15 Days Chengdu Lhasa EBC Overland Tour via 318 National Highway

Welcome to Chengdu! Upon your arrival in Chengdu, your tour guide will hold a board with your name on it at the exit of the airport or railway station to welcome you. Then you will be transferred to your hotel in Chengdu.

The rest of the day is at leisure. You can enjoy a short walk at the Chunxi Road Pedestrian Street, Broad and Narrow Alley, Jin Li Ancient Street, etc. At around 7pm, the whole tour group, including Tibetan guide, will enjoy a welcome dinner (traditional Sichuan cuisine).

Stay overnight in Chengdu.

At around 7 am, we will set off from Chengdu to Xinduqiao by car. Travelling along the Dadu River, upper reaches of Yangtze River, we will pass Zheduo Mountain (4298m). From there, the scenery turns different. You will gaze at the exotic Tibetan villages, lush pastures, and grazing yaks, bobbling brooks and fluffy clouds over deep blue sky all the way. After winding roads, we will arrive in Xinduqiao Bridge, which is known as a “Paradise for Photography”.

Stay overnight in Xinduqiao.

Waking up in soft and tender sunlight in the early morning, we are about to leave Xinduqiao. Traversing the picturesque bridge, tranquil local villages, exotic Tibetan houses, yellow poplar trees, we head westwards to the valley of Yalong River. En route, we will pass the famous Yajiang and finally arrive in Litang (4000m). Situated on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, the city of Litang is natural grassland, dotted with grazing yaks, sheep, and nomad’s tents. In summer, blossoming flowers all over the fields form another gorgeous sight.

Besides, you can visit the Ke’er Monastery in Litang. A prestigious Gelugpa Monastery, the entire monastery is built along the mountain, with varied heights. Then, we will pass Haizishan Mountain (4700m) and finally reach Batang County.

Stay overnight in Batang.

Today, we begin to enter the region of Tibet. Our tour vehicle will pass through three renowned rivers, namely Jinsha River, Lancang River and Nu River, all originating from the rivers of Tanggula Mountains. As the raging torrent pounds jagged mountains in deep valley, you can hear the roaring sound of nature. Undoubtedly, this part of the road is treacherous.

Keeping moving westwards, we will pass Lawu Mountain (4358m) and Dongda Mountain (5008m). Standing on the lofty mountain passes, you can take in the spectacular views of wandering Sichuan-Tibet highway and Lancang river crawing through mountain ranges. At night, we will arrive in Zogong.

Stay overnight in Zogong.

Today, we will continue our adventure to the next destination of Rakwa Tso. We will first pass Bangda Grassland, one of the most important pastures in Tibet. This place is quite enchanting, decorated with tender flows of river, boundless grass, flocks of yaks and horses, and nameless wild flowers and lushes.

After a short visit to Bangda Grassland, we will overcome the precipitous Yela Mountain (4839m), the most dangerous natural barrier on Hengduan Mountain Range. Then following the famous Seventy-two Bends, we will descend to the shore of Nu River. Keeping moving westwards, we will enter a world of snow-capped mountains, pristine forests and idyllic villages. The altitude change could reach 2500m from the mountain pass to the valley bottom, thus you can experience 4 seasons just in a single day. At night, we will reach Rakwa Tso.

Stay overnight at Rakwa Tso.

Rakwa Tso is a typical seasonal glacial lake in Chamdo, serving as source of Parlung Tsangpo Lake. Stretching westwards for about 10 km, this narrow river slowly plunges into a huge canyon. The flickering light of Rakwa Tso shows incredible beauty, with the snow-capped peaks and primeval forests afar as the background.

Leaving the amazing Rakwa Tso behind, we will hit the road and traverse dense forest and turbulent Parlung Tsangpo, until reaching Bomi. On the way, you can visit the Midui Glacier, famed as the most beautiful glacier in China. It is also known as the only glacier with the lowest altitude in the world.

Stay overnight in Bomi.

Following the wide valley, we venture into the canyon of Parlung Tsangpo. The canyon and its surroundings form an earthly paradise, where you can see raging torrent, gushing waterfalls one after another. Then, we will head to the renowned Lulang Forest. Covering an area of 15 square kilometers on the plateau, this charming forest is full of vibrant shrubs, pine trees and spruces. At the foot of the mountain, the local Tibetans live besides the brooks. We can visit local Tibetan village, meet the locals and enjoy some local snacks there.

Standing at the viewing platform of Lulang, You will enjoy the stunning panorama views of Mt. NamchaBarwa(7782m). We will have a short stay at the Sejila Mountain Pass (4728m), where you can view the colorful leaves on the mountain in autumn. After that, we will move westwards to Nyinchi, the biggest city in eastern Tibet. If you come in spring, you will see beautiful peach flowers in full bloom at the foot of the forest.

