Nagchu Festival & Everest Base Tour to Nepal

Arrive by flight or train to Lhasa. Upon arrival in the Gonggar airport (Lhasa), our guide will meet you and drive to the holy city of Lhasa, scanning the vast countryside for the first sight of the Potala Palace. Gather for a welcome reception and dinner this evening. Overnight in Lhasa

Venture up to the colossal Potala Palace, dominating Lhasa skyline and explore the grandest of its rooms. See the jeweled burial chortens of past Dalai Lamas, statuary, frescoes, and paintings. Eight Dalai Lamas: are buried in this famous building. The original parts of the Potala date back to the 7th century. Later visit the Jokhang, Tibet’s most sacred temple, which draws multitudes of pilgrims from all over the country. It houses Tibet’s most revered statue, a magnificent image of Jowo Sakyamuni. Then stroll around Barkhor, a pilgrimage circuit that encircles Jokhang and serves as Lhasa’s central bazaar, where one finds everything from precious Kham amber to prayer flags. Overnight In Lhasa.

Explore Tibet’s two great monasteries: Drepung and Sera. Drepung once housed 10,000 monk, and Sera almost as many. If we’re lucky, we’ll see and hear the lilting, booming chanting of the sutras or the theatrical debate of the monks. Visit the lovely Jewel Park, where the Dalai Lamas spent their summers, enjoying informality impossible in the Potala. Overnight In Lhasa.

The northern highland of Tibet is a vast region flanked by the great Kunlun and Tanggula mountain ranges on one side and the Gangdise Nyenchen Tanglha mountain range on the other. We have one full day to attend the famous Horse Racing Festival in Nagchu on the next day. Overnight in Nagchu.

Attend the festival in the morning and drive to Namtso Lake. Walk and take pictures of the lakes and some shrines near Tashi Dor. Overnight in Namtsho Lake.

After we visit more of Namtso, we drive towards Lhasa and continue to Gyantse across Kampa La Pass (4793m). After the pass, the road traces the shores of beautiful Yamdrok Tso Lake. In the evening, we arrive in Gyantse, where we spend two nights so we have time to explore this beautiful town. Overnight in Gyantse.

Drive across Kampa la pass (4793m) and follow the shores of beautiful Yamdrok Tso Lake, passing through nomadic camps and villages and climbing up to Karola pass before descending to Gyantse. The following day, we visit the highlights of Gyantse, such as Pelkor Chode and Kumbum stupa, and drive to Shigatse (3 hrs). At Shigatse, we will visit the famous Tashilunbo Monastery-the principal seat of Panchen Lama. Overnight in Shigatse.

We will take a detour to visit the Shakya monastery on our way to Xegar, where we spend a night in a simple hotel. From Xegar, we turn off the Friendship Highway for a stunning ride across Pangla (5200m) with a superb view of the high mountains to arrive at Rongbuk monastery at 4980m, near Everest Base Camp North side. Overnight in Rongbuk Monastery.

After the sunrise view from your guest house, head back to the Friendship Highway and continue south to Lao Tingri for a last glimpse of the great mountains. Continue our drive to Nyalam, a roadside Tibetan town with inns and guesthouses. Depending on available time, we will continue down to Zangmu as it is a better place to stay. Overnight in Zhangmu.

After completing border formalities, we bid farewell to our Tibetan crews. Cross the border, and drive along the Araniko Highway. About one hour before reaching Kathmandu, we stop to spend the evening in the beautiful hill resort of Dhulikhel. Overnight in Dhulikhel.

During these two days, explore the cultural and architectural highlights of Kathmandu Valley. Visit the medieval principalities of Bhaktapur and Patan, their Durbar Squares with former Royal Palaces, Hindu Temples, and Buddhist monasteries. Also, visit the major attractions of Kathmandu, such as the Boudanath, Pashupatinath, and Syambhunath. We will arrange a farewell dinner in a typical Nepali restaurant with a cultural show. Overnight in Kathmandu.

Transfer to the airport for your departure flight.