Rafting, Mt. Everest
20 days / April - October
Pricing: Pricing is based on group size and seasonality, please check with us to secure the best pricing.
Highlights:
• Visit the Everest Base Camp, one of the most spectacular places in the Himalayas.
• Raft along the Drigung Chu and Tolung Chu rivers, getting a unique view of some of the world’s most stunning landscape.
• Delve into local culture with visits to palaces, monasteries, temples, and more.
Start Up
Day 01: KATHMANDU:
One of our representatives will meet you at the airport and escort you to your hotel. You will be able to relax and explore for the rest of the day.
Day 02: KATHMANDU
In the morning, we’ll take a guided tour of the Kathamandu’s Durbar Square and Swoyambhunath Stupa, also known as the Monkey Temple. After lunch, we’ll visit Patan City. In the evening, we’ll gather for a briefing on our Tibetan tour followed by an authentic Nepalese dinner. While we eat, we’ll be treated to a performance of local dance.
Day 03: KATHMANDU – NAGARKOT
After breakfast, we’ll visit Pashupatinath Temple, which Hindus consider the most sacred temple. We’ll also visit Boudhanath Stupa, the biggest Buddhist dome in Asia. In the afternoon, we’ll drive to Nagarkot, the most renowned hill station on the rim of the Kathmandu Valley. At 2,019 meters, it provides outstanding panoramic views of the snowcapped mountain vista. Along our way, we’ll take a detour to Bhaktapur City, “The City of Devotees,” and we’ll marvel at the astounding art that has made this an UNESCO World Heritage site.
Day 04: NAGARKOT - KATHMANDU
After breakfast, we will drive to Changunarayan Temple, which is said to be the oldest temple in the valley. Once we arrive in Kathmandu, you can spend the rest of the day shopping and finishing up your preparations for the trip.
Day 05: KATHMANDU – LHASA
We’ll wake up for an early breakfast before our flight to Lhasa. At Gonggar Airport, your Tibetan guide will pick you up and then drive you to your hotel in Lhasa. After you check in, we suggest your spend the rest of the day acclimatizing.
Day 06: LHASA CITY
After breakfast, your local guide will take you on a tour that includes Sera Monastery, Jokhang Temple, and Barkhor Market. These historic places will provide you with unique insight into some important aspects of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as allowing a glimpse of Tibet’s rich cultural heritage.
Day 07: LHASA CITY
After an early breakfast, we will visit the majestic Potala Palace that dominates the landscape of Lhasa. After lunch, you will visit Norbulingka, the summer palace of the Dalai Lama. Later in the day you will visit the beautifully landscaped Drepung Monastery where you can see nuns and monks chanting and performing religious rituals.
Day 08: DRIGUNG CHU RIVER
After breakfast, we will drive to Drigung Valley, which is where we will put in for the first leg of our rafting adventure. After a technical briefing and training, we will head down the Drigung Chu. Situated in an exquisite alpine valley, this river provides exciting Class III rapids, which are interspersed with incredible granite gorges and challenging Class IV rapids. After lunch, we will drive back to Lhasa.
Day 09: TOLUNG CHU RIVER RAFT
In the morning, we’ll drive to the put-in point and head out for yet another day of rafting. Tolung Chu River is a fun whitewater adventure with Class II and Class III rapids. After an adrenaline-pumping morning and nice lunch, we will drive to Tsedang and check into our hotel.
Day 10: TSEDANG – LHASA
After breakfast, we will visit Yumbulakhang Palace, the palace built for the first Tibetan king, followed by a trip to Samye monastery, believed to be the first monastery in Tibet. Later in the afternoon, we will drive back to Lhasa.
Day 11: LHASA – NAMTSO LAKE
After breakfast, we will drive to Namtso Lake, the 2nd largest salt water lake in Tibet. The Nyenchen Thangla Mountain range towers over the lake to breathtaking effect. During the summer months, Namtso is dotted with nomadic herders and their yaks and tents.
Day 12: NAMTSO LAKE - GYANTSE
After breakfast, we will