Destination Nepal

A four-day trek to the Tibetan Everest Base Camp (on the North face) forms the centrepiece of this adventure holiday, which can be adapted to be combined with sightseeing in Kathmandu, Lhasa and/or other parts of Tibet, according to your individual requirements.
The actual trek begins at Lao Tingi (Old Tingi), a traditional trading town on the Friendship Highway, which has splendid views of Mt Everest and Mt Cho-Oyu. The ultimate goal of the trek is the base camp of Everest, which will be reached four days later.

There are no teahouses or lodges en route, so this is a strictly a camping trek and all necessary gear, food and the service crew are brought from either Kathmandu or Lhasa.
Depending on your travel plan your journey can begin in Lhasa (you may fly to Lhasa either from Kathmandu or from mainland China) or from Zhang-Mu, which is a town on the Nepal/Tibet border. A four-hour journey overland from Kathmandu brings you to Zhang-Mu.
The trip can end in either location, at your convenience.

The ideal time for this trek is May-September, although hardier travellers do visit in April and October, when the weather tends to be a bit more harsh. It is not advisable to make this trip between October and March.

The duration of this trek can be varied and the following itinerary is just one example:

Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu. We meet you at the airport and transport you to your hotel
Day 02: Guided sightseeing tour in Kathmandu
Day 03: Fly Kathmandu to Lhasa. Our guide meets you at the airport and transports you to Lhasa (98 km)
Day 04: Lhasa tour including Potala Palace, Jokhang temple & Norbulinkha Palace
Day 05: Lhasa tour including Sera Monastery, Drepung Monastery and Tibetan Medical Center.
Day 06: Jeep tour: Lhasa to Gyantse (3950 m); overnight in guest house
Day 07: Jeep tour: Gyantse to Shigatse (3900 m) ; overnight in guest house
Day 08: Jeep tour: Shigatse to Lhatse via Sakya (3950 m) ; overnight in guest house
Day 09: Jeep tour: Lhatse to Lao Tingri (4300 m) ; overnight in guest house
Day 10: Trekking – Lao Tingri to Tsojan Village (4500 m); overnight camping
Day 11: Trekking – Tsojan village to Lama La Pass (5100 m); overnight camping
Day 12: Trekking – Lama La pass to Zemukh (4910 m); overnight camping
Day 13: Trekking – Zemukh to Rongbuk village; overnight camping
Day 14: Trekking – Rongbuk village to Everest Base Camp
Day 15: Jeep tour: Everest Base Camp to Nyalam (3750 m); overnight at Nyalam Guesthouse
Day 16: Overland journey back to Kathmandu via Zhangmu & Kodari
Day 17: Free time
Day 18: Fly out from Nepal

Nam Tso, or the ‘Sky Lake,’ is Tibet’s largest lake, a magnet for pilgrims, many of whom undertake a ritual circumambulation (taking 18 days), as well as a sanctuary for many fascinating species of native and migratory birds.

The lake, 190 km from Lhasa, is 70 km long, 30 km wide and is situated at an elevation of 4718 metres.
Our trek takes you across Nyenchen Thaglha, Tibet’s magnificent median range, whose snow-capped mountains flank the lake, with the highest peak Mt Nyenchen Thanghla (7088 metres), towering above the water.

The trek is circular, beginning and ending in the Damzhung Valley. We climb out of the valley via Largen-La (4970 metres), and then descend to the Tashi Dorje hermitage on the lake’s south-eastern peninsula. Here there is a network of dozens of deserted limestone caves, some of which contain unusual, primitive cave paintings. This part of the lake, with its unsurpassed sense of space, is among the most breathtakingly dramatic areas of central Tibet.
From Tashi Dorje, we trek back to the Damzhung Valley via the remote region of Nyenchen Thanglha and the 5150 metre Kang-La pass.

The best season for trekking around the Nam Tso Lake is late May to mid-October. However you should be prepared for the possibility of wet weather, snow and cold winds at any time. Summer rain can be quite persistent during July and August and fallen snow sometimes blocks the route at Largen-La.
Because this region is very remote, we always carry camping and kitchen equipment and provisions for the whole trekking portion of this holiday.

