Basantapur Durbar Square, the wide palace square used to be the power center of the Malla kings and later the Shah rulers. The main attractions around the square are the Hanuman Dhoka Palace Museum, Kumari Bahal (House of the Living Goddess), Gaddi Baithak, Kasthamandap, and the Taleju Bhawani Temple.

Most of the structures around Durbar Square were destroyed during the 2015 earthquake. However, restoration work is underway, and most of the buildings have been restored and are open for public viewing again.The last site you will visit today is Swoyambunath Temple. This temple sits on a hill over looking theentire city. Also known as the Monkey Temple by tourists for its vast monkey population,Swoyambhunath is one of the most visited cultural land marks in the city.

Believed to be more than two thousand years old, the stupa's origin is linked with the origin of the city. Sacred to both Hindusand Buddhists, the white-domed Swoyambhunath Stupa is an incredible structure that fills one with awe. Surrounding the stupa are Hindu temples, a museum, and a Buddhist monastery. From the top,you can enjoy a bird's-eye view of the city.

Overnight in Kathmandu

Just after breakfast, you go out on your sightseeing tour. You will get to see Patan Durbar Square first. Patan was one of the three Malla kingdoms in the Kathmandu Valley during the Middle Ages. From Patan Durbar Square, the king formerly presided over the kingdom of Patan, also known as Lalitpur and Yala. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Patan Durbar Square is adorned with magnificently carved stone and timber temples, as well as a royal palace. Discover hundreds of centuries - old religious items and works of art as you go around the Patan Palace Museum.

You can also visit the holy Golden Temple, or Hiranya Varna Mahavihar, and marvel at the exquisite stone sculptures of the Krishna Temple. After that, you take a trip to the eastern portion of the valley and explore Bhaktapur Durbar Square, which is a vehicle - free zone (though two - wheelers are allowed).

A stroll around the peaceful Bhaktapur Durbar Square, with no cars, is something you might appreciate after driving past the city's chaotic streets. Bhaktapur served as yet another bastion for the Malla monarchs.

The numerous ancient structures and temples dotted through out the three squares of the old city demonstrate the city's rich historical background. The Bhaktapur Durbar Square Complex is significantly bigger and more or nate than the other two royal squares in the valley. The 55 - Window Palace, Golden Gate, the National Art Gallery, Char Dham, the five - tiered pagoda temple of Nyatapole, Dattatreya Temple, Pujari Maath, and others are must - see sites.

Another thing you can do while in Bhaktapur is spend some time at Pottery Square. Observe the local potters create terracotta pots that are then sun - dried. You can also try your hand at pottery making and mold your own special clay pot or cup if you are interes ted. Some potters welcome tourists inside their workshops and teach them to create a small clay item for a fee. Finally, you will be taken to Changurayan Temple, which is perched atop a hill and is among the oldest Hindu temples . Changunarayan was constructed during the Lichhavi Period and is devoted to the Hindu god Vishnu.

Not only is there an elaborately carved temple, but there are sculptures of every form of Lord Vishnu, along with the oldest known written inscription found in Nepal. The fifth - century inscription, which is written in Sanskrit, is carved on a stone tablet outside the main temple. After the sightseeing tour, you will return to your hotel in Kathmandu.

Overnight in Kathmandu.

Your fascinating Lhasa to Nepal Overland Tour with EBC is finally over, and it's time to bid goodbye to Kathmandu. Our driver will drop you off at the airport at least three hours prior to your flight's departure. If you feel like indulging in more activities in Nepal, don't hesitate to contactus. We havesome interesting destinations and activities that might interest you.