Emperors to Everest 33 China and Central Asia tours the Great Wall of China and Everest Base Camp - an incredible overland expedition! Tibet and Inner Mongolia

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Emperors to Everest 33

Emperors to Everest Overland
Beijing to Kathmandu Napal, Tibet, China
33 days: Distance: 4,000+ km

This Central Asia overland trip to China departs Napal, The Crew leading these trips are some of our most experienced available. On this trip we will camp approximately 50% of the time, some of which will be in the extremes of mountainous regions. The hotels we use will be small locally owned pensions and bed and breakfasts and may often be of a very basic standard. But this should be regarded as part and parcel of being among the first to partake in such a ground breaking expedition and this in turn is reflected in the cost of the trip. Please also be aware that any and all information regarding this overland trip is only available from our website - there are no printed brochures - apart from our "detailed trip notes" which contain information about where to join this tour, a more in-depth itinerary, what to bring with you, visas and vaccinations, optional excursions etc and which can be ordered or viewed online as well.

We have a couple of days in Beijing at the beginning of the trip

Days 1 – 3 Beijing is a huge, sprawling city, full of people, bicycles, traffic, history, tradition and modernisation and jam packed with great restaurants, shops and awesome sights. We include a trip out to the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace.

Days 4 – 10 We take the overnight sleeper train to Xian. Xian is renowned the world over for the Terracotta Warriors, Big and Little Goose Pagodas, the Drum and Bell Towers and the historical City Walls.

Days 11 – 15 Linxia was an important trading place on the Silk Road and its markets today are well worth a visit. Continuing west we travel through mountainous country to the grasslands of Qinghai Province and Qinghai Lake, grazed by herds of yak and sheep. We ascend to the Tibetan Plateau. we leave Qinghai Province and enter Tibet, Now named the Tibetan Autonomous Region by the Chinese. Nowadays, there is little suppression of religion and Tibetan Buddhism is still going strong, although the Dalai Lama remains exiled in India.

Days 16 – 19 We arrive in Lhasa, the fascinating capital of Tibet. The most prominent and impressive feature is the stunning Potala Palace - home of the exiled Dalai Lama.

Days 20 – 23 Leaving Lhasa, we cross the Kamba La Pass and descend along a rough road to the small town of Gyangtse, where you can visit Palkhor Monastery housing Tibet’s largest stupa as well as the historical old fort.

Further west is Tibet’s second city, Xigatse which houses the tallest Buddha in Tibet.

Days 24 – 27 We drive through agricultural land before climbing to a higher altitude again and reaching the town of Tingri. From here it’s possible to make a jeep trip to the Rongbuk Monastery, the highest monastery in the world and Everest Base Camp.

En route to the small town of Nyalam, we stop at Milarepa’s cave once home to a reclusive Buddhist saint.

Days 28 – 33 It’s a steep descent towards the border as we leave the barren landscape behind and begin to see more vegetation, eventually turning to forest. Crossing the Friendship Bridge, we enter Nepal and drive the short distance to the Last Resort, situated in a beautiful, forested area where the Bhote Kosi River flows through a deep gorge.

Our final drive takes us to the capital city of Kathmandu. We have a free day in Kathmandu at the end of the trip however, you may want to stay on a little longer to see more of the sights.