We can customize the trekking programme from 2-7 days, depending on your available time. It is also possible to combine the Nam Tso Lake trek with a Lhasa tour – or with any Tibet tour that begins and ends in Lhasa.

Fly in / drive out
Mode of transport: Land Cruiser
Total duration: 14 days

The duration of this trek can be varied and the following itinerary is just one example:

Day 01: On arrival in Kathmandu, we meet you at the airport and transport you to your hotel.
Day 02: Guided tour of Kathmandu
Day 03: Early morning, fly Kathmandu to Lhasa. Meet at the airport and transport you to Lhasa (98 km); overnight in hotel
Day 04: Lhasa tour including Potala Palace, Sera Monastery & Norbulingkha Palace
Day 05: Lhasa tour including Jokhang Temple, Drepung Monastery & Barkhor Market
Day 06: Morning drive to Damxung and start trekking; overnight camping
Day 07: Trekking around Nam Tso Lake; overnight camping
Day 08: Trekking around Nam Tso lake; overnight camping
Day 09: Trekking around Nam Tso lake; overnight camping
Day 10: Trekking back to Nagenla Pass then drive back to Lhasa
Day 11: Jeep tour: Lhasa to Gyantse
Day 12: Jeep tour: Gyantse to Shigatse
Day 13: Jeep tour: Shigatse to Lhatse via Sakya Monastery
Day 14: Jeep tour: Lhatse to Mt. Everest Base Camp
Day 15: Explore around the Base Camp
Day 16: Jeep tour: Everest Base Camp to Nyalam
Day 17: Jeep tour: Nyalam – Zhang-Mu then drive back to Kathmandu
Day 18: Free time
Day 19: Departure from Kathmandu

This connoisseur’s tour takes you to some of the highest trekking country in the world, giving you the opportunity to savour a region of astonishing natural beauty that is still relatively unexplored and unknown.
The Kharta Valley area is a fabled and still pristine part of Tibet, while the Khangshung Glacier, which hangs from the eastern face of Mount Everest, is an awesome ice spectacle.

Additionally, this trek takes you to the verdant valley of the Lakes, where you can see a string of 14 enticingly glittering emerald-green lakes – and to the Karma valley, which boasts magnificent Alpine scenery with many mountain wild flowers, as well as the highest forests in the world.
Three of the highest peaks on the globe, Everest, Lhotse and Makalu, overlook the valley and the views, especially of Makalu, are magical.

For anyone trying to find an unusual trek in a remote and still unspoiled area, this tour is ideal and will fit the bill precisely.
The starting point of this trek is the Kharta valley, 140 km south of Xegar (one of the ‘gateways’ to the Everest region, situated on the Kathmandu-Lhasa Friendship Highway). From the Kharta Valley we trek ahead to the Khangshung face via the Karma Valley, which offers views of such giants as Makalu, Chomo Lonzo, Pethangtse, Lhotse and Mount Everest itself. This is just about the highest trekking territory on earth, with passes getting up to 6000 metres. The Kharta Valley and Khangshung Face trek can be started from Zhang-Mu (a Tibetan border town); a four and a half hours’ drive from Kathmandu. Alternatively, the journey can be started at Lhasa, so travellers coming into Tibet from mainland China can join this trek also.

Due to the isolated nature of this region, the tour is via camping only. We bring all the necessary supplies (food, camping and kitchen equipment) as well as personnel from Kathmandu or from Lhasa.
The best time of year to do this trek is between May and September.

A trek to the Kharta Valley can be combined with any of our Lhasa tours – we will design your itinerary to suit your individual needs.

Maximum elevation: 5100 meters
Total duration: 23 days (19 days in Tibet + 4 days Nepal)

The duration of this trek can be varied and the following itinerary is just one example:

