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Kathmandu to Lhasa Overland Tour
Kathmandu to Lhasa Overland Tour
Kathmandu to Lhasa Overland Tour

7 Days Kathmandu to Lhasa Overland Tour (without Mount Everest) (Price from )

Authentic Tibetan Culture

As the opening of Gyirong Port on the Tibet Nepal border, the Holy Land can be reached easily from Nepal again. Our 7 Days Kathmandu to Lhasa Overland Tour takes you to enjoy the memorable overland trip from Kathmandu to Lhasa, via Lhatse, Sakya, Shigatse, Gyantse, to explore the authentic Tibetan culture and history. You will visit the most influential monasteries and palace in Tibet with this tour. (The Mount Everest isn't included in this itinerary. If you want to get it covered, you can choose another tour package which has Mount Everest)

Highlights of this tour:

  • Enjoy the exciting overland driving on the Himala Range from Kathmandu to Lhasa;
  • Learn about Tibetan Buddhism by visiting featured monasteries of different sects of Tibet Buddhism;
  • Experience authentic Tibetan culture and join locals to walk the exotic Barkhor Street Kora.

Tour Brief Information

  • Tour price: from
  • Tour code: TD-OT-7D
  • Tour Type: Private Customizable Tour Package
  • Destination: Kathmandu - Gyirong - Lhatse - Shigatse - Gyantse - Lhasa
  • Duration: 7 days and 6 nights
  • Departure: Flexible
  • Travel Theme: CultureTrekkingPhotographyMountain
  • Best Time: SpringSummerAutumn
  • Physical Level
  • Tour Pace
    Medium
  • Max Altitude
    5,220 m
  • Itinerary Details
  • Price Guide & Booking
  • Trip FAQs
  • Reviews
  • Make an Enquiry

Your tour - at a glance

Day 1~3 Nepal to Shigatse via Lhatse

Start your tour at Kathmandu and drive to Gyirong Town for accommodation on the Day 1, then drive to Lhatse for accommodation on the Day 2. Day 3 is to visit Sakya Monastery and Tahilhunpo Monastery.

Day 4 Shigatse to Lhasa via Gyantse

On the Day 4, you will travel from Shigatse to Lhasa and visit unique Palcho Monastery, imposing Karola Glacier and tranquil Yamdrok Lake on route.

Day 5~7 Lhasa Tour & Departure

Visit the most classic attractions in Lhasa on Day 5 and Day 6, including the grandiose Potala Palace, holy Buddhist sites Jokhang Temple, Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery, also the exotic Barkhor Street and quiet Norbulingka, and depart from Lhasa at Day 7 by flight or train.

Itinerary Details - Day by Day

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Day 1 Kathmandu - Gyirong

After breakfast, our local guide will pick you up, then drive to Gyirong Port (altitude: 1800m) at the border. Though the distance is only about 160km, it takes more than 6 hours to drive to Gyirong Port from Kathmandu because the road is narrow and bumpy. During the rainy season, the road is muddy and may be closed for the landslides. 

After arriving at Gyirong Port, you will check through the custom, and be picked up by your Tibetan tour guide, then drive about 25km to today's destination Gyirong Town. 

Accommodate at Gyirong Town(altitude: 2600m).

Tip of today: Make sure your Group Visa, Tibet Entry Permit and Border Pass are issued before departing to Tibet.

Day 2 Gyirong - Lhatse (B)

After breakfast, you will have a long driving to Lhatse County (about 400km). Though being a long driving of about 8 hours, but the views along the road are stupendous. In clear days, you can see the clear face of Shishapangma Peak and enjoy the beautiful view of Pekutso Lake

Tips of Today: prepare more food and drinks for long driving.

Day 3 Lhatse - Shigatse

Wake up in the peaceful morning on the Roof of the World. Today you will travel from Lhatse to Shigatse, approximately a driving around 4 hours. Driving for a while from Lhatse, you will turn right to the country road to Sakya Town to visit the featured Sakya Monastery which is about 150km from Shigatse City. Built in 1073 by Khon Khonchong Gyalpo, on the hill side with gray earth surrounded, Sakya Monastery is the principal monastery of the Sakyapa Sect of Tibetan Buddhism.Different from other monasteries in Lhasa, its wall painted in red, white and grey strips, which represent Manjushri, Avalokiteshvara and Vajrapani, as a special architecture to distinguish from other Buddhist schools. As the first temple of Sakyapa with over 900 years history, it kept many historical relics, including numerous stupas, Buddhist scriptures, magnificent surviving artwork, Tibetan Thangkas and more.

