10-Day Nyingchi, Everest Base Camp & Namtso Lake Tour
Nyingchi · Lulang · Basom Tso · Lhasa · Yamdrok Lake · Gyantse · Shigatse · Everest Base Camp · Namtso Lake
The Route
From the forests of Nyingchi to Everest and Namtso
This ten-day journey takes the gentlest and most beautiful way onto the plateau — flying first into Nyingchi in the east, where the land is green, forested and a full 700m lower than Lhasa. Two days among the peach valleys, the Lulang Forest Sea and the Sejila Pass (with its view of Namcha Barwa) let your body acclimatize naturally before you climb west to Lhasa, the north face of Everest, and the heavenly lake of Namtso.
It's a route that rewards the patient: by entering through low, oxygen-rich Nyingchi you reach the holy city already adjusted, then take in the Potala and Jokhang, cross the classic overland road past Yamdrok and the Gyantse Kumbum, sleep in a tent beneath Everest, and finish with a day out to Namtso.
Comfortable 4-star hotels, a private oxygen-equipped vehicle, an English-speaking Tibetan guide and your Tibet Travel Permit are all arranged. See our best time to visit Tibet guide to plan your season.
Trip Highlights
- ◆Enter Tibet the gentle way — fly into low, green Nyingchi (~2,900m) to acclimatize naturally
- ◆The Sejila Pass and a clear-day view of Namcha Barwa (7,782m); the Lulang Forest Sea
- ◆Jade-green Basom Tso on the scenic road west to Lhasa
- ◆The Potala, Jokhang and Barkhor in the holy city
- ◆Sleep beneath Everest's north face at base camp, and wake for sunrise
- ◆A day out to Namtso, the heavenly lake — Tibet's fullest highlights in one trip
Upcoming Departures
Guaranteed fixed-departure dates for this small-group tour. Private departures can run on any date you choose.
| Departure | Days | From (pp) | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 22 – Jul 1, 2026 | 10 | $1,490 | Guaranteed | Reserve → |
| Jul 16 – Jul 25, 2026 | 10 | $1,490 | Almost Full2 seats left | Enquire → |
| Aug 4 – Aug 13, 2026 | 10 | $1,490 | Almost Full2 seats left | Enquire → |
| Aug 26 – Sep 4, 2026 | 10 | $1,490 | Guaranteed | Reserve → |
| Sep 8 – Sep 17, 2026 | 10 | $1,490 | Open | Enquire → |
| Sep 24 – Oct 3, 2026 | 10 | $1,490 | Guaranteed | Reserve → |
| Oct 8 – Oct 17, 2026 | 10 | $1,590 | Open | Enquire → |
| Oct 20 – Oct 29, 2026 | 10 | $1,490 | Open | Enquire → |
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Arrive in Nyingchi
Fly into Nyingchi, the 'Switzerland of Tibet', and an inspired place to begin: at around 2,900m it sits far lower than Lhasa, so you ease onto the plateau gently while your body adjusts. Your guide meets you at the airport and brings you to your hotel through a green river valley of forests and peach orchards — a softer, warmer Tibet than most travelers expect. Rest, and let the altitude come slowly.
Overnight: Nyingchi
Sejila Pass, Namcha Barwa and the Lulang Forest Sea
A beautiful day in the forests of the east. You drive up to the Sejila Pass at 4,702m, where — if the sky is clear — the perfect ice pyramid of Namcha Barwa (7,782m), the world's fifteenth-highest peak, stands across the valley. Beyond lies Lulang, the 'Valley of the Dragon King', a sweep of alpine meadow, wooden villages and the dense Lulang Forest Sea. You hang prayer flags at the pass and return to Nyingchi for the night.
Meals: Breakfast·Overnight: Nyingchi
Nyingchi to Lhasa via Basom Tso
Today you turn west for the holy city, breaking the long, scenic drive at Basom Tso — a jade-green alpine lake cradled in snow peaks and forest, with a tiny island temple at its heart. The road then climbs steadily out of the Nyingchi valley and up onto the high plateau, following the Lhasa River to the capital. By evening you reach Lhasa at 3,650m, now well acclimatized after your gentle start in the east.
Meals: Breakfast·Overnight: Lhasa
Lhasa: Potala, Jokhang and the Barkhor
A full day among Lhasa's icons. The Potala Palace fills the morning — thirteen storeys of chapels and golden tombs that crown the Red Hill and once governed all of Tibet. In the afternoon the Jokhang, the seventh-century temple that is the spiritual centre of the Tibetan world, and the Barkhor circuit around it, where pilgrims, traders and prayer wheels turn together through the smoke of juniper and butter lamps.