Day 01: Upon arrival Kathmandu. We meet you at the airport and transport you to your hotel
Day 02: Guided tour of Kathmandu valley
Day 03: Early morning flight to Lhasa. Our guide meets you at the airport and transports you to Lhasa (98 km)
Day 04: Lhasa sightseeing tour including Potala Palace, Norbulinkha & Barkhor Square
Day 05: Lhasa sightseeing tour including Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery & Tibetan Medical Center
Day 06: Jeep tour: Lhasa to Gyantse (3900 m)
Day 07: Jeep tour: Gyantse to Shigatse (3950 m)
Day 08: Jeep tour: Shigatse to Xegar (4300 m)
Day 09: Jeep tour: Xegar to Kharta valley; overnight camping
Day 10: Trekking – Kharta valley to Yueba; overnight camping
Day 11: Trekking – Yueba to Base of Langma-La; overnight camping
Day 12: Trekking – Langma La to Cave; overnight camping
Day 13: Trekking – Cave to Pethang; overnight camping
Day 14: Trekking – Pethang to Pethang Ringmo; overnight camping
Day 15: Trekking – Pethang Ringmo to Sharlung; overnight camping
Day 16: Trekking – Sharlung to Sharo; overnight camping
Day 17: Trekking – Sharo to Yueba; overnight camping
Day 18: Trekking – Yueba to Kharta; overnight camping
Day 19: Jeep tour: Kharta valley to Xegar (4300 m); overnight camping
Day 20: Jeep tour: Xegar to Nyalam (3750 m); overnight camping
Day 21: Jeep tour: Nyalam to Zhangmu then drive back to Kathmandu; overnight camping
Day 22: Free time in Kathmandu
Day 23: Departure

This is an evergreen favourite among Tibetan trekkers, largely because it links two of the most important monasteries in Tibet, both of which have enormous cultural and religious significance.
Ganden Monastery, 45 km east of Lhasa, was built on a ridge called Gokpo Ri, the site being chosen by Tsong Khapa during a special period of meditation.
The foremost monastery of the Gelugpa sect, Ganden was begun in 1409 and denotes the Paradise of Tushita and the abode of Jampa, the future Buddha. Today it offers a pilgrimage route around the perimeter which is widely regarded as the most spectacular of Tibet’s monastery circuits.

Although Ganden was the most devastated of the so-called ‘Great Six’ monasteries after the revolution, heroic rebuilding efforts have been made during the last twenty years.

Our trek connects Ganden with the other most important monastery in central Tibet: Samye. We follow a route crossing the Yatro Dak range of mountains, which divides the Tsangpo basin from the Lhasa valley and takes you through areas of superbly unspoiled countryside.
Samye, founded in the eighth century, is Tibet’s first monastery and its establishment coincides with the formal inauguration of Buddhism as the Tibetan state religion.

The Samye site has a unique mandala-shaped design, with many temples and chortens (stupas) surrounding the large central Cathedral of Utse. The pattern formed by the buildings is a replica of the Buddhist cosmological order and Samye has played a pivotal role in the overall development of Buddhism in Tibet.
Although the Chinese Communist party declared Samye a protected cultural site in the early 1960s, this did not deter the Red Guards from wreaking havoc at the monastery and causing a great deal of pillaging and destruction. Samye still suffered less damage than some of the other Tibetan religious centres.

Itinerary:

Day 01: Upon your arrival in Kathmandu we meet you at the airport and transport you to your hotel to brief you about your tour.
Day 02: Guided sightseeing tour of Kathmandu
Day 03: Early morning flight Kathmandu to Lhasa. Our guide meets you at the airport and transfer you to Lhasa
Day 04: Lhasa sightseeing tour including Potala Palace, Jokhang temple and Barkhor Square
Day 05: Lhasa sightseeing tour including Norbulunkha Palace, Drepung & Sera monasteries
Day 06: Jeep tour: Lhasa to Ganden then start trekking to Hepu village; overnight camping
Day 07: Trekking. Hepu village to Yama Do; overnight camping
Day 08: Trekking. Yama Do to Tshotup Chu valley; overnight camping
Day 09: Trekking. Tshotup Chu to Herders Camp; overnight camping
Day 10: Trekking – Herders Camp to Wango
Day 11: Trekking – Wango to Samye Monastery valley; overnight at guest house
Day 12: Tour of Samye then jeep tour to Tsedang; overnight at hotel or guest house
Day 13: Tsedang tour: visit Yambulakhang, Thandrek and The Tombs of Tibetan Kings
Day 14: Fly out, Lhasa – Kathmandu
Day 15: Free time
Day 16: Transfer airport – flight to onward destination