13 Day Lhasa to Everest and Shishapangma Journey

NOTE: This itinerary can be modified and customized to suit you

Day 1: Lhasa  Elevation: 3600 meters

Arrive in Lhasa. When you arrive to Lhasa, you will be met by your guide and transported to your hotel. You can spend the afternoon wandering around the Barkhor, Tibet’s ancient market area that surrounds Jokhang Temple. Each day thousands of Buddhist pilgrims make their way around this sacred temple.

Day 2: Lhasa

You will explore the Jokhang, the holiest Buddhist temple in the Himalaya’s. Founded nearly 1400 years ago, Jokhang Temple houses the most sacred statue of Buddha. You will work your way through this fascinating temple alongside Buddhist pilgrims from the faraway regions of Tibet. The sound of pilgrims chanting mantras fills the air as does the smell of yak butter candle offerings. In the afternoon, you will go to the 600 year old Sera, one of Tibet’s largest Buddhist monasteries. Each weekday afternoon starting at 3pm, monks engage in Buddhist philosophy debates, which are fun to photograph. In the afternoon, you will have free time to wander the Lhasa Old Town on your own. 

Day 3: Lhasa

You will start the day by exploring the Potala Palace, Tibet’s most iconic building. Towering above Lhasa with more than 1000 rooms, the Potala Palace served as the winter residence of the Dalai Lama’s for hundreds of years. After lunch, you will go to Drepung, another of Tibet’s huge monastic complexes. The pilgrimage circuit around Drepung takes about an hour or so and offers spectacular views. In the afternoon, you will have free time to wander the Lhasa Old Town on your own. 

Day 4: Lhasa—Yamdrok Lake—Karo La Glacier—Gyantse  Distance: 260kms  Elevation: 3980m

After breakfast, you will hit the road and begin the next part of your Tibet adventure. From Lhasa, you will drive along the scenic Kyi Chu River Valley and then ascend to the top of the 4794 meter Kamba La Pass, which has a breathtaking view of Yamdrok Lake and 7191 meter Mt. Nojin Kangtsang. You will then descend and drive along the lakeshore before making your way back up to the Karo La, a beautiful glacier that comes down almost to the roadside. In the late afternoon, you will arrive in Gyantse.

Day 5: Gyantse Pelkhor Monastery—Shigatse—Tashi Lhunpo Monastery  Distance: 90kms  Elevation: 3840m

You will begin by exploring Pelkhor Chode Monastery and the Kumbum Stupa, the largest Buddhist pagoda in Tibet. This beautiful monastery lies within a walled complex in the Gyantse Old Town. A short hike to the top of the wall offers an excellent panoramic view of the monastery, town and the snow-covered mountains in the distance. Afterwards, you will make the short drive to Shigatse, Tibet’s second largest city. Along the way from Gyantse to Shigatse, you can stop at a couple of interesting farming villages to experience traditional Tibetan culture. In Shigatse, you will visit the huge monastery of Tashi Lhunpo. The excellent pilgrimage route around the monastery takes about an hour and has fantastic views.

Day 6: Shigatse—Gyatso La Pass—Farming Villages—Shelkar  Distance: 240kms  Elevation: 4315m 

Today’s destination is the small town of Shelkar, located in the Everest Region. Along the way to Shelkar, you will see more farming villages and beautiful landscapes. You will cross over the 5248 meter Gyatso La Pass, which has great views of the Himalaya Mountains. That afternoon you will arrive in the small town of Shelkar to stay the night.

Day 7: Shelkar—Rongphu Monastery and Mt Everest  Distance: 120kms Elevation: 5050m

In the morning you will begin driving up the 5198 meter Geu La Pass. On clear days, this pass offers a stunning panoramic view of the Himalaya’s. You can see five 8000 meter peaks from this pass including Cho Oyu, Makalu, Shishapangma, Lhotse and Everest. You will continue on to Rongphu, the highest monastery in the world at just over 5000 meters. Rongphu has an unbelievable view of Everest! You will stay at a basic guesthouse with an excellent view of the mountain. NOTE: You will not be able to go beyond Rongphu Monastery without a climbing permit for Mt Everest. The view of Everest from Rongphu is amazing!

Day 8: Mt Everest to Old Tingri  Distance: 140kms  Elevation: 4340m

After watching to sunrise on Mt Everest and having breakfast near Rongphu, you will continue on to the small town of Old Tingri. Along the way there are some old ruins of monasteries and villages that you can wander thru. In Old Tingri when the weather is clear, you get a good view of Cho Oyu (6th highest peak) as well as Mt Everest. In the autumn and winter months, hotels in Old Tingri are closed. During that time we will stay in the town of Shelkar instead.

Day 9: Old Tingri to Shishapangma, Peiku Lake and Saga  Distance: 285kms  Elevation: 4500m

In many ways, this is our favorite day of the journey as you go to the base camp of Shishapangma, the 14th highest peak on the planet and the highest mountain that is completely within Tibet. Other peaks, such as Everest, Lhotse and Cho Oyu, lie along the border of Tibet and Nepal, but Shishapangma is fully inside Tibet. At Shishapangma, there is an amazing panoramic view of the Himalayas. Next, you will go to the stunning lake of Peiku Tso, which looks out to the towering Himalaya Mountains. From there, you will drive to the small town of Saga for the night.

