Everest Base Camp 15 Nights/16 Days Tour

Itinerary

Day 01: Fly Kathmandu/ Lhasa with. Upon arrival, we are met by our Tibetan guide and transferred to our hotel. When we are unpacked and more accustomed to the thin air, we can take the rest of the afternoon to explore the fabulous market or Barkhor that surrounds the Jokhang.

Day 02: Rising early we will grab a quick breakfast. Around 7:30 AM we head back to the Barkhor and the Jokhang, spiritual center of Tibet and destination of Millions of Tibetan Pilgrims. The Jokhang, built in 767 AD by Tibet's first Buddhist King, Songtsen Gampo, is the heart of this Buddhist world. We walk the kora or pilgrim route, around the Barkhor with the early morning pilgrims. After the outside kora we enter the temple and walk the nangkhor, or inside of the temple. On the roof of the Jokhang, we can take beautiful pictures of the Market and pilgrims below, and the Potala on the hill across the square. From The Jokhang, we will head to the Potala was the former winter palace of the Dalai Lama, built on the escarpments of Red Hill and rising more than 1000' Above the valley floor. We must be sure to enter through the pilgrim entrance, up the long path, rather than through the tourist entrance. Our visit to the Potala, complete, we can have lunch in one of the momo restaurants outside. After lunch, we will visit the Norbulinka, once named Jewel Park and now People's Park. The Norbulinka was the former summer palace of successive Dalai Lamas from 1755, and suffered extensive damage during the Cultural Revolution. Later in the day, if we are not exhausted, we can visit some of the hidden temples of Lhasa, or Ranoche, where the Chinese Tara, brought to Tibet By Songsten Gampo, is kept.

Day 03: Today we travel to the suburbs of Lhasa to visit two of the most interesting of the Buddhist monasteries. The first, The first, Phabonkha, served as a meditation site during the time of Songtsen Gampo, and contains a plaque commemorating the first Tibetan script. The monastery also serves as a sky burial site, and if we are early enough, we can still see the great Himalayan Vultures circling overhead, waiting for their dinner. In the last part of the 8th century, the very first seven Tibetan monks stayed here, after receiving their ordination from the Indian Shankarakshita. From here, we will have a simple lunch in a local restaurant, and then head to Sera, in time for the 3 PM debates. Sera, is a 15th century Gelugpa monastery, founded by one of Tsong Khapa's disciples, and is famous for its Tantric teachings. The name Sera means "Merciful Hail." Years ago, a rivalry existed between Sera and Drepung (means "Rice Heap"). The monks from Sera thought their hail would destroy Drepung's rice, while Sera boasted the "dob-dobs," an elite corps of warrior monks, much feared by other Buddhist leaders.

Day 04: Today we will drive the 130 miles to Gyantse, once Tibet's third most important city, lying at the head of the Nyangchu Valley astride the main routes from India and Nepal to Lhasa. Made wealthy in this major trading center from selling sheep and yak wool, the rich lords of the city pooled their resources in 1427 to build the Kumbum, a Nepalese-style stupa. We will tour the stupa.

Day 05: Rising early we will continue driving west to Shegatse. In the early days of Communism, some of the monks of Shigatse were in collusion with the security bureau and reported anyone accepting or distributing pictures of the Dalai Lama. They hoped that by cooperating with the Communists, they could save their temple from destruction. Sadly, it did not work completely. Nevertheless, Tashilumpo monastery, the oldest and largest Gelugpa Monastery in Tsang province and home to the Panchen Lama, is lovely, and our kora or pilgrim circuit, will take us past holes for dogs, thought of as "fallen monks" as well as places to earn merit by rubbing our bodies against holy rocks.

Day 06: Our trip today takes us to Tingri (gateway to Mount Everest). The name of this windblown settlement comes from the sound made by a special black rock, thrown all the way from India to Tibet by an incarnation of the Buddha, when the rock struck the ice near the present site of the town. We will meet our Nepal trekking crew near the town. Tonight will be our first night of camping.

Day 07 - 11: During these next five days, we will trek from Tingri (14,400') all the way up to Dza Rongphu Monastery at 16,350' and Everest Base Camp at 16,900'. Our path will take us past the wind-generator farm in Lungjhang and the town "chang" hall, towards the towering peak of Cho Oyu. We pass through a small goat or "drogpa" camp; climb up over Lamna La (16,900') with Gyachung Kang and Cho Oyu off to the south; and descend to Zommug, at 15,700' the highest permanent settlement in the Everest region. A moonscape of barren hills that look out on Everest and Gayachung Kang and are too high for growing crops, Zommug is a center for animal husbandry and a supply center for yaks used on Everest expeditions. One day south of Zommug and dwarfed by the towering north face of Everest is Dza Rongphu monastery, reached by either a spectacular high route or an easier low path. Once a flourishing retreat center established about 250-350 years ago, today's Dza Rognphu is much smaller. It is built where Ngawang Tenzing Norbu built a Nyingmapa temple in 1901-02. We will camp near the monastery.

Day 12 - 13: Everest Base Camp (16,900') and the Rongphu Glacier are approximately 2 hours above the monastery. The route passes huts (where hermits once meditated in solitude for from three years to a lifetime), the fast-flowing Dzakaa Chhu, the ruins of the nunnery of Sherab Chholing, and a small rebuilt lhakhang or prayer house tended by a hermit monk. Just before the terminus of the Rongphu Glacier is Everest base camp. Across a creek, and not to be missed, is the ocean of ice that composes the Rongphu Glacier, with views of the Himalayan range that are among the most spectacular ever to be seen in a lifetime.

Day 14: Leaving Dza Rongphu, we begin our trip back to Nepal, driving through Chhosang, Phadruchi, over Pang La, across the Phung Chhu or Arun River, and into Shegar. Tonight we stay in the best available hotel accommodations Shegar or New Tingri.

Day 15: On this, our last day in Tibet, we will descend to Zangmu or Khasa, some 560 miles from the beginning of our journey in Lhasa. We can only laugh tonight, as we eat a farewell dinner in less than glamorous conditions, described once again by the tour guide as "best available."

Day 16: Today we will take the plunge, dropping 15,000' to the lowest point in the Sun Kosi valley. After completing all Chinese customs procedures, we will drive to the Nepal border, cross customs, and continue on to Kathmandu. After a farewell dinner, the last night will be spent in the unusual comfort of a hotel bed.

Note : Designed itinerary is a sample itinerary intended to give you a general idea of the likely trip schedule. We can further customize the itinerary to suit as your needs and interest.