7-Day Self-Launched Tibet: Lhasa to Kathmandu Overland via Everest Base Camp

Arrive at Lhasa Gonggar Airport (LXA). Your Tibet Travel Permit (TTP) must be arranged in advance through your licensed Tibetan agency — without it you will not be admitted. The airport is ~65 km from the city centre; take the official airport shuttle bus (~£2–3) or share a taxi with other travellers (~£8–10 split). Check into a budget guesthouse in the old town area near Barkhor Square. Today is a rest day — altitude sickness is a real risk at 3,650m. Drink plenty of water, avoid alcohol, and take it easy. In the evening, stroll to Potala Square to photograph the floodlit Potala Palace and enjoy the fountain show. Early bed.

🚌Airport shuttle bus to Lhasa city ~£2–3, or shared taxi ~£8–10 split

🛏Yak Hotel or Snowland Hotel (Lhasa old town area) — budget twin room ~£15–20pp

• →Arrive Lhasa Gonggar Airport — present Tibet Travel Permit
• →Take airport shuttle bus or shared taxi to city centre (~65 km)
• →Check into budget guesthouse near Barkhor Square
• →Rest and acclimatise — crucial at 3,650m altitude
• →Evening stroll to Potala Square for Potala Palace photos and fountain show

A full day exploring two of Lhasa's greatest monasteries with your licensed guide (mandatory). Start the morning at Drepung Monastery (~£5 entry), once the world's largest monastery — explore the vast Coqen Assembly Hall and the Loseling College. After lunch at a local Tibetan canteen near the monastery (try tsampa, yak butter tea, and momos for ~£3–5), head to Sera Monastery (~£5 entry) in the afternoon. The highlight is the famous monks' debate session, held in the courtyard every afternoon except Sunday — monks clap and gesticulate as they argue Buddhist philosophy. A truly unmissable spectacle. Evening welcome dinner with your group.

🚌Local taxi or minibus between monasteries ~£3–5pp

🛏Yak Hotel or Snowland Hotel, Lhasa — budget twin ~£15–20pp

• →Visit Drepung Monastery — explore Coqen Hall and Loseling College (~£5 entry)
• →Lunch at a local Tibetan canteen near Drepung (~£3–5)
• →Visit Sera Monastery (~£5 entry)
• →Watch the monks' debate session in the courtyard (afternoons, not Sunday)
• →Group welcome dinner at a local Tibetan restaurant

Today covers the spiritual heart of Lhasa. Start early at Potala Palace (~£25 entry — book tickets in advance as numbers are strictly limited; your Tibetan agency can assist). The 13-storey White and Red Palace houses the tombs of former Dalai Lamas and is one of the most extraordinary buildings on earth. After lunch, walk to Jokhang Temple (~£8 entry), the holiest site in Tibetan Buddhism, where pilgrims prostrate themselves on the paving stones outside. Then spend the afternoon walking the Barkhor kora — the circular pilgrimage route around Jokhang — lined with incense, prayer wheels, and market stalls selling thangkas, yak wool, and turquoise jewellery. Optional: duck into one of the old-town tea houses for butter tea with locals (~£1).

🚌Walking day — no significant transport costs

🛏Yak Hotel or Snowland Hotel, Lhasa — budget twin ~£15–20pp

• →Visit Potala Palace — book tickets strictly in advance (~£25 entry)
• →Lunch at local restaurant near Barkhor (~£4–6)
• →Visit Jokhang Temple (~£8 entry)
• →Walk the Barkhor kora pilgrimage circuit
• →Browse the Barkhor Street market for handicrafts and souvenirs
• →Optional: Tibetan butter tea with locals in an old-town tea house (~£1)

An epic overland driving day (~300 km, 7–8 hrs) in your booked group vehicle with driver and guide. Cross Gampala Pass (4,794m) for sweeping panoramas, then descend to turquoise Yamdrok-tso Lake — one of Tibet's four sacred lakes. Stop at the Karo La Glacier viewpoint (allow at least 45 mins to walk to the platform). Continue to Gyantse for lunch and visit Pelkor Monastery and the spectacular Gyantse Kumbum — a nine-storey stupa with 108 chapels (~£6 entry). Optional: peer across at the ruined Gyantse Fortress (Dzong) on the hillside. Continue to Shigatse (Tibet's second city) for the night. Book accommodation in Shigatse directly through your agency or on Booking.com.

