DETAILED ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrive in Beijing
Soon after landing at Beijing airport, you will be escorted to your hotel. Detailed information will be briefed to you regarding your travel arrangements and travel destinations. Thereon, enjoy the lively ambience and excellent facilities of the hotel.

Day 2-3: Sightseeing in Beijing
Your Beijing tour begins shortly after breakfast in the company of a professionally trained and experienced local guide to the amazing UNESCO World Heritage sites. As you tour around Forbidden city , Imperial Palaces , Summer Palace , Temple of Heaven and many other exotic locales, you will have invaluable insights into the ancient history of Chinese civilization, culture and tradition. Forbidden City as the name implies bears with it many deep seated mysteries and history. Lying at the heart of Beijing , Forbidden City houses the largest and the best preserved cluster of ancient buildings and also stands as an epitome of China 's cultural and historical richness. Journeying through Temple of Heaven spread across 267-hectare Park, you get to embrace awesome experience. Chinese regard this place very sacred site for making prayers for good harvests and sinfree life. Visit to 18th century Summer Palace simply takes you back to the ancient times of Chinese emperors. Aesthetically adorned palaces, temples, gardens, pavilions, lakes and corridors have glorified the beauty of this site. After the exquisite tour around Beijing , you may indulge in shopping or sightseeing the local markets in Wangfujing Street or explore exotic Chinese cuisine.

On the second day also you continue basking in the pleasure of Beijing sightseeing tour with a visit to Great Wall early in the morning shortly after breakfast. Great Wall is one of the seven wonders in the world and is a traveler's paradise. It lies spread across the northern part of Beijing for over six hundred kilometers. Several passes and towers come en route. Touring around this part of sheer unparalled beauty, you see fine architectural work of Ming Dynasty. After lunch, you will continue journeying around Great Wall and in every exploration you get to learn more about Chinese ancient culture and history.

Day 4-5: Train from Beijing to Lhasa [3650m]
Board the ‘Sky train' to Lhasa to experience world's highest railway journey. The 4,064 km journey lasts for 48 hrs. Peeping through UV blocked big train window you remain captivated with a flashing glimpse of Chinese countryside, flat cultivated land, brown hill, riverside valleys. The train rolls across 5200 meter high Tanggula Mountain pass amidst surreal mountain vistas as you near Tibetan plateau. The train continues to roll through mesmerizing views of turquoise Qinghai Lake and uniquely shaped vast Tibetan Plateau right below huge mountain range with 7000+ meter peaks dominating the entire landscape.
Oxygen-supplying equipments and an oxygen mask are also available in the train for those who are prone to altitude sickness. You will have the best services from soft sleepers, vacuum flush toilets, flat-screen TVs to finest of cuisine.

Day 6: Arrival in Lhasa (3650 meter)
After an approximately 48 hrs of train ride across the ‘roof of the world' you finally arrive Lhasa with fond memory of your just accomplished world's highest train journey. You will be met in Lhasa train station by your Tibetan tour guide to escort you to your hotel.

Day 07 Sightseeing in Lhasa
Foremost, your tour begins with a visit to SERA MONASTERY. An experienced tour guide also working as an interpreter escorts you to this preserved monastery of white-washed walls and golden roofs. Equally adventurous and exciting tempo builds up while touring NORBULINGKA, the summer palace of the Dalai Lama. JOKHANG TEMPLE is another important sacred site which unravels more deep seated mysteries of Tibetan Buddhism. Visit to BARKHOR MARKETS can be quite a change from other visits as you roam around the city savoring every tiny detail from stall hawkers coaxing their clients to purchase their goods to exhibition of Tibetan culture, custom and tradition.

Day 08 Sightseeing in Lhasa
Like the previous days, you experience invaluable insights during your visits to POTALA PALACE and DREPUNG MONASTERY. This 17th century POTALA PALACE offers an awesome view of entire city and also has private quarters of the Dalai Lama, numerous grand state rooms and chapels. Ancient history has it that Drepung Monastery which was built in 14th century used to shelter around 10,000 monks but as now there has been quite a declination resulting in only few hundreds. Tibetans' respect and belief are immensely knotted with this monastery.

Day 9 Drive to Gyantse (3950m) 261 km
You get an entire day free for acclimatization. After proper rest, you can either indulge in sightseeing, shop or do whatever you fancy. You also get an option of undertaking an additional tour to places such as the Tibetan Medical Centre, Ganden Monastery and Tsurphu Monastery. But this will incur extra costs.

Day 10 Drive to Gyantse (3950m) 261 km
Following Friendship Highway , you drive past Khamba La at 4794 meter with a brief halt to savor majestic views of Yamdrok-tso Lake and Nazin Kang Sa standing proud at 7252m. On turning westwards, you come across another Karo La pass at 5045m. If you glance at the road, you can see huge glaciers tumbling down into the road. After hours of driving for 261 km, beautifully landscaped Tibetan villages become visible as you enter the town of Gyantse .

