Nepal Tibet 8 Days Tour - 8 Days

Upon arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, our airport representative from Himalayan Trekkers will greet you and escort you to the designated hotel. You may take a rest after check-in before our short briefing session regarding the Nepal Tibet Tour. If you arrive early, i.e. before noon, your passport and other documents will be collected and submitted to the Chinese Embassy for the Chinese Group Visa. 

Please note that it will take 3-4 business days to obtain the visa. Then in the evening, we will stroll around the streets of the main tourist hub, Thamel. 

After breakfast, you will be guided to a few of the important landmarks of the Kathmandu Valley that are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 
The first stop will be Boudhanath Stupa, one of the brilliant landmarks in Nepal that happens to be the largest stupa in Kathmandu. This stupa boasts a 36-meter-tall Buddha statue and is visited by thousands of Buddhists every year due to its significance to Buddhist pilgrims and the community. Boudhanath Stupa is also known as Little Tibet in Kathmandu. This is a spiritual place with the two eyes of Buddha conveying the message of peace and wisdom for mankind. 

Then, we will drive for 15 minutes to Pashupatinath Temple which lies on the bank of the holy Bagmati River. It is one of the biggest shrines of Lord Shiva (Hindu Deity) and one of the four sacred temples for Hindus in the world. This holy site has had its significance for the last 2000 years. The holy men with all kinds of makeup and ashes all over their bodies are also central attractions of the Pashupatinath temple.

After lunch, we transfer to Patan city which is also called Lalitpur also known as the city of fine arts. Patan has remained a Buddhist city since ancient times where Hinduism also coexists. Some famous sites in Patan include the Patan Durbar Square, Patan Museum, Taleju temple, the Bhimsen Temple, The golden temple, the temple of 1000 Buddha, and the Sun Dhara, meaning golden tap.

Today, we will move out of the bustling capital of Kathmandu and experience some freshness and peacefulness by visiting the villages on the outskirts of the city. Today’s hiking journey will help you through the acclimatization purpose as you will be gaining more altitude in Tibet. In addition, you will also get a glimpse of the rural lifestyle of Nepal. 

We begin the journey after breakfast with around an hour of driving to Sundarijal, a little town northeast of Kathmandu that is home to numerous waterfalls and our starting point for hiking. First, we'll gradually ascent upward via Shivapuri National Park's pine and oak woodlands. In the vicinity of the Kathmandu Valley, this national park is regarded as the ideal location for bird watching. When we arrive in Chisapani, we will be rewarded with the country's rolling green hills, deep valleys, snow-capped mountain peaks, and warm hospitality. We witness the glorious sunset view before calling it our day. 

Note: If you do not prefer to hike, we can organize some activities in the city as per your interest. 

We rise early in the morning to observe the glorious sunrise before setting our way back to Nagarkot. Upon Arrival in Nagarkot, We follow the road that goes via Bhaktapur Durbar Square in Bhaktapur. Bhaktapur is an open museum full of ancient temples, a courtyard, world-class wooden and metal architecture, and numerous festivals. Bhaktapur Durbar Square is one of the best-preserved heritage of Nepal that lies 15 km east of the city center of Kathmandu. The tallest pagoda-style temple of Nepal, Nyatapola makes Bhaktapur a must-visit when you are in Nepal.

After exploring Bhaktapur, we continue to Kathmandu. The remainder of the day is on leisure. You can stroll around the Thamel market or visit the ancient markets of Ason, Jamal, and Indrachowk. In addition, your Chinese Group Visa will probably be ready by today evening. If they are ready, we will collect them and hand them over to you. 

Our representative will get your passports and Chinese group visa in the first office hour from the Chinese Embassy if they were not collected yesterday. And in the afternoon, you will be transferred to the airport for the flight to one of the most dangerous airports in the world, Gonggar Airport. You get to enjoy some of the best aerial views of the grand Himalayan ranges including Mount Everest, Cho Oyu, and Mount Kailash along with the deep valleys and the green lush terrains of Nepal and the dry arid dessert-alike landscape of Tibet. 

