10-Day Lhasa, Everest Base Camp & Namtso Lake Tour
TRIP OVERVIEW
This ten-day journey takes the classic Lhasa-to-Everest route and then turns north into the quieter grasslands and lake country of northern Tibet. After Everest, you travel across a very different landscape of open plateau, wildlife habitat and huge blue lakes. Seling Tso and Namtso are the natural highlights, while the first half of the trip keeps the cultural depth of Lhasa, Yamdrok and Shigatse. It is a longer road trip, but it shows two very different sides of Tibet in one itinerary. 🤩
HIGHLIGHTS
🏜 Lhasa - You will visit all of Lhasa major sites (Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street, and Sera monastery)
⛰ Everest Base Camp - You will spend one night at EBC! From there, you will have the best view on Mt. Everest, the highest mountain in the world!
🏞 Yamdrok Lake - It is a freshwater lake in Tibet, also one of the three largest sacred lakes in Tibet. The lake is surrounded by many snow-capped mountains and is fed by numerous small streams.
🧊 Namtso Lake - It is the "Heavenly Lake" which is one of the four holy lakes of Tibet and also the highest salt lake.
ITINERARY
Day 1
Welcome to Lhasa
Welcome to Tibet! On arrival at Lhasa airport or railway station, your local Tibetan guide and driver will greet you and present you with a traditional white Khata scarf.
From the airport, the transfer to central Lhasa takes approximately one hour. After checking in, take the rest of the day to relax and begin adapting gently to the altitude.
🏔️ Altitude: 3,650 m
🚗 Distance: Approximately 70 km / 1 hour from the airport
🍽️ Meals: None
🛏️ Accommodation:
Eco: Xinding Hotel Lhasa (拉萨新鼎大酒店) or similar
Comfort: Thangka Hotel, Deluxe Room (拉萨唐卡酒店豪华房) or similar
*Free airport pickup is available at 10:00, 13:30, 16:00 and 18:30. A private pickup can be arranged for approximately RMB 400 if you prefer not to wait or arrive after the last shuttle. Train-station pickup is also included.
Day 2
Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery
Begin your discovery of Tibetan Buddhism at Drepung Monastery, once one of Tibet’s largest monastic institutions. Explore its assembly halls, courtyards and monastic buildings as your guide introduces you to the traditions and daily life of its monks.
In the afternoon, continue to Sera Monastery to watch its animated Buddhist debates. Through emphatic gestures, questions and responses, the monks test their knowledge of Buddhist philosophy using a centuries-old method of study.
This evening, enjoy a welcome dinner with your fellow travellers.
🏔️ Altitude: Approximately 3,650–3,800 m
🍽️ Meals: Breakfast and welcome dinner
🛏️ Accommodation:
Eco: Xinding Hotel Lhasa (拉萨新鼎大酒店) or similar
Comfort: Thangka Hotel, Deluxe Room (拉萨唐卡酒店豪华房) or similar
Day 3
Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street
Today introduces you to the cultural and spiritual heart of Lhasa. Visit the Potala Palace, the city’s most iconic landmark and the former winter residence of successive Dalai Lamas. Inside, explore historic halls, chapels, murals and sacred treasures while learning about Tibet’s religious and political history.
At Longwangtan Park, below the palace, you may see local residents dancing, exercising or gathering beside the lake. Continue to the Jokhang Temple, Tibet’s most revered pilgrimage site, before joining pilgrims along the traditional route around Barkhor Street.
Finish the experience in a local Tibetan teahouse, where you can enjoy sweet tea and observe an everyday side of life in Lhasa.
🏔️ Altitude: 3,650 m
🍽️ Meals: Breakfast and Tibetan sweet tea
🛏️ Accommodation:
Eco: Xinding Hotel Lhasa (拉萨新鼎大酒店) or similar
Comfort: Thangka Hotel, Deluxe Room (拉萨唐卡酒店豪华房) or similar
*Potala Palace entry times are allocated through the official reservation system, so the order of Days 2 and 3 may occasionally change.
Day 4
Lhasa to Shigatse via Yamdrok Lake and Karola Glacier
Leave Lhasa for a spectacular journey across central Tibet. Climb to Kambala Pass at approximately 4,797 metres, where the turquoise waters of Yamdrok Lake unfold below, framed by mountains and distant snow-covered peaks.
Continue along approximately 20 kilometres of lakeshore, stopping at different viewpoints along the way. At a lakeside village, visit a local Tibetan farming family and enjoy lunch in their home—an opportunity to experience rural life beside one of Tibet’s most sacred lakes.
