7 Days
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The Lhasa to Kathmandu Tour takes you on an epic overland journey from the heart of Tibet to the capital of Nepal. In one week, you will explore historic monasteries, ancient cultural sites, sacred temples, and beautiful landmarks that reflect the spiritual heritage of Tibetan Buddhism. Your ride through the vast Tibetan plateau will introduce you to the local nomadic culture and mountain life. While traveling across sweeping highland valleys and scenic viewpoints, you will also enjoy dramatic vistas of Himalayan giants such as Mount Everest, Shishapangma, Makalu, and Cho Oyu.
Your trip begins in Lhasa, where you visit the magnificent Potala Palace and Norbulingka, the former winter and summer residences of the Dalai Lama. You will explore the spiritual heart of the city at Jokhang Temple and walk through the bustling Barkhor Market. Visits to Sera and Drepung Monasteries allow you to observe monastic life up close, including the well-known monk debate sessions.
From Lhasa, you start your overland journey towards Shigatse, traveling via the turquoise Yamdrok Tso Lake and high mountain passes. In Shigatse, you visit the sacred Tashilhunpo Monastery, seat of the Panchen Lama, the second-highest spiritual authority in Tibetan Buddhism.
Your journey continues along the Friendship Highway as you travel through Lhatse and over the Gyamtso La Pass into Shegar. Along the way, you witness remote settlements, yak herders, rugged landscapes, and breathtaking high-altitude views of the Himalayan range.
From Shegar, you travel toward the Nepal border and arrive at Kerung, the current official border crossing between Tibet and Nepal. The next day, after completing border procedures, you descend from the Tibetan plateau into Nepal’s green valleys and drive to Kathmandu, where the trip concludes. The best time for this tour is spring, summer, and autumn.
Winter conditions bring heavy snow in Tibet, which can make travel difficult. This itinerary combines cultural exploration with incredible scenery and is ideal for travelers with limited time seeking a meaningful Himalayan journey. Although sightseeing is done on foot and most walking is on level ground, Tibetan altitude poses a challenge. You will be crossing passes over 5,000 meters and spending several days at elevation. Those with heart, lung, or mobility issues should consult a physician before joining this journey.
This Lhasa to Kathmandu Tour offers a rare opportunity to traverse the ‘Roof of the World’ by land, combining historic insight with dramatic landscapes. Travel across one of the most restricted and unique regions on Earth and experience Tibet in a way very few people ever do.
Arrive in Lhasa (3,660m / 12,004 ft) by flight or train. The journey into Tibet is exceptionally scenic, with remarkable views of the Himalayan ranges and the Tibetan plateau.
Upon arrival, you will be greeted by our Tibetan guide at the airport or train station and transferred to your hotel. Due to the altitude, it is recommended to rest and keep the remainder of the day light.
We spend our day visiting several monasteries in Lhasa in the company of a guide and interpreter. One of these is the Sera Monastery, a best-preserved monastery in Tibet within its whitewashed walls and golden roofs.
After lunch we visit Norbulingka, a summer palace of the Dalai Lama and the Jokhang Temple, a most sacred shrine in Tibet. Surrounding the Jokhang is the Barkor - a maze of narrow cobbled streets that is the central market of Lhasa.
We visit Potala Palace in the morning. It is a palace that dominates the city of Lhasa. It is a spectacular building containing private quarters of the Dalai Lama as well as numerous grand state rooms and many important chapels. There has been a Palace on this site since the 5th or 6th century, but the present Palace was constructed in the 17th century. After lunch, we visit the Drepung Monastery, which was founded in the 14th century. It used to be the largest monastery in the world, with a population of around 10,000 monks. These days the number has fallen down to hundred.
Our drive follows the Tsangpo River. We ascend up to 15,700-foot Khampa La. We see Yamdrok Lake below and in the near distance rises a great snow peak of Ningdzingzonka. We then head westward along the lake and drive toward Gyantse. In Gyantse, we visit the famous Pelkor Monastery.
