Nepal overland Tibet Bhutan Tour

*Please note that travelers need to obtain a China visa in their home country and spend a night in mainland China (such as Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, or Kunming) in order to obtain the Tibet Travel Permit. This permit will be provided in hard copy at the hotel before your arrival. We would be happy to assist you in booking a hotel for one night in any city in China.

Asia Experiences would like to extend a warm welcome to Lhasa! Upon arrival, you will be greeted by your English-speaking Tibetan guide and driver who will accompany you to your hotel. As Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world, we understand that the high altitude of Tibet can be challenging for some. We recommend taking your time to acclimate to the altitude. Rest assured that we will provide all the necessary support to ensure your well-being. To minimize any altitude sickness symptoms, it is important to drink plenty of water and get enough rest. Get ready for an unforgettable adventure!

After a refreshing breakfast, we will start our cultural tour of Lhasa. Being the Capital of Tibet, we can experience a timeline of culture and art in this city. The Potala Palace, also the former seat of Dalai Lama of Tibet, is the first destination we'll visit today. Potala Palace is one of the most beautiful and extensive palaces in Tibet withholding a significant part of the Tibetan history behind its walls. We will start the tour from the garden on the ground floor and to the different parts of the Palace. The courtyards, praying rooms, decorations, Thangkas, and sculptures reflect the Buddhist culture as well as the lifestyle of the previous Dalai lamas here. After a memorable time here, we will make our way towards the Sera monastery within a short drive from here. We will explore the art and culture of the monks living there alongside the view of the landscape surrounding it. From the monastery, we will make our way to Barkhor Street and Jokhang Temple. This temple is one of the most important ones in Tibet. This UNESCO heritage site and premises is the best place to learn Tibetan culture. Overnight at a hotel in Lhasa.

We will continue our Lhasa Tour visiting the Drepung monastery here. Being one of the biggest monasteries in Tibet, it was once home to more than 10,000 monks. We will explore the paintings and murals here and pay a visit to the library. After spending some time here with the monks, we will head towards MentshiKang. A Tibetan Medicine center, you can learn more about the locally made medicines and healing techniques. Our next destination in Lhasa will be the summer palace of Dalai lamas, Norbulingka palace. Also a UNESCO world heritage site, the gardens, shrines, and monuments are pristine here. Overnight at a hotel in Lhasa.

After breakfast, we will prepare and start our overland tour from Lhasa to Kathmandu. We will drive to Shigatse via Gyantse tour today. The road trip from Lhasa quickly joins the friendship highway and towards the Khamba La pass at 4794 meters. For the first part of the drive, you can savor the breathtaking views of Yamdrok-Tso Lake and Nazin Kang Sa Mountain (7252 m). Heading towards Gyantse, you can also enjoy the sightings of snow-capped mountains and massive glaciers from the road. We will pass small Tibetan settlements where we can try some snacks before reaching the town of Gyantse. This historically significant town is in a beautiful valley and was one of the major cities where multiple trading routes were mixed. Our stay here will be brief, and we will visit some of the dzong ad monasteries in the stop. Our journey continues for about a couple of hours from Gyantse and ends today at Shigatse. The second-largest city in Tibet, Shigatse is beautiful and full of life. We will visit the Tashilupo monastery which is the seat of Panchen lamas of Tibet and one of the largest functioning monasteries here. Overnight at a hotel in Shigatse.

The drive of today to the famous Rongbuk Monastery from Shigatse is packed with wonderful views of the landscape and natural scenery. The road is smooth, and we will be passing the highest point of the tour, the Gyatchu La pass at 5,220 m today. We will first cross Lhatse and drive through a pass nearby. Moving on from small stops where we will have our lunch, we will pass by Tingri village. Another two to three hours of the relaxed drive, followed by small patches of settlements, will take us to Rongbuk monastery (5000 m). The north face of Everest is a sight to relish here in Rongbuk. Rongbuk monastery is also the starting point to hike to the northern Everest Base Camp. Witness a beautiful sunset over Mt. Everest (8848 m). Overnight at Rongbuk.

