12 Days of Lhasa-Everest-Kathmandu Tour

Route Feature

Lhasa, literally meaning “Holy-Land”, is the heart and soul of Tibet, has history of more than 1,300 years.  It rose to prominence as an important center of administrative power in the 7th century AD, when Songtsen Gampo, a local ruler in the Yarlung Valley, continued the task of unifying Tibet.  Songtsen Gampo moved his capital to Lhasa and built a palace on the site that is now occupied by the Potala.  The fifth Dalai Lama also made Lhasa his capital.  He built his palace, the Potala, on the site of ruins of Songtsen Gampo’s 7th century palace, Lhasa has remained Tibet’s capital since 1642, and most of the city’s historical sights date from this second stage of the city’s development. 

Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet, is another political, economic and religious center other than Lhasa.  Shigatse has been the seat of the Panchen Lama, who is traditionally based in Tashilhunpo Monastery.  Tashilhunpo is one of Tibet’s highlights and is Shigatse’s foremost attraction.

The Tibetan name for Mt. Everest is “Quomolangma” which literally means “The Third Goddess”. Towering 8848.13 meters in the middle section of the Himalaya in Tingri County, Shigatse, Quomolangma teems with snow-capped peaks and glaciers. Everest region has four peaks above 8000 meters and 38 peaks above 7000 meter, thus is reputed as the Third Pole on the Earth. Glaciers of modern era are located at the foot of the mountains, deep caves and snaking ice rivers present a magnificent view around the Quomolangma.

The three great towns of the Kathmandu Valley – Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur – still bear witness to their days as fiercely competitive medieval mini-kingdoms. Indeed, in Nepal’ it’s possible to mentally turn back the clock to the medieval era, such is the evocative power of the country.

The wonderful part of this trip is to see the different faces of the Himalaya Range: on the north side, the ever-stretching snow mountains and atrocious weather make it an inhospitable land. While the south side of the Himalaya embraces luxurious shades of green, with waterfalls and cascades flushing almost everywhere. You can do nothing but marvel at this Mother Nature’s masterpiece.