After lunch, travel higher into the mountains to Karola Glacier. At approximately 5,030 metres, the glacier’s immense tongue descends dramatically towards the roadside, creating one of the day’s most memorable landscapes.
Continue past Manla Lake and through the fertile farming valleys around Gyantse before arriving in Shigatse, Tibet’s second-largest city.
🏔️ Altitude: Approximately 3,650 m / 5,030 m / 3,600 m
🚗 Distance: Approximately 360 km / 7–8 hours of driving
🍽️ Meals: Breakfast and Tibetan farmhouse lunch
🛏️ Accommodation:
Eco: Shiga-Yangcha Hotel (喜嘎央恰酒店) or similar
Comfort: Qo Mo Lang Zong Hotel (乔穆朗宗酒店) or similar
Day 5
Shigatse to Everest Base Camp
Today, travel deeper into the Himalayas towards the north face of Mount Everest. Leaving Shigatse, pass through farming villages and open plateau landscapes before crossing Gyatso La Pass, the highest point of the journey at approximately 5,280 metres.
Near Tingri, weather permitting, enjoy your first distant view of Mount Everest. Continue into the Everest scenic area and climb to Gyawula Pass, where some of the Himalayas’ greatest peaks rise together above the plateau, including Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu and Shishapangma.
From here, follow the winding mountain road towards Everest Base Camp. Everest gradually grows larger until its immense north face dominates the horizon. The team will aim to arrive before sunset, giving you the chance to watch the mountain turn golden in the evening light when the weather is clear.
Spend the night near Everest Base Camp, surrounded by the extraordinary stillness of the Himalayas.
🏔️ Altitude: Approximately 3,600 m / 5,280 m / 5,200 m
🚗 Distance: Approximately 340 km / 7–8 hours of driving
🍽️ Meals: Breakfast
🛏️ Accommodation:
Eco: Everest Base Camp Tent Guesthouse (珠峰大本营帐篷招待所)
Comfort: Everest Base Camp Tent Guesthouse (珠峰大本营帐篷招待所)
*The tent guesthouse offers basic shared accommodation without private bathrooms. The Eco and Comfort distinction does not apply at Everest Base Camp but you can chose to upgrade to hotel.
**During winter, the guesthouse might be closed. In this case, we will stay in Basong Village or the nearest available accommodation. The next morning, we will travel directly to Shigatse without returning to Everest Base Camp.
Day 6
Everest Base Camp to Shigatse
Wake to the peaceful Himalayan landscape and, if the weather is clear, enjoy the morning view of Mount Everest. After breakfast, visit Rongbuk Monastery, dramatically located beneath the mountain and considered one of the world’s highest monasteries.
Leaving Everest, travel to Xilin Viewpoint for another perspective over the Himalayas, including the eastern side of Everest and neighbouring Mount Lhotse. Continue through remote plateau landscapes and pass the historic town of Sakya on the return journey to Shigatse.
This evening, celebrate the Everest experience with a traditional Tibetan dinner accompanied by local song and dance.
🏔️ Altitude: Approximately 5,200 m / 4,300 m / 3,600 m
🚗 Distance: Approximately 360 km / 8 hours of driving
🍽️ Meals: Breakfast and traditional Tibetan dinner with song and dance
🛏️ Accommodation:
Eco: Shiga-Yangcha Hotel (喜嘎央恰酒店) or similar
Comfort: Qo Mo Lang Zong Hotel (乔穆朗宗酒店) or similar
Day 7
Northern Tibet Grasslands and Seling Tso
Today, leave Shigatse and travel north into the immense grasslands of the Qiangtang Plateau. Smooth roads and open landscapes make this long journey part of the experience, revealing a side of Tibet that few visitors reach.
The scenery changes throughout the day, with herds of yaks and sheep, nomadic settlements, snow-dusted mountain ranges and hidden lakes appearing across the plateau. Wildlife sightings are also possible, including Tibetan antelope, wild yaks and black-necked cranes.
Stop beside a natural hot spring for a relaxing foot soak before continuing deeper into northern Tibet.
Later, reach Seling Tso, Tibet’s largest lake. At approximately 4,700 metres, its deep blue waters stretch towards the horizon like an inland sea. Continue to Bange for the night.
