No-one can imagine the empty vastness of the dry Tibetan plateau
until they have been there. With an average elevation of nearly 5000m,
and the world’s highest peaks at over 8000m, the bitingly rare air is the
breath of a uniquely spiritual culture.
As the face of the Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama, becomes familiar all
over the world, the inner – and still inaccessible – world of Tibet beckons us.

This is an adventure, requiring physical stamina, endurance, and the
discomfort of unaccustomed high altitudes. The conflict between
traditional Tibetan spirituality and Chinese administration will sometimes
mar the inner landscape, as the glaciers have scarred the outer.

Nevertheless, you will be able to experience the true desire of all genuine
travellers, the real wilderness. Great grey monasteries, which appear to
be as old as the very mountain tops from which they are carved, bear
witness to the Tibetan spirit.

And in Lhasa itself the palaces of Potala and Norbulinkga testify
eloquently to the culture that has been ruled and led for centuries
by the incarnation of Avaloketishwara, the Buddha of Compassion.




Day 1
Evening departure from UK on Royal Nepal Airlines, or Qatar Airways.

Day 2
Early afternoon arrival in Kathmandu. Stay at Hotel Blue Star (4*).
Rest of the day at leisure.

Day 3
Full day visit to the great Siva temple of Pashupatinath, and
Nepal’s most important Buddhist monuments, the stupas of
Bodhnath and Swayambhunath.

Day 4
Explore the old Durbar Square and Kathmandu bazaars.

Day 5
123km drive through the Nepal countryside to the Tibet border at
Kodari. Stay in Hotel Gang Gyen, or Hotel Zhangmu, in the small town
of Zhangmu, just inside Tibet, at an altitude of 2500m.

Day 6
244km drive up onto the great plateau of Tibet, over the Lalungla
pass (5050m) reaching Xegar, at an altitude of 4050m. Stay at Hotel Everest.

Day 7
240km drive over Gyatchu La Pass (5220m) to Xigatze. Stay at Hotel Xigatze.

Day 8
Morning visit to the ancient walled monastery of Tashilhumpu, the
traditional home of the Panchen Lama. 90km drive to Gyantse,
and visit to the Kumbum Stupa and Phalkor Monastery.
Stay at Hotel Gyantse (altitude 3950m).

Day 9

"Photo by Siddiqi Ray"
2.

Full day 260km drive over two more high passes, and via the
mysterious Yamdrok Lake to the city of Lhasa itself (altitude 3650m).
Stay at Hotel Lhasa.


Days 10 and 11
Two full days of sightseeing in Lhasa, including Jokhang Temple,
Potala Palace, and the Monasteries of Drepung and Sera.

Day 12
Morning flight back to Kathmandu. Return to Hotel Blue Star. Afternoon free
for shopping in Kathmandu.

Day 13
Day at leisure in Kathmandu, or optional Everest flight (additional cost) –
see from the air the road you travelled! Or optional 32km drive to the
village of Dhulikhel for the scenic trek to Panauti, via Namoboudha (additional cost).

Day 14
Morning departure from Kathmandu on Royal Nepal Airlines, or Qatar Airways.
Early evening arrival in UK.