Cycling from Lhasa to Everest Base Camp-Tibet Odyssey Tours

Tibet Cycling Tour16 Days Lhasa to Everest Base Camp Biking Tour

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TOT: 16 Days Lhasa to Everest Base Camp Biking Tour

Tour Type: Private Tour: Flexible Travel Date & Travel Routes

Guide & Driver: Chinese-English-speaking guide & air-conditioned

Highlights:

Explore Lhasa, Gyantse and Shigatse and trace the historic footprints of Tibetan Buddhism
Wonder at the snow-capped mountains surrounding the spectacular Yamdrok Lake
Explore up close and in depth - Buddhism and the Tibetan culture
Bike through the spectacular and unique scenery of G318

Itinerary

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Day 1 Arrive in Lhasa

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Whether you arrive in Lhasa by train or by flight, your tour guide will be there to meet you to escort you to your hotel and check in. On the way from the airport to your hotel in Lhasa, you will be able to see the Yarlung Tsangpo/ Bhamaputra River (the world’s highest altitude river and the (the longest and largest river in Tibet) and the Lhasa River. You will have the rest of the day free to become acclimatized to the high elevation, or if you feel up to going out, you can go to Potala Square to enjoy the many-colored fountain and take some amazing photos of the Potala Palace from the square.

Accommodation: Overnight at Lhasa 3-Star hotel

Day 2 Lhasa tour - Potala Place, Johkang Temple, Barkor Street

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Today we will start off with the fantastic Potala Palace, which historically served as the winter home of the Dalai Lama. It was first used in the 7th century by the 33rd king of Tibet. The most valuable collections in the Potala Palace are the gilded burial stupas of the former Dalai Lamas and the meditation cave of the 33rd great king of Tibet. After lunch, we will move on to the Jokhang Temple, which was also founded in the 7th century by the 33rd great king of Tibet to promote the Buddhist religion. Inside you can see the statue of the Buddha Sakyamuni as he was at the age of twelve – this is perhaps the most venerated object in Tibetan Buddhism. Around the temple is Barkhor Street where you can perform the “Kora” (a religious circuit around a sacred building or mountain) with pilgrims and locals. The Barkhor market is also a great place to pick up locally made handicrafts and souvenirs.

Accommodation: Overnight at Lhasa 3-Star hotel

Day 3 Lhasa Tour - Drepung and Sera Monastery

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This morning we will visit the Drepung Monastery – one of the great three Gelug monasteries of Tibet. Founded in 1416 by Jamyang Choge, on Tosngkhapa’s main disciples, the Drepung Monastery is home of Ganden Palace, which formerly served as the Dalai Lama’s palace before later moving on to the Potala Palace. In the afternoon we will move on to see another of the great three of the Gelug monasteries in Tibet – the Sera Monastery. Founded in 1419 by another main disciple of Tsongkhapa, Jamchen Chojey, the main attraction of this monastery is the lively scene of the monks debating Buddhist scriptures in the courtyard behind the monastery in the afternoon.

Accommodation: Overnight at Lhasa 3-Star hotel

Day 4 Start the Bike Tour

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Your bike tour begins today! Today's journey will begin in Lhasa and end at the base (3,700m) of Khamba La Pass (85km). Stay overnight in tents.

Tips: Most visitors should be acclimatized by now, but if you feel faintness or shortness of breath, stop immediately and tell your guide. Make sure to bring snacks and plenty of water.

Accommodation: Overnight at local Guest House

Day 5 Khamba La Pass - Ngartse

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Total Cycle: 55 km
Bike across Kamba Pass (4794m) to Ngartse Village (4450m), a 55km journey. Camp for the night near Ngartse Village.
Tips: Bring plenty of water and snacks.

Accommodation: Overnight at local Guest House

Day 6 Ngartse - Karo Pass

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Total Cycle: 54 km
Go on a 54km bike trip to the base (4750m) of Karo Pass (5010m). Stay overnight in tents.
Tips: Be sure to bring plenty of water and snacks.

