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12 DAYS KATHMANDU AND TIBET WITH EVEREST BASE CAMP

HIGHLIGHTS: KATHMANDU • LHASA • POTALA PALACE • RONGBUK

MONASTERY • EVEREST BASE CAMP

Namaste and welcome to Nepal and Tibet! The combination of Nepal tour and Tibet tour is once in a lifetime experience for the travelers. This is most recommended itinerary for those seeking cultural and natural diversity in the last remaining Shangri-La on earth. You will start this tour from the Himalayan destination of Nepal. This small region in the world map is packed with diverse landscapes, culture, and people who call it home. The next stretch is the “Roof of the World” Tibet. Tibet trip is once in a lifetime experience. During your Tibet tour you will pass through sparkling turquoise lakes, across huge plains scattered with yaks and nomad’s tents as far as the eye can see and over high passes draped with colorful prayer flags.

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DAY 01: ARRIVAL – KATHMANDU (-/-/-)

Arrive in the “Kathmandu”, the capital city of Nepal. Upon arrival, meeting and assistance at the airport and transfer to the hotel.

In the hotel, we will help you fill Tibet visa form, collect your original passports and visa fee USD 180 for American nationals & USD 80 for other nationals

Rest of the day is free

Overnight at the hotel in Kathmandu

DAY 02: KATHMANDU (BREAKFAST/-/-) – TIBET VISA WORKING DAY - 1

After breakfast, sightseeing tour of Kathmandu Durbar Square and Swoyambhunath Stupa.

It is a place where the city’s Kings were crowned. Having been built and rebuilt over the generations, it is now the valley’s number one tourist attractions. Most of the temples you see here are a mere three or four centuries old. The entire square was designated as a World Heritage Monument in 1979. The Durbar Square is teeming with shrines and statues. Walk around Kumari Chowk which is a home of “living goddesses”, she comes to the balcony at the scheduled time to welcome the guests Visit numerous temples dedicated to Hindu goddesses around the square. Durbar Square is always vibrant with the movement of vegetable vendors and antique hawkers throughout the day.

Continue on to Swoyambhunath Stupa

On the top of the hill west of Kathmandu value is one of the popular and instantly recognizable symbols of Nepal. It is also referred to as “Monkey Temple” by many tourists because of the large tribes of monkeys that guard the hill. Legends say after the Bodhisattva Manjushri drained the water from the lake revealing the Kathmandu valley, the lotus on the island of the lake was transformed into the hillock, and the blazing light from the lotus became the statue.

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Afternoon, sightseeing tour of Patan Durbar Square

Patan also known as Lalitpur is the second largest city inside the valley. Patan has a long Buddhist influence and the four corners of the city are marked by Stupas said to have been created by great Buddhist emperor around 250 BC. Durbar Square forms the heart of Patan. The Durbar Square is closely packed with temples, and with far more concentration of architecture then anywhere around the valley.

Extraordinary varieties of monuments built over centuries blend into a magical whole, each perfectly been placed and balanced. Originally this was a site a pre-Licchavi palace and later it became a favored site for the wealthy nobles who ruled Patan. Visit Krishna Mandir an exquisite example of a stone architecture. Walk around the unique Buddhist monastery of Golden temple. As you stroll through you will come across neighborhood dedicated to metalworking or stone carving, past ancient bahals and temples.

Overnight at the hotel in Kathmandu

DAY 03: KATHMANDU (BREAKFAST/-/-) – TIBET VISA WORKING DAY - 2

After breakfast, sightseeing tour of Pashupatinath temple and Boudhanath Stupa

Pashupatinath is one of the sacred Shiva temples on the Indian sub-continent. It draws devotees from all over India, including many colorful Sadhus (wandering Holy men). It is the largest temple complex in Nepal. Visiting Pashupatinath begins and ends a traditional pilgrimage circuit. Lord Pashupatinath’s supreme holiness stems from hollowed linga enshrined in the main temple and its location on the bank of sacred Bagmati River. Bagmati sanctity makes Pashupatinath Nepal’s most sacred cremation site. After the bodies are burnt the ashes are thrown into the river, where they are carried down to meet Ganges.

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Continue on to Boudhanath Stupa

On the eastern side of Kathmandu is a huge stupa of Boudhanath. This is the largest stupa in Nepal and one of the largest in the world. It is the sacred place for Buddhist pilgrims. Once you enter the stupa complex it resembles Bharkor street of Tibet with a considerable population of Tibetans, number of thriving monasteries and many small shops selling Tibetan artifacts. Boudhanath is one of the few places in the world where Tibetan culture is accessible, vibrant and unbound.

