14 Days Lhasa to Kathmandu Overland Tour from Beijing

The prelude of your exciting China tour starts when you meet our professional local guide at Beijing Airport. The guide will accompany you in a comfortable vehicle to the hotel and help you with the check-in procedure.

The rest of the day is left for you to have a good rest or to become familiar with our capital city by yourself. 

First you will meet your group members at the hotel lobby and have a short meeting with the guide.

Then head to the first stop today, the impressive Tian'anmen Square, which is the biggest urban city square in the world. Nowadays, many constructions of great historical importance have been built on and around it.  From there you will enter the "Imperial Palace" known as the Forbidden City to explore its many fascinating halls and pavilions. Here, you will not only get to know how the emperor handled political affairs and lived their lives, but also appreciate numerous ancient art treasures. In the afternoon, you will go to the Temple of Heaven, the place where the emperors worshipped the heaven for good harvests. As the dwelling of the God of Heaven, it covers an area even larger than the dwelling of the emperor, Forbidden City. To round off a memorable start to your travel, we will arrange a lively and dramatic Chinese Kung Fu Show at the Red Theater.

This morning you will be taken to Badaling where you will experience at first hand the wonder of the Great Wall. Standing on the wall and looking at it stretching up and down into boundless distance is an exciting experience and will leave you a life-long memory. To celebrate and commemorate this moment, we specially provide red wine for a group-toasting on the Great Wall.

After lunch, we will drive you back to the city center, while on the way back to downtown, you will have a short stay at the Bird's Nest (Olympic National Stadium), the major venue for 2008 Olympic Games, and take photos with the huge nest.

In the afternoon, visit China's largest imperial garden, the Summer Palace, which is renowned for the perfect combination of natural landscape and gardening design. You can see beautiful scenery of lakes, mountains, islands and trees, as well as traditional Chinese garden construction of long corridors, pavilions, bridges and halls. 

Then transfer to Beijing West Station to take Train No.T27 starting at 9:30pm for Lhasa. The Beijing Lhasa Railway extends about 3753km across the heartland of the Middle Kingdom and the Tibetan Plateau. It will take you 43 hrs 32 min. and across the 5200 meter high mountain pass amidst the grand vistas of surreal mountain range and uniquely shaped Tibetan Landscape. It would be an unforgettable expedition across full bosomed clear streams cascading down beautiful mountain ranges, sharing kisses with glistering dew drops, an amorous ride with nature.

Lanzhou 1:04pm The Lanzhou Train Station is located in a narrow valley. The Yellow River passes through the city. It is one of the largest cities in the northeast. And there is an famous attraction around Lanzhou - the Bingling Temple Caves. 

Xining 3:50pm Xining is the capital of Qinghai province, and an important stopover for a visit to China's largest inland lake, Qinghaihu, a bird watchers paradise. It is a good starting pointing to come into Tibet from here. 

When you arrive in Lhasa either by train or flight, your guide will greet you and take you to your hotel. Tourists may view the Yarlung Tsangpo River and Lhasa river on their way to Lhasa.

After arriving in Lhasa, you can take a rest and get acclimatized to high altitude or feel to go out.

After breakfast, we go to the Potala Palace, a golden feather upon the roof of the world, which Tibetans proudly claim to be the prime miracle since the creation of this world. It is visible from any distance, with the golden roof shinning in the sun, spend one hour wondering around the inside of this magnificent building exploring the rooms previously used by the Dalai Lama and the many Buddhist icons within.

In the afternoon we go inside of the Jokhang. The Jokhang, like most of the larger temple structures have numerous individual temples within it dedicated to specific enlightened beings, protectors, high lamas, or saints. Images, both sculpted and painted, are everywhere. Every inch of wall and ceiling is brightly painted with images of clouds, beings, mandalas, or decorative patterns. Colorful silk banners, three stories high, hang in various places. Color, pattern, and images crowd in around you. The central image inside the building is a 30-foot high gilded image of Maitreya Buddha. Then stroll around the back alleys of the Barkhor area of Old Lhasa. The streets smelled of yak butter and incense while hordes of pilgrims shuffled along the main Kora (circumambulations) around Jokhang Temple. If someone just walked at a normal pace, one kora would take about 15-20 minutes.

In the morning go to Drepung monastery, which used to be the largest monastery with more than 10 thousand monks, Buddhist debates often occur there. Seen from afar, its grand, white construction gives the monastery the appearance of a heap of rice.In the Tibetan language, means Monastery of Collecting-Rice. Learn about the lives of Tibetan monks there.

