Nepal & Tibet Overland: Kathmandu to Lhasa the Self-Launched Way

Fly into Tribhuvan International (KTM). Pre-book a guesthouse in Thamel (dorms from ~£7, private doubles ~£15–20) — no airport transfer needed, a prepaid taxi is ~£5–7. Get a Nepali SIM/data eSIM at the airport (~£4), change money in Thamel (better rates than the airport), and pick up your TIMS/permits later if trekking. Spend the late afternoon wandering Thamel's lanes, Durbar Marg and the ghats along the Bagmati. Eat dal bhat at a local bhojanalaya for ~£2–3.

🚌Airport prepaid taxi ~£6

🛏Thamel guesthouse (private double, ~£16)

• →Thamel wander
• →Durbar Marg stroll
• →SIM card & cash setup

Hire a scooter (~£8/day) or take local buses/taxis (Sajha Yatayat buses are pennies, taxis ~£3–5 per hop) and do the valley in a loop. Boudhanath Stupa entry ~£3, Pashupatinath ~£7, Bhaktapur Durbar Square ~£12. Do the three in order, then continue by local bus to Nagarkot (~£1.50, 1.5 hrs) for sunset over the Himalaya. Stay in a Nagarkot guesthouse with a valley view (~£15–20).

🚌Scooter hire or local bus + shared taxi ~£10 total

🛏Nagarkot guesthouse with mountain view (~£18)

• →Boudhanath Stupa
• →Pashupatinath Temple
• →Bhaktapur Durbar Square
• →Nagarkot sunset viewpoint

Wake for the 5:45am Himalayan sunrise from the Nagarkot tower (free). Bus down to Bhaktapur then on to Patan (~£2 total). Explore Patan Durbar Square (entry ~£6), the Krishna Temple, Golden Temple (Kwa Bahal) and the Mahabouddha 'Temple of a Million Buddhas'. Browse the Patan craft shops. In the evening, book a Nepali cultural dinner show directly with a Thamel restaurant (e.g. via Klook or on arrival — ~£15–20) featuring Newari dances and a thali.

🚌Local buses Nagarkot–Bhaktapur–Patan–Kathmandu ~£4

🛏Thamel guesthouse (~£16)

• →Nagarkot sunrise
• →Patan Durbar Square
• →Krishna Temple
• →Golden Temple
• →Mahabouddha Temple
• →Cultural dinner show

This is the day the group tour really diverges: foreigners cannot cross into Tibet independently. Book a shared overland seat with a Lhasa-licensed Tibetan agency (or a Kathmandu agency that subcontracts one) that collects your passport details 2–3 weeks ahead for the China group visa and Tibet Travel Permit. The standard route is Kathmandu → Rasuwagadhi (Ghattekhola) border, roughly 7–9 hrs by shared jeep (~£25–35 pp), then formalities and on to Kyirong town. Expect the agent to also arrange the border pick-up vehicle. Budget the fixed permit/visa package separately (~£420).

🚌Shared jeep Kathmandu–Rasuwagadhi–Kyirong ~£30

🛏Kyirong guesthouse (~£20)

• →Rasuwagadhi border formalities
• →Kyirong town walk

Continue in the licensed 4WD/minibus with your Tibetan guide: Kyirong to Tingri is around 6–7 hrs over high passes (the Lalung La sits near 5,000m). Keep hydrating and take it slow — altitude is real from here on. Weather permitting you'll catch glimpses of Cho Oyu (8,201m) and Shishapangma (8,027m) from the roadside, and can stop at Piku Tso lake. Stay in a basic Tingri guesthouse (~£18–22); hot water is limited.

🚌Guided 4WD/minibus (included in permit-agency transport package ~£120 pp for the Tibet leg)

🛏Tingri guesthouse (~£20)

• →Cho Oyu viewpoint
• →Shishapangma viewpoint
• →Piku Tso lake stop

Long driving day (~7 hrs) climbing the Gyantse La pass at 5,220m and rolling down onto the Friendship Highway. Optional stop at Lhatse and its branch monastery. Arrive Shigatse, Tibet's second city, in the afternoon — stretch your legs around the old town and Tashilhunpo kora (the pilgrims' circuit). Cheap Tibetan noodle shops (thukpa ~£2) and momos (~£3) for dinner.