After the Sakya visit, keep driving to the final destination of today - Shigatse city. You will get to Shigatse in the afternoon, then take a visit to the official seat of Panchen Lama - Tashilhunpo Monastery which is also the largest and most influential Gelug Monastery in Shigatse prefecture. Here you will see a giant statue of Future Buddha, the largest one of its kind on earth ( 26.2 meters high and 11.5 meters wide ), decorated with precious pearls, turquoises, corals and ambers.

Accommodate in Shigatse City.

  • Young Monks in Sakya Monastery Young Monks in Sakya Monastery
  • Qamba Buddha

Day 4 Shigatse - Lhasa (B)

Today, you will leave Shigatse and drive about 8 hours to Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. It may be a long journey, but there are many things to do along the road. After two hours' driving, you will get to the historical city of Gyantse, then go to visit the mysterious Palcho Monastery. The monks and tradition of three important sects of Tibetan Buddhism - Sakyapa, Zhalupa and Gelukpa, peacefully coexist in this monastery. Its Kumbum, which is 35 meters high and has 76 small chapels with hundreds images of Kriyatantras , is believed to be the largest such structure in Tibet.

Keeping driving about 2 hours from Gyantse, you will stop along the road and see the imposing Karola Glacier towering aloft on the left side of the road. Moving on not very far from Karola Glacier, you will reach the holy Yamdrok Lake. As the largest fresh lake in the northern of the Himalaya Mountains, it spreads about 675 square meters from south to north, like an eardrop lying in the arms of snow-capped giant mountains. Viewing from a distance, you can see fertile pastures full of yaks and sheep, and some small Tibetan villages along the lakeshore. 

Continuing your trip, you will arrive at Lhasa in the afternoon. Have a good rest!

Tips of today: 1) wear warm clothes to prevent from cold and wild; 2) pack some food and drinks with you because you will spend much time on the road.

  • Yamdrok Lake Yamdrok Lake is as beautiful as a sapphire
  • The Kumbu Is the Most Famous Architecture in Palcho Monastery
  • Karola Glaceier Get amazed by the stunning view of Karola Glaceier

Day 5 Lhasa (B)

Start today’s Lhasa exploration with an exciting visit to the landmark - Potala Palace which is regarded as one of the most beautiful architectural building in the world. You will climb up the palace along the zigzag stone paths with white-and-red walls to the top of the palace where you can not only appreciate the exotic Tibetan-style architecture, but also get a great view of Lhasa’s urban areas, then walk into the inner space of Potala Palace to explore the stately chapels and learn about the history of the palace.

Continuing your exploration, you will then get to Jokhang Templewhich is considered as the spiritual heart of Tibetan Buddhism. Each day, there are thousands of pilgrims coming from different places in Tibet to the temple to worship to the Buddha. This temple is also known as the “house of Buddha” because it keeps the precious Jowo Rinpoche, the life-sized (5 foot/1.5m) image of the Shakyamuni at the age of 12. The last site for today’s exploration is the famous Barkor Street. It is a circular and wide street encircling the Jokhang Temple. The local people like to walk on the street for several circles usually in the late afternoon as a daily tradition of pilgrimage. The street also has many shops selling a wide variety of traditional Tibetan goods, religious items and handcrafts.

Tips of today: 1) there are 1,080 steps up to climb to the top of Potala Palace, so don’t walk in a rush, which may cause high altitude sickness; 2) taking photos is not allowed inside the palace; 3) today you will be mainly outside, please bring some water, a hat, sun cream, and sun glasses with you.

  • Exploring Tibet with Your Whole Family Sven explored Potala Place with Tibet Discovery (February, 2017)
  • Prayers at Jokhang Temple Prayers at Jokhang Temple
  • Barkhor Street Barkhor Street

Day 6 Lhasa (B)

After breakfast, you will firstly go to visit the beautiful Norbulingka which used to be the former summer palace of Dalai Lamas in the ancient time, and now is a public park. It is famous for its Potrang, the private palaces of former Dalai lamas with grandiose Tibetan architecture style. Next, drive several kilometers to the western outskirts of Lhasa to visit Drepung Monastery. 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”.

