The field notes
A journey with rhythm
Private guiding, thoughtful pacing, and enough room to absorb each place rather than simply pass through it.
PrivateThoughtfulLocal
Journey overview
The experience at a glance
The 7-day Lhasa to Kathmandu Overland Tour via Everest Base Camp is a one-way journey across the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas into Nepal. Beginning in Lhasa and ending in Kathmandu, the route combines Tibet's leading cultural landmarks with Yamdrok Tso, Gyantse, Shigatse, the north face of Mount Everest, and the Kyirong-Rasuwagadhi border crossing. It is designed for travelers who want to continue from Tibet to Nepal without returning to Lhasa.
Your journey starts in Lhasa at approximately 3,650 metres. You may reach the city by flight or train from mainland China, or by flight from Kathmandu when the required visa and permit arrangements are in place. The arrival day is intentionally kept free for rest. Two full sightseeing days then provide valuable acclimatization while you explore the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Bazaar, Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery with your Tibetan guide.
Leaving Lhasa, the overland route crosses high mountain passes and follows the turquoise shoreline of sacred Yamdrok Tso. In Gyantse, visit Pelkor Chode Monastery and the Kumbum Stupa before continuing to Shigatse, Tibet's second-largest city. The following morning begins at Tashilhunpo Monastery before a long drive through Lhatse, Shegar and the high plateau toward Rongbuk.
The approach to Mount Everest crosses the Gawu La viewpoint, where clear weather may reveal Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu and Shishapangma across the Himalayan horizon. Continue to Rongbuk Monastery below the north face of Mount Everest. The designated Tibet Everest Base Camp visitor area, approximately 5,200 metres above sea level, is visited either on arrival or early the following morning according to daylight, weather and local access rules. This is a road-based sightseeing tour rather than an Everest Base Camp trek; access normally involves the authorized local vehicle or shuttle and short walks.
After the Everest visit, descend from the high, dry plateau toward the greener Kyirong Valley. On the final day, your Tibetan team accompanies you to the border. After completing Chinese and Nepalese immigration procedures, a HimalayanWindows representative meets you on the Nepal side at Rasuwagadhi and transfers you by road to Kathmandu.
This itinerary differs from our separate 8-day Lhasa-Everest Base Camp-Lhasa tour, which returns to Lhasa for departure. Choose this page when you want to exit Tibet overland and finish in Kathmandu. Tibet permits, border procedures and road access can change, so the operating itinerary will be reconfirmed before departure.
Trip highlights
What makes this journey
- 01
Explore Everest Base Camp (5200m), North Face
- 02
Observe Mount Everest (8848.86m) from a close distance
- 03
Visit Potala Palace and monasteries in Lhasa
- 04
Attend Kora at Barkhor Bazaar - the busiest holy street in Lhasa
- 05
Drive through YamdroTso and visit Tashilhompu Monastery in Shigatse
Places covered
Destinations on this trip
The places this journey moves through, in the order they shape the experience.
Lhasa
Gyantse
Shigatse
Ronbguk/EBC
Kerung/Kyirong
Kathmandu
Day by day
8 days
Walk the route one day at a time — meals, overnight stays, and the details that shape each stage.
Arrive in Lhasa by flight or train from mainland China, or by flight from Kathmandu when the required entry documents have been arranged. Your Tibetan guide and driver will meet you at Lhasa Gonggar Airport or the railway station and transfer you to your hotel.
The remainder of the day is reserved for rest and gradual acclimatization. Avoid strenuous activity, drink plenty of water, and allow your body time to adjust to the altitude.
Overnight: Lhasa | Meals: Not included
- Overnight
- Hotel in Lhasa
- Altitude
- 3,650m
Begin your exploration of Lhasa with the Potala Palace, the city's most recognizable landmark and an outstanding example of Tibetan architecture. Continue to the Jokhang Temple, Tibet's most revered Buddhist temple, and walk with pilgrims around Barkhor Bazaar, the historic market and kora route surrounding the temple.
Sightseeing order and entrance times may be adjusted according to official ticket allocations.
Overnight: Lhasa | Meals: Breakfast
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Overnight
- Hotel in Lhasa
- Altitude
- 3,650m
Visit Drepung Monastery, once one of the largest monastic institutions in Tibet. Later, continue to Sera Monastery, known for its scholarly traditions and lively monk-debate sessions when scheduled. A second night at Lhasa's elevation supports acclimatization before the journey moves to higher parts of the plateau.
Overnight: Lhasa | Meals: Breakfast
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Overnight
- Hotel in Lhasa
- Altitude
- 3,650m
Drive west from Lhasa and cross Kamba La for wide views of Yamdrok Tso. Follow the lake shore and continue across the plateau to Gyantse, where you will visit Pelkor Chode Monastery and the remarkable Kumbum Stupa. Proceed through fertile valleys and traditional settlements to Shigatse.
Overnight: Shigatse | Meals: Breakfast
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Overnight
- Hotel Shigatse
- Distance
- 340 km
- Altitude
- 3,950m
Visit Tashilhunpo Monastery in the morning, the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama. Continue west through Lhatse and Shegar, then enter the Qomolangma National Nature Reserve. Weather permitting, stop at Gawu La for a sweeping panorama of the Himalayan range before descending toward Rongbuk Monastery.