We will wake up with the monks in Rongbuk and start our drive to the China-Nepal border at Kerung/Gyirong. With a beautiful view of the sunrise and the Everest, we will start the journey early. For the first portion of the drive, we will do high passes with views of steep hills and snow-covered mountains. We will cross the Lalung La (5,124 m) and Tong La (5,120 m) and the views of Mt. Cho Oyu, Everest and Sishapangma are pristine in a clear sky from the passes. We will drop some altitude, and the landscape also begins to change as we get nearer to Kerung/Gyirong. We will stay on the Chinese side for the day. Overnight at a hotel in Kerung/Gyirong.

After bidding farewell to your Tibetan guide and driver, we will start our journey to the Nepalese Capital from Kerung today. The drive is thrilling beside the green hills and Trishuli River straight from the mountains. We will stop in the intermediate hill settlements to have our lunch in the way. The windy roads will lead you to the valley, and you'll head straight to to your hotel here. Overnight at a hotel in Kathmandu.

We will start our cultural tour of Kathmandu after breakfast. From the hotel, it is about half an hour drive to reach our first site, Pashupatinath. Pashupatinath temple is a complex with over 500 small and big Hindu shrines in the bank of holy BagmatiRiver. After some time here, we will take a short drive to the Boudhanath Stupa. The stupa is the biggest one in Nepal and reflects Tibetan Buddhism in the valley. You can try some snacks from the rooftop restaurants here. After some spiritual time here, we will take a drive to the 'The monkey temple' Swayambhunath. A short hike to the top provides you a great view of the Kathmandu valley. You can witness both Hindu and Buddhist devotees in the temple and certainly a lot of monkeys. We will head towards Patan from here and explore the major attractions here. The Patan Durbar Square, Newari streets, and other historical monuments make our visit-list here. We will return to hotel and rest for the day there. Overnight at a hotel.

After breakfast today, we will head towards Bhaktapur, one of the major cities in the valley. Bhaktapur also called 'Bhadgaon' showcases the ancient-side of the valley as many locals live a similar life as the traditional people use to. We will visit the Bhaktapur Durbar Square here first and take a tour of nearby temple square as well. In between these amazing tours, we will also make brief food stops to gulp in some of the local Newari delicacies. We will visit the art schools to view the traditional paintings and Thangkas before driving to Nagarkot today. About an hour of calm and beautiful hill drive will lead us to this hilltop village. Overnight at a hotel in Nagarkot.

We will take an early drive (5-6 hours) or a domestic flight (25 min) to Chitwan today. In the curvy hill highway and the settlements in between, we will take a peek at the rural economy of Nepal. Besides the raging mountain rivers and green hills, we will glide our way to the granary of Nepal. Once there, you can experience the change in vegetation, landscape, and lifestyle from that of Kathmandu. In the evening, we will head for a brief Tharu (Local tribe) village tour nearby. Overnight at a hotel in Chitwan.

We will first take a canoe ride in the Rapti River leading to the entrance of the Chitwan national park. After getting the permits, we will take an Elephant safari to the wilderness of the lush jungle here. You should always avoid wearing bright clothes so prepare a bland one for the occasion here. You can spot many different species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and flora in this safari. The rare Royal Bengal tiger and One-horned rhinoceros are two of the many beautiful animals you can witness in their natural habitat. We will also visit the egg-hatchery and breeding center in the park premises before returning to the hotel. Enjoy the cultural program from the local Tharu community and try some of their cuisines. Overnight at a hotel in Chitwan.

You have an optional bird-watching tour in the morning visiting some of the watchtowers in the park. Our next destination is the adventure capital- Pokhara, which is about 5 hours of drive (25 min flight) from Chitwan. Pokhara will welcome you with a cool breeze and the view of lovely hills surrounding it. There is so much happening here, and you can catch the most of it in the evening tour of the Lakeside. You can try some local Thakali cuisine before returning to your hotel. Overnight at Pokhara.

We will take a short drive and hike for a while to the top of the Sarangkot hill. You can get a beautiful sunrise view of Annapurna and Macchapuchre mountains from here. Sarangkot is also the takeoff place for the popular Pokhara city paragliding. You have an option to do it in clear weather. After returning from Sarangkot, we will explore the city attractions in the city. Davis falls (underground) will the first one, which is also one of the most picturesque places to be in Pokhara. The cave complex here is next starting from Gupteshor to Mahendra and Bat caves. Each has its unique feature to enjoy here. The International Museum is the next place on the list. One of the must-visit places in Pokhara to learn about mountain culture and Mountaineering as a whole. In the evening we will take a boat ride and enjoy the sunset over the PhewaLake. Overnight at a hotel in Pokhara.

