Lhasa to Everest Base Camp 8-day tour: Monasteries, lakes
Sunrise over Mt. Everest from Rongbuk, stunning views of the snow-capped pyramid peak.
This 8-day guided tour runs from Lhasa to Everest Base Camp with stops in Gyantse and Shigatse, covering Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkor Street, Drepung and Sera monasteries, Yamdrok Lake, and Rongbuk Monastery. An English-speaking Tibetan guide leads the group. All accommodation in Lhasa and Shigatse, entrance fees, transport by van, Tibet permits, and a welcome dinner are included. The tour requires at least moderate physical fitness and advance booking so the operator can obtain your Tibet Permit.
Step-by-step itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and acclimation in Lhasa
- Arrive in Lhasa
- Meet Tibetan guide at airport or train station
- Transfer to hotel in downtown Lhasa
- Rest and acclimate to high altitude
Day 2: Lhasa city tour and cultural sites
- Visit Potala Palace
- Lunch break
- Visit Jokhang Temple
- Explore Barkhor Street and do kora
- Taste Tibetan tea in tea house
- Attend welcome dinner
Day 3: Village visit and monastery tour
- Visit Dadong Village and Nyimatang Monastery
- Walk in village and visit local family for lunch
- Visit Sera Monastery
- Watch monks debate
- Tour scripture printing house and see mandalas
Day 4: Drive Lhasa to Shigatse via Gyantse
- Drive from Lhasa to Shigatse
- View Yamdrok Lake and Gampala Pass
- See Karola Glacier and hang prayer flags at Simila Mountain Pass
- Visit Pelkor Monastery and Gyantse Kumbum
- View Gyantse Fortress
- Arrive in Shigatse and visit Barley Mill
Day 5: Shigatse to Everest Base Camp
- Obtain Alien’s travel permit
- Drive to Lhatse and have lunch
- Pass Tsola Pass and Gyatsola Pass
- Enter Mt. Everest National Nature Reserve
- Enjoy panorama at Gawula Pass
- Drive to Everest Base Camp via zigzag road
- View Mt. Everest peak and sunset if possible
Day 6: Sunrise at Everest and return to Shigatse
- Watch sunrise on Mt. Everest
- View Mt. Everest from Rongpuk vantage point
- Drive back to Shigatse
Day 7: Shigatse to Lhasa via Tashilunpo Monastery
- Visit Tashilunpo Monastery
- Drive 280 km to Lhasa via Friendship Highway
Day 8: Departure from Lhasa
- Leave Tibet by air or train
What’s included
- English-speaking Tibetan guide.
- all accommodation in Lhasa and Shigatse with breakfast on twin-sharing basis.
- entrance fees to Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkor Street, Sera Monastery, Gyantse Kumbum, Tashilunpo Monastery, and Everest Base Camp.
- transport by comfortable van or minibus with an experienced local driver and gasoline.
- Tibet Travel Permit and other necessary permits.
- pickup and drop-off from Lhasa airport or train station.
- drinking water during the trip.
- welcome dinner in a local restaurant.
- one lunch with a local Tibetan family.
- liability travel insurance.
- Tibet Handy Map.
- oxygen cylinders in the vehicle.
- winter care service including hot water bottle and electric blanket (November 15 to February 15).
- Everest Base Camp Echo bus.
- service charge and government taxes.
Times
- Thursday and Sunday 09:00
Last departure this season: 31 Dec
Another day? ›Information
Prices and times updated 4 days ago
Operated by Tibet Vista
The experience
The tour starts with pickup at Lhasa airport or train station and transfer to your hotel downtown, where you spend the first day acclimatizing to the high altitude. Day two takes you through Potala Palace (the winter palace of the Dalai Lamas since the 7th century, with its gilded burial stupas and meditation cave), then to Jokhang Temple, founded in the same era, where you see the twelve-year-old statue of Buddha Sakyamuni. Around the temple, Barkor Street lets you walk the kora (a religious circle) with pilgrims and locals, explore the old market, and drink Tibetan tea in a local teahouse.
