Everest Advanced Base Camp Trek from Tibet

- 18 Days

We travel to Lhasa either through a direct flight from Nepal or via mainland China. If we choose to fly from Kathmandu to Lhasa, we will be on an hour-long Trans-Himalayan flight, which is considered to be one of the most beautiful air routes in the world, that takes us over Mt. Everest (8848m), Kanchenjunga (8536m) and other Himalayan peaks. It also provides enchanting views of some of the highest glaciers in the Himalayan region.

If we are going to Lhasa via mainland China, we may fly from any major city or take the world’s highest train route to Lhasa. A representative from Himalayan Glacier will pick us up either from the airport or the train station for about an hour’s drive to our designated hotel in Lhasa. Once in our hotel room, it is advised to take plenty of rest for the remainder of the day to minimize altitude sickness. Overnight in Lhasa.

We begin sightseeing in Lhasa after breakfast. Today is the day we visit the beautiful Potala and Norbulingka palaces. Built in the 17th century, Potala Palace provides amazing views of the entire city and houses private quarters of the Dalai Lama, numerous grand state rooms and chapels. Norbulingka Palace is the summer palace of the Dalai Lama and houses what is considered to be the largest man-made garden in Tibet. We further visit the Tibet Traditional Hospital which is the center for the treatment, training, research and production of Tibetan medicine. Overnight in Lhasa.

After breakfast we visit Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery, Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Bazaar.  Drepung Monastery, which was built in the 14th century, is believed to have sheltered around 10,000 monks in the past but as of now there has been a  serious decline resulting in only a few hundred. The history, culture, and religious beliefs of the Tibetan people are strongly concentrated and centered in this marvelous monastery.  Sera Monastery is a preserved monastery of white-washed walls and golden roofs. Jokhang Temple is another important sacred site which unravels more deep-seated mysteries of Tibetan Buddhism. We further stroll through Barkhor Bazaar (market). With its open air stalls, shops and crowd of pilgrims, it is the nerve centre of Lhasa. Overnight in Lhasa.

After breakfast, we embark on a pleasant drive to Shigatse, the second biggest city in Tibet via Gyantse. We drive past Khamba La (4,794m) pass and savor the enthralling views of Yomdrok-Tso (Turquoise Lake), one of the Holy Lakes in Tibet and Mt. Nazin Kang Sa (7,252m). Further to the west, we come across another pass, Karo La (5,045m) and take in amazing views of the majestic glaciers. Upon reaching Gyantse, we visit the Khumbum Stupa, Phalkot Monastery and Gyantse Dzong (fortress), which is one of the best preserved dzongs in Tibet. From Gyantse, we continue to Shigatse enjoying a captivating mountain landscape along the way. Overnight in Shigatse.

We will start our tour in the morning driving through two big mountain passes, Tso La Pass (4500m) and Gyatso La Pass (5220m) and some beautiful villages, where we will be rewarded with the first view of Mt. Everest from the foot of Gyatso La Pass. Lao Tingri also known as Dingri used to be an important trading post where Sherpas from Nepal exchanged rice, grain and iron for Tibetan wool, livestock and salt. We will continue our drive to the Langkor monastery, from Dingri. The Gompa  or temple was built in the Padampa Sange’s meditation cave and became the seat of the Dampapa School of Tibetan Buddhism. Overnight in Langkor.

Today, we start our trek to the Cho Oyu Base Camp. It is one of the most beautiful walks today as we will walk just in front of the Cho Oyu snow mountains standing at 8188 m, which is the sixth tallest mountain in the world. This is one of the most famous snow-capped mountains in the world where mountaineers expedite to the summit.Getting to the base camp of this marvelous mountain is one of the most memorable adventure campings. Enjoy the beautiful sunset views of Mt.Cho Oyu and the Nangpa La Pass. Overnight in Base Camp.