Meals: Breakfast·Overnight: Lhasa
Lhasa to Shigatse via Yamdrok and Gyantse
Out of Lhasa and over the Gampa La, where turquoise Yamdrok Lake coils between the hills below. You pass the roadside icefall of the Karola Glacier and reach Gyantse and its remarkable Kumbum, a tiered stupa of chapel after painted chapel. A short final drive brings you to Shigatse, Tibet's second city and the seat of the Panchen Lama, for the night.
Meals: Breakfast·Overnight: Shigatse
Shigatse to Everest Base Camp via Gawu La
Today you reach the mountain. The road climbs from Shigatse over the Gyatso La and into the Everest reserve, cresting the Gawu La where a wall of giants — Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu — can fill the horizon at once. The switchbacks carry you down past Rongbuk, the highest monastery on earth, to base camp at around 5,200m. You overnight in a heated tent beneath the north face, with the summit, weather willing, glowing gold at dusk.
Meals: Breakfast·Overnight: Heated tent / oxygen guesthouse at Everest Base Camp
Everest sunrise, Gyatso La, return to Shigatse
Be up for sunrise — the first light firing Everest's north face from grey to gold is the image you will carry home. After time at base camp you climb back over the high passes, pausing at the Gyatso La viewpoint for one last Himalayan panorama, and drop down to the warmth and comfort of Shigatse for the night.
Meals: Breakfast·Overnight: Shigatse
Shigatse to Lhasa via Tashilhunpo
A morning at Tashilhunpo, the great gold-roofed seat of the Panchen Lamas, before the Friendship Highway carries you back east to Lhasa along the Yarlung Tsangpo. After the high country the return to the capital feels easy; the afternoon is free to rest, shop the Barkhor, or simply enjoy the thicker air.
Meals: Breakfast·Overnight: Lhasa
Day trip to Namtso Lake
A final great day out, north to Namtso — the heavenly lake. The road climbs onto the Changtang grasslands and over a pass above 5,100m to the lake's vast, deep-blue sheet, ringed by the snow peaks of the Nyenchen Tanglha. You spend time on the shore at the Tashi Dor headland among its prayer-flagged rocks, then drive back to Lhasa for the night.
Meals: Breakfast·Overnight: Lhasa
Departure from Lhasa
After breakfast your guide sees you off at Lhasa's airport or railway station. In ten days you have travelled from the green forests of Nyingchi to the north face of Everest and the shore of Namtso — the fullest face of Tibet, eased in gently from the east and well-guided throughout.
Meals: Breakfast
What's Included
- ✓Tibet Travel Permit and all required local permits
- ✓Licensed English-speaking Tibetan guide and private vehicle throughout, with oxygen on board
- ✓4-star hotels in Nyingchi, Lhasa (Meikang or similar) and Shigatse (Gesar VIP or similar); a heated tent or oxygen-supplied guesthouse at Everest
- ✓All entrance fees for the sites listed; breakfasts as listed
- ✓Airport / railway-station transfers per the itinerary
- ✓Service charges, government taxes and travel accident insurance
Not Included
- —International and domestic flights or trains to and from Tibet (we book these on request)
- —Chinese visa (we can provide the documents you need to apply)
- —Lunches and dinners, and personal expenses
- —Single-room supplement (price on request)
- —Tips for your guide and driver
- —Costs arising from force majeure — weather, road or permit closures
Accommodation
Comfortable 4-star hotels in Nyingchi, the Meikang Hotel in Lhasa and the Gesar VIP Building Hotel in Shigatse (or equivalent), with a heated tent or oxygen-supplied guesthouse at Everest Base Camp. Hotel class is flexible; tell us your preference. Bring warm layers for the base-camp night.
Departures & Pricing
| Season | Per person |
|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Mar) | $1,290 |
| Shoulder (Apr, Nov) | $1,390 |
| Peak (May–Oct) | $1,490 |
| Peach blossom / Golden Week | $1,590 |
per person, twin-share. Fixed small-group departures run on set dates — tell us your month and we'll confirm the next available group.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nyingchi sits around 2,900m — some 700m lower than Lhasa — in a green, oxygen-rich river valley. Starting here lets your body adjust to altitude gradually over the first two or three days before you climb higher, which many travelers find easier than flying straight into Lhasa. It also adds some of Tibet's most beautiful, least-expected scenery: forests, peach valleys and the peak of Namcha Barwa.
Gallery
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