From Lhasa to Katmandou via the Everest

Day 1 Arrival of the different flights in China, in Chengdu. Airport transfer to the hotel in the city. In the afternoon, transfer to the police station for the exams and our temporary Chinese driving licences. Hotel in Chengdu.

Note: Your flight should arrive in Chengdu, China, before 14:00 on day 1 so we can finish the paperwork for the visas and the TTP permit for Tibet. The return flight should be from Lhasa to your home destination. 

Day 2 Chengdu - Lhasa (domestic flight 2h30) Acclimatisation day. (3500m) Departure to Lhasa by plane. Transfer to the hotel. On arrival in Lhasa, minibus transfer to the hotel in the centre. It is a large, modern, comfortable hotel, useful for western travellers who may feel the altitude on the first day. Lhasa is at 3500 m. Afternoon meeting with the group at the hotel and briefing on riding in Tibet, the country and the travel programme. Rest of the afternoon free to walk the local markets and side streets of the centre. Night in Lhasa.

Day 4 Around Lhasa by motorcycle. First contact with the motorcycles and the team that will help us on the trip. Ride to Ganden Monastery. Ganden, 40 km north-east of Lhasa, is one of the three large Gelugpa monasteries of Tibet. On the way you can see the Lhasa valley. After Ganden we return to Lhasa to visit Sera Monastery in the north of the city. In 1959, during the Lhasa uprising, it was badly damaged and many monks died. The monastery has been partly rebuilt and now houses 300 monks. Return to the hotel. Night in Lhasa.

Day  5 Lhasa - Gyantse (4000m) Today the motorcycle trip proper starts. We leave early to take the southern loop of the Friendship Highway. After Lake Nakarse we climb Karo La at 5015 m and Simi La at 4330 m. Gyantse, our destination, sits at 4000 m. We visit the gompa that dominates the town and the Kumbum stupa. Night in Gyantse.

Day 6 Gyantse - Sakya. (2500m). Shigatse is the second-largest city in Tibet, 100 km from Gyantse. After a tea stop in town we climb Tra La at 4050 m and Yulong La at 4520 m. The road is in good condition. We stop at the passes for photos with the Tibetan prayer flags. We leave the main road for 20 km of dirt to the small village of Sakya. Its monastery was built in 1268 and the remaining building, Lhakang Chempo, dates from the Mongol period. The monastery is close to our hotel. Night in Sakya. 4300 metres.

Day  7 Sakya - Old Tingri. (4300m). After the dirt section we rejoin the main road. This is the Tibetan plateau, with the Himalayas in view. We reach New Tingri after Lakpa La at 5246 m. If the clouds have not covered the summit, this is where we get our first view of Everest. Lunch stop in town. We are on the plateau and arrive at dusk in Old Tingri, with a view of Cho Oyu and Everest. Hotel in Old Tingri.

Day  8 Old Tingri - Rongbuk. EBC Everest Base Camp (5364m). Our permits for Everest Base Camp will be checked at the post before we leave the Friendship Highway and enter Everest National Park. We ride through Qomolangma National Park with views of glaciers and snow peaks. Until recently the 90 km to Rongbuk were dirt. Today about 80% is tarmac. On arrival in Rongbuk, private vehicle transfer to Everest Base Camp, 8 km away, for the north-face view. Afternoon to look at Everest and rest from the motorcycles. Night in a basic hostel in Rongbuk or in a camp (subject to availability) near Base Camp.

Day 9 Rongbuk - Tingri - Gyirong County. (2600m) Early departure from Rongbuk after sunrise in front of Everest North Base Camp. The stage starts by returning on the tarmac track down to Tingri, with last views of the Himalayas. From here we rejoin the Friendship Highway across the Tibetan plateau, then take the south turn towards Gyirong.

The landscape changes and we start a long descent into greener, deeper valleys. Wide bends, good tarmac and little traffic. Afternoon arrival in Gyirong (about 2600 m), where the drop in altitude is clear in the denser air and the vegetation.

Day  10   Gyirong County - Kyirong City - Syabrubesi  (Nepal border) - Nuwakot. Early breakfast in Gyirong and transfer to the Kyirong / Rasuwagadhi border crossing, the main current crossing between China and Nepal.

After Tibet exit formalities we leave our Tibetan motorcycles on the Chinese side, where the Chinese circulation permit ends.

We cross the border bridge on foot and do Nepal entry formalities.

On the other side, in Syabrubesi, our new fleet of Royal Enfield Himalayan 450cc will be waiting for the Nepal riding days. Short briefing, luggage adjustment, then we ride on.

The scenery changes: subtropical valleys, terraced fields and narrower, more technical mountain roads. Night in Nuwakot, a former historic capital on a hill above the valley. Night in Nuwakot

Day 11 Nuwakot - Kathmandu . Last motorcycle day. Last stage of the trip. We ride secondary roads and hills towards the Kathmandu valley. Traffic increases as we approach the city. Entry into Kathmandu in the afternoon. Arrival at the hotel and return of the motorcycles. In the evening, farewell dinner for the crossing from Tibet to Nepal. Night in Kathmandu

Day 12 Departure of international flights. Transfer from the hotel to the airport for your international flight leaving from Kathmandu. End of the trip and of our services. Continuation to your final destination according to your international flight.