Overview

Thirteen days, and it is the only one of these programmes that takes in both the blossom country of southeast Tibet and Everest Base Camp. That is not padding: the two are three hundred kilometres and four thousand metres apart, and connecting them properly takes the whole eastern loop through Bomi, Ranwu and Lulang before turning west to Lhasa and then south to Shigatse.

The first six days are the slowest and greenest part of any Tibet itinerary. You fly to Nyingchi, work north through Milin and Gala, cross the Tongmai narrows to Guxiang Lake and the Bomi Peach Blossom Valley, spend a day at Midui Glacier and Lake Ranwu, overnight in Lulang under the snow mountain, and come down through Basum Tso and Laru village to Lhasa.

Then the programme changes character completely. Two days in Lhasa, then Yamdrok Lake and Gyantse to Shigatse, then two days at Everest: Rongbuk Monastery at 5,100 metres, Everest Base Camp at 5,200 metres, and the north face at dawn. You return through Tashilhunpo and leave Tibet on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway from Lhasa to Xining, flying to Chengdu.

Be honest about the pace. This is a long trip with a great deal of time in the vehicle, and it works best for travellers who are comfortable with that in exchange for the range. If you would rather cut the driving, the eleven-day discovery programme covers the same highlights with the Everest section kept to one night at the base camp, or the ten-day low-altitude programme drops Everest entirely.

Highlights

  • The full blossom route: Milin, Gala, Bomi Valley, Laru and Basum Tso

  • Midui Glacier and Lake Ranwu on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway

  • An overnight in Lulang International Tourist Town at 3,300m

  • Everest Base Camp at 5,200m, and Rongbuk Monastery at 5,100m

  • Yamdrok Lake, Gyantse, Shigatse and Tashilhunpo Monastery

  • Lhasa in depth, then out on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway to Xining

Itinerary

Day 1Arrival in Chengdu

Arrival in Chengdu

You arrive at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport, or Shuangliu Airport, and a transfer takes you to a hotel near the airport. The evening is free for rest. Your Tibet Travel Permit and border permit are handled by us and delivered to you in Chengdu, which is why the programme begins here rather than at Lhasa.

Day 2Chengdu to Nyingchi, Milin & Gala Peach Blossom Villages

Morning — Flight to Nyingchi

An early morning flight from Chengdu reaches Nyingchi Mainling Airport at about 11:00. Arrival before 11:00 is a condition of the programme as written, so the Chengdu night is not optional.

Afternoon — Milin and Gala

You drive out along the Niyang River Peach Blossom Avenue to Milin Peach Blossom Village, then to Gala Peach Blossom Village. Every spring these villages fill with pink blossom, the houses and the snow line behind them, and the season runs from late March into mid-April.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 3Tongmai Gorge, Guxiang Lake & Bomi Peach Blossom Valley

Tongmai and Guxiang Lake

You pass through the Tongmai natural barrier, one of the most dramatic road sections in Tibet, and reach Guxiang Lake. The lake sits at 2,600 metres, stretches about five kilometres, is two kilometres at its widest and over twenty metres at its deepest.

Bomi Peach Blossom Valley

The Bomi Peach Blossom Valley is a highlight of this route and appears among China National Geographic's hundred finest viewing and photography sites in Tibet. The afternoon is spent in the valley among old peach trees, wild forest and the river running through.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 4Galang Village, Qingduo, Midui Glacier & Lake Ranwu

Morning — Galang Village to Qingduo

You travel through Galang village, Qingduo town and Runa village on the road toward Yupug township, the local Tibetan villages along the way giving a sense of how the peach blossom country is actually lived in.

Afternoon — Midui Glacier and Ranwu Lake

Midui Glacier is one of the most important maritime glaciers in Tibet, its main peak at 6,800 metres with a snow line near 4,600 metres, covered year round and home to ice worms and ice fleas. Ranwu Lake lies further on at the southwest corner of Baxoi County, a barrier lake formed by landslide, right beside the Sichuan-Tibet Highway.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 5Galang Lake, Lulang Forest Sea & the Town Under the Snow Mountain

Morning — Galang Lake

Galang Lake lies northwest of Bomi County, ringed by green mountains and ancient trees, and is the site of the ruins of the Galang dynasty with its descendants still living nearby. It is one of the quieter, less visited places on the route.

Afternoon — Lulang Forest Sea

The Lulang Forest Sea is forest in a sea of cloud: snow peaks behind, dense green in the valleys, meadows inside the forest that look hand-trimmed, and traditional houses among streams and wildflowers. You overnight in Lulang International Tourist Town, the town under the snow mountain.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 6Basum Tso, Cuozong Monastery & Laru Village to Lhasa

Morning — Basum Tso and Cuozong Monastery

Basum Tso is one of the famous alpine lakes of the Nyingchi region, and in spring the shore and the hillsides break into blossom. The Basum peach blossom forest beside the lake is among the best places in Tibet to see it, and Cuozong Monastery stands on the shore above it.

Afternoon — Laru Village and the Road to Lhasa

After Laru village, with its wild peach blossoms, you take the Lalin Expressway to Lhasa. The new highway crosses the mountains and turns the old two-day drive into a single afternoon. You arrive at the heart of the holy city.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 7Lhasa: Potala Palace, Yaowang Hill, Jokhang & Barkhor Street

Morning — Potala Palace

You begin at the Yaowang Mountain viewing platform, the classic position opposite the Potala Palace, and then go into the palace: the courtyards, the audience halls, the golden stupas containing the remains of past Dalai Lamas, the murals, the thangka and the Buddha statues. It is the most concentrated expression of Tibetan culture anywhere, and the highest ancient palace complex in the world.

Afternoon — Jokhang and Barkhor

The Jokhang Temple, earliest of the Tubo-period temples, holds the life-size twelve-year-old Shakyamuni Buddha brought from China by Princess Wencheng, the most sacred image for Tibetans. You then walk Barkhor Street with the pilgrims, and the afternoon tea and coffee at the Potala Palace is included.

Practical Note

The Potala Palace closes on Mondays. Photography is prohibited in many chapel interiors; inside monasteries remove hats and sunglasses, do not smoke, and do not touch statues, scriptures, bells or drums.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8Lhasa to Yamdrok Lake, Gyantse & Shigatse

Morning — Yamdrok Lake

You drive from Lhasa to Yamdrok Lake, one of Tibet's three sacred lakes and the highest freshwater lake in the world, at 4,441 metres. The deep blue water meets the snow line, with colourful ranges, Tibetan villages and grazing herds along the shore.

Afternoon — Karola Glacier and Gyantse

The Karola Glacier is admired from the road, wrapped in mist, a geological record of ice and time. You then reach Gyantse, the Heroic City, seeing the ancient fortress from a distance, and cross the Gyantse Plain to Shigatse, the major city of western Tibet.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 9Shigatse to Dingri & Everest Base Camp

Morning — To Dingri

You drive through Lazi toward the new county seat of Dingri, Xigaze, crossing the 5,220-metre Gyatso La Pass. On the approach you get a distant view of Everest, and you stop briefly at the pass before continuing to Dingri.

Afternoon — Rongbuk and Everest Base Camp

You enter the Everest Nature Reserve, the highest in the world. From Rongbuk Monastery at 5,100 metres, the highest monastery in the world, marked by white stupas and prayer flags, you have the best-known view of Everest. An eco-vehicle takes you the last stretch to Everest Base Camp at 5,200 metres, where you stand beside the world's highest peak and, if you are fortunate, see the Everest Cloud Flag streaming from the summit. Everest hot pot dinner is included.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 10Everest Sunrise & Return to Shigatse

Morning — Sunrise

You are out before first light to watch the north face of Everest catch the sun, the snow summit and hanging glaciers above a sea of peaks. After such an encounter with the highest mountain on earth, the road back is a relief.

Afternoon — Back to Shigatse

You return in the afternoon to Shigatse, nestled among the most expansive and magnificent Himalayan scenery in Tibet.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 11Shigatse, Tashilhunpo Monastery & Lhasa

Morning — Tashilhunpo Monastery

Tashilhunpo is the residence of the Panchen Lama and one of the six great Gelugpa monasteries, historically the political centre of western Tibet. Inside is the world's largest bronze sitting Buddha, the 28-metre Maitreya, in a hall built to house it.

Afternoon — Return to Lhasa

You return to Lhasa along the Yarlung Tsangpo river valley, the first river of the Tibetan plateau, arriving in the late afternoon. Tomorrow you leave Tibet by train.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 12Lhasa to Xining by the Qinghai-Tibet Railway

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway

You board the train at 08:00 from Lhasa for Xining. The line crosses the Tanggula range and runs for much of the day above 5,000 metres. Accommodation is a soft sleeper in a four-berth compartment.

Alternative by Air

Guests who prefer can be ticketed on the parallel flight from Lhasa to Xining instead. Tell us when you book and we will price it as an option.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 13Xining to Chengdu & Departure

Morning — Xining

You arrive at Xining at about 08:00, the capital of Qinghai Province at 2,275 metres, and a private transfer takes you from the railway station to the airport.

Midday — Onward to Chengdu

You fly to Chengdu by midday to conclude the journey, connecting with your international flight or extending your stay in Chengdu. End your perfect Tibet journey here, or let us build the rest of your China trip around it.

Meals: Breakfast

Booking Price

Group Size Adult(Age:8-80) Price/p.p Child(Age:4-7) Price/p.p Infant(Age:0-3) Price/p.p
1 PAX from $3589 / /
2 PAX from $2243 / /
3 PAX from $2243 / /
4 PAX from $2243 / /
5 PAX from $2243 / /
6 PAX from $2243 / /
7 PAX from $2243 / /
8 PAX from $2243 / /
9 PAX from $2243 / /
10 PAX from $2243 / /
11 PAX from $2243 / /
12 PAX from $2243 / /
13 PAX from $2378 / /
14 PAX from $2333 / /
15 PAX from $2299 / /
16 PAX from $2266 / /

Includes

  • Tibet Travel Permit and all border permits required for the areas on the route, handled on your behalf

  • Private tour vehicle with an experienced local driver throughout, including fuel, tolls and mountain access fees

  • English-speaking local guide (Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian or Japanese on request), with the driver's and guide's accommodation and meals covered

  • All entrance fees for the sites listed in the daily itinerary, including shuttle buses, eco-buses and cable cars where the site requires them

  • Daily hotel breakfast as shown in the itinerary

  • Oxygen supply: a portable cylinder in the vehicle on high-altitude days, with in-room oxygen at the Everest Base Camp lodge

  • Welcome Tibetan dinner and Everest hot pot where listed, plus bottled water each day

  • Travel agency liability insurance, vehicle passenger insurance and travel accident insurance

  • Domestic connections listed in the itinerary (Chengdu-Nyingchi flight, Lhasa-Xining soft sleeper, Xining-Chengdu flight, and the Chengdu airport hotel night where shown)

Excludes

  • International air tickets to and from China, and any flights not listed in the itinerary

  • China visa and any visa or entry documentation fees

  • Lunches and dinners except where the itinerary states a meal is included

  • Tips for guides and drivers (suggested USD 8-12 per person per day)

  • Personal expenses: laundry, telephone, minibar, shopping and excess baggage

  • Single-room supplement if a traveller requires a room alone

  • Optional activities and any item not listed under Price Includes

Trip Notes

Before booking, please read the entry and health notes below. Tibet is not like the rest of China: entry paperwork, altitude and the pace of travel all need planning, and some of it cannot be arranged at short notice.

Entry formalities. Every foreign visitor needs a Tibet Travel Permit (often called the TTP or 入藏证) in addition to a Chinese visa. Independent travel is not permitted: you must travel as part of an arranged group with a licensed Tibetan guide and a licensed vehicle with driver throughout. For areas beyond Lhasa prefecture — Shigatse, Everest Base Camp and the border counties among them — additional permits are required on top of the TTP. We handle the paperwork, but it takes time, so please book well ahead and send passport details early. Apply at least 15 to 30 working days in advance, and longer in peak season. The original permit must be carried with you throughout the trip: photocopies are not accepted, and it is checked at airports, railway stations, checkpoints, hotels and attraction entrances. The name, passport number, nationality, travel dates and permitted travel shown on the permit must match your actual information and itinerary. Permits are issued at the discretion of the authorities and can be withdrawn at short notice if policy changes.

China visa. You must hold a valid Chinese visa for the whole trip, including the domestic flights and trains used to enter and leave Tibet. In most cases this is an L tourist visa. If you hold another type of visa, tell us when you enquire, as additional supporting documents may be needed.

Altitude. Lhasa sits at 3,650 m and much of this programme runs higher. Acclimatisation days are built into the itinerary for a reason: guests who fly in and drive straight up do not enjoy the trip. Expect some breathlessness and disturbed sleep for the first day or two, drink more water than usual, avoid alcohol on the first nights and keep the first day gentle.

Health. Travellers over 60, and anyone with a heart or lung condition, high blood pressure, or who is pregnant, should consult a doctor before booking and bring a medical certificate. Please tell us about any relevant condition when you enquire. Oxygen is carried in the vehicle on all high-altitude days.

Everest accommodation. Lodging near Everest Base Camp is basic and very cold, and no hotel upgrade changes that. It is a fixed condition of going there, and it is oxygen supplied.

Pace and conditions. Road distances in Tibet are long and journey times depend on road works, weather and checkpoint queues, so treat all driving times as approximate. Accommodation outside Lhasa is simpler than in the big eastern cities, and hotels of the same standard are used where the ones shown are full; specific hotels cannot be guaranteed. Photography is prohibited inside many chapel interiors; your guide will tell you where.

Q: Do I need a Tibet Travel Permit, and do you arrange it?
A: Yes. Every overseas visitor needs a Tibet Travel Permit in addition to a Chinese visa, and for Shigatse, Everest Base Camp and the border counties further permits are required. We arrange them as part of the booking. You cannot apply for them yourself, and you cannot travel in Tibet independently, so please book early and send passport details as soon as you can.

Q: Is the Potala Palace open every day?
A: No. The Potala Palace closes on Mondays. If your programme falls on a Monday, the order of visits is rearranged so that no site is lost.

Q: What should I bring?
A: A valid passport and Chinese visa, your permit, warm layers including a down jacket, sun protection with high-factor sunscreen and sunglasses, a hat, comfortable walking shoes, a light rain jacket, and any regular medication. Lip balm and hand cream are useful, since the air is very dry.

Q: Can the itinerary be adjusted?
A: Yes. These programmes are built to be adjusted — a longer acclimatisation stay, a hotel category upgrade in Lhasa, or a different route out of Tibet. Tell us what you need when you enquire and we will price it.

Quick Inquiry Tailoring is available based on your requirements.
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