Tripology

An Exciting Interview with Arthur Frommer

Tibet Adventure (via China)

Print Email

Detailed Trip Description

A trip to Tibet is not an easy journey - it is an adventure in every sense. Tibet was only opened to tourism in 1985 and the Lhasa-Chengdu highway, enabling overland travel, was officially opened a year later. Until the mid-1980s Tibet avoided most outside influences, allowing its unique culture and religion to develop independently. This arduous but exhilarating journey begins with a flight from Chengdu to Lhasa, then travels overland from Lhasa to Everest Base Camp (Tibetan side) and then back to Chengdu. The views of the Himalayas from the northern side are dramatically different from the Nepalese side of the border and it's easy to see how the title "Roof of the World" has been given to Tibet.

Print Email
 

Trip Itinerary

Day 1 - Chengdu

 
Arrive Chengdu.
Airport Transfer

Upon arrival in Chengdu you are met and transferred to your centrally located hotel. Chengdu is a prosperous and lively metropolis famous for its delicious spicy food and attractive teahouses.

Chengdu Airport Transfer picture
Sightseeing

The afternoon is free to either take a rest or stroll around the city. There will be a briefing in the evening regarding the tour. Your passports will also be collected for presentation to the Chinese Embassy in order to obtain your Tibet permits.


Day 2 - Lhasa

 
Chengdu/Lhasa.
Commercial Flight

Leave Chengdu for your two-hour flight to Lhasa, which guides over the snow capped peaks of the Himalayas, providing undoubtedly one of the most beautiful flights in the world.

Lhasa Commercial Flight picture
Private Car Service

Arrive at Gongga airport, and drive for an hour and a half to reach the downtown area of Lhasa. Starting from this drive, you are already thrown deep into a culture, which is unknown to most people. Situated at 11,480 ft., Lhasa and surroundings may appear slightly barren except for the trees lining the roadside.

Relaxation

You will spend most of the afternoon resting and adjusting to the high altitude. (B,L,D)


Day 3 - Lhasa

 
Sightseeing

The first day of sightseeing starts from Lhasa’s cardinal landmark, Potala Palace. Perched high above Lhasa on the Marpori (red mountain), the Potala is a place of spiritual pilgrimage and a mammoth tribute to Tibetan architectural skills. It was started by the fifth Dalai Lama and has been the official winter residence of the successive Dalai Lamas. Built of wood, earth, and stone, the Potala has 13 stories rising over 380 feet high. The whole structure is a maze of over 1,000 rooms, with 10,000 shrines and some 200,000 statues. No steel frame was used, and no nails were used in the woodwork.

Sightseeing

Just east of the Potala is the Jokhang Temple, the religious and geographical center of Lhasa. From morning until night, an astounding display of chanting, prostrating pilgrims revolve around Barkhor Bazaar (Lhasa's inner pilgrim circuit, which runs around the Jokhang) and the Jokhang. Hundreds of faces, ornaments, clothes and colors swirl around in a gigantic whirlpool of religious fervor. The temple was founded in 650 by Songsten Gampo on the site of what was once a great underground lake in which visions of the future could be seen.

Hotel

Overnight again in Lhasa. (B,L,D)


Day 4 - Lhasa

 
Sightseeing

About five miles west of Lhasa is the Deprung, once the largest monastery in the world and founded by Jamyang Choje Tashi Pelden, a disciple of Tsong Khapa, in 1416. Various paths lead up from the road past storerooms and quarters that once housed 10,000 monks.

Sightseeing

Continue on with your visits to another great Gelupga monastery – the Sera, a monastic university that is smaller than Drepung, but similar in the layout of its building. Sera was, at one time, famous for its fighting monks, who spent years perfecting the martial arts. Only 100 monks remain out of a population that once exceeded 5,000. (B,L,D)


Day 5 - Lhasa

 
Lhasa/Yamdroktso/Gyantse.
Private Car Service

Get set for a long drive today. It is a 160-mile drive to Gyantse.

Sightseeing

On the way you will stop and visit Yamdroktso Lake, one of Tibet’s three holy lakes, which is first seen from the Kamba-La pass at 16,400 feet. You’ll be mesmerized by the deep turquoise color. For Tibetans, Yamdrok is a very holy lake as it is the home of wrathful deities.

Sightseeing

Far in the distance, you will also be able to see the huge massif of Mt. Nojin Kangsang. Descending from the mountain, you may decide to take a leisurely walk by the lakeside while enjoying views of barley fields. Leaving Yamdroktso is as spectacular as arriving as you cross the 16,550-foot Karola with its awesome roadside views of the Nojin Kangtsang Glacier.

Sightseeing

After about 55 miles, and as you’re still enjoying the Glacier scene, you arrive in Gyantse. Here stands the famous 115 foot high Kumbum, packed with exquisite Tibetan sculptures and paintings - a truly stunning architectural wonder.