After a 2 and half hours flight, you will arrive at the Gongar Airport where your Tibetan Guide will welcome you and escort you for an hour drive to your hotel in Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. After lunch and needed rest, we will visit the Jokhang Temple, the most sacred temple for Tibetan Buddhists and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Venerated worldwide as a spiritual point of Tibet, the Jokhang temple is situated at the heart of Lhasa. Some of the major attractions of this temple/ monastery are Life-sized statues of Shakyamuni (5-foot-tall). There are numerous statues and shrines devoted to Buddha, the golden roof, etc. Other than these buildings and temples, the lifestyle of locals, their religious beliefs, and magnificent views from the Golden roof of Jokhang Temple are the best things that will make you glad that you took this trip.

After spending some time at the Jokhang temple we will walk through Barkhor Street, a traditional old street in Lhasa surrounding the Jokhang Temple. The street is infused with Himalayan incense and filled with pilgrims with prayer beads and prayer wheels. The corners are covered with authentic Tibetan shops where you can see the real Tibetan arts and handicrafts.  After strolling around and having dinner at one of the best restaurants of your choice, we return to the hotel for the night. 

After breakfast, we will visit the Potala Palace, the Palace of the Dalai Lama. The famous red and white Potala Palace, which was first constructed in the 7th century by the then-ruler of Tibet, King Songtsen Gampo, is the symbol of the unity of the Tibetans. The current building took almost 50 years to complete after work got underway during the reign of the fifth Dalai Lamas. The Dalai Lamas then used the central Red Palace for religious functions while the Potala's white palace served as their winter abode. Today, the Potala Palace is recognized as a place where visitors can peruse its vast collection of religious and cultural objects.

Then we will make our visit to Norbulingka Palace, the summer residence of the Dalai Lamas, located along the Kyichu River and two kilometers west of the Potala Palace. This Palace has a huge garden covering 360,000 square meters, making it the biggest and the highest located horticulture garden in the world. It has got 374 rooms.

Our last site for today will be the grand Drepung Monastery, built by Chojey Tashi Palden in the 14th Century. It was formerly referred to as the mother of monasteries and is today one of the most revered in the nation. It is the largest of the Gelugpa sect's three premier monasteries. It has four departments, the largest of which, Loseling, also known as "The Hermitage of the Radiant Mind," can house up to 15,000 monks, is the largest. Currently, it is thought to be among Tibet's best monastic education centers.
We return to the hotel for the night after a whole day of exciting activities. 

It’s your third day in Lhasa and today we will visit the monastery that is considered the most beautiful in the city, the Sera Monastery after a delicious breakfast at the hotel. Sera Monastery was built in 1419; together with Drepung and Ganden, Sera is one of the three monasteries that make up the Gelugpa Sect. It previously served as a home to five monastic institutions and more than 5,000 monks. Sera, which translates to "wild rose," was given to the monastery because of its location in a Lhasa neighborhood where wild roses are prevalent. One of the most entertaining parts of our Sera Monastery sightseeing tour is watching the monks argue in the courtyard.

After spending a needed amount of time exploring the grand Sera Monastery, we will visit the local markets and bazaars nearby. You can also take a walk around the city and Barkhor Street where you can buy some mementos to bring back home. 

As our Nepal Tibet Tour comes to an end, you will be transferred to the Gonggar Airport for your flight to Kathmandu or mainland China from where you can get the connecting flight to your home country or other destination. 

Note: Lhasa has daily direct flights to some of the cities in Mainland China such as Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xining, Xi’an, Shangri-La, and Kunming. You can fly to any of these cities from Lhasa in the morning and board the evening connecting flight to your onward destination. If you prefer to fly to Kathmandu and spend the night in Kathmandu, we can arrange it at an additional cost.