If time, daylight and local access arrangements allow, visit the designated Tibet Everest Base Camp visitor area in the late afternoon. Otherwise, the Everest visit will take place early the following morning. Accommodation near Rongbuk is simple, and facilities are more basic than in Lhasa or Shigatse.
Overnight: Rongbuk/Everest area | Meals: Breakfast
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Overnight
- Tenthouse
- Distance
- 350 km
- Altitude
- 4,980m
If the Everest Base Camp visitor area was not visited on arrival, make the authorized local transfer early this morning. Explore the viewpoint and surrounding landscape below Mount Everest, subject to weather, conservation regulations and local authority instructions.
Leave Rongbuk and drive back through the Tingri plains before continuing west toward Kyirong. Depending on the operating route and time, the journey may include views of Cho Oyu, Shishapangma and Peiku Tso. The road gradually descends into the greener and lower Kyirong Valley.
Overnight: Kyirong | Meals: Breakfast
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Overnight
- Hotel in Kyirong
- Distance
- 390 km
- Altitude
- 2,800m
NoteDue to the recent flash flood at the Rasuwagadhi–Kyirong border, entry and exit through this crossing are suspended until further notice. Please contact us to arrange a suitable alternative route.
Drive from Kyirong town to the Chinese immigration and customs point. Your Tibetan guide will assist with the departure procedures before you cross the border bridge into Nepal at Rasuwagadhi.
A Himalayan Windows representative and Nepal-side vehicle will meet you after immigration. Continue through Syabrubesi and the Trishuli River valley to Kathmandu. Driving time varies considerably with border formalities, traffic, road repairs and seasonal conditions. The tour ends with a transfer to your Kathmandu hotel.
Overnight: Not included | Meals: Breakfast
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Distance
- 185 km
- Altitude
- 185m
NoteAll distances, driving times, sightseeing orders, accommodation locations and border procedures are approximate and subject to permits, weather, road conditions and local authority instructions.
Private vehicle & English-speaking guide throughout · Lhasa to Kerung/Kathmandu
Trip essentials
What your journey covers
A clear split between what we arrange and what you budget yourself.
- Tibet Travel Permit and the route-specific Tibet permits required for the confirmed itinerary
- Private ground transportation in Tibet in a suitable vehicle based on group size
- Services of a licensed English-speaking Tibetan guide throughout the Tibet sector
- Arrival transfer from Lhasa Gonggar Airport or Lhasa railway station to the hotel
- Six nights' accommodation: three nights in Lhasa, one in Shigatse, one in the Rongbuk/Everest area and one in Kyirong, on twin or double sharing where available
- Daily breakfast as specified in the itinerary
- Entrance fees for the monasteries, monuments and protected areas listed in the confirmed itinerary
- Tibet-side transfer to the Kyirong border and assistance with departure formalities
- HimalayanWindows representative and private transfer from Rasuwagadhi border to Kathmandu
- International airfare and any flight or train ticket used to reach Lhasa
- Chinese visa or Tibet Group Visa embassy fee, when required for the chosen entry route
- Nepal entry visa fee and related personal immigration expenses
- Lunches, dinners, snacks, alcoholic drinks and bottled beverages unless specifically added to the quotation
- Travel, medical, high-altitude evacuation, trip interruption and cancellation insurance
- Kathmandu accommodation, sightseeing, airport transfers and services before or after the overland tour unless added separately
- Single-room supplement, hotel upgrades and additional nights
- Tips for the Tibetan guide, drivers and Nepal support team
- Personal expenses such as laundry, telephone, internet, porterage and excess baggage
- Additional costs caused by weather, landslides, road or border closure, transport delays, permit changes, political restrictions or other circumstances beyond the operator's control
Guest voices
What travellers say
What guests wrote after this trip — in their own words.
7 Days Lhasa to Everest Base Camp Tibet Tour
In April 2019 we (me and my girlfriend) did a 7 days trip which started off with 2,5 days in Lhasa and some monastery’s close by and then took us over the breath-taking Tibetan highlands via the Everest basecamp to the Nepalese border, where another car picked us up to drive us to Kathmandu. This great mix between on the one hand the mysterious and still very present traditional and friendly Tibetan culture with all its rituals, monasteries, temples, and prayer flags and on the other hand the stunning view of the vast Tibetan mountains, where being over 5000m is almost normal and the top of the world only seems to be a glimpse away, is something which is worth every journey there, no matter how long it is. Best you don`t fly directly into Lhasa but acclimatize a bit beforehand, else the first days could give you a bit of a “headache”. We took the train from Beijing and had a stopover in Xining where we also did a very nice day trip into the nearby hills (up to 3800m). If you plan a similar trip, maybe try to stay one or two days longer in Lhasa and also on the road trip in the Tibetan highlands, there is plenty to see and not enough time (unfortunately we did not have these additional 2 days). One important thing why this trip was such a great experience surely was Anup and his counterpart in Tibet, Norbu. They did an absolutely amazing job organizing this whole trip, starting with the train tickets from Beijing and ending up in Kathmandu. Anup was extremely responsive throughout the whole organization phase, which helped us a lot to get a good feeling about what was coming up. Also, it was important for us to get a Tibetan guide in Tibet and not a Chinese one. You could really feel that Himalayan Windows is still a small company that engages in a personal relationship with its clients and is very concerned that they will have the best time possible – and this is worth a lot from my past experiences. I would give 6 stars if it was possible.
Before you go