🚌Guided 4WD (within Tibet transport package)

🛏Shigatse budget hotel (~£22)

• →Gyantse La pass (5,220m)
• →Lhatse monastery (optional)
• →Tashilhunpo kora walk

Morning tour of Tashilhunpo Monastery, seat of the Panchen Lamas (entry ~£8, guide handles ticketing). Then the scenic route toward Lhasa past Yamdrok Tso (Turquoise Lake) and the Yarlung Tsangpo river valley — a spectacular drive of ~6–7 hrs with photo stops. Arrive Lhasa and check into a Barkhor-side guesthouse (~£20–25). First evening: gentle acclimatisation walk and sweet tea at a Tibetan teahouse (~£1.50).

🚌Guided 4WD (within Tibet transport package)

🛏Lhasa guesthouse near Barkhor (~£24)

• →Tashilhunpo Monastery
• →Yamdrok Tso viewpoint
• →Yarlung Tsangpo river valley

Full day in the old city. Join the kora with pilgrims at dawn around the Barkhor, then visit the Jokhang Temple (entry ~£10) — go early to dodge the worst crowds. Afternoon browsing Barkhor Bazaar for prayer flags, thangka prints and turquoise jewellery (haggle hard). Optional: Sera Monastery's monk debates are afternoon-only and better saved for tomorrow alongside Potala. Cheap lunch at a Tibetan teahouse, dinner at a Nepali-run place on the Barkhor.

🚌On foot / local taxi ~£2

🛏Lhasa guesthouse near Barkhor (~£24)

• →Barkhor kora
• →Jokhang Temple
• →Barkhor Bazaar shopping

Pre-book Potala Palace tickets — they're timed and capped daily, so have your agency/guide reserve 1–2 days out (~£25 entry). Climb the 13-storey palace in the morning (slowly, it's 3,700m). Afternoon: Drepung Monastery west of town (~£8) then Sera Monastery (~£6) for the 3pm monk debate session in the debating courtyard — genuinely one of Tibet's best free-form spectacles. Shared taxi/tuk-tuk between sites ~£6.

🚌Local taxi between monasteries ~£6

🛏Lhasa guesthouse near Barkhor (~£24)

• →Potala Palace
• →Drepung Monastery
• →Sera Monastery
• →Monk debates

Start the return journey — most overland groups retrace the Friendship Highway toward Shegar/New Tingri (~8–9 hrs drive), with a lunch stop at a local restaurant (~£5). If you have flexibility, ask your agency about a flight Lhasa–Kathmandu (~£250–300) as a faster alternative; otherwise enjoy the plateau scenery again. Evening in Shegar: small local market, yak-butter tea, and an early night.

🚌Guided 4WD (return leg included in Tibet transport package)

🛏Shegar guesthouse (~£20)

• →Friendship Highway drive
• →Shegar local market

Long overland day back down to the Rasuwagadhi border, clearing Chinese and Nepali immigration, then a shared jeep back to Kathmandu (~£30 pp). Arrive Thamel in the evening; celebrate with a momo-and-beer dinner (~£8). Book a Thamel guesthouse for the night.

🚌Shared jeep Shegar–border–Kathmandu ~£32

🛏Thamel guesthouse (~£16)

• →Border formalities
• →Thamel evening

Final morning for Asan Tole market and souvenir shopping (pashminas, singing bowls, trekking gear on Freak Street). Prepaid taxi to Tribhuvan International (~£6) — allow 3 hrs before an international flight. If your flight is late, squeeze in an hour at Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple, ~£3) just outside Thamel.

🚌Taxi to airport ~£6

🛏—

• →Asan Tole market
• →Swayambhunath (optional)