12 Days Lhasa EBC Kailash Kathmandu Group Tour

Distance: 70 km (about 1 hr) from Gonggar Airport; 20 km (about 30 min) from Lhasa Railway Station | Meals: Self-arranged | Hotel: Hotel in Lhasa (3,650m)

Tashi Delek! Your local Tibetan guide and driver will meet you at Lhasa Gonggar Airport or Lhasa Railway Station and transfer you to the hotel.

If you arrive by air, the drive into Lhasa follows the Yarlung Tsangpo River Valley and gives you an easy first look at the plateau. After check-in, the rest of the day is free, with no sightseeing planned.

Use the afternoon and evening to rest and settle into the altitude before the city tour begins tomorrow.

Overnight in Lhasa.

CHIBET Travel Advice: Complimentary airport pick-up is available from 08:00 to 22:00, while train station pick-up operates 24 hours. Keep the first day easy and avoid strenuous activity while you adjust to the altitude.

Distance: Approx. 10 km local driving | Meals: Breakfast | Hotel: Hotel in Lhasa (3,650m)

Today stays entirely in Lhasa and focuses on two of the city’s major Gelug monasteries, with a comfortable schedule that still leaves time to continue adjusting to the altitude.

Start at Drepung Monastery and walk through its hillside courtyards, assembly halls and old lanes while your guide explains how the monastery became an important center of Buddhist study.

In the afternoon, continue to Sera Monastery for the monk debate session. Questions, hand claps and quick gestures are part of the training, giving the courtyard a much livelier atmosphere than a typical temple visit.

Afterward, return to the hotel and rest.

Overnight in Lhasa.

Distance: Approx. 4 km local driving | Meals: Breakfast, Tibetan Sweet Tea, Tibetan Welcome Dinner | Hotel: Hotel in Lhasa (3,650m)

Spend today in the historic heart of Lhasa, moving from the city’s best-known palace to the pilgrimage streets of the old quarter.

Begin at the Potala Palace and climb through the White Palace and Red Palace. Former living quarters, chapels, murals and memorial stupas help explain how the complex was used beyond its famous exterior.

Later, visit Jokhang Temple, where pilgrims come to pray throughout the day. Step outside onto Barkhor Street and follow part of the traditional clockwise kora around the temple.

Around the old quarter, stop for Tibetan sweet tea and enjoy a traditional Tibetan costume photoshoot in the historic lanes.

In the evening, meet the group for a Tibetan welcome dinner before the overland journey begins tomorrow.

Overnight in Lhasa.

CHIBET Travel Notice: Potala Palace uses fixed entry times and daily visitor limits, so your guide may adjust the sightseeing order around the confirmed ticket time. Photography is restricted inside some areas.

Distance: 360 km (about 8 hrs driving) | Meals: Breakfast | Hotel: Hotel in Shigatse (3,840m)

Leave Lhasa and begin the road west toward Shigatse. It is a full driving day, but the lake, glacier and changing plateau scenery break up the journey well.

The first major stop is Gampala Pass, where Yamdrok Lake opens below the road in long blue curves between dry mountain ridges. After the high viewpoint, continue down toward the lakeshore for a closer look.

Later, stop at Karola Glacier, where the ice descends unusually close to the highway. Continue through Gyantse and the Nyang Chu Valley toward Shigatse.

Arrive in Shigatse later in the day and check in for the night.

Overnight in Shigatse.

CHIBET Travel Advice: Gampala Pass and Karola Glacier can be much colder and windier than Lhasa. Keep a warm, windproof layer in your daypack.

Distance: 340 km (about 8 hrs driving) | Meals: Breakfast, Tibetan Yak Hotpot | Hotel: EBC Tent Guesthouse / Vienna International Hotel in Tingri / Rongbuk Monastery Hotel

Today the road leaves Shigatse and heads into the Himalayas. Towns become smaller, the plateau opens up and the mountain skyline gradually becomes the focus of the day.

Cross Gyatso La Pass, where Mount Everest may appear in the distance when the sky is clear. The wider Himalayan panorama comes later at Gawula Pass, with Makalu, Lhotse, Everest, Cho Oyu and Shishapangma lined across the horizon on a good-weather day.

From the pass, descend the winding mountain road toward Everest Base Camp. Spend time at the main viewing area facing the north side of the mountain, with possible sunset views if the weather cooperates.

Dinner tonight is a warm Tibetan yak hotpot before the group settles into the chosen overnight accommodation.

Accommodation Options:

EBC Tent Guesthouse: the upgraded tent accommodation offers cleaner, more comfortable sleeping areas and improved shared toilet facilities. It remains simple high-altitude accommodation, but the location keeps you close to Everest for the evening and a possible sunrise.

Vienna International Hotel in Tingri: a more comfortable private room at a lower altitude. Guests staying here leave the Everest area before nightfall and do not return to EBC for sunrise.

Rongbuk Monastery Hotel upgrade: a private room close to Everest, available with a supplement and subject to seasonal availability.

Overnight near Everest Base Camp or in Tingri.

CHIBET Travel Notice: Everest sunset, stars and sunrise depend on the weather. Nights around EBC are very cold, so bring your warmest layers. Sunrise the next morning is available only for guests staying near EBC or at Rongbuk Hotel.