The Pelkor Chode Monastery also includes Gyantse Kumbum. The Kumbum has nine floors and each tier has unique chapels. It is considered the largest of the three Kumbums in Tibet. After one and half hour drive, we arrive in Shigatse.
Today we traverse along the Friendship Highway amidst the picturesque landscape and drive through the small town of Lhatse and Gyamtso La pass (5220m). As the route opens into the plain, many monasteries and camps of nomadic herders become visible in the route to Shegar.
Travel to Kerung by crossing over the high pass of Lulang La (5,050m). Along the way, enjoy the stunning views of Mt. Xishapagma (8,212m) and Mt. Cho Oyu (8,201m).
Once the border formalities are completed, you can enjoy a scenic drive through the lush green countryside on your way to Kathmandu. It is important to note that the road conditions in Nepal can be rough and unstable and may be closed due to landslides and floods. As a result, delays are likely, and the journey back to Kathmandu may be lengthy.
Read our genuine feedback from past travelers with Nepal Hiking Team sourced from TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook, and Trustpilot.
Experience of a lifetime! Leading up to the trip, I felt some excitement and uncertainty because I was traveling from New Jersey to Nepal, so it was a trip to the other side of the world. Also knowing we were going to trek to the highest region in the world.
Once we arrived in Kathmandu, we met up with our guide (Bhim). After a few minutes of talking with him, I felt a sense of calm and my excitement of joy grew from there. And I was right he and his team made sure we had the best experience possible.
The full trek going and coming was incredible. Our guide, Bhim, made sure we had the best experience. Can’t say enough of how wonderful he and his team made this one for the books!
I highly recommend booking with this company and Bhim! Namaste!
I just completed trekking in Nepal together with another solo traveler. The service of Nepal Hiking Team was exemplary from the start till the end. Nothing beats word-of-mouth good reviews.
Mr. Ganga has been very responsive to queries from Day 1 and was physically present even on the last day to officially close the loop for the package tour.
Our guide Bibek was very patient and sincere as he led us through the trek. He resolved issues with his heart and people skills and gave assurance whenever plans suddenly changed.
He ensured things were changed for the better. Our porter, Rajendran, was also good and always arrived ahead of time to ensure our rooms were confirmed.
- Guided by Bibek Dhamala
We had the best time in Nepal. The beautiful views and warm hospitality of the Nepali people are truly unparalleled.
Instrumental to our amazing experience were our guide, Netra, and porter, Vasu.
We were super well taken care of. Netra was quick to assess our physical abilities and was able to effectively set the pace for our hikes. He had very good knowledge of the route and terrain. Importantly, this was our first time attempting a hike at a high altitude, so he took extra care to check on us regularly.
On a personal note, proper gear, including a powerful down jacket for -20 degrees Celsius and a proper hiking backpack, is super essential.
Overall, I would highly recommend the Nepal Hiking Team and Netra/Vasu for your Nepal adventure!
We were a group of 17 people from California who had been preparing for a year for this trip. Nepal Hiking Team was referred to us by one of my friends. After talking to & interviewing several companies, NHT seemed very responsive, cost-effective & experienced. After the trip, they proved us nothing less.
Their guides are top-of-the-line, very kind, and helpful. They made sure we all were prepared for the next day, set our expectations rights, & guided us through managing altitude sickness.
We all made it to Nepal and came back happy and healthy.
We all thank NHT for making our dream come true, and looking forward to many more with them.
I highly recommend the Nepal Hiking Team for anyone planning to trek in Nepal. My spouse and I had a fantastic time on our trek and greatly credit our positive experience to the thought and care put into it by Nepal Hiking Team in coming up with a personalized plan that would enable us to succeed.
Every detail was considered to match us based on our abilities and interests. We also could not have felt more cared for minute to minute by the team that supported us from the minute we arrived in Kathmandu until our departure.
Our guide, Nim, was amazing -- so careful, thoughtful, warm, and supportive. And our porters, Sabin and Ganesh, were delightful. They were all unbelievably generous in terms of how much they worked to ensure we were comfortable and prepared. They thought of every detail along the way.
- Guided By Nim Dahal