Tibet Everest Base Camp Tour

Arrive in Kathmandu and meet your Mantra Adventure Tibet specialist. Briefing covers Tibet travel regulations, the required Chinese Group Tourist Visa, Tibet Travel Permit, Alien Travel Permit, and Military Area Permit — all arranged by our Tibet-licensed partner agency. Welcome dinner. Meals: Dinner.

Morning flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa — one of the world's most spectacular aviation routes, crossing the Himalayan divide at cruising altitude with views of Everest, Lhotse and Makalu from both sides of the aircraft simultaneously. Arrive in Lhasa and transfer to hotel. The altitude (3,650m) makes this a compulsory rest day — drink water, eat lightly, avoid exertion. Overnight: Lhasa hotel. Meals: All included.

Begin acclimatisation sightseeing at Lhasa's most iconic monument: the Potala Palace — 13 storeys, 1,000 rooms, 10,000 chapels and shrines, built in the 17th century on Marpo Ri (Red Hill). In the afternoon, walk the Barkhor — the ancient pilgrim circuit around the Jokhang Temple, Tibet's most sacred shrine. The clockwise circuit is thronged with butter-lamp carrying pilgrims prostrating full-body on the stone. Meals: All included.

Morning visit to Jokhang Temple — the spiritual heart of Tibet, housing a 1,400-year-old golden statue of the Buddha Shakyamuni. The butter lamps, incense smoke and monks' chanting create an atmosphere of profound religious intensity. Afternoon: Norbulingka Palace (the Dalai Lama's former summer residence) and the Sera Monastery where the famous late-afternoon monk debate takes place. Meals: All included.

Drive south from Lhasa over the Khamba La pass (4,794m) for a first view of the extraordinary Yamdrok Tso — a turquoise sacred lake 72 kilometres long, sacred to Tibetan Buddhists as an oracle lake. Continue to Gyantse and visit the Gyantse Kumbum — a multi-storey stupa containing 108 chapels. Meals: All included.

Drive to Shigatse — Tibet's second city — and visit Tashilhunpo Monastery, the seat of the Panchen Lama. Founded in 1447, it houses one of the world's largest gilded Buddha statues (26 metres). The monastery remains fully functioning with over 1,000 resident monks. Meals: All included.

Drive west from Shigatse across the high Tibetan plateau. Ascend to Shegar (New Tingri) and then to the legendary Pang La viewpoint at 5,200 metres — on a clear day, five of the world's six highest mountains are simultaneously visible: Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu and Shishapangma. The Tibetan plateau stretches north in an immensity of brown grassland and sky. Meals: All included.

Drive south from Tingri on the road to Rongbuk — the world's highest monastery at 4,980m, founded in 1902. Continue to the Chinese-side Everest Base Camp at 5,200 metres. Unlike the Nepali Base Camp, the Chinese side is accessible by vehicle — the result is a genuine sensory impact: the north face of Everest rising 3,800 metres above you, the Rongbuk Glacier creaking below, and the absolute silence of the world's highest accessible plateau. Overnight in guesthouse/tent. Meals: All included.

Return drive to Lhasa airport and flight back to Kathmandu. Transfer to hotel for a final night. Celebration dinner. Overnight: Kathmandu hotel. Meals: Breakfast, dinner.

Airport transfer for international departure. Tibet — its vast plateau, ancient monasteries and the towering north face of Everest — is one of the world's most extraordinary destinations. Meals: Breakfast.