Around the base of the stupa, there is a circular mound of 108 small images of Dhyani Buddha Amitabha. A brick wall around the stupa has 147 niches, each with four or five prayer wheels bearing the immortal mantra ‘Om Mani Padme Hum’. It is also possible to walk to upper layers of the stupa. In late afternoons, you will find the monks chanting prayers around the stupa which will produce a spiritual vibe around the complex. Always remember to walk around the stupa clockwise.

Afternoon sightseeing tour of Bhaktapur Durbar Square.

Bhaktapur also known as ‘Bhadgaon’ is the third largest town in the valley. The stone embedded street links a string of temples, monastery, courtyards and monumental squares. You will quickly notice how vibrant the town’s cultural life is with strong communities of potters, woodcarvers and weavers. Explore the square, fames palace of 55 windows stretches off the east. Visit Nyatapola temple, this five-roofed standing 30 meters is the tallest temple in Nepal. The brick paved windings street, interesting side lanes and courtyards branching off it revels the heart of Bhaktapur.

Overnight at the hotel in Kathmandu

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DAY 04: KATHMANDU – LHASA (3,656M) (BREAKFAST/-/-)

After breakfast, transfer to the international airport in Kathmandu and fly to Gongaar airport. Upon arrival meet by our representative and drive to Lhasa (65 kms/1 hrs drive).

Lhasa is a city and administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. The main urban area of Lhasa is roughly equivalent to the administrative borders of Chengguan District, which is part of the wider Lhasa prefecture-level city, an area formerly administered as a prefecture.

Rest of the day is free for acclimatization

Overnight at the hotel in Lhasa

DAY 05: LHASA (BREAKFAST/-/-)

After breakfast, sightseeing tour of famous Potala Palace. Perched upon Marpo Ri hill, 130 meters above the Lhasa valley, the Potala Palace rises a further 170 meters and is the greatest monumental structure in all of Tibet. Early legends concerning the rocky hill tell of a sacred cave, considered to be the dwelling place of the Bodhisattva Chenresi (Avilokiteshvara), that was used as a meditation retreat by Emperor Songtsen Gampo in the seventh century AD. Continue on to Drepung Monastery, founded in 1416, Drepung Monastery (Tibetan: Drepung Gompa; Chinese: Zhébàng Sì) on the outskirts of Lhasa was once Tibet’s largest and most influential monastery, with over 10,000 monks. Today, Drepung houses about 700 monks and attracts pilgrims and visitors from around the world. Afternoon tour of Jokhang templ and Bharkor Market. Jokhang Temple (“House of the Lord”) in Lhasa is the holiest site in Tibetan Buddhism, attracting crowds of prostrating Tibetan pilgrims and curious foreign tourists every year. It hosts the annual Great Prayer Festival, as well as all ceremonies of initiation for the Dalai Lama and Panchen Llamas.

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Continue on to Bharkhor Market. For visitors, Barkhor Street is a magical place showing the original outlook of Lhasa. It was paved by hand-polished stone boards. Though it is not broad, it accommodates thousands of tourists every day. Varied shops stand on its both sides and thousands of floating stands are on every corner. Most of them offer the prayer wheels, long-sleeve ‘chuba’ (the Tibetan people’s traditional clothes), Tibetan knives and some religious articles for sale. Overnight at the hotel in Lhasa DAY 06: LHASA (BREAKFAST/-/-)

After breakfast, sightseeing tour of Drepung Monastery

Sited at the foot of Mount Gephel, Drepung Monastery is one of the great three Geluka university monasteries in Tibet. It is the largest monastery among all the monasteries in Tibet. Drepung, in Tibetan, means “prosperity”. Since its establishment, Drepung Monastery has always been one of the most important Buddhist monasteries in Tibet. In its heyday, there were more than 10,000 monks lived and studied in the monastery. Throughout its history, many important and famous Tibetan leaders used to study here, especially the Dalai Lamas. So Drepung Monastery is also respectfully known as the “Mother School of Dalai Lamas”.

Afternoon tour of Sera Monastery

It is famous for the spectacular “Buddhism Debating”. As a daily routine, the monks gather in a courtyard, and debate on the Buddhist doctrines with supplemented gestures, which is thought to be helpful to facilitates better comprehension of the Buddhist philosophy to attain higher levels of study. After enjoying the "Buddhism Debating", you will be transferred back to

Overnight at the hotel in Lhasa

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DAY 07: LHASA – GYANTSE – SHIGATSE (3,800M) (BREAKFAST/-/-)

After breakfast, drive to Gyantse.