In the afternoon, visit Sera monastery, which was created in 1419 and has always been an important Buddhist seminary. As rose are planted everywhere in the monastery, it is also called “the court of wild rose”. Today still 200 lamas live in there. Catch the famous debate session of the monks before returning back to Lhasa.

After fully explore Lhasa, you’ll have a chance to get lost in the endless Tibetan landscape while you take a short hike along the turquoise waters of Lake Yamdrok, one of the four holy lakes in Tibet. This dazzling lake is normally first seen from the summit of the Kamba-la (4700m). The lake lies several hundred metres below the road, and it is shaped like a coiling scorpion. Far in the distance is the huge massif of Mt. Nojin Kangstsang (7191m).

Then pass by the 5,010 m high Karo-la and the Simi La forward to Gyantse (3,950m). Visit Pelkor Monastery as well as the splendid Kumbum Stupa (100-Thousand-Buddha Pagoda) nearby, both of them built in the15th century and situated in the northwestern edge of Gyantse.

In the afternoon drive about 90 kilometers to Shigatse (3880m), the second largest city with 40,000 inhabitants in Tibet and the traditional capital of the Tsang. Upon arrival, you’ll have an opportunity to explore the Tashilumpo Monastery, the holy seat of the Panchen Lama, which is essentially a walled town with cobbled and twisting lanes that revolve around a magnificent monastery.

Today we have an early start to drive westwards the Friendship way to Rongbuk. On the way the drive is full of magnificent scenery and cross some extremely high passes including Gyatsola (5248m).

The road to Everest diverts off the newly paved Friendship highway near the town of Shegar and turns into bumpy gravel trail, which is still 90km to get to Rongpuk. If it is in clear weather, you can have a glimpse of 4 mountains which is 8000m high or more, such as: Mt. Lhotse (8516m),Mt. Everest (8848m), Mt. Qowowuyag (8201m),Mt Mayalu (8463m).

Open your eyes, and wake up to the first sunlight shining over the pyramid-shaped summit of imposing Mt. Everest. Grab your camera for an epic shot and stroll to the Rongbuk Monastery, exploring this world’s highest Buddhist compound. If you wish, you can do the meditation and experience the unparalleled tranquility and harmony there. Or you can interact with monks and nuns with the help of guide to learn more of their unique spiritual life.

The temperature can get bitterly cold in the early morning. Do wear enough cloths like your down jacket, scarf and mittens to protect the extreme coldness.

Then in the afternoon, back to Old Tingri and continue go west to Gyirong County. Our Tibetan guide will arrange the proper accommodation for you in Gyirong county and we are about to spend the night here.

In the morning, our Tibetan guide will escort you to Gyirong border. Then, you are kindly required to hike on your own to cross the border bridge which is 50m long, then check in Nepal side, you can get the Nepal visa upon arrival with US$ 30, please prepare one photo at passport size to get Nepal Visa.

After you get to Nepal side, please find our guide. The guide will accompany you in a comfortable vehicle to the hotel in downtown (7-8hours’ ride) and help you with the check-in procedure. The rest of the day is left for you to have a good rest or to become familiar with the capital city of Nepal by yourself.

Start the morning with a visit to the Katmandu Durbar Square. As the most noted square in Katmandu, the square assembles many splendid ancient buildings between 16th and 19th century, including over 50 temples and palaces. The magnificent Nepal architecture, exquisite decorations and numerous historical items will show you the unique culture of Nepal.

Then continue to visit the Swayambhunath Pagoda, one of the oldest Buddhist holy lands and famous for the glistening pagoda. Your next destination is the Buddhanikantha Temple, where you will see the huge statue of Vishnu lying on the giant snake Ananta. Today's visit will end up with the Bouddhanath Stupa which is about 11 km (7 miles) from the city center of Katmandu and is the largest spherical stupa in the world.

After breakfast, you will visit the oldest Hinduism Temple in Katmandu, the Pashupatnath Temple. Although the temple is only open to the Hindus, you can still see the splendid buildings on the viewing platform across the river.

Then proceed to the Bhaktapur Durbar Square. Bhaktapur means the city of devotees. About 19 kilometers (about 12 miles) from Katmandu, the Bhaktapur Durbar Square is the best model of Nepalese craftsmanship. The highlight of the square is the royal palace with its 55 windows of brick and wood, and the Golden Gate, carved with the portrait of Goddess Durga.

Afterward, head for another famous square, the Patan Durbar Square, where you will pay a visit to the Golden Temple, one of the most famous Vihara in Katmandu Valley. 

Our guide will pick you up from the hotel and send you to the airport so that you can board the flight back home after this pleasant tour.

Alternatively, should you wish to stay on rather than return home right away, you could contact us and choose our other City Packages as an extension to your memorable adventure!