Day 11 Sightseeing & drive to Shigatse (3900m) 90km
Gyantse prides on GYANTSE DZONG and KUMBUM. Gyantse Dzong is a historical fort built in the 14th century and overlooks a mesmerizing view of entire Gyantse and surrounding Nyang Chu Valley . Kumbum has large gold-domed stupa and houses several chapels and Tibetan Buddhist murals. After you enjoy exploring Gyantse, you will take a 90 km drive to Shigatse. Having driven to an altitude of 3900 meter, you find yourself at Shigatse, second largest city of Tibet . TASHILHUNPO MONASTERY being one of the largest functioning monasteries in Tibet is a major attraction of Shigatse.

Day 12 Sightseeing & drive to Shegar (4050m) 244km.
Today you will transverse along the Friendship Highway amidst picturesque landscape driving past small town of Lhatse and Gyamtso La pass at 5220m. As the route opens into plains, many monasteries and camps of nomadic herders become visible en route to Shegar.

Day 13 Drive to Rongbuk (5000m) 68km
Away from Shegar, you will drive to the south crossing Pang La pass at 5150m. Along the drive you can bask in the splendor of majestic views of snow-capped peaks from Makalu to Shishapangma. After driving for 68 km, you eventually reach Rongbuk at 5000m. You can then view spectacular sight of Mount Everest . A guest house is available for overnight accommodation.

Day 14 Explore Everest base camp & drive to Tingri (4390m) 65km
This morning you have the opportunity to explore Everest Base Camp, 5150m. The base camp itself is dry and barren, but the views of Everest more than compensate for this. It is a truly awe-inspiring place with the sheer north face of the highest mountain in the world towering above you.

No tour vehicles, apart from expeditions, are allowed beyond Rongbuk so you can walk the 9kms or take a horse cart that will cost $3-5 per person.
After lunch, you return to the Friendship Highway and drive to Tingri where you will stay overnight at the Snow Leopard Lodge.

Day 15 Drive to Zhangmu (2300m) 181km
You will drive past Tingri crossing Lalung La pass at 5124m and Shung La pass at 5200m. Savoring the enchanting views of the surrounding peaks of Shishapangma, Cho Oyu , Menlungtse and Gauri Shankar, you descend from the arid Tibetan Plateau to verdant Zhangmu on the Nepalese border. After driving for 181 km, you find yourself amidst the lush and verdant vegetation of Zhangmu at 2300 meter.

Day 16 Drive to Kathmandu (1400m) 123km
Few kilometers drive away from Zhangmu to Friendship Bridge across Bhote Koshi River brings you closer to Immigration Control in Kodari where you will say good bye to your Tibetan guide and driver, and walk across the river to meet Nepalese escort to drive to Kathmandu. After 5 hours of driving for 123 km, you finally arrive in Kathmandu .

Day 17: Sightseeing in Kathmandu Valley
Your Kathmandu sightseeing tour begins immediately after your early morning breakfast. Experienced guide will take you to Pashupatinath temple, a very sacred Hindu pilgrimage site where you get a chance to witness religious Hindu ritual and cremation ritual. You also get to visit Buddhist stupa of Boudhanath and your guide will detail you with historical and cultural background on Buddhism and Buddhist sects. Your next destination is Bhaktapur which lies 13 km away from the Kathmandu valley on the Eastern part. Visits to Lion Gate, Golden Gate , Art Gallery , Statue of King Bhupatindra, Nyatapola Temple , fifty-five windowed Malla palace and other historical monuments will bestow with invaluable insight into Nepal culture, tradition, arts and finest craftsmanship. After lunch, you will be taken on an excursion to Royal Botanical Garden . This tour will familiarize you with the entire rare and endangered plant species endemic to Nepal . You will resume your sightseeing journey with a visit to Swayambhunath. Stupa of Swayambhunath is its prime attraction point and it epitomizes Buddhism for Buddhist sect. After this religious journey, you will be guided along the interesting places around Patan lying 5kms on the South-East of Kathmandu Valley . As you tour around Patan Durbar Square , Mahaboudha Temple , Kumbeshwor temple, Krishna Temple , Golden Temple etc, you cannot help but get captivated by Nepali culture. Balaju Park is another site where you can enjoy nature up close and on foot. The park has beautiful garden, ponds and amalgamation of exotic plant species. Eventually, you return to your hotel for nice dinner.

Day 18: Depart Kathmandu
Our driver and airport representative will drive you to the airport in time for your flight back home. We ensure that that you will leave Kathmandu with cherishing memory and an experience of a lifetime.

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