Before our flight/drive back to Kathmandu, we will visit some of the remaining attractions in Pokhara. The Bindabashini and Tal Barahi temple here. We will complete a round trip returning to Kathmandu from Pokhara. It is about 6 hours’ drive going up to the capital. Passing by small and big settlements, we will reach Kathmandu and drive to the hotel. In the evening, you can enjoy the nightlife in Thamel. Overnight at a hotel, Kathmandu.

We will fly to Bhutan from TIA today. In the spare time before the flight, you can explore the market areas of Thamel. The trip to Paro is short but gifted with a great view of both the nations. Our representative will receive you at the airport and take you to your hotel in Thimphu. The drive is slightly over an hour in the green hills and farmlands of Bhutan. The fresh breeze and nature accompany you in the journey to the Capital.

Stop halfway to the Paro-Thimphu highway, and visit the 16^th-century old Tachogang Lhakhang temple by traversing an old bridge. From the bridge, enjoy the scenic views of the villages. Tachogang temple means the hill of the excellent horse. Continue to drive to Thimphu. Transfer to a hotel and rest for a while. Explore the local life in Thimphu. Visit some famous landmarks such as Buddha Dordenma Statue, Late King's Memorial Chorten, Bhutan Postal Museum, Folk Heritage Museum, and Takin Zoo. Similarly, the weekend markets here is a culture to experience if you are in these days. Overnight at Thimphu.

After a great sunrise view and some local breakfast, we will head towards Punakha today. We will stop at the Dochula Pass on the way there and spend some time here. The eyes will go straight to the beautiful Druk Wangyal Chortens which is a collection of 108 memorial chorten dedicated to the deceased Bhutanese war soldiers. The views of the Himalayas and the garden nearby is also majestic from the pass. After some time here, we will move towards the historical fortress in Punakha, Punakha dzong. The Dzong is a beautiful masterpiece located between the Pho Chu and Mo Chu rivers. A few miles from the dzong is beautiful and the longest Punakha Suspension Bridge. Enjoy the beautiful views from the bridge. Then, return to Thimphu, we can also take a short detour to the Fertility temple Chimi Lhakhang if time permits. Overnight at a hotel in Thimphu.

After breakfast, we will drive to Paro. Here we will do a short and scenic hike to one of the most significant monasteries in Bhutan, the Taktsang monastery. There are different routes to reach this majestic monastery sitting in a cliff-side of a high hill. We will take the best amongst them and stop for great views and snacks in the way. Our guide will also tell you some local legends and historical importance of the monastery in the hike. After reaching the monastery, you can have a great view of the landscape surrounding it. We can visit the caves where Guru Rinpoche or Padmasambhava is said to have meditated and introduced Buddhism in Bhutan in the monastery. We will return to our hotel in Paro next and have lunch.

Next, we visit Kyichu Lhakhang temple where you can see the oldest Jowo Temple. Then, a visit to beautiful Paro Rinpung Dzong. After crossing a cantilever bridge, you can see the Deyangkha Temple outside the main dzong. Explore the fourteen shrines and chapels inside the dzong. Ta Dzong houses the National Museum of Bhutan above the hill of Rinpung Dzong which was once used as a watchtower. Presently, it is established as the National Museum of Bhutan. A great place for art and culture lovers as hundreds of ancient Bhutanese artworks and crafts embracing traditional costumes, armors, and handicraft tools of daily life are displayed there. Overnight at Paro.

Our representative will drive you to the airport before your departure. From Paro, you will take a plane first to Kathmandu, New Delhi or Bangkok before heading to your home from there. With boundless memories and experiences, you will head home knowing these beautiful nations and the lifestyle better. The Asia Experience team will stay connected with you for your valuable suggestions and feedback after the tour too. Explore and discover this golden triangle in the Himalayas with Asia Experiences.