Accommodation: Overnight at local Guest House

Day 7 Karo Pass - Gyantse

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Bike across Karo Pass (5010m) to Gyantse (3980m) which is a 79km journey. Stay overnight in a hotel.
Tips: Be sure to bring plenty of water and snacks.

Accommodation: Overnight in Gyantse

Day 8 Gyantse - Shigatse

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Early tour of the Palkhor Monastery and the old part of Gyantse town Gyantse (almost 4,000m above sealevel). Gyantse is sometimes referred to as "Hero City" because it was the site of a battle against the British during their 1904 expedition. Palkhor monastery is a typical Buddhist monastery combining stupa and temple. The three sects of Tibetan Buddhism (Sakys, Gedang and Gelugpa) exist harmoniously within this monastery. Then ride (94km) on a good stretch of road to Shigatse (3,860m).

Accommodation: Overnight in Shigatse

Day 9 Shigatse - Gyachung Monastery

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Today we will cycle over two small passes, past the isolated Gyachung Monastery (4,100m). The day's journey will be roughly 75km. Camp for the night.
Tips: Be sure to bring plenty of water and snacks.

Accommodation: Overnight at local guest house

Day 10 Bike to Lhatse

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Bike across Yulong Pass (4,520m) to Lhatse (3860m). Today's jouney will be about 95km.

Accommodation: Overnight in local guest house

Day 11 Lhatse - Shegar

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Total cycle: 75 km
Today we will get our first view of Mount Everest as we bike across the highest pass of this biking adventure, Gyamtso La Pass (5,220m), and head toward Tingri (Shegar) (4,050m). Tingri used to be an important trading outpost where Nepalese Sherpas would trade rice, grain, and iron for Tibetan wool, livestock, and salt. The surrounding grassland's fast flowing rivers of melted snow provide an ideal grazing ground for livestock. Stay overnight in a hotel.
Tips: Keep your eyes open for wildlife in the area. The surroundings provide a great opportunity for beautiful pictures.

Accommodation: Overnight in local guest house

Day 12 Shegar - Rongbuk Valley

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We head along the main road towards Everest Base, facing 20km of uphill switchbacks with a total of 42 hairpin bends to the summit of the Pang Pass (5,150m). We then take a 20-kilometer downhill ride to the Rongbuk Valley (4,200m). The trip is a total of 67km. Stay overnight in tents.
Tips: Be very careful of the winding road. Take your time and tell your guide if you are uncomfortable. Obviously, it can be quite cold there, so pack warm clothes.At night, visitors can get up to take photos of Mt. Everest surrounded by the moon and stars. Be sure to get up early to see the sunrise over Mt. Everest.

Accommodation: Overnight at local guest house

Day 13 Rongbuk Monastery - E.B.C.

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Exploration of the highest monastery Rongbuk Monastery (4,200m). Then bike 8km to the Mount Everest Base Camp (5,150m). Stay overnight in tents.
Tips: If you stay overnight near Rongphu Monastery either in a tent or guesthouse, it takes about a 2 hour trek from the monastery to the first base camp. Obviously, it can be quite cold there, so pack warm clothes. If you take a shuttle bus from Rongphu monastery to the Everest base camp (8km) it should take about 15mins. At night, visitors can get up to take photos of Mt. Everest surrounded by the moon and stars. Be sure to get up early to see the sunrise over Mt. Everest.

Accommodation: Overnight at local tent

Day 14 EBC –Shigatse (About 380 KM, 9 hours)

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Sunrise at EBC, winding roads, beautiful scenery on the way. If you did not go to see the sun set at EBC the day before, rise early on the morning of day 6 to catch the magnificent sunrise. Afterwards, the drive will go all the way to Shigatse.

Accommodation: Overnight in Shigatse

Day 15 Shigatse (Tashilunpo Monastery RMB80) –Lhasa

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Early morning head to visit Tashilunpo Monastery. Then head to the train station to take the train from Shigatse back to Lhasa. （Z8804 12：05-14：40）

Accommodation: Overnight in Lhasa

Day 16 Lhasa Departure

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Today you will be free until you are escorted to the airport / train station. Service ends.