Day 10: Saga to Ngamring Lake and Lhatse  Distance: 300kms  Elevation: 4025m

From Saga, you will travel east to the small farming community of Lhatse. Along the way, there will be a good chance to see some wildlife including wild donkeys, gazelle, marmots, pika and foxes. You'll stop at the nice lake of Ngamring before reaching Lhatse.

Day 11: Lhatse to Phuntsoling Monastery and Shigatse  Distance: 175kms  Elevation: 3840m

After breakfast, you will go to Phuntsoling, one of Tibet's best kept secrets! At this remote monastery, you can do some light hiking along the old ruins, which look out to the valley below. From there, you will continue on to Shigatse, Tibet's second largest city while stopping at a couple of farming villages along the way.

Day 12: Shigatse to Lhasa along the Yarlung River  Distance: 270kms  Elevation: 3600m

The final full day of your journey will take you from Shigatse and back to Lhasa while following the Yarlung River. You will arrive back to Lhasa with plenty of time to explore the Old Town and wander along the pilgrimage circuits.

OPTION: It is possible during the summer months (June thru September) to fly from Shigatse to Chengdu. Or, you can go from Shigatse directly to the Lhasa Airport for an evening flight back to Chengdu.

Day 13: Depart Lhasa

You will be transported to the Lhasa Airport for your onward flight

Lhasa to Everest and Shishapangma 

Dates: This journey done anytime from April thru December, however, the months that offer the best views are from April through mid June and mid September through early December. We offer this as a private journey, so you can begin any date that best suits you. 

Info or Booking: Call us at (+1) 253 289 9166 in the US/Canada,  (+44) 20 3239 2917 in the UK,  (+61) 2 8003 5630 in Australia or email us for more details at:  info@himalayajourney.com

Cost: For the cost for this private journey, let us know the time of year you plan to travel along with the total number of people traveling with you. We do not offer this as a join-in group tour, but only as a private journey.

Included in the price:

• All accommodations (based on double occupancy)
• Breakfast each morning in Tibet
• Bottled drinking water
• All ground transportation in Tibet
• All entrance fees for the itinerary listed
• All Tibet travel permits
• Local Tibetan guide fees
• All Everest permits
• All Shishapangma permits
• All meals and accommodations for your driver and guide
• Lhasa Airport or train station pick up and transfer 

Not included in the price:

• Passport and Chinese Visa fees
• International airfare to/from Lhasa, Tibet
• Lunch and dinner (restaurants located throughout Tibet)
• Travel vaccinations
• Insurance (travel, medical, etc)
• Souvenirs or personal items such as laundry, snacks, alcohol drinks, etc
• Photography fees inside temples and monasteries
• Gratuities to the Tibetan guide and driver

Travel Gear: Go to the following link for our recommended packing list: Journey Packing List

Accommodations: In Lhasa, Gyantse and Shigatse, you will be staying in comfortable and pleasant locally-rated 3 or 4 Star Tibetan-owned hotels. Hotels in other areas of Tibet will be the best available. At Everest Base Camp Region, accommodation will be a simple guesthouse without showers and with shared bathrooms. All hotels, except for those in the Everest Region, should have internet access. Five Star Hotel upgrades available in Lhasa upon request (no other areas have 5 star hotels). For a list of hotels we stay at, go to the following link: Hotels We Use in Tibet

Meals: Breakfast is included in the price for each morning you are in Tibet. Lunch and dinner are not included in the price. Restaurants are all along this travel route. Your guide will know the best places to eat at.

Eligibility: Participants must be in good health and be able to spend each day walking around towns, villages and monasteries. Though you will be doing a lot of walking each day, no trekking is required. Most of this tour will take place in mountainous terrain between 3600 meters and 5200 meters (11,800 feet to 17,000 feet) above sea level. You will spend 3 nights in Lhasa for altitude acclimatization before going above 3600 meters. Ascent will be slow and gradual along the way from Lhasa to Everest Base Camp Region. 

Responsible Tourism: Himalaya Journey is joint American and Tibetan owned company with offices in the US, Tibet and Nepal.  All of our guides and drivers are local Tibetans who have been working in tourism for many years. It is a top priority for us to support as many Tibetan-owned businesses as possible. During this tour, all of the hotels you will be staying at in Tibet are locally-owned. The preservation of the culture of Tibet, as well as the protection of the environment of Tibet, are extremely important to us. In fact, when we are not out leading and arranging journeys across Tibet, we are working with local Tibetans in numerous eco-tourism and conservation projects. 

Why travel with us: Unlike other travel companies who have sales managers who have likely never seen Everest base camp and have spent little time (if any!) exploring Tibet, we have decades worth of experience in the Himalaya Mountains. We have trekked, climbed and explored all areas of Tibet and know the area better than anyone! Go to the following link to read more about why you should travel with experts who specialize in Tibet journeys: Why travel with us