Gyantse, which means "winning a battle at the summit and the heavenly king resides here" is a mid-sized town located 260kms southeast of Lhasa. Gyantse sits at an elevation of 4,000m or 13,125 feet.

Gyantse is honored with a history of 1400 years. Gyantse is notable for its restored Gyantse Dzong or fort, and its magnificent tiered Kumbum of the Pelkor Chode Monastery, originally a compound containing 15 monasteries from 3 of Tibet's 4 main sects of Buddhism. The Kumbum was commissioned by a Gyantse prince in 1427 and was an important centre of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. This religious structure contains 77 chapels in its six floors, and is illustrated with over 10,000 murals, many showing a strong Nepali influence, which have survived almost entirely intact. They are the last of its kind to be found in Tibet. Many of the restored clay statues are of less artistry than the destroyed originals - but they are still spectacular.

Continue to Shigatse

Tibet’s second-largest town and the traditional capital of Tsang province, Shigatse is a modern, sprawling city, with wide boulevards humming with traffic. As you drive in across the plains, the site of the Potala-lookalike Shigatse Dzong, high on a hilltop overlooking the town, will probably fire your imagination, but the fort is empty and most of what you see dates from a 2007 reconstruction. Shigatse has been the seat of the Panchen Lama, and this seat was traditionally based in the monastery.

Overnight at the hotel in Shigatse

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DAY 08: SHIGATSE –RONGBUK (4,980M) – EVEREST BASE CAMP (EBC) – SHEGAR (BREAKFAST/-/-)

After breakfast, drive to Rongbuk and excursion to Everest Base Camp.

Rongbuk Monastery is the highest temple in the world above sea level, with an altitude of about 4980 meters. Situated in the north side of Mt. Everest, it is a perfect site to view the highest. Endowing the ideal location, Rongbuk Monastery itself is also worth visit. As one of the Nyingmapa Sect monastery built in 1899, it houses both monks and nuns here, which is quite special and different from other temples. Only several buildings remains, Rongbuk is simply and has a sense of untouched beauty not only for its quietness, but also the experienced history as a temple to witness the first person to conquer the Mount Everest.

Drive back to Shegar for overnight.

Overnight at the hotel in Shegar

DAY 09: SHEGAR - SHIGATSE (BREAKFAST/-/-)

After breakfast, drive back to Shigatse.

Visit Tashilumpho Monastery.

One of the few monasteries in Tibet to weather the stormy seas of the Cultural Revolution, Tashilhunpo remains relatively unscathed. It is a real pleasure to explore the busy cobbled lanes twisting around the aged buildings. Covering 70,000 sq metres, the monastery is now the largest functioning religious institution in Tibet and one of its great monastic sights. The huge golden statue of the Future Buddha is the largest gilded statue in the world.

Overnight at the hotel in Shigaste

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DAY 10: SHIGATSE – LHASA (BREAKFAST/-/-)

After breakfast, drive to Lhasa.

Overnight at the hotel in Lhasa.

DAY 11: LHASA – KATHMANDU (BREAKFAST/-/-)

After breakfast, transfer to Gongaar airport in Tibet and fly back to Kathmandu. Upon arrival in Kathmandu, meeting and assistance at the airport and transfer to the hotel. The day is free for personal activities/shopping. Overnight at the hotel in Kathmandu DAY 12: KATHMANDU - DEPARTURE (BREAKFAST/-/-)

Transfer to the airport in time to connect your onward flight <<END OF PROGRAM>

Price: ON REQUEST

Inclusion

√ 4 nights twin share accommodation in Kathmandu with breakfast √ All necessary airport transfers as per the program on private basis √ Sightseeing tours in Kathmandu and Tibet as per the program with service of a local English speaking guides on private basis √ 4 nights twin share accommodation in Lhasa with breakfast √ 2 nights twin share accommodation in Shigatse with breakfast √ 1 night twin share accommodation in Shegar with breakfast √ Monastery entrance fee & Rongbuk Entry Fee √ Everest Conservation Fee √ Transfer from Rongbuk to EBC by bus (sharing basis) √ Tibet Travel permits √ Emergency mineral water in the vehicle √ Emergency portable oxygen cylinder in the vehicle √ Trip briefing by Tibet expert & entertain question √ Trip Information pack √ Gift pack (prayer flag or string of flag & paper prayer Lungtha) √ All applicable entrance fees in Kathmandu & Tibet √ Applicable government taxes

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Exclusions

× International airfare × Lunches/Dinners × Kathmandu/Lhasa/Kathmandu air tickets (will be provided separately) × Tibet Visa fee (will have to be paid in USD cash upon arrival in Kathmandu) × Travel insurance