🏔️ Altitude: Approximately 3,600–4,700 m
🚗 Distance: Approximately 550 km / 9 hours of driving
🍽️ Meals: Breakfast
🛏️ Accommodation:
Eco: Hanting Hotel Bange (班戈汉庭酒店) or similar
Comfort: Hanting Hotel Bange (班戈汉庭酒店) or the best available equivalent
Day 8
Bange – Namtso Lake – Holy Elephant Gate
After breakfast, leave Bange and continue through the vast landscapes of northern Tibet. Herds of yaks graze across the grasslands, and you may spot Tibetan antelopes along the way. You will also pass the peaceful waters of Bamu Tso before reaching Namtso Lake.
Continue towards the remote northern shore of Namtso, home to the spectacular Holy Elephant Gate. This natural rock formation resembles an elephant dipping its trunk into the lake and is considered a sacred place by Tibetan pilgrims.
Tonight, you will stay in a simple local guesthouse near Holy Elephant Gate, surrounded by the silence and wide-open landscapes of the Tibetan Plateau.
🏔️ Altitude: approximately 4,718 m
🍽️ Meals: Breakfast
🛏️ Accommodation:
Simple local guesthouse near Holy Elephant Gate
The Eco and Comfort distinction does not apply to this remote night.
Day 9
Holy Elephant Gate – Lhasa
Wake up beside the northern shore of Namtso Lake and continue to Holy Elephant Gate, where the immense blue lake, snow-covered Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains and striking rock formation come together in one unforgettable view.
Take time to explore the lakeshore, photograph the scenery and experience the spiritual atmosphere of this remote sacred place. You may also see Tibetan pilgrims completing their kora around the site.
After the visit, begin the return journey to Lhasa. Lunch will be enjoyed with the group along the way, before arriving at your hotel in the evening for a well-earned rest.
🏔️ Altitude: Holy Elephant Gate approximately 4,718 m; Lhasa 3,650 m
🍽️ Meals: Breakfast and lunch
🛏️ Accommodation:
Eco: Xinding Hotel Lhasa (拉萨新鼎大酒店) or similar
Comfort: Thangka Hotel, Deluxe Room (拉萨唐卡酒店豪华房) or similar
Day 10
Departure from Lhasa
After breakfast, it is time to say goodbye to Tibet. Depending on your departure schedule, transfer to Lhasa Airport or the railway station for your onward journey.
We hope the landscapes, encounters and unforgettable moments of this adventure stay with you long after you leave the Tibetan Plateau.
🍽️ Meals: Breakfast
*Free airport drop-off shuttles leave the hotel at 06:30, 08:00 and 12:00. If these times do not suit your departure, a private transfer can be arranged for approximately RMB 400.
PHOTOS
Get a glimpse of the tour experience!
DETAILS
Price
Tour Prices 2026 (in RMB)
Low Season
January 1 to February 28 and November 1 to December 31
Eco hotel: ¥8,820 (~US$1,315) | single supplement: ¥1,300
Comfort hotel: ¥9,540 (~US$1,420) | single supplement: ¥1,770
Shoulder Season
March 1 to May 31 and October 11 to October 31
Eco hotel: ¥9,030 (~US$1,345) | single supplement: ¥1,380
Comfort hotel: ¥10,070 (~US$1,500) | single supplement: ¥2,020
High Season
June 1 to July 9 and August 21 to September 19
Eco hotel: ¥9,380 (~US$1,400) | single supplement: ¥1,460
Comfort hotel: ¥10,580 (~US$1,575) | single supplement: ¥2,260
Peak Season
July 10 to August 20 and September 20 to October 10
Eco hotel: ¥9,720 (~US$1,450) | single supplement: ¥1,620
Comfort hotel: ¥11,080 (~US$1,650) | single supplement: ¥2,580
*USD amounts are approximate and provided for reference only. Payments are based on the RMB price.
Tour Prices 2027: To be confirmed.
Date
2026 Departure Dates
October: 14, 16, 23, 29
2027 Departure Dates
April: 4, 9, 18, 23, 26, 28
May: 2, 7, 16, 21, 30
June: 6, 9, 11, 20, 25, 28
July: 4, 9, 18, 23
August: 1, 8, 13, 22, 27
September: 5, 10, 19, 24, 27
October: 3, 8, 17, 22
Included
- Documents: Tibet travel permit
- Airport pickup and dropoff on given time
(Airport Pick-up Schedule: 10:00, 13:30, 16:00 and 18:30; Airport Drop-off Schedule from hotel: 06:30, 08:00, 12:00)
- Transportation: comfortable Tourist Vehicle
- Transportation: eco-bus at the base camp
- Guide: English-speaking Tibetan local tour guide
- Accommodation x9 nights: See hotels details below. Shared room for 2 persons except at EBC (dorm-style).*
- Meals: Breakfasts x9 (day 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
- Meals: Lunch x2 (day 4, 9)
- Meals: Tea x1 (day 3)
- Meals: Dinner x2 (day 2, 6)
- Entrance ticket fees for all tourist sites listed in the itinerary
- Oxygen: Oxygen bottle provided during the tour if necessary
-Insurance: travel accident insurance
⚠️ * If you’re traveling solo, we’ll help pair you with a roommate whenever possible. If no match is available, a single-room supplement will apply (see the price above).
