Day 1: Arrival in Lhasa (3680m)

This is the first day that you enter Tibet with NTB Treks and Expeditions. Your guide will greet you at the airport or railway station and transfer you to the lovely hotel. It usually takes around 1.5 hours to drive from Lhasa Airport to downtown Lhasa and about 20 minutes from Lhasa Railway Station. Tourists could have a look at the Yarlung Tsangpo River, the largest and longest river in Tibet, on their way to the hotel. After check-in, you can have a good rest first. And if you feel like going out, you can wander around the city. But just remember that you shouldn’t take too much stuff, try to go with a light pack. Meanwhile, drink some more water. It’s really useful to get acclimatized to the high altitude. Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Day 2: Lhasa Sightseeing

After rest one night, today you will recover sufficiently to launch your Lhasa city tour, with a close contact with Lhasa, the political, economic, cultural, communication and tourism center of Tibet with a history over 1300 years.

At first, you will go to the Potala Palace, which is the symbolic place of Lhasa and also the winter palace of the Dalai Lama. It was built by the 33rd. great king of Tibet in the 7th. century. The gilded burial stupas of former Dalai Lamas and meditation Cave of the 33rd great king of Tibet is the most worth seeing in Potala Palace.

After lunch, you will go to Jokhang Temple, which was founded at the same time and by the same king as Potala Palace. From outside, you can see many pilgrims prostrating in front of the temple. From inside, you can see the statue of Buddha Sakyamuni at the age of 12.

Barkhor Street is the next destination that women love a lot. Because it’s a famous busy walking street where they can go shopping. Many distinctive shops sell different Tibetan stuff, like handicrafts, Thangka, and so on. Except for shopping, tourists can also join the Kora with pilgrims and locals, to explore Tibetan religious culture more deeply.

Optional:

You can go to visit the Tibetan handicraft art or Tibetan Traditional Medicine center if time permits. You can also watch the Tibetan Culture Show in the evening for USD60 per person at your own expense.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Day 3: Lhasa sightseeing

In the morning, you will head to the Drepung monastery, which means Monastery of Collecting Rice in the Tibetan language. It’s a white magnificent construction that looks also like a pile of rice in the distance. Drepung monastery is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery, where lived more than 10 thousand monks before Tibet liberation.

In the afternoon, tourists will pay a visit to Sera Monastery, which is one of the “great three” Gelug monasteries of Tibet. The monks’ debate starts around 3 to 5 p.m. It’s very attractive even if you don’t understand what they are talking about at all. If the debate is not your type, you can also see the three sand Mandalas and colorful Rock paintings of Buddha inside of the monastery. Stay overnight in Lhas.a

Day 4 Lhasa- Gyantse(4040m)- Shigatse(3840m), 360km, approx 6hrs

You will go to Shigatse from Lhasa via Gyantse today. Firstly, you can have a glimpse of Yamdroktso Lake during the way to Gampala pass (4790m). This is the holy lake surrounded by plenty of snow-capped mountains. And special views of Holy Mount Nyenchen Khangsar (7191m) —the highest mountain near Lhasa, comes out later soon.

You will see the Karola Glacier when we pass it on the roadside. After hanging pray flag at Simila Mountain pass, we will arrive in Gyantse, the third largest city in Tibet after Lhasa and Shigatse. We shall visit Pelkor Monastery and Gyantse Dzong.

Gyantse Dzong, the hero city that witnesses the history of the fierce fighting. It was 1904, British troops started to attack China here, and Tibetan people defended for their homeland with simple weapons. The bloody war lasted for more than three months. This is also the basic story of the famous movie named “Red River Valley”.

Then we will start to go to Shigatse. It normally takes one and a half hours to drive from Gyantse to Shigatse, where we may visit the traditional barley mill and see the unique sights of barley fields (in summer). Stay overnight in Shigatse.

Day 5: Shigatse -Old Tingri (4300m), 310km, approx. 6hrs

Before we drive to Old Tingri, we will visit the famous Tashilunpo Monastery, the home of the Panchen Lama. Then, we will go to the old Tingri, which is different from the new one called Shegar. From there, you can have a good rest and prepare for the next four days of Trekking. Stay overnight in Tingri

Day 6: Trek from Old Tingri to Lungchang [4510m], 12km, approx. 5hrs]

From today on, you will start your trekking tour within the next four days. Today, we’ll have a 12km test first, from Tingri to Lungchang. En route, we will pass the Tingri plain and Ra-chu Valley. You can see the great valley view with sheep and goats. You can also visit a small monastery in Choelun at the end of the day.

Tips: For this four-day trek, we can offer the camping equipment, and you must prepare one pair of hiking shoes.

Stay in a camp in Lungchang

Day 7: Trek from Lungchang to Nam-La[5150m, 21km, approx. 8hrs]

After a one-day trial trek, today you will face a harder one as you will go up into the mountains. You need to climb to Nam-La pass. And the distance is longer than yesterday’s, it’s 21km. Camping at Nam-la valley

Day 8: Trek from Nam-La to Zommug  [4790m, 22km, approx. 8hrs]

Today, you will meet some yak herders and their families in this small village- Zommug. And you can enjoy the different sunsets on the poor land. It must be impressive. Please have a good sleep because you will see the EBC tomorrow. Still Camping at Zommug

Day 9: Trek from Zommug to Rongbuk (5100m) and EBC (5100m), 11km, approx. 4hrs

Here are the last 11km left today; you must be eager to see the final destination, Everest Base Camp. You will get to Rongbuk Monastery first. It is the highest monastery in the world. You can have a great view of Mt. Everest from there. Stay at Tent/guesthouse

Day 10 EBC- Shegar(4200m)- Lhatse(4050m)- Shigatse(3840m), 327km, approx. 8hrs

The great sunrise on Everest Peak is far out of your imagination. Enjoy the peaceful and wonderful morning you’ve ever had. After that, we will go to Sakya via Shegar, Lhtase. If we have enough time, you may relax by enjoying the Xiqian hot spring near Lhatse. Then we will go to visit Sakya Monastery, the main monastery of Tibetan Buddhism Sakyapa. Stay overnight in Shigats.e

Day 11 Shigatse – Nyemo(3800m) – Lhasa, 417km, approx. 9hrs

Today, we will go back to Lhasa via Nyemo county.

As the birthplace of the Tibetan language, Nyemo is well-known for its three treasures: Tibetan paper, incense, and engraving. You can go to visit the incense workshop today, to get a close contact with this national intangible cultural heritage. And then, the driver will take you back to Lhasa. Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Day 12 Lhasa departure

Your tour ends today. Our guide and driver will collect you from your hotel to transfer to Lhasa Airport/Railway Station for your next destination.