Hotel

Overnight in a hotel. (B,L,D)


Day 6 - China

 
Gyantse/Shigatse.
Sightseeing

In the morning you explore Gyantse, a town renowned for the exploits of Colonel Younghusband in the 1920s. You walk down the newly rebuilt main street, along with the Nepali Kumbum stupa.

Private Car Service

In the afternoon you take a three-hour drive across the Tibetan Plateau to Shigatse.

Sightseeing

Shigatse is the second largest city in Tibet with a population of some 40,000 people. The Tashi Lumpo Monastery is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, the most important incarnation for Tibetan Buddhists after the Dalai Lama. This impressive religious center contains a giant statue of Buddha in the Temple of Maitreya, as well as an ornate tomb, which is the final resting-place of the fourth Panchen Lama. With its huge size it is almost a town within itself and as one of Tibet's most active monasteries, it is currently being restored to its former beauty.

Hotel

Overnight in Shigatse. (B,L,D)


Day 7 - China

 
Shigatse/Shegar.
Private Car Service

Your adventure continues with an eight-hour drive over rough, dusty roads to Shegar.

Sightseeing

In the morning you cross the Jai Tsuo Pass with stunning views of the Himalayan peaks to the south. Although the scenery is desolate, the country is dotted with busy villages and ruined monasteries. Among these villages is the major town of Lhaze, which makes a convenient halfway stop where you have a local-style lunch break.

Hotel

After a long day of driving, you arrive in Shegar, your last stop before reaching the Everest Base Camp. Shegar is a small village of about 1,500 inhabitants with an interesting fort. (B,L,D)


Day 8 - China

 
Shegar/Everest Base Camp.
Private Car Service

You leave early in the morning from the hotel, branching off onto a small road that leads to Everest Base Camp. It is a rather long day (approx. 6-7 hours drive), but extremely rewarding.

Sightseeing

You continue on to the famous Rongbuk Monastery and then on to the Base Camp itself, situated at 16,500 feet above sea level. When you finally reach the base camp and witness the first sight of mighty Everest it will leave you speechless. All the hardship you bear along the way makes sense at this time with sensational views of Everest with the towering North Face dominating the horizon. This is certainly a major highlight on your incredible journey. The Tibetan name for Everest is “Quomolangma”, which literally means The Third Goddess. The best moments to watch Everest are in the early morning and in the late evening when Everest is shining like a real goddess in the sun.

Sightseeing

The initial part of the journey involves climbs in a series of zigzags to the top of the Pang La pass (17,000 feet), where you stop to take photos of Mount Everest before descending to the Rong Phu Valley.

Camping

Overnight at Base Camp. (B,L,D)


Day 9 - China

 
Everest Base Camp/Shegar.
Hiking

Today you will have an optional half-day hike.

Hotel

Retracing your steps back to your hotel in Shegar. (B,L,D)


Day 10 - China

 
Shegar/Shigatse.
Hotel

Return to Shigatse for your overnight. (B,L,D)


Day 11 - Lhasa

 
Shigatse/Lhasa.
Sightseeing

Return to Lhasa where you will have the afternoon free to explore. (B,L,D)


Day 12 - Chengdu

 
Lhasa/Chengdu/Onward.
Commercial Flight

Flight back to Chengdu then onward for your flight home. (B)


Request more info

Not the trip you were looking for?

 

You may also start a free trip request below and get matched with up to three travel specialists who can help you plan your travel:

Create Trip Request

 

Submit Inquiry to Travel Specialist

Trips you may also be interested in

The Magic of China
Enjoy a thirteen day trip to China full of adventure, sightseeing, and excitement. You will have the opportunity to walk on the Great Wall, experience Guilin by boat, visit the Forbidden City, have a VIP experience at Hong Kong Disney, and more. This trip is a once in a lifetime ...
Tibet: Roof of the World
A trip to Tibet is not an easy journey - it is an adventure in every sense. Tibet was only opened to tourism in 1985 and the Lhasa - Kathmandu highway enabling overland travel was officially opened a year later. Until the mid-1980s, Tibet avoided most outside influences, allowing its ...
Tibet Overland Odyssey
Join a 12 day pilgrimage to the great monasteries of Lhasa, Gyantse, and Shigatse. See Everest from the north and experience the endless skies of the Tibetan Plateau. This trip is adventurous, but also affordable, realistic and practical. Any Tibet trip poses cultural and physical challenges along the way, though ...
Tibet Adventure (via China)
A trip to Tibet is not an easy journey - it is an adventure in every sense. Tibet was only opened to tourism in 1985 and the Lhasa-Chengdu highway, enabling overland travel, was officially opened a year later. Until the mid-1980s Tibet avoided most outside influences, allowing its unique culture ...
Search for travel inspiration