Day three swaps Drepung Monastery for Dadong Village, a protected ancient Tibetan settlement 25 kilometers southwest of Lhasa, where you visit Nyimatang Monastery (built in the 11th century), take a light walk through the village, and have lunch with a local Tibetan family. The afternoon brings you to Sera Monastery, one of the "great three" Gelug monasteries, where monks debate between 3 and 5 p.m., a ritual you watch unfold, and you see the scripture printing house, three sand mandalas, and colorful rock paintings of Buddha inside.
Days four and five push south toward Everest. You drive over Gampala Pass at 4,790 meters and glimpse Yamdrok Lake, surrounded by snow-capped mountains with views of Holy Mount Nyenchen Khangsar (7,191 meters) in the distance. The road passes Karola Glacier and Manak Dam Lake, where you can hang prayer flags at Simila Mountain Pass, before arriving in Gyantse, historically Tibet's third largest city, to visit Pelkor Monastery and Gyantse Kumbum. After another ninety minutes, you reach Shigatse, Tibet's second largest city. From Shigatse, you drive through the Himalaya, crossing Tsola Pass and Gyatsola Pass, entering Mt. Everest National Nature Reserve, and climbing the new zigzag road to Everest Base Camp at 5,200 meters. The sunset on the golden Everest peak follows, weather permitting. Day six is the payoff: you watch the sunrise over Mt. Everest from Rongbuk, then drive back to Shigatse.
Day seven returns you to Lhasa via the Friendship Highway (175 miles, about 6 hours), stopping at Tashilunpo Monastery, the seat of the Panchen Lama, Tibet's second highest incarnation. The final day is your departure by air or train. Winter care (November 15 to February 15) includes a hot water bottle and electric blanket at Rongpuk Guest House. The van carries oxygen cylinders, and your guide is English-speaking. Lunches and dinners are excluded except for the welcome dinner and one lunch with the local family. Tips to the driver and guide are your choice.
Is this one for you?The tour is led in English by a Tibetan guide, so you follow the commentary and cultural context comfortably even if you speak no Mandarin or Tibetan. Book at least 10 working days in advance so the operator can obtain your Tibet Permit and arrange the necessary visas before your departure.
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Top questions
What happens if it rains?
It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 6 days before the start.
What is Potala Palace and why is it the first major stop on day two?
Potala Palace is the winter palace of the Dalai Lamas, in use since the 7th century under the 33rd great king of Tibet. It holds the most valuable collections of gilded burial stupas of former Dalai Lamas and the meditation cave of the 33rd great king, making it the opening landmark of the tour's Lhasa section.
Can I watch the monks debate at Sera Monastery?
Yes. Sera Monastery hosts a monks debate between 3 and 5 p.m. in the afternoon on day three, and the tour includes time to watch this ritual unfold. You also tour the scripture printing house and see three sand mandalas and colorful rock paintings of Buddha inside the monastery.
What happens at Everest Base Camp, and when do I see Mt. Everest?
You arrive at Everest Base Camp (5,200 meters) on day five and stay overnight at Rongpuk Guest House. On day six morning, you watch the sunrise over Mt. Everest from Rongbuk, the vantage point where the mountain stands like a snow-capped pyramid in front of you. The sunset on day five is also visible if weather permits.
What is included in the tour price, and what do I pay separately?
The tour includes all accommodation in Lhasa and Shigatse, entrance fees to all listed sites, transport by van with an experienced local driver, Tibet permits, pickup and drop-off from Lhasa airport or train station, drinking water, a welcome dinner, and an English-speaking Tibetan guide. Lunches and dinners are excluded except for the welcome dinner and one lunch with a local family. Tips to the driver and guide are optional.
How much time do I spend at Yamdrok Lake?
Yamdrok Lake is a stop on day four during the drive from Lhasa to Shigatse. You have a glimpse of the lake from Gampala Pass (4,790 meters), surrounded by snow-capped mountains with views of Holy Mount Nyenchen Khangsar (7,191 meters) in the distance, before continuing to Gyantse.
What should I know about altitude and physical fitness for this tour?
The tour climbs from Lhasa (3,650 meters) to Everest Base Camp (5,200 meters) over eight days. You should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness. The tour is not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries, pregnant travelers, or those with poor cardiovascular health. Winter care (hot water bottle and electric blanket) is provided at Rongpuk Guest House from November 15 to February 15.
Lhasa to Everest Base Camp 8-day tour: Monasteries, lakes
8d · EN
from US$ 969 per person