Tibet

TibetThe allure of traveling the fabled overland route across the highest plateau in the world is one that many travellers cannot resist. For sometime this mystical country was locked away from the world and off limits to travellers. Nowadays Tibet is a boom tourist destination, readily accessible from Nepal and main land China, thanks to the opening of the new high altitude train form Beijing.

Tibet as a country is steeped in a Buddhist history that stretches back through the ages, it’s famed as a gentle and peaceful kingdom that sits nestled on the top of the world. The capital of Tibet is the city of Lhasa, an amazing place sitting in a river valley, this city is dotted with monasteries, criss crossed with cobbled lanes and scented with incense and butter lamps. Towering above the city is the imposing Potala Palace, the one time home to the spiritual Buddhist leader the Dali Lama. As you tour around you feel lost in time as you rub shoulders with maroon clad monks and burly nomads dressed in heavy yaks wool jackets, its truly one of the most splendid places on earth. To reach to Lhasa you must cross the world highest plateau, a simply incredible place of rolling yak pastures, hemmed by the snow capped peaks of the Himalaya, a breath taking journey that you will never forget.

TRAVELLING TO TIBET
Nowadays the travel rules have been relaxed somewhat, but to travel in Tibet, you are still required to join a group tour and have the correct visa and permit. When traveling in Tibet you should be prepared for some cold weather during the night times, bring plenty of warm clothes and at some points you should expect basic facilities, though Lhasa is very well appointed with tourist hotels. Also travel is best done slowly to allow for acclimatization to the high altitudes, you should take plenty of rest and drink lots of water to help your body adjust. Standard tours depart from Kathmandu every Tuesday and Saturday, but private tours can easily be arranged. Nowadays it’s also a very good option to travel into Lhasa from China on the train and join with a Tibet tour there, it’s becoming a popular way to travel.

THE TIBET VISA
For many people planning a trip to Tibet, the visa seems to be a daunting and confusing issue with the ever changes rules and stances of the Chinese government, when you join a tour with Adrenaline Rush Nepal, just give us your passport and we will arrange the permit and visa for you, no hassle, no worries. To make your visa you need to be in Kathmandu two days prior to the trips departure. If you plan on traveling through to china, we don’t recommend you to make your Chinese visa first as this can be cancelled when gaining the Tibet permit.

THE SEASONS
The best times to travel in Tibet are from  March to the end of June and from September to the end of November. Be aware that the later season is very cold at such high altitudes. Technically, with the improvement of roads it is now possible to travel in Tibet all year round, but you can expect snows in December and January and you cannot always be guaranteed a group to join, which can then become expensive.
 
Tibet Overland Tour

The best and most cost effective way to travel in Tibet is join another group of like minded travelers and head in bus and private four-wheel drive vehicle through this amazing landscape to your final destination Lhasa, before embarking on a super scenic trans Himalaya flight back to Kathmandu. The tour takes in all the highlights of Tibet and is sure to a be a trip that you will never in your life time forget.

DAY 01: KATHMANDU TO ZHANGMU (2600m) - 124kms.            
Departure at 5:30 hr. from Country Holidays (P) Ltd, Thamel after an approx. 5 hours drive we reach KODARI (China / Nepal Border). Further half hr. drive by Land cruiser will bring us to Zhangmu, where after completion of Immigration formalities all check-in to Hotel. O/N in Zhangmu at Zhangmu Hotel. 

DAY 02: ZHANGMU TO XEGAR  (4200m) -370kms.                    
From Zhangmu the road follows the Bhote Koshi River in the deep valley with plenty of Waterfalls. After 1.5 hrs drive bring us to Nylam Pass (3800m) from where we can see  Jugal Himal. A continued drive via Lalungal (5050m) will bring us in view of Mt. Langtang (7245m), Mt Shishapangma (8013m), Dorje Lakpa (6980m), Mt. Makalu ( 8464m), Mt. Everest (8848m), Mt Lhotse (8516m)  and Cho Oyo (8201m).

DAY 03: XEGAR TO SHIGATSE (3900m) -210kms.                
Depending upon the road conditions, Sakya Monastery which is 26kmoff from the main road will be visited. Sakya is one of the oldest and most important monasteries in Tibet. In the afternoon, we will reach Shigatse, the place of the famous Tashilumpo Monastery the seat of Panchen Lama until his death in 1989 with its huge Thanka Wall clearly visible from the north side of the road.

DAY 04: SHIGATSE TO GYANTSE (3950m) - 90km.    
In the morning we will make a visit to the Tashilumpo Monastery and take a look around Shigatse before we make the short two hour drive to Gyantse. This historical town is an ancient trading hub and a great place to spend some time exploring. We will visit the Kumbum Chorten and Phalkor Monastery.    
          
DAY 05: GYANTSE TO LHASA (3650M) - 260km.                        
Today it’s a long 8 hour drive through the splendid scenery and past the jade green Yamdrok Lake until we climb up over the Karola Pass at 5010 meters followed by Kambala Pass at 4794 meters. From the last pass you can see the green valley that house Lhasa, our final destination.

DAY 06 & 07: SIGHTSEEING IN LHASA
We have two full days of sight seeing in Lhasa. The highlight of sight seeing include Magnificent Potala, the winter palace of the Dalai Lama;Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Square, Drepung and Sera Monasteries as well as have plenty of spare time to explore the old alleyways around central Lhasa.

DAY 08: LHASA TO KATHMANDU BY FLIGHT                        
We depart Lhasa for the two hour drive to the airport before embarking on our trans Himalayan flight back to Kathmandu.

Tibet tours depart from Kathmandu every Tuesday and Saturday morning. In the season, trips fill up fast so it’s important to book well in advance. If you have more time, then it’s also possible to extend this trip by a few days and pay a visit to the base camp of Mount Everest, a worthy and impressive trip where you can virtually drive to the base camp, visiting the highest monastery, Ronbuk, along the way.

An overland tour includes all of your accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis, all sightseeing and entrance fees, all transport, English speaking Tibetan guide, National Park entrance fees, air port and hotel transfers, visas and permits and a guarantee of the best views in the world. You will be responsible for your own meals outside of breakfast, person insurance, Nepal re entry visa fee and any other personal expenses.

We think a trip in Tibet is one of the most amazing experience that you can have, so if you need more details, want to book a tour or know about the prices please contact us.