In the afternoon, you will be taken to another famous monastery in Lhasa - 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 the city. The rest time is your own free time to rest.

The Etiquette of Visiting Monastery: 1) you shouldn’t wear short and uncover shoulders; 2) taking off your sunglasses and hat before entering the chapels; 3) taking photos is usually not allowed inside the chapels.

  • Debating Monks of Sera Monastery Debating Monks
  • Entrance of Drepung Monastery Monks Gathered at the Entrance of Drepung Monastery
  • Norbulingka Monastery Enjoy the bright flowers in Norblingka

Day 7 Lhasa Departure ( B )

Today is free for you until your tour guide transfer you to the airport in time for your flight or drop you off at Lhasa train station.

Tips of today: 1) please pack your luggage carefully, especially for small things like camera charger, power adaptor, mobile phone, phone charger, wallet and towel; 2) if your flight is arranged in the afternoon, please make sure you check out the hotel before 12pm.

Useful Trip Notes

  • 1. Tibet Permits
    There are several permits required to visit Tibet. Tibet Entry Permit, issued by Tibet Tourism Bureau, is the most important one which has to be obtained before your trip because you must have it to take your flight/train to Tibet. To get the permit, you have to book a Tibet tour with us, and send us your passport and Chinese visa about 20 days in advance, and then let us apply for the permit (all Tibet permits can only be applied by travel agency). If you travel to other prefectures like Shigatse, Nyingchi, Shannan, etc, you also have to obtain an Alien Travel Permit. If you travel to Mount Everest, you have to obtain a Border Permit. (Tibet Discovery, with office in Lhasa, has always kept up with the latest news on Tibet Permits. Traveling with us, all your permits are guaranteed as long as you are qualified to the requirements.)
  • 2. Available Months to Visit Tibet
    Generally speaking, May to early October is the recommended time to have a Mount Everest trip. July and August are the peak season and rainy season. The temperatures in daytime and night differs a lot, usually 5~15℃ in the daytime and -5~0℃ in the night, so please keep warm all the time. It is usually snowy and cold in winter, which is not suitable to visit Mount Everest. While other places like Lhasa, Gyantse and Shigatse are suitable for travel all year around.
  • 3. High Altitude Sickness
    The average altitude of Tibet is about 4000 meters above the sea level (Lhasa: 3700m; EBC: 5200m; Namtso: 4718m). You may suffer a bit from High Altitude Sickness in the beginning days of your Tibet trip if you haven’t had rich high plateau travel experience. But don’t worry too much, the high altitude can be acclimatized usually in 2~3 days. Our suggestion is to take a physical examination and get suggestions from your doctor, and also bring some medicines to prevent from High Altitude Sickness before your trip. While in Tibet, you should keep warm all the time, avoid strenuous activities, drink more water and eat more vegetables and carbohydrates. You’d better not take showers during the first two days after your arrival at Tibet. If you don’t feel well, get help from your tour guide or go to the hospital without any delay.
  • 4. How to Go to Tibet from Nepal
    Basically you have two options – flight and driving. Currently, you can take a flight to Lhasa from Kathmandu, but the flight schedules are not frequent, usually 2 or 3 flights each week. Another way is to drive to Tibet from the border. It takes about 2~3 hours to get to the Gyirong Port by driving. From Gyirong Port, you will travel to Lhasa. There are many things to do along the route, such as Mount Everest, Tashilhunpo Monastery, Yamdrok Lake, etc.
  • 5. Packing and Wearing Ideas
    Firstly you can’t forget your passport and Chinese Visa. A large backpack and a smaller one are recommended (the smaller one can be used for daily activities). Also bring the necessary medicine you need. Other stuffs like sunglasses, snow glasses, hats, lip balm, sun block are recommended.
    As for wearing, you are suggested to dress in layers (both thin and thick jackets). Down jacket is necessary in Spring and Autumn. A pair of durable and comfortable shoes is necessary.

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Escorted by a skilled driver and companied by a professional local tour guide to organize all the activities, all you have to do is to enjoy your fantastic Tibet journey.Following are some other recommended Tibet group tour packages that you may be interested in. You can also contact us to customize a trip if you want..