Accommodation:

Price Includes.

All necessary Tibet Travel Permit. (Including Tibet Entry Permit, Alien Travel Permit, border Pass
Private professional English-Speaking local tour guide
Licensed Vehicle with experienced driver
Airport (or train）pick up and drop off
Accommodation listed in the itinerary
Breakfast provided by the hotel
Tourists Accident/Casualty Insurance
A container of Oxygen for emergency use
All taxes, fees and handling charges
Lodging and meal allowance to the guide & driver
Reservation fee for visiting Potala Palace
2 bottles of drinking water per person per day

Price Excludes.

Meals not specified in the itinerary (All lunches & dinners)
All Entrance tickets to the sightseeing places
Flight/Train tickets in and out of Tibet
Personal expenses such as laundry, drink, fax, telephone call, optional tour activities, etc.
Any losses incurred from the force majeure factor like government control, natural disaster etc.
Tips to the guide & driver ( Tips is not required but expected)
Single room supplement

Booking Information

1.The above routes accept Chinese people(people from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) and foreign visitors to attend the group booking, foreign guests and Taiwan tourists to Tibet, please contact us to apply for Tibet Permit!

2.Due to Covid-19, there has international travel restrictions for Tibet travel, so we can not guarantee travelers in one group are all English speakers. Our professional tour guide will provide Chinese-English service if there has English speakers in the join-in group. Therefore, we will not make any reimbursement for tour guide language reason.

3.June, July, August, September is peak season. Joining our group can guarantee the ticket of Potala Palace. The Potala Palace may be adjusted to the other days because of the current limitation of 2,300 visitors per day to protect the historic site.

4.Without affecting the original standards and scenic spots, we might change the sequences of scenic spots according to the actual situation on the day of the trip.

5.Patients with severe hypertension, asthma or heart disease should not join the group. Patients with colds should only go to Tibet after recovery.

6.Due to force majeure factors in case of landslides, mud-rock flow, avalanche, flood, earthquake and other natural phenomena influence or airline flight delay, cancel to causes such as the increase of expenses or unable to follow a normal schedule, we shall not bear the liability for compensation according to the tourism related regulations, but we will actively coordinate processing, in order to ensure a smooth trip.

7.Any failure to complete the activities during the tour due to the guests' own reasons or early departure will be considered as a waiver and the fee will not be refunded.

8.Tibet is a borderland area inhabited by ethnic minorities with limited tourist reception conditions. We hope that visitors can have reasonable expectations, respect the cultural beliefs and living habits of ethnic minorities and live in harmony with each other.

9.If there is a single room due to gender reasons, we will arrange a triple room (or double standard room with and extra bed) or fill the single room difference by the guest.

10.The shops in scenic spots do not belong to the travel agency's shopping shop arrangement. Please consider carefully.

11.Self-paid items are considered according to the time and the proportion of the approved members on the day, and no mandatory consumption is made.

Warm Tips

1.Travelers with severe high blood pressure or heart disease should not go to Tibet. Please do not bring serious colds into Tibet. Don’t go before the serious colds recovered!

2.Tibet is located in the plateau and most of the travelers might have plateau reaction. Please pay attention to rest and have proper diet (do not eat too full, because it will increase the burden of the stomach). Travelers can be appropriate to take some drugs, such as: Gaoyuan An, Rhodiola, Nuodi Kang; travelers with serious can appropriately take oxygen or hanging saline.

3.Because of the long drive in Tibet, travelers will spend a lot of time in the car, and inevitably can not eat on time, please bring some snacks and biscuits during drive.

4.Due to the special conditions in Tibet, please pay attention to keep warm. On the first day of arrival, please do not try to take a bath. Taking a bath will accelerate blood circulation and increase the body's demand for oxygen.

5.Tibet has a strong sunshine, especially dry climate, sunscreen, sunglasses, lip balm and other essential are necessary.

6.From April to November is the best time for sightseeing.

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