Discover Tibet

Day 1: Arrival in Beijing
Ni Hao! welcome to Beijing, the iconic city and capital of China! You will be met by our local tour guide at the arrival hall of Beijing Airport and transferred to your downtown hotel by a private comfortable vehicle. The rest of the day is spent at leisure. If you want to explore nearby areas, feel free to get some practical suggestions from your guide. Overnight at Jianguo Qianmen Hotel.

Day 2: Beijing
After breakfast, you will be picked up at your hotel for a full day exploring Beijing. You will start to explore the historical face of Beijing with a brief visit to Tiananmen Square which is now the largest city plaza in the world. Stepping into Tiananmen, you will see one of the world’s 5 most important palaces – Forbidden City, a huge palace complex of more than 9,000 rooms where 24 emperors of Ming and Qing Dynasties used to live in. After lunch, you will drive about 40 minutes to the outskirts of Beijing to visit the Summer Palace, the largest and best-preserved royal garden in China. Stroll around ancient pavilions, mansions, temples, bridges, and corridors. In the evening transfer back to Jianguo Qianmen Hotel for overnight.

Day 3: Beijing - Lhasa
Today you will get to experience one of the Seven Wonders of the World, The Great Wall!
After breakfast, you will depart to Mutianyu, a less crowded yet well-preserved segment of the Great Wall built in the Ming Dynasty. It will more than live up to all of your expectations! You’ll take a cable car to ascend the Great Wall, then hike the most beautiful and interesting part of Mutianyu. It's a wonderful experience to climb up its rising towers to enjoy scenic views and take brag-worthy photos of the wall wriggling along mountain ridges. After the exciting time, descend Mutianyu Great Wall by cable car or you can hike down which takes approximately 40 mins. After lunch, you will continue your trip to Sacred Way, a 7-kilometer-long passage leading to the Imperial Tombs of 13 Emperors of the Ming Dynasty. Take a walk through the largest archway in China and Great Palace Gate and you’ll see the magnificent stone guard of 12 sets of mythical animals and 12 officials. Then drive back to Beijing city for a drop-off at the station, where you will catch your train to Lhasa.

Day 4: Beijing - Lhasa
Today you will spend a full day travelling by train from Beijing to Lhasa. The total travel time is 40 hours.

Day 5: Arrival in Lhasa
Around noon, you will be arriving in Lhasa, where you will be picked up by your guide and transferred to Four Points by Sheraton Lhasa for dinner and overnight. The rest of the day is spent at leisure so you can acclimatize. We recommend you going for a leisure walk which can help you acclimatize, drink more water and take enough rest.

Day 6: Lhasa
After breakfast, you will spend a full day explore Lhasa city and the Tibetan culture. You will start with a visit to Norbulingka, which used to be the former summer palace of the Dalai Lamas in ancient times and is not a public park. Afterward, you will visit Drepung Monastery, which has always been one of the most important Buddhist monasteries in Tibet. In the afternoon, you will be taken to another famous monastery in Lhasa - Sera Monastery. It is famous for the spectacular "Buddhism Debating", where monks gather in a courtyard and debate on the Buddhist doctrines. After enjoying the "Buddhism Debating", you will be transferred back to Lhasa where you can spend the rest of the day at leisure at Four Points by Sheraton Lhasa.

Day 7: Lhasa
After an early breakfast, you will head out to explore the famous Potala Palace, which is the home to the successive Dalai Lama as well as a great masterpiece of Tibetan architecture. The whole palace is divided into the White Palace - living quarters and office to deal with political and Buddhist affairs for Dalai Lamas, and the Red Palace where houses several stupas of previous Dalai Lamas, many historical relics, and precious arts. After the Potala Palace visit, you will go to enjoy a leisure stroll in Zongjiao Lukang Park, a lovely park with pleasant scenery built around the lake behind Potala Palace. In the afternoon you will head to Jokhang Temple which is considered the spiritual center of Lhasa and the most revered religious structure of Tibet. Afterward, you will explore the famous Barkhor Street. It is a circular and wide street encircling the Jokhang Temple. The local people like to walk on the street for several circles usually in the late afternoon as a daily tradition of pilgrimage. The street also has many shops selling a wide variety of traditional Tibetan goods, religious items, and handcrafts. In the evening you will be transferred back to Four Points by Sheraton Lhasa for overnight.

