How Many Days to Spend for a Lifetime Tibet and Nepal Tour?

Generally speaking, a Nepal and Tibet tour can be as short as 5 days, or longer than 20 days. It mainly depends on where you want to explore in both lands of the Himalayas.

The Most Classic Tibet Nepal Overland Tours

7 days for a classic Lhasa to Kathmandu tour

As the most recommended overland route, this classic 7-day Lhasa to Kathmandu tour takes to explore the most well-known destinations in Tibet, such as Lhasa, Gyantse, Shigatse, and Mount Everest.

The classic 7-day Lhasa to Kathmandu tour starts with visiting iconic attractions in Lhasa like Potala Palace.

Upon your arrival in Lhasa at 3,650 meters above sea level, you will be suggested to have a good rest at hotel for the rest of the day to acclimatize the altitude. In the following two days, you will explore the iconic attractions in the City of Sunshine while acclimatizing to Tibetan plateau at the same time.

On day 3-4, you will set off from Lhasa and head west along the highway, passing by Lake Yamdrok and the Karola Glacier, before stopping in Gyantse, to visit the Pelkor Chode Monastery. Then you continue on to Shigatse, the second biggest city of Tibet, before heading off to visit the famous Everest Base Camp. The overnight stay in Gyantse and Shigatse can further prepare you for staying overnight at Everest Base Camp which is 5,200 meters above sea level.

A great highlight of Tibet to Nepal overland tour is the overnight stay at Everest Base Camp in Tibet.

After staying overnight at EBC and appreciating the spectacular sunset and sunrise over the peak of Mount Everest, you will travel through the lush green Gyirong Valley to depart from China across the Gyirong Port border crossing into Nepal. From there, you travel on to Kathmandu, the Nepali capital.

There are a number of highlights on this epic tour of Tibet. In Lhasa, you can visit the grandiose Potala Palace and the sacred Jokhang Temple, explore the giant Drepung Monastery and appreciate monks debating Buddhism vehemently in Sera Monastery. When crossing the plateau, you get to visit such amazing places as the Kumbum Stupa and the Tashilhunpo Monastery. You also get to stop off alongside the beautiful Lake Yamdrok, the lifeblood of Tibet and one of the Great Three sacred lakes. EBC itself is one of the most stunning highlights of the tour, as is the trip through Gyirong County to the border, with its outstanding scenery.

If you are still worried about altitude sickness at EBC, you can visit Sakya Monastery after Shigatse and stay overnight in Sakya County before heading for Mount Everest.

Not limited to EBC, you can also pratice Mount Kailash trekking before heading for Nepal.

If time permits, you can also trek Mount Kailash before leaving for the Gyirong Port on the boarder. The whole journey takes 13 days, and you will head for Mount Kailash via Saga after overnight stay at EBC, and head for Gyirong boarder after the 3-day arduous but sacred trekking.

8 days for classic Kathmandu to Lhasa overland tour

A classic 8-day Kathmandu to Lhasa tour starts from Kathmandu, the exotic capital of Nepal, which is only about 170km from the Sino-Nepal crossing border. Due to the narrow and bumpy dirt road in Nepal and the time difference between China and Nepal Customs, it can’t cross the Gyirong Port within1 day. Instead, it takes you first to Syabru Bensi, close to the border with China to stay overnight. From there, you cross the border in the second day morning, and spend the rest of that day acclimatizing in Gyirong Town (2,700m).

You will be greeted by your Tibetan guide immediatedly after passing Gyirong Port from Nepal.

After departing from Gyirong, you will head first for EBC, where you will spend a few hours in exploring the base camp and Rongbuk Monastery. Then you head off to Tingri for the night, at a lower altitude than EBC. After Tingri, you head on to Shigatse, and then Gyantse, before finishing in Lhasa with a couple of days of sightseeing in the city.

The classic part of this tour is the better options for acclimatizing when crossing the border than with other tours. At 2,700 meters, the overnight stop in Gyirong Town, after crossing the border early in the morning, means that you get longer to acclimatize before heading off to visit the high-altitude areas of Tibet. This is an advantage to other tours that take you over the border in one day and then on to EBC the next, as you slightly reduce the risk of getting altitude sickness on the journey to Shigatse. Moreover, since you will not stop for the night at EBC, at an extreme altitude, you are less likely to feel the effects of altitude sickness. This part of the trip follows the golden rule of sleeping at a lower elevation than your maximum altitude for the day. Tingri, where you stay for the night after EBC, is almost 1,000 meters lower in elevation.

Other popular Tibet and Nepal tours

5-day air tour for travelers with tight schedule

The 5-day Kathmandu to Lhasa air tour departs from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport and takes you over the summit of Mount Everest to the Lhasa Gonggar International Airport. As short as 1.5 hours, this flight journey is quire unforgettable because it provides you bird’s-eye view of the majestic Himalayas. You can witness how the lush green tropic terrain changes into snow-capped high-plateau landscape on the other side of the mountain range.

The 5-day tour covers amazing sites in and around Lhasa such as Norbulingka, the summer palace of the Dalai Lama.

Besides visiting Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple, and exploring monasteries of Drepung and Sera, you can also visit Norbulingka, the summer palace of the Dalai Lama, and trek at the grandeur Ganden Monastery built on the mountain about 70km from Lhasa, to appreciate the panorama view of Lhasa Valley.

13-day Nyingchi to Kathmandu tour to best alleviate altitude sickness

Situated at 3,100 meters and possessing think forests, Nyingchi is an ideal place for tourists to adapt to altitude in Tibet. This 13 days Nyingchi to Kathmandu tour starts from Nyingchi Airport. It first leads you to explore the alpine scenery in Nyingchi by visiting Lulang Forest, Rawu Lake and Midui Glacier, and Darksum-tso Lake. Then, take you to Tsedang, the Cradle of Tibet and cycle along the Yamdrok Lake before heading to Lhasa. Omitting the high altitude Everest Base Camp, you will fly to Kathmandu after 2-day sightseeing in Lhasa.

With a lower altitude and vast forests, Nyingchi is a ideal entry city for Tibet-Nepal travelers.

If you have more time, you can extend your tours in either Tibet or Nepal, and travel to other places not included in the regular itineraries. You can visit Lumbini, the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama who became known later as Buddha, or trek to Namche Bazaar, the capital of the Sherpa people of the Himalayas and appreciate the Himalayas there.

Considerate service from ChinaTibetTrain

No matter how many days you spend in a Tibet and Nepal tour, you always need Tibet Travel Permit. For those traveling from Nepal to Tibet, a China Group Visa, which is different from the China Visa required on a Tibet to Nepal tour, is required. With our own office in Lhasa and Kathmandu, we can apply the relevant document on behalf of you even though you are traveling alone. Our guides in Tibet and Kathmandu will keep close contact with each other, and make sure you will meet your guide immediately after passing the Gyirong Port.

We can also customize a 7-day Nepal to Tibet tour without EBC, for those that are worried about the effects of altitude sickness, or those that already know they will not react well to extreme altitudes.

Conclusion

When it comes to spending the right amount of time in Tibet and Nepal, how long you spend really is up to you. The best trip is the one that you want to take, and the best time is how long you want to stay for. So no matter what your requirements, we have a tour that is ideally suited for you. Just come and talk to our professional tour consultants to arrange your perfect tour of the Roof of the World.