Distance: 370 km (about 8 hrs driving) | Meals: Breakfast | Hotel: Hotel in Saga (4,480m)

Guests staying near Everest can rise early for another chance to see the mountain at sunrise. When the sky is clear, the first light reaches the upper slopes before the valley below. Guests staying in Tingri do not return to EBC for sunrise.

After breakfast, the route turns west into a quieter section of the plateau. Look toward Shishapangma, then stop at Pelkhu Tso Lake with its blue water and wide open surroundings.

Continue across the remote landscape to Saga and check in for the night.

Overnight in Saga.

CHIBET Travel Advice: Everest sunrise and mountain visibility are weather-dependent. Today is another long high-altitude driving day, so keep the pace easy at stops.

Distance: 490 km (about 8 hrs driving) | Meals: Breakfast | Hotel: Hotel in Darchen (4,670m)

Leave Saga and continue west across the open Ngari Plateau between the Gangdise and Himalayan ranges.

Cross Mayum La Pass and reach the Lake Manasarovar area, where the sacred lake and the distinct dome of Mount Kailash appear across the wide plateau when the weather is clear.

Continue to Darchen at the foot of the mountain. The evening is mainly for rest, checking trekking gear and preparing for the three-day kora.

Overnight in Darchen.

CHIBET Travel Notice: If you plan to hire a porter, yak or riding horse for the Kailash trek, tell your guide today so arrangements can be made in Darchen. These services are optional and paid separately.

Distance: 6 km eco-bus + 13 km trekking (about 5-6 hrs) | Meals: Breakfast | Hotel: Dirapuk Monastery Guesthouse (shared dormitory, 4,920m)

The Mount Kailash kora begins today. Take the eco-bus toward Sarshung Valley, then start walking through the Lha Chu Valley with pilgrims and other trekkers.

Pass Tarboche Flagpole and Yam Dwar, the symbolic gateway onto the sacred trail. Farther along the valley, Choku Monastery appears beneath the mountain slopes.

The trail climbs gradually toward Dirapuk Monastery, where the north face of Mount Kailash rises directly across the valley. Arrive by late afternoon and settle into the simple guesthouse.

Overnight at Dirapuk Monastery Guesthouse.

CHIBET Travel Advice: Walk at a steady pace and do not try to match faster trekkers. The guesthouse is simple, and the altitude is close to 5,000 meters by the end of the day.

Distance: 22 km trekking (about 8-10 hrs) | Meals: Self-arranged | Hotel: Zutulpuk Monastery Guesthouse (shared dormitory, 4,820m)

This is the hardest day of the entire journey. Leave Dirapuk early and climb steadily toward Dolma La Pass, the highest point of the kora at 5,630 meters.

The final approach is steep and slow. Prayer flags cover the pass, and the landscape feels very exposed at this altitude. After crossing the top, descend carefully past Gauri Kund and into the Dzong Chu Valley.

The trail eventually becomes gentler as it follows the valley toward Zutulpuk Monastery, known for its connection with the Tibetan yogi Milarepa.

Overnight at Zutulpuk Monastery Guesthouse.

CHIBET Travel Advice: Trails around Dolma La Pass can be icy. Wear sturdy trekking boots, keep trekking poles ready for the descent and follow your guide closely throughout the pass section.

Distance: 6.5 km trekking + 4.5 km eco-bus + 344 km driving (about 6 hrs) | Meals: Self-arranged | Hotel: Hotel in Saga (4,480m)

The final morning of the kora is much easier. Follow the valley for about 6.5 kilometers to Zongto, then take the eco-bus back to Darchen to complete the 52-kilometer circuit.

Rejoin the vehicle in Darchen and begin the long drive east toward Saga, with final views of the Lake Manasarovar area before leaving the Kailash region behind.

Arrive in Saga in the evening and check in for the night.

Overnight in Saga.

Distance: 344 km (about 6 hrs driving) | Meals: Breakfast | Hotel: Hotel in Gyirong Town (2,800m)

Leave Saga and turn south toward the Nepal border region. The first part of the drive remains high and open, with broad plateau views and long stretches of empty road.

The landscape changes quickly as the route descends into Gyirong Valley. Dry grassland gives way to pine forest, deeper river gorges and waterfalls, making the final Tibetan section feel completely different from the Kailash region.

Arrive in Gyirong Town and check in for the night.

Overnight in Gyirong Town.

Distance: 40 km (about 1 hr) to the border; Nepal-side transfer to Kathmandu is optional | Meals: Breakfast | Hotel: None

After breakfast, drive from Gyirong Town to Gyirong Port. Your Tibetan guide and driver assist with luggage and the Chinese-side departure formalities before you cross the bridge into Nepal at Rasuwagadhi.

Your Tibet group tour ends at the border. If arranged in advance, a Nepal-side private transfer can meet you at Rasuwagadhi for the mountain-road journey to Kathmandu.

CHIBET Travel Notice: Ground transportation from the Nepal border to Kathmandu is not included in the standard Tibet tour package. A Nepal-side transfer can be arranged separately through a local operating partner for an additional cost. Driving time varies with weather, road and border conditions.