Nepal And Tibet Walking Tour

Arrive Kathmandu, check into hotel.

Overnight Standard Hotel

After breakfast, we’ll make a walking tour visiting the bazaars and temples of Old Kathmandu accompanied by a local Nepali guide. Much of the everyday life of Kathmandu takes place in the local bazaars. There is a fascinating mixture of people selling spices and vegetables; potters spin their wheels to produce small household bowls and containers for temple offerings; pilgrims visit their favourite gods at small shrines dotted along the sides of the alleyways; rickshaw wallahs honk their horns and the ever-present sacred cow wanders among it all. On our second day here, a morning’s sightseeing tour includes the Temple of Pashupatinath on the Bagmati river – the holiest Hindu shrine in Nepal – and Bodnath Stupa, the largest in the country and a destination for Buddhist pilgrims from all over Nepal. The afternoons are left free for individual sightseeing. There are a multitude of interesting places within easy reach of the Nepali capital. Perhaps you could take in Swayambunath, the monkey temple (a short taxi ride or about 40 minutes walk from the city centre). And there’s also Patan, Nepal’s one time capital situated just a short taxi ride from Kathmandu or Bhaktapur, one of the three ancient cities of the Kathmandu valley.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today we board a flight from Kathmandu to Gonkar in Tibet enjoying views of the Himalaya and sometimes even Everest piercing the clouds. We should arrive early afternoon local time (Tibet time is 2 1/4hrs ahead of Nepal time). After formalities, we’ll drive eastwards to Tsetang. If time and conditions still allow, we’ll visit Yumbulagang. Reputedly the oldest dwelling place of the Tibetan kings (5th century), it is erected on the rocky spur of a hill with panoramic views over the entire valley.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

After breakfast we leave Tsetang and head for the Samye ferry. Crossing the Brahmaputra (Tsangpo) River by flat-bottomed boat is a beautiful journey and an enjoyable experience that takes between an hour and 90 minutes depending on the water level. Finally, we reach Samye Monastery and village, an oasis of willows in a sandy desert. The monastery, designed to mirror the structure of the Buddhist universe, is built as a Mandala around the main shrine. (A mandala is a concentric symbol which represents Buddhist cosmic and individual psychic forces, sometimes expressed as here in threedimensional architectural form). Then we will visit Yumbulagang if not visited the day before. After our visit we return to our hotel in Tsetang for a second night.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today we drive westwards along a rugged road to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet which lies at an altitude of 3658m, in a bowl-shaped valley – the name means ‘Abode of the Gods’. On our way we stop to visit Mindroling Monastery, one of the most important in Central Tibet and the seat of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism. We arrive in Lhasa in the afternoon and check in at our hotel. This evening, there will be time for a short introductory tour of the Tibetan capital.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Our next two days are dedicated to extensive sightseeing of Lhasa. The city’s location is spectacular. Set in a ring of bare mountains (snow covered in winter), the valley is cut through by the gushing Kyi Chu (the Happy River), one of the headwaters of the mighty Indian Brahmaputra. For most of the year the sky above Lhasa is a deep intense blue, and the air is crisp and dry. Weeping willows wave over little streams and lakes, and peach trees blossom. Our sightseeing will include the Potala Palace, the former seat of the Dalai Lamas, where the genius of Tibetan architecture finds expression in the glistening white walls that seem to soar directly from every stone and rock face. The present (fourteenth) Dalai Lama, whose title has been carried through the centuries by an unbroken lineage of reincarnations, now lives in exile in India. On one of the days we plan to visit the famous Jokhang Temple, one of the oldest and most sacred shrines in the country and an object of circumambulation by devoted pilgrims. We will also spend time at the Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama’s former summer palace. You’ll also have free time to stroll around the colourful stalls in the market (Barkhor), or just sit back quietly and observe the noisy and jostling crowds of pilgrims and haggling merchants. We will also visit Ani Tsangkung Nunnery (the only active nunnery in Lhasa) and see the monastic university of Sera where the monks practice philosophical debates which take place in the Monastery garden and Gregorian -style ritual chanting in the assembly halls.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today we drive west across the high plains to Gyantse, one of the most beautiful places in Central Tibet. Our route climbs over the spectacular 4790m Kamba La and then follows the Yamdroq (Turquoise) Lake before climbing the 5045m Karo La, or pass. The whole journey to the old town of Gyantse, including stops takes about 5/6 hours. On arrival we will visit the famous Kumbum Stupa (1440), one of the most magnificent buildings in Tibet. Gold-capped with two bewitching eyes painted on its circular upper wall above the ascending symmetrical storeys, it is built in Newari (Nepalese) style. The monastery walls are covered with extraordinary paintings and sculptures.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we visit the old feudal manor house of Pala Manor before continuing to Shigatse. In the afternoon we visit the monastic city of Tashilumpo, the largest & most vibrant religious centre in TIbet. As one of the Great Six centres of the Gelugpa buddhist sect, it’s adherents follow the moral & philosophical teachings of the Master Atisha (982-1054). The sacred red buildings topped by gleaming golden roofs form the spiritual home of the Panchen Rinpoche (Great Precious Teacher). We stay in nearby Shigatse for the night. Drive time of aproximately 90km (2hrs)

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today we have a long drive along the 'Friendship Highway' to Shegar, also known as New Tingri. We reach a height of 4350m above sea level for our stay tonight.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we leave the main highway behind and drive via the Pang La (5120m) to Everest Base Camp (approx 5150m). En route to Base Camp, we will also stop off in Rongphu, our destination for tonight and location of an ancient monastery which we also have the chance to visit.

Please note: tonight's accomodation will be in a very basic guesthouse which is the only accommodation available here. We may need to share rooms dormitory style, or at times of peak demand stay in  fixed walk-in tents with all bedding provided.

Overnight Simple Guest House Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Today we have a long day’s drive towards the Nepal border. Heading north up the Dzakar Chu valley on the very bumpy base camp road through villages and terraced mountain sides, we cross Gya-u La (5,090m) from which on a clear day we can see the panoramic views of all the main peaks of the Himalayan range. Rejoining the Friendship Highway we head west to Nyalam, our last nightstop in Tibet, after a drive of approximately 7 hours.

Overnight Simple Guest House Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

We continue our journey today following a series of steep switchbacks to the sub-tropical landscapes of the Nepali border . (Depending upon road conditions and landslides, we may have to walk for several hours on the way down— porters will carry our luggage.). We cross the border before driving on to Kathmandu (Approximately 4.5hrs drive).

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Our tour ends this morning after breakfast.

Included meals: Breakfast