Kathmandu to Lhasa tour, tailor made

country:	Nepal, Tibet
departures:	Departures can be arranged all year round except December – contact us to check up-to-date information on rules of access to Tibet from Nepal
price:	From £575 (8 days) excluding flights. Plus local payment of US $340, Lhasa-Kathmandu flight & US $45 Tibet visa fee

Nepal holidays here

Tibet holidays here

the amazing things you'll be doing

We offer regular departures on a spectacular overland tour from Kathmandu into Tibet, crossing some of the highest road passes in the world, and flying back from Lhasa to Kathmandu. This can either be done privately, or on a joining basis with other travellers from Kathmandu. Accommodation is in basic lodges or hotels.

We can also arrange private & tailor-made tours in Nepal & Tibet to fit your personal requirements and budget (some restrictions on available itineraries apply in Tibet).

Best time to go: June & July - best weather, September - flowering season.

day-by-day itinerary

Day 1:	Kathmandu - Nyalam (approx. 155 km drive today). Leave early (approx. 05.30) and drive from Kathmandu to the border (approx. 6 hours). Cross the border, complete immigration formalities, and drive to Nyalam. Overnight in hotel in Nyalam (B).
Day 2:	Nyalam - Lhatse (approx. 370km drive today). Follow the Bhote Khosi river valley and cross the Nayalam Pass (3800m). Continue driving via Lalungla (5050m) with views of Mt. Langtang, Mt. Xoxapangma (8013m), Mt. Makalu (8464m), Mt. Everest (8848m, Mt. Lhotse (8516m) and more peaks. Overnight in hotel in Lhatse (B).
Day 3:	Lhatse - Xigatse (approx. 210km drive today). Drive over a 5200m pass to Lhatze (approx. 3 hours) and lunch at a local restaurant. Drive on to Xigatse and see the Tashilumpo Monastery, the seat of panchen Lama until his death in 1989. Its huge Thanka Wall is clearly visible on the north side of the road. Overnight in hotel in Xigatse (B).
Day 4:	Xigatse - Gyantse (approx. 90km drive today). Visit Tashilumpo Monastery and the Xigatse Bazaar in the morning, drive for approx. 2 hours to the small bustling town of Gyantse. Steeped in history, in the 15th century, Gyantse was the capital of a small Kingdom, and was later a main centre for trade with British India. Visit the Kumbum Chorten and Phklkor Monastery. Overnight in hotel in Gyantse (B).
Day 5:	Gyantse - Lhasa (approx. 260km drive today). A long drive (approx. 8 hours) today starts with a climb between two lofty mountains, Mt. Nozing Khangsa (7223m) and Mt. Ralung (6236m) to cross the Karola pass (5010m). You will then see the Yamdrok Tso (Turquoise Lake) before crossing the Kambala pass (4794m) which brings the Lhasa Valley into view to the north. Overnight in hotel in Lhasa (B).
Day 6-7:	Lhasa. You have two full days in Lhasa to explore the town and enjoy sightseeing excursions to visit the Pothala Palace, Yokhang Temple, Barkhor market, Drepung Monastery, and Sera Monastery Overnight in hotel in Lhasa (2xB).
Day 8:	Lhasa - Kathmandu. Drive from Lhasa for approx. 2 hours to the airport for your flight back to Kathmandu (approx. 1hr10min). The flight gives good views of Yarlung Tasangpo River, Lake Yamdrok, Mt. Kanchenjunga (8586m), Mt. Makalu (8463m) and Mt. Everest (8848m) (weather permitting). Arriving in Kathmandu, we meet you at the airport and transfer you to Thamel (no hotel included tonight) (B)

tailor made holiday

This trip can be tailormade to create a unique holiday for your individual requirements by travel experts with intimate knowledge of the destination. It is a more luxurious trip that will suit those who enjoy immersing themselves in new cultures and environments before relaxing in comfort in some of the best and most characterful local accommodation! Quality and value are the hallmark of these trips.

how this holiday makes a difference

Our Tibetan tours are designed to introduce our travellers as much as possible to the people, culture and country of Tibet, and travelling in small groups or on private tours can help with this.

We take responsible travel very seriously, and have given some details below of how this is implemented on this tour. Note: There are restrictions on how and when we can run tours in Tibet, and we do have to make some compromises here that we wouldn’t need to in other countries.

Local People:

Most of our Tibet tours start and finish in Nepal, and may include some time travelling in Nepal as well. Our local operations in Nepal are run by a former employee whom we have supported over the years as we have worked and grown together, and who now has his own professional family run agency. In Tibet we try to use locally owned operators wherever possible.
We use fully-trained Nepalese & Tibetan tour leaders, guides and reps, rather than flying in Western leaders whose knowledge and love of the country will never be as full or passionate.
We use smaller locally owned and operated hotels & lodges as much as possible. This means your stay can directly benefit small families and village communities.
We give information and advice to our travellers on how to respect local customs and religious practices, giving them a greater understanding of the local people and culture.

Environment:

Explanations are given when staying in remote hotels and lodges about how we can help to conserve scarce fuel resources, as well as reducing litter & waste production (for example by not ordering numerous different items from trekking lodge menus, and by treating water rather than buying numerous mineral water bottles).
We have a recycling policy in our UK and local offices and re-use or recycle the information booklets we provide to every client on arrival wherever possible.
We do not produce a glossy brochure, concentrating on a comprehensive website, and providing as much information to our travellers as possible electronically, reducing the use of paper and inks.

Local Projects & Charity Support:

We donate £2 for every person travelling on this tour towards local projects – one supporting a small school in rural Nepal, as well as supporting the International Porter Protection Group, the Kathmandu Environmental Protection Project, and the Himalayan Rescue Association.
Our travellers are welcome to visit these projects and support them personally if they wish.
The company also supports further projects and charities internationally.

Responsible Tourism:

We send all our travellers a copy of our responsible tourism policy before their holiday, and encourage them to read it and join us in following the ideas and suggestions contained within it.

Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people.

We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel.

'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left).

We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays.

We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism.

This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards.