12 Days Tingri to Everest Base Camp Trekking Tour

Day 1 Arrival in Lhasa (3650m)
This is the first day in Tibet. Your guide will greet you at Lhasa Gonggar Airport/Railway Station and transfer you to your hotel. It usually takes around 1.5 hours to drive from Lhasa Airport to downtown Lhasa and takes about 20mins from Lhasa Railway Station. Tourists could have a look at the Yarlung Tsangpo River, the largest and longest river in Tibet on their way to the hotel. After check-in, you can have a good rest first. And if you feel like going out, you can wander around the city. But just remember that don't take too much stuff, try to go with a light pack. Meanwhile, drink some more water, do not move strenuously. It’s really useful to get acclimatized to the high altitude.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Day 2 Lhasa Sightseeing
After rest one night, today you will recover sufficiently to launch your Lhasa city tour, with close contact with Lhasa, which is the political, economic, cultural, communication and tourism center of Tibet with a history over 1300 years.

At first, you will go to the Potala Palace, which is the symbolic place of Lhasa and also the winter palace of the Dalai Lama. It was built by the 33rd great king of Tibet - Songtsen Gangpo in the 7th century. The gilded burial stupas of former Dalai Lamas and meditation Cave of the 33rd great king are the most worth seeing in Potala Palace.

After lunch, you are going to Jokhang Temple, which was founded at the same time and by the same king as Potala Palace. From outside, you can see many pilgrims making prostrating in front of the temple. From inside, you can see the statue of Buddha Sakyamuni at his age of 12.

Barkhor street is the next destination that women love a lot. Because it’s a famous busy walking street where they can go shopping. There are many distinctive shops and stalls that sell different Tibetan stuff, like handicrafts, Thangka, and so on. Except for shopping, tourists can also join the Kora with pilgrims and locals, to explore Tibetan religious culture more deeply.

Optional:

You can go to visit the Tibetan handicraft art or Tibetan Traditional Medicine center if time is enough. You can also watch the Tibetan Culture Show in the evening for USD60 per person at your own expense.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

As the winter palace of the Dalai Lama, Potala Palace is an important religious landmark of Tibet.

Day 3 Lhasa Sightseeing
In the morning, you are heading to Drepung monastery, which means Monastery of Rice Heaps in the Tibetan language. It's a white magnificent construction that looks also like a pile of rice heaps in the distance. Drepung monastery is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery, where lived more than 10 thousand monks before Tibet liberation.

In the afternoon, tourists will pay a visit to Sera Monastery, which is one of the "great three" Gelug monasteries of Tibet. Monks debate from around 3 pm to 5 pm. It’s very attractive even if you don’t understand what they are talking about at all. If the debate is not your type, you can also see the three sand Mandalas and colorful Rock Painting of Buddha inside the monastery.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Drepung Monastery was built in 1416 and located in the suburb of Lhasa, 5 kilometers western from it.

Day 4 Lhasa- Gyantse(4040m)- Shigatse(3840m), 360km, Approx 6hrs
You will go to Shigatse from Lhasa via Gyantse today. Firstly, you can have a glimpse of Yamdroktso Lake on the way to Gampala Pass (4790m). This is the holy lake surrounded by plenty of snow-capped mountains. And special views of Holy Mount Nyenchen Khangsar (7191m), the highest mountain near Lhasa, comes out later soon.

You will see the Karola Glacier when we pass it on the roadside. After hanging pray flag at Simila Mountain pass, we will arrive in Gyantse, the third-largest city in Tibet after Lhasa and Shigatse. We shall visit Pelkor Monastery and Gyantse Dzong.

Gyantse Dzong, the hero city that witnesses the history of the fierce fighting. It was 1904, British troops started to attack China here, and Tibetan people defended their homeland with simple weapons. The bloody war lasted for more than three months. This is also the basic story of the famous movie named "Red River Valley".

Then we will start to go to Shigatse. It normally takes one and a half hours to drive from Gyantse to Shigatse, where we may visit the traditional barley mill and have the unique sights of barley field (in summer).

Stay overnight in Shigatse

Amazing Yamdroktso Lake

Day 5 Shigatse -Old Tingri (4300m), 310km, Approx. 6hrs
Before we drive to Old Tingri, we will visit the famous Tashilunpo Monastery, the home of Panchen Lama.Then we will go to the old Tingri, which is different from the new one called Shegar. From there, you can have a good rest and prepare the next four days of Trekking.