After a fulsome breakfast along with majestic views of Mt. Cho Oyu and Nangpa La from our campsite, we start our trek from the base camp to the southeast of Lungjang valley and walk towards the upper part of the Lungjang village. We may encounter some wild animals on the route, including blue sheep, foxes and wolves. There is also a beautiful nomad camp at the foot of Lamna La where we can share life experience with Tibetan nomads where they graze their flocks of sheep, yaks and other live stocks. Overnight in foot of the Lamna La Pass

We start our trek ascending a steep trail climbing towards the Lamna La Pass (5250m) while enjoying the astounding views of Mt. Cho Oyu, Lungjang valley and the Nangpa La Pass with other snow-capped mountains around.  Around 3 hours of uphill walk will take us to the top of the Lamna La from where we will descend into a marshy side valley that leads us to Dzakarchu river. Since it is a steeply downhill walk, it will take around 2 hours to get to the Dzakarchu river. We will continue our trek in the Dzakarchu valley from where the first views of Mt. Everest starts to show up, eventually getting closer and closer in our eyes, bringing a sense of pride in being close to the world’s highest mountain without having any obstacles from high altitude. We then reach the Rongbuk monastery where we can rest our aching feet and enjoy the beautiful sunset views of Mt. Everest in the evening. Overnight in Rongbuk monastery.

Today, we trek to the Everest Base Camp, which is also the ultimate highlight of the whole trip. Reaching the base of the world’s highest mountain is an achievement in its own right. We may capture this accomplishment with our camera while keeping ourselves busy with short treks which will help us in acclimatizing to the high altitude. At the base camp, we also enjoy the amazing Himalayan vista with the world’s highest peak, Mt. Everest, soaring above us. Overnight at Everest Base Camp.

Spending one full day at Everest Base Camp would not only be a memorable experience in itself, but will also help greatly in acclimatization. We can climb and explore beautiful hills nearby and enjoy the company of high Himalayan peaks. Overnight at Everest Base Camp.

From Everest Base Camp, we initially trek alongside the Rongbuk Glacier, an impressive frozen ocean of ice waves. Then, after a short run over gravel terrain, we walk along the lateral moraine of the Rongbuk glacier and skirt the Glacier from its east side. After an hour or so, we take the left path that leads steeply to the Japanese Camp. This camp is situated under a huge yellow rock. At this site, we enjoy the view of the Pumori Himalaya. Overnight at Japanese Camp.

The Interim Camp lies on the end of a nearby glacier. Along this trek, we enjoy the company of huge ice pinnacles. As we move ahead towards a dusty valley, we are welcomed with magnificent views of the East Rongbuk Glacier and high mountains like Pumori (7,161m/ 23,494ft) and Nuptse (7,861m/25,791ft). Although we might feel the high altitude, technically the route is quite easy. Overnight at Interim Camp.

Changtse is located adjacent to the north of Everest, hence the name Changtse which in Tibetan means north peak. Today, we leave the Japanese Base Camp and trek towards Changtse Base Camp which provides perhaps the best panoramic view of Mount Everest. The short trek will also help us with acclimatization.

As we continue to follow the east side of the Rongbuk Glacier, we get closer to Everest and Lhakpa Ri (7045m). Walking along the moraine rubble, we arrive at our destination, the Advanced Base Camp of Everest (ABC) which is situated near the Changtse Glacier. From here, the Everest Top appears so close that one might feel tempted to summit the mountain. In fact, the top of Everest is a little more than 2400 meters away from this camp. The Everest Advanced Base Camp is also the closest non-climbers can get to the top of Mt. Everest. From here we descend to Chagtse Base Camp where we will be spending the night.

The return to Base Camp is a downhill trek.  Today, we aim to get back to the base camp as slowly as possible in order to avoid any kind of high altitude problems. On our way back, we enjoy the beautiful mountain landscape that Tibet so proudly boasts. After reaching the Everest Base Camp we drive to Tingri. Overnight in Tingri.

We begin our drive to Kerung after breakfast. Kerung is a small town in Nepal which borders with Tibet. We freshen up after reaching Kerung and take a long-needed rest. Today’s short drive will give us plenty of time for resting. Overnight in Kerung.

Today we leave Tibet and drive to the capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu. We begin our drive after an early morning breakfast. On our way we can compare and contrast the change in landscape, culture and people. After reaching Kathmandu we freshen up. There will be a farewell dinner hosted by Himalayan Glacier to celebrate the successful completion of our journey in the mountains. Overnight in Kathmandu.

Our Everest Advanced Base Camp Trek from Tibet, trip of 18 days ends today. A representative from Himalayan Glacier will pick us up from our hotel and drop us off at the airport approximately 3 hours before the scheduled flight.