Stay overnight in Nyingchi.

Today, we will take our final drive of this road trip. Following the Nyang River, we keep moving west to the final destination, Lhasa. On the way, we will see the different scenery, featuring idyllic pastoral scene along the valley. After passing Mila Pass (5013m), we will finally arrive in Lhasa valley. The magnificent Potala Palace standing on the Red Hill will appear in your sight. Upon arrival, we will check in hotel for a good rest.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Optional:
If time is enough, we will pay a visit to Basumtso, a beautiful small holy lake of Tibetan Buddhism. Entrance fee around 30 USD is not included in price quotation. Please pay on site by tourists.

Today, you’ll pay a visit to the famous Potala Palace, the world culture heritage. You can explore its audience halls, the jeweled and Golden burial chortens (stupa Tombs) of past Dalai Lamas, and tremendous number of Buddhist frescoes, Thangkas, combinations of mandala, etc.

Then tourists will head to the holiest temple in Tibet, the Jokhang Temple, built during Songtsen Gampo's reign by princess Wencheng of Tang dynasty, 647 A.D. Here you can observe sincere pilgrims making prostration in front of Jokhang Temple. While entering inside the temple, you can see the holiest statue of Buddha. Around the monastery is the famous Barkhor Street, where you can do the kora with pilgrims and locals. And then we’ll go to explore the old market and you may have chance to see the traditional jewelry trading between people from different part of Tibet.

Finally, you’ll taste Tibetan tea with locals in tea house and enjoy a welcome dinner at night.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Optional:
After finishing the sightseeing, if time allows, you may go with tour guide to visit Tibetan handicraft art or Tibetan Traditional Medicine center. Besides, you can also choose to upgrade your tour to enjoy Tibetan Culture Show in the evening (fr. 60USD).

Today, you will visit two of the three prestigious Gelugpa monasteries in Lhasa, the Drepung and the Sera. Founded by Jamyang Choeje in 1416, Drepung Monastery is the largest monastery in Tibet. Situated at the foot of Gambo Utse Mountain, Drepung was once home to more than 10000 monks. Here you can see the biggest monastery kitchen inside and then pay a visit to the Buddhist Sculpture Carving near Drepung.

After having lunch, you’ll continue to visit the Sera Monastery, which was founded in 1419 by Tsongkapa's disciple Jamchen Choeje. The highlight is the monk debate held in the courtyard at around 3-5 in the afternoon. Besides, you can also see the colorful Rock Painting of Buddha and the three sand Mandalas and then visit the Tibetan scripture printing house.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

In the morning, we will drive from Lhasa to Shigatse. On the way, we’ll drive over the Gangbala Pass (4790 m) to view the turquoise Yamdrok Lake and Mt. Naiqinkangsang. Besides, you can also appreciate Korola Glacier on the roadside. At Manak Dam Lake, tourists can hang pray flag at Simila Mountain Pass.

Then we’ll head to the heritage town Gyantse and explore its old street, Perklor Monastery and Kumbum Stupa. Here you can catch the far view of Gyangtse Fortress. In the end of today, we will arrive in Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet. If you come in summer, you may visit the traditional Barley Mill and view the landscape of Barley Field.

Stay overnight in Shigatse.

After getting your Alien’s travel permit, we will leave Shigatse and drive to Lhatse for lunch. After that, we’ll drive over Tsola Pass (4600M) and Gyatsola Pass (5248M). At Gawula Pass (5180m), tourists can view the panorama of Himalaya. Then we’ll drive along the new zigzag road to Everest Base Camp and get closer to Mt. Everest peak. If time and weather permits, you are lucky enough to catch the sunset of golden Everest peak at the lodging area.

Stay overnight at Rongpuk Guest House.

In the morning, you can catch the stunning sunrise of Everest Peak at the lodging area if weather permits, and then pay a visit to Rongbu Monastery - the unique highest monastery with nuns and monks living together. Later, tourists can hike from lodging place to EBC (4kms or take Eco bus). While visiting the Everest Base Camp, you’ll have the chance to take the closest picture of Mt. Everest. Finally, we will drive back to Shigatse.

Stay overnight in Shigatse.

In the morning, we will visit the home of Panchan Lama - Tashilunpo Monastery. It is largest monastery of the Gelug Sect in Rear Tibet, and the main stage where generations of Panchen Lamas carried out religious and political activities.

Then, we’ll follow Yalong Valley back to Lhasa. Standing on the platform, you can view the vast Yalong River bed. Finally we’ll drop you off at hotel in Lhasa.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

The guide will transfer you to the airport or train station and help you with boarding.