Day 8: Lhasa - Gyantse - Shigatse
After breakfast, you will be leaving Lhasa for Shigatse which is an 8-hour drive. The drive might be long but definitely not boring, with stunning landscapes and enough activities. Your first stop will be at the viewing platform of Yajiang River Valley which is located at (4280m/ 14040ft) where you can enjoy beautiful views over the gorge. After a short drive, you will reach Yamdrok Lake, the largest fresh lake in the northern Himalayas. After another short drive, you will get to the imposing Karola Glacier (altitude: 5,045m/16.550ft) towering aloft on the right side of the road. You will continue your drive and pass Simi La Pass, here you will have a short break to take some photos of Simila Mountain and Manla Reservoir. Upon arrival in Gyantse you will enjoy lunch in the historical town before visiting Palcho Monastery. After this visit you will continue to drive to Shigatse which is another 3 hours. Upon arrival in Shigatse you will transfer to Tashi Choten for leisure and overnight.

Day 9: Shigatse - Mount Everest
After breakfast, you will depart for some sightseeing in Shigatse before you continue your drive to Mount Everest. You will start with a visit to Tashilhunpo Monastery. After this visit, you will start your transfer, with along the way magnificent views and landscapes. As you reach Gawula Pass, you will enjoy a fantastic view of Himalayas range including 5 famous peaks over 8,000 meters / 26250ft. When you finally get to Rongbuk Monastery and get the first sight of the mighty Everest, you will be left speechless. Located about 5100m / 16730ft above sea level, Rongbuk Monastery is the highest monastery in the world. The rest of today is free for you to visit the Rongbuk Monastery and explore the nearby Everest Base Camp. Take photos with the Everest altitude marker and EBC marker to celebrate your wonderful adventure. Overnight at Rongbuk Guest House

Kindly note: During your stay, you will be overnighting at Rongphu Guesthouse, the highest guest house in the world, affiliated with nearby Rongphu Monastery, which is located just 1.6 miles away from Everest Base Camp. A stay here is simple and facilities are basic, but the beds, electric blankets, power sockets, hot water bottles, as well as dining options, make up for a lot in the region's harsh conditions.

Day 10: Mount Everest - Gyirong
Wake up to enjoy the breathtaking sunrise over Mount Everest around 06:30 am. After you've taken in, what could be, the most beautiful sunset of your life, you will head off to Gyirong Town. You will enjoy breakfast along the way. Upon arrival in Gyirong, you will head for leisure and overnight at Phuntsok Rabsel guesthouse.

Day 11: Gyirong - Kathmandu
In the morning after breakfast, you will depart for your transfer to Kathmandu, this transfer can take up to 7 hours, excluding the time spent at the border, as the roads are narrow and bumpy. Upon arrival in Kathmandu, you will be transferred to Aloft Kathmandu for leisure and overnight.

Day 12: Kathmandu
In the morning, you will head out for a city tour in Kathmandu. Visiting the famous sights, including the Durbar Palace Square, Hanumandhoka, the temple of the living goddess, Kastamandap temple, temple of Taleju, Kal Bhajrab temple, the temple of Akash Bhairab, and the Swayaambhunath Stupa (one of the world’s biggest Buddhist stupas). After lunch, you will be heading to Bhaktapur, visit the Durbar Square, Nyatapola, the palace of 55 windows, Dattatreya square, potters square and you will be visiting small women industries in Bhaktapur like paper making and textile making. In the evening, you will be heading back to Aloft Kathmandu for overnight.

Day 13: Kathmandu departure
After breakfast, you will head out to Boudhanath Stupa for a short visit. After this visit, you will be transferred to the airport for your departure flight.

Kindly note: there is also a possibility to take a flight to Lhasa and to Kathmandu instead of a train. It will be a bit harder to acclimatize coming into Lhasa by plane, but it will save you a full day of traveling.