🚌Full-day private/shared group vehicle with driver (included in agency package) — ~£20–25pp contribution for the day

🛏Orchard Hotel or Shigatse Gesar Hotel — budget twin ~£15–20pp

• →Drive over Gampala Pass (4,794m) with panoramic views
• →Stop at Yamdrok-tso Sacred Lake viewpoint
• →Stop at Karo La Glacier viewpoint — allow time to walk to the platform
• →Lunch in Gyantse (~£4–6)
• →Visit Pelkor Monastery and Gyantse Kumbum (~£6 entry)
• →View Gyantse Fortress (Dzong) from outside
• →Drive on to Shigatse — check in to guesthouse

Start the morning at Tashilunpo Monastery (~£8 entry) — the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, housing a 26-metre-tall gilded Maitreya statue. After a good look around, load up and head west (~280 km, 6–7 hrs) toward EBC. Pass Tsola Pass and Gyatsola Pass before entering the Qomolangma (Everest) National Nature Reserve (~£25 park entry fee). Lunch stop in Lhatse (~£4–6). Arrive at Rongbuk Valley and check into the EBC guesthouses (basic but functional). If timing allows, walk up toward EBC in the late afternoon for sunset views of Everest's north face. The mountain appears deceptively close — it's still 8 km from the monastery to the base camp area.

🚌Shared group vehicle — ~£25–30pp contribution for the day's long drive

🛏Rongbuk Monastery Guesthouse or EBC tent guesthouses — basic dorms ~£12–18pp (very limited options; book via your agency)

• →Visit Tashilunpo Monastery, Shigatse (~£8 entry)
• →Drive west through Lhatse — lunch stop (~£4–6)
• →Pass Gyatsola Pass and enter Everest National Nature Reserve (~£25 park fee)
• →Arrive Rongbuk Valley — check into EBC guesthouse
• →Optional: walk toward EBC for sunset views of Everest's north face

Rise early for sunrise over Everest from Rongbuk — the highest viewpoint accessible by road on Earth, with a perfect pyramid of snow catching the first light. Visit Rongbuk Monastery (~£3), the world's highest monastery at 4,980m. Then walk or take the EBC shuttle (mandatory in peak season, ~£5) the final stretch to Everest Base Camp itself at 5,200m — photograph the iconic Everest sign and the sea of coloured tents during climbing season. After a late morning departure, drive south through spectacular mountain scenery toward Kyirong (Gyirong), the border town with Nepal (~200 km, 4–5 hrs), passing Mount Shishapangma and the beautiful Pekutso Lake. Check into a simple guesthouse in Kyirong town.

🚌Shared group vehicle ~£20–25pp; EBC shuttle bus if required ~£5

🛏Simple local guesthouse in Kyirong town — budget twin ~£12–15pp

• →Wake early for Everest sunrise from Rongbuk viewpoint
• →Visit Rongbuk Monastery (~£3 entry)
• →Walk or take EBC shuttle to Everest Base Camp at 5,200m (~£5 shuttle if required)
• →Photograph Everest Base Camp and the north face of Qomolangma
• →Drive south toward Kyirong — pass Shishapangma viewpoint and Pekutso Lake
• →Check into Kyirong town guesthouse

Your Tibetan guide and driver will accompany you to the Gyirong/Rasuwagadhi border crossing — this is where your Tibet permit coverage ends and they say goodbye. Cross the border on foot (Nepal visa on arrival available for most nationalities, ~£25–35 depending on duration). On the Nepal side, arrange a shared jeep or local bus to Kathmandu (~180 km, 6–8 hrs depending on road conditions — the roads through the Langtang valley are dramatic but rough). Jeep seats cost approximately £12–18pp; a local bus is cheaper at ~£5–8 but slower. Arrive in Kathmandu, check into a Thamel guesthouse, and celebrate with a hot shower and a cold Everest beer — you've earned it.

🚌Shared jeep or bus Rasuwagadhi border to Kathmandu ~£8–18pp

🛏Thamel Eco Resort or similar Thamel guesthouse, Kathmandu — budget twin ~£10–15pp

• →Transfer to Gyirong/Rasuwagadhi border crossing with guide and driver
• →Say farewell to your Tibetan guide — cross border on foot
• →Obtain Nepal visa on arrival at Rasuwagadhi (~£25–35)
• →Arrange shared jeep or local bus to Kathmandu from Nepal border (~£8–18pp)
• →Arrive Kathmandu — check into Thamel guesthouse
• →Celebrate in Thamel: food, rooftop bars, and the end of an epic journey