Tibet Advanced Everest Base Camp Trek

You’re met at Tribhuvan International Airport and transferred to your hotel in a private vehicle. The rest of the day is free to rest and recover from travelling before the journey ahead.

After breakfast we hold a briefing to introduce your trek leader and run through the trip — bring your passport, passport photos, and a copy of your travel insurance. Then we head out to see the valley: Boudhanath, one of the world’s largest Buddhist stupas; Pashupatinath, the famous Shiva temple on the Bagmati River; and Bhaktapur Durbar Square, a cluster of pagoda and shikhara temples around the Palace of 55 Windows. The rest of the day is free for last-minute shopping in Thamel, and your Tibet permit and visa are handed over in the evening.

The flight to Lhasa is one of the most beautiful air routes anywhere, with sweeping views of Everest, Kangchenjunga, and the rest of the Himalaya. You’re met by your Tibetan guide on arrival and driven into the city, about 1.5 hours away. Take it easy for the remainder of the day to adjust to Lhasa’s altitude.

The day begins at Sera Monastery, with its whitewashed walls and golden roofs, followed by the gardens of the Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama’s former summer residence. We also visit the Jokhang Temple and the bustling Barkhor, where vendors sell thangkas, masks, prayer beads, and all manner of Tibetan crafts.

The highlight today is the Potala Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its Buddhist treasures and the bejewelled tombs of past Dalai Lamas. We then visit Drepung Monastery, once home to over 10,000 monks and a great seat of learning, before finishing at the Tibet Museum, with its rich collection of relics, statues, thangkas, and scriptures.

We travel the Friendship Highway over the Khamba La (4,794 m), with views of the deep-blue Yamdrok Tso lake and the Nazin Kang Sang glacier, then cross the Karo La at 5,045 m. After 261 kilometres the road reaches Gyantse, a traditional Tibetan town of stone farmhouses.

Gyantse’s highlights are the 14th-century Dzong fort and the Kumbum, a tiered stupa topped with a golden dome and filled with Tibetan Buddhist murals. We then drive 90 kilometres to Shigatse, stopping at Shalu Monastery along the way. Shigatse, Tibet’s second city, is home to Tashilhunpo, one of the largest working monasteries in Tibet.

The drive to Shegar runs through striking high country, passing Lhatse and the Gyamtso La at 5,220 metres. There’s a chance to see Natang Monastery and Sakya Monastery, which holds an enormous library and a book written entirely in gold. As the land opens into vast plains, distant monasteries and nomad camps come into view.

From Shegar we cross the Pang La at 5,150 metres, leaving the highway for rougher roads with views of Makalu and Shishapangma. After around 85 kilometres we reach Rongbuk, where Everest comes into full view, and continue by jeep to Base Camp. We also visit Rongbuk Monastery, a pilgrimage site founded in 1902, and walk the old paths lined with carved prayer stones.

We spend several days here to acclimatise properly before trekking higher — essential preparation for the altitude to come. There are short day walks to fill the time, but the real luxury is simply sitting, reading, and dining with the sheer north face of the highest mountain on earth towering overhead.

We set off up a dusty ablation valley with views of Pumori, Lingtren, and Nuptse, then branch up the East Rongbuk valley. The trail climbs over moraine rubble, and the first ice seracs rise like white sails from the dark, debris-laden surface of the glacier.

About two hours above Interim Camp, the central ridgeline leads into a maze of ice at the confluence with the Changtse Glacier. Camp 2 sits just beyond, in a beautiful spot where glaciers spill into the valley from every direction and the gravel “highway” threads through the ice formations.

The Rongbuk Glacier is a frozen ocean of ice, with some of the most dramatic mountain views in Tibet. We follow the central moraine — the route expeditions use to begin their Everest climbs — past Changtse Base Camp and Lhakpa Ri Base Camp before reaching Advanced Base Camp, the old “Camp 3”. This final section is always tough going at altitude.

A spare day to soak up the expedition atmosphere at Advanced Base Camp, the staging point for the North Col route. The summit of Everest looks impossibly close from here — little more than 2,400 metres above — and this is as near to the top as any non-climber can stand.

A long downhill day back to Base Camp, completed in one push. Starting from Camp 2 makes for a more enjoyable descent, with a chance to finally lift your eyes off your boots and take in the surroundings as the altitude eases.

At first light we watch the sunrise on Everest’s north face — a truly awe-inspiring sight — before driving on toward the border. The route crosses the Lalung La and Shung La passes, with views of Shishapangma, Cho Oyu, Menlungtse, and Gauri Shankar, then descends from the dry plateau into the green, fertile hills around Zhangmu near the Nepali border.

A short drive brings us to the Friendship Bridge over the Bhote Koshi River, where we cross into Nepal at Kodari and part ways with the Tibetan crew. After about four hours driving through deep valleys, we arrive back in Kathmandu.

A free day in Kathmandu — a good chance to add on a jungle safari, rafting trip, or scenic Everest flight if you’d like. In the evening we gather for a farewell dinner at a traditional Nepali restaurant with cultural performances.