Excluded
- Flight or train to and from Tibet
- Meals not mentioned in "included" (most meals are about 30-100rmb/meal)
- Tips to tour guide and driver
- Single Room Supplement
- Personal expenses
Cancellation Fee
- Between booking and 15 days prior to departure: 500rmb
- Between 14 and 5 days prior to departure: 2000rmb
- Between 4 and 1 days prior to departure: 50% of the price
- On departure day or no-show: 100% of the price
Cancellation Policy
If severe weather creates a safety risk, or a government restriction makes the trip impossible to operate, we will cancel the affected tour and refund the tour prepayment. Flight and train cancellation charges are not covered and must be handled directly with the airline or railway provider.
Important Notes
If the Tibet Travel Permit is not approved, or a change in government regulation means the trip cannot operate, the tour prepayment will be refunded. M2Adventure does not cover cancellation fees for flights or train tickets.
Important Information
Permit: Foreign travellers need a Tibet Travel Permit. M2Adventure handles the application process; passport and China visa documents must meet the current requirements.
Altitude: This itinerary reaches about 5,200 m at Everest Base Camp. The first days in Lhasa are designed to allow time to adapt before travelling higher.
Potala Palace: The visiting time is allocated through the official reservation system, so the order of the Lhasa days can change.
FAQ
Which permits are required for this tour?
Foreign travellers need a Tibet Travel Permit and the relevant documents for the Everest region. M2Adventure arranges the required permits after your booking is confirmed and will guide you through the document process.
Is the full ten-day tour conducted in English?
Yes. All guided services and explanations are provided in English by a professional local Tibetan guide. You will be accompanied throughout the cultural visits and the overland journey.
What accommodation is used along the route?
Accommodation depends on the location and your selected category:
Lhasa Eco: Xinding Hotel Lhasa (拉萨新鼎大酒店) or similar.
Lhasa Comfort: Thangka Hotel, Deluxe Room (拉萨唐卡酒店豪华房) or similar.
Shigatse Eco: Shiga-Yangcha Hotel (喜嘎央恰) or similar.
Shigatse Comfort: Qo Mo Lang Zong Hotel (乔穆朗宗酒店) or similar.
Everest Base Camp: EBC Tent Guesthouse (帐篷招待所).
Bange: Hanting Hotel (汉庭酒店) or similar.
Holy Elephant Gate: simple local guesthouse.
Accommodation in northern Tibet and at Everest is simpler than in Lhasa and Shigatse. The EBC tent guesthouse does not have private bathrooms.
What transportation is provided?
You will travel in a comfortable, air-conditioned tourist vehicle with an experienced local driver. Vehicle size depends on the final group size. Official scenic-area shuttles are used where required, including around Everest Base Camp.
What is the maximum altitude?
The route reaches around 5,280 metres at Gyatso La Pass and approximately 5,200 metres at Everest Base Camp. The itinerary travels progressively through Lhasa and Shigatse before the highest sections, and oxygen support is available if needed during the high-altitude journey.
What are the driving days like?
This journey explores some of Tibet’s most spectacular and remote landscapes, so a few days include six to eight hours of driving. You will travel in a comfortable tourist vehicle, with the scenery changing constantly—from Himalayan passes and high-altitude lakes to open grasslands where yaks and Tibetan antelopes may be seen. On this route, the journey is very much part of the experience.
Why choose this tour instead of the eight-day Everest tour?
This ten-day itinerary is perfect for travellers who want to experience more than the classic Lhasa-to-Everest route. After visiting Everest Base Camp, the journey continues across the quieter landscapes of northern Tibet to Seling Tso, Namtso Lake and the Qiangtang grasslands. It combines Tibet’s essential cultural highlights with some of its wildest and least-visited scenery.
Will the itinerary always follow the same order?
The route normally follows the published itinerary. Occasionally, the order or timing of visits may be adjusted because of weather, road conditions, official reservation times or local regulations. When this happens, our local team will organise the best possible alternative while keeping the overall experience and planned highlights intact.