8 Day Group Tour to Mt. Everest Base Camp

Your Tibetan guide will greet you at the Lhasa Gonggar Airport or Lhasa railway station, and transport you to your hotel in the city. From the airport to Lhasa is 68 km (42 mi), roughly an hour drive to your hotel. The drive from the train station is only 15 km (9 mi) and takes 20 minutes. During the course of the ride, you will not only be amazed by the spectacular scenery of the Tibetan plateau, the scattered Tibetan villages, but certainly by the hospitality of your guide and driver, as well! After checking into the hotel, you will have the remainder of the day to rest and acclimatize to the high altitude.  

Ganden Monastery is the largest of the six major monasteries of Buddhism's Gelugpa sect. In addition to its magnificent architecture and religious importance, there is an extremely fabulous view on top of the Ganden Wangpo Hill. Kichu Valley is behind Ganden monastery, and we suggest visitors hike around the monastery and for an exquisite bird's-eye view of the valley.

Sera monastery's famous debating monks go back and forth in their debates every day between 3 pm to 5pm (except on Sunday), a performance well worth seeing. After lunch at Ganden monastery, the tour visits Sera.

Optional program: In the evening, your guide can take you to enjoy a local Tibetan performance (price is not included).

Shigatse local market features bamboo products, and special ornaments and decorations. While your guide makes final arrangements for your Everest permit, you can explore the market on your own.

Gyatsola [5200m] & Gawu La pass[5250m] : When you arrive at these two passes, you will have a chance to get out of your car to enjoy the view and take pictures of these majestic wonders. At Gawu La pass, you will see the spectacular Himalayan Range and the glorious peaks of Mt. Makalu [8463m], Mt. Lotse[8516m], Mt. Everest[8844m], Mt. Cho Oyu[8201m] and Mt. Shishapama [8020m] (from left to right in your view at the pass).

Sunset at E.B.C: Most people say that sunset over Everest is more stunning than sunrise, but since one can only go to E.B.C once per ticket, the group can choose to see the sunset or the sunrise. The trekking from  E.B.C. from Rongbuk guest house or the Tent guest house community to E.B.C will take you about 2 hours  to hike the 6 km (3.7 mi). Or you can take the dedicated minibus (25 RMB/per person, round-trip). For winter tours, your driver will drive you there as there is no sightseeing bus there.

Optional program: Rongbuk is the highest monastery in Tibet and is functioning with both monks and nuns. You can visit and see the workings of the monastery (price is not included).

Note: It is cold and windy in the valley, so we recommend taking a sleeping bag with you. Also, food options are scarce, so be sure to prepare for providing your own meals at Rongbuk.

Tashilunpo monastery is one of the six prominent yellow hat sect monasteries and is the seat of the Panchen Lama lineage. There is a panoramic view of the whole monastery from the entrance, as well as a massive Jamba Buddha Statue. Around the monastery is another Kora path, which is a leads to a great hike behind the monastery and provides a great view of the whole city of Shigatse.

Afternoon drive back to Lhasa along the Northern Friendship Highway, with marvelous landscapes and scenery along the Brahmaputra River continuing all the way back to Lhasa.