Stay overnight in Tingri

Tashi Lhunpo Monastery is seat to the Panchen Lama, the second most important spiritual leader of Tibet
Tashilhunpo Monastery

Day 6 Trek-①Old Tingri-Lungchang(4510m), 12km, Approx. 5hrs
From today on, you will start your trekking tour within the next four days. Today we'll have a 12km test first, from Tingri to Lungchang. En route, we will pass the Tingri plain and Ra-chu Valley. You can see the great valley view with sheep and goats. You can also visit a small monastery in Choelun in the end of the day.

Stay in camp in Lungchang

Day 7 Trek-②Lungchang- Nam-La(5150m), 21km, Approx. 8hrs
After one-day trial trekking, today you will face a harder one as you will go up into the mountains. You need to climb to Nam-La pass. And the distance is longer than yesterday's, it's 21km.

Camping at Nam-la valley

Day 8 Trek-③Nam-La- Zommug (4790m), 22km, Approx. 8hrs
Today you will meet some yak herders and their families in this small village--- Zommug. And you can enjoy the different sunset on the poor land. It must be impressive. And please do have a good sleep, because you will see the EBC tomorrow.

Still Camping, at Zommug

Day 9 Trek-④Zommug- Rongbuk (5100m) and EBC (5100m), 11km, Approx. 4hrs
Here is the last 11km left today, you must be eager to see the final destination, Everest Base Camp. You will get to Rongbuk Monastery first. It is the highest monastery in the world. You can have a great view of Mt. Everest from there.

Stay at Tent guesthouse

prayer wheels at Rongbuk Monastery
Rongbuk Monastery

Day 10 EBC- Shegar(4200m)- Lhatse(4050m)- Shigatse(3840m), 327km, Approx. 8hrs
The great sunrise of Everest Peak is far out of your imagination. Enjoy the peaceful and wonderful morning you've never had. After that, we will go to Sakya via Shegar, Lhtase. If we have enough time, you may relax by enjoying the Xiqian hot spring near Lhatse. Then we will go to visit Sakya Monastery, the main monastery of Tibetan Buddhism Sakyapa.

Stay overnight in Shigatse

Day 11 Shigatse - Nyemo(3800m) - Lhasa, 300km, Approx. 6hrs
Today we will go back to Lhasa via Nyemo county.

As the birthplace of Tibetan language, Nyemo is well-known for its three treasures, Tibetan paper, incense, and engraving. And you can go to visit the incense workshop today, to get a close contact with this national intangible cultural heritage. And then, the driver will take you back to Lhasa.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Tunmi Sangbuza - the founder of Tibetan script and Tibetan incense.

Day 12 Lhasa departure
Your tour ends today. Our guide and driver will collect you from your hotel and transfer you to Lhasa Airport/Railway Station for your next destination.

INCLUSIONS
Tibet Tourism Bureau Permit (TTB) and all other necessary permits to Tibet;
All entrance tickets fee for tourist attractions listed in the itinerary;
Experienced local English-speaking tour guide;
Travel-licensed vehicle according to group size & season as itinerary needed including gas and parking fee;
All lodging listed in the itinerary; it’s your decision about the accommodation class: luxury 5-star international hotel, comfortable 4-star hotel, economic 3-star hotel, or guesthouse. Please tell us your preference;
Breakfast provided by hotels;
Yaks & herders during your trekking;
A professional cook and all meals during your trek;
Pick-up & Drop-off service from Airport/railway station;
Tents and sleeping bags;
Travel Agency Liability insurance;
Government tax;
Express delivery fee of Permit (eg. SF. Express);
Food & lodgings for guide & driver;
Oxygen tank for emergency use;
Sleeping bags;
Two bottles of mineral water per person per day.

EXCLUSIONS
International flight to and out of China;
Chinese Visa/China Group Visa; (Note: we could help you by providing the hotel or domestic flight reservation copies for your Chinese Visa or the invitation letter for your China Group Visa)
Domestic flight/train to and out of Lhasa; (We can help you book the domestic flight/train ticket at the BEST price. Please contact us for details.)
Meals are not included but we will recommend some good ones for you according to your requirements. Usually, it takes 3-10 USD per person for each meal.
While the gratuity for guide and driver is NOT mandatory, it is expected. Based on their service, you can tip them on the last day of the tour. Each of you is suggested to tip them 5-10 USD/day in total;
All the commission and tax charged by PayPal, Bank, and government when making payment. (e.g. PayPal --- 4.2%. Wire transfer --- 2%);
Personal expenses, like laundry, phone call, snacks, soft drinks, optional tour activities, etc.
Anything not mentioned in the Inclusions.