The Overland Tour : Lhasa - Mt Everest - Kathmandu
The Tibetan name for Mt. Everest is “Quomolangma” which literally means “The Third Goddess”. Towering 8848.13 meters in the middle section of the Himalaya in Tingri County, Shigatse, Quomolangma teems with snow-capped peaks and glaciers.Everest region has four peaks above 8000 meters and 38 peaks above 7000 meter, thus is reputed as the Third Pole on the Earth. Glaciers of modern era are located at the foot of the mountains, deep caves and snaking ice rivers present a magnificent view around the Quomolangma.
The three great towns of the Kathmandu Valley – Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur – still bear witness to their days as fiercely competitive medieval mini-kingdoms. Indeed, in Nepal’ it’s possible to mentally turn back the clock to the medieval era, such is the evocative power of the country
The wonderful part of this trip is to see the different faces of the Himalaya Range: on the north side, the ever-stretching snow mountains and atrocious weather make it an inhospitable land. While the south side of the Himalaya embraces luxurious shades of green, with waterfalls and cascades flushing almost everywhere. You can do nothing but marvel at this Mother Nature’s masterpiece.
DAY 1 Arrival to Lhasa
Morning flight to Lhasa, transfer to Lhasa in the afternoon. The guide will meet you at Gonggar Airport, and transfer you to Lhasa city with about 1 1/2 hours’ driving (100km). On the way, you’ll get greeted by Nie Tang Budda – a Budda image engraved in the mountain face. After arrive in Lhasa, rest and acclimatize.
Overnight in Lhasa.
DAY 2 Lhasa
DAY 1 Arrival to Lhasa
Morning flight to Lhasa, transfer to Lhasa in the afternoon. The guide will meet you at Gonggar Airport, and transfer you to Lhasa city with about 1 1/2 hours’ driving (100km). On the way, you’ll get greeted by Nie Tang Budda – a Budda image engraved in the mountain face. After arrive in Lhasa, rest and acclimatize.
Overnight in Lhasa.
The first day of sightseeing starts from Lhasa’s cardinal landmark – Potala Palace , a structure of massive portions. Its towering image already appearing on various occasions, but your first sight of the Potala will still be an awe-inspiring moment. It takes at least a good 2-hour to visit those rooms, halls and chapels.
Some 2km to the east of the Potala is the most revered religious structure in Tibet – Jokhang Temple. Bustling with worshippers and redolent with mystery, the Jokhang is an unrivalled experience. The quadrangle of streets surrounding the Jokhang is the Barkhor – Lhasa’s most interesting pilgrimage circuit. This area of the Old Town is both the spiritual heart of Lhasa and the main commercial district for Tibetans.
Overnight in Lhasa.
About 8km west of central Lhasa is the Drepung, once world’s largest monastery with about 10,000 monks. This day’s sightseeing begins with these white monastic buildings piled up on the hillside. Walking up to the hill is a pleasant thing, an easy break from the solemn ambience inside the halls and chapels. At the plat roof of hillside, you can have very good views of the whole Lhasa city and the distant mountains.Drepung is one of Lhasa’s two great Gelugpa monasteries, the other is Sera. Around 5km north of central Lhasa, Sera may not be as grandiose as Drepung, but is more serene surrounded by many small temples. The “Buddhism Scriptures Debating” in Sera is very famous.
Overnight in Lhasa.
Yamdroktso(4441m), one of Tibet’s three holy lakes, is located 110km outside of Lhasa. In the fresh morning air, you’re on the way to this lake. It’s mostly mountain road, winding and bumpy, even thrilling somewhat. After about 3 1/2 hours’ driving, climbing over the snow pass of Kambala(5030m), the dazzling Yamdroktso just lies several hundred meters below the road, and in clear weather is a fabulous shade of deep turquoise. Far in the distance is the huge massif of Mt. Nojin Kangtsang(7191m).Just close Tashilhunpo is the Old Town of Shigatse , a great place to wander around: Nicely decorated Tibetan houses and interesting market and bazaar give you a vivid picture of local people’s life.
Overnight in Shigatse.
Miles away from Shigaste, you can already see the gold tops of Tashilhunpo shinning under the sun. While Tashilhunpo’s magnificent outside leaves you gasp in admiration, the inside of this monastery introduces you more religious tranquility and sincerity. This afternoon can make you tired as you basically spend more than 6 hours on the rugged road driving. Shegar, also known as New Tingri, is the last stop before Everest Base Camp. Refresh yourself here and don’t forget to wash your dusty face.Overnight in Quomolangma Hotel
Although it’s just 100km from Shegar to Base Camp(5200m), it takes about 4 hours since the cracked winding roads demand much caution. But the views are stupendous on a clear day, and feature a huge sweep of theHimalaya range including peaks over 8000, Makalu, Lhotse, Everest, Gyachung and Cho Oyu. When you finally get to Base Camp, the first sight of the mighty Everest simply leaves you speechless. All the hardship you bear along the way makes sense at this while. The best moments to watch Mt. Everest’s are early morning and late evening when Everest is shining like a goddess in the sunglow.Overnight in Rongphu Monastery guesthouse
This day’s experience is somewhat incredible. Leaving Base Camp to Tingri takes about 5 hours on the bumpy and dusty roads. While another 5 hours from Tingri to Zhangmu is more pleasant when approaching Himalaya’s south side: driving through the valley, your eyes are greeted by various shades of green, your ears are
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