Highland Asia

Tibet Everest Base Camp Adventures!
You are not into trekking or simply have no time for, do not mean that you cannot see Mount Everest. 4WD Land cruiser does marvelous job and takes you right to Rongbuk monastery from where you can enjoy splendid views of Mount Everest. The base camp is merely 1 hr hike or you have option to take horse carriage ride. You will enjoy an unobstructed view of the mighty mountain from bottom to the top which is not possible even after a two weeks strenuous trekking in Nepal side.

We can fly into Lhasa from Nepal’s capital city of Kathmandu or major Chinese cities. You can even fly from Bangkok or Hong Kong with a connection in Chengdu. Now, there are also train connecting Lhasa with major Chinese cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Chengdu and Xinning. We recommend minimum 3 days in Lhasa to get properly acclimatized before you head out to the Everest. Lhasa, the heart and soul of Tibet has a lot to keep you busy for three days. Potala Palace is the foremost attraction and landmark of Lhasa. It used to be the power center of Tibet until the Dalai Lama’s departure to India in 1959. The majestic palace still commands a great crowd of domestic and foreign travelers. Other attractions of Lhasa include Norbulingkha Palace, Drepung and Sera Monasteries, Jorkhang Temple, Barkhor Street etc. Norbulingkha Palaces were summer retreats of Dalai Lamas’s. There are numerous palaces but the palace of the current Dalai Lama (14th) is the most interesting one. You can visit Dalai Lama’s private chambers, audience hall and see his personal belongings which are there on display.

Drepung Monastery-the largest, richest and the most powerful of the three major Yellow Sect monasteries of Tibet and was the power center of Tibet until the 5th Dalai Lama moved to Potala palace. The second, third and fourth Dalai Lamas are entombed inside Drepung. If you are a hiking enthusiast and fully acclimatized, its worth taking 1 hr long circuit walk circumambulating the monastery that offers an opportunity to interact with the pilgrims and great views. Jorkhang Temple lies in the heart of old Tibetan quarter of Barkhor and draws great number pilgrims from far flung Tibetan areas. Barkhor Street makes a pilgrim’s circuit around the temple and it’s a cultural as well as commercial hub for Tibetans.

After 3-4 days in Lhasa, we will get fully acclimatized and we will be ready to hit the high roadways of Tibetan plateau. Leaving Lhasa behind, the road climbs Kamba La pass (15,700 ft) from where we can enjoy fantastic views of the Himalayas. We will also see the beautiful Yamdrok Tso Lake several hundred feet below the pass. Yamdrok Tso is one of the holy lakes of Tibet and has spectacular turquoise green water. The road drops gradually and follows the shores of the turquoise green water lake for several miles! After Nangkartse, we leave the lake behind and the road climbs up to Karo La pass (16, 500ft) and then drops down to the valley that leads us to Gyantse- a town largely Tibetan in character. Gyantse has very less Chinese influence. Gyantse Kumbum and Pelkor Chode Monastery share the same compound and are the major attraction of Gyantse. Hiking enthusiast also can attempt the heroic fort of Gyantse Dzong. Once we reach on the top, we will have rewarding views of the valley.

Our next stop would be in Shigatse-the second largest city of Tibet. The Tibet Nepal Friendship Highway runs parallel to the Himalayas and offers spectacular views of the Himalayan Peaks all the time. At Shegar, deviate from the main highway and head north towards the Base camp. The road climbs to Pang La (5, 120m) that offers stupendous views of the Himalayas-including Makalu, Lhotse, Everest, Gyachung and Cho Oyu. La (5120m/16,794 ft) that rewards us with views of several 8 thousanders like Makalu, Lhotse, Cho Oyu and Mount Everest. The road is rough, dusty and bumpy but the views are rewarding. We pass through several tiny picturesque villages. Vehicles beyond Rongbuk, except for expedition groups, are not allowed and so we have to leave the vehicles here and hike one to one and half hour or take horse carriage ride to the base camp. Many travelers chose to stay overnight in Rongbuk, explore the monastery and the moraines and the glaciers. Rongbuk Monastery, situated at an altitude of 4980m (16,334ft) is claimed to be the highest monastery in the world. The monastery serves as a good vantage point watching Mount Everest, known as Chomolangma by Tibetans.

The hiking trail from Rongbuk to the base camp cuts through meadows from the Rongbuk Monastery and by the photogenic ruins of a former meditation retreat. The trail then descends to the road and passes the rebuilt Sherab Choling Hermitage on the left, before making short cut over the glacial moraine to the Base Camp. Its best recommended to take hike out to the base camp and the horse carriage ride back. From Rongbuk, you can retrace drive to the main highway and head west towards Nepal with night stopovers in Tingri and Nayalm or Zhangmu and extend your trip in Nepal or you can retrace drive all the way back to Lhasa and take flight out to next destination.

If you have Nepal on your travel menu, from Rongbuk, you will retrace drive to the main highway and head west. The views of Mount Everest follow you all the way along. We have a numerous high passes to cross. The most prominent pass with views are Lablung La ( 5, 124m) and Tong La ( 5, 120m) and have the last views of Mount Everest, Sishapangma and Cho Oyu. Then the road drops to Nyalam-the last Tibetan town where we may stop for some refreshment and permit check or overnight here. The road drops sharply along the bank of a river Bhotekoshi River. Zhangmu is the last Chinese frontier town, where you will do overnight stop, if you chose not to stay in Nyalam. From Zhangmu, Kathmandu-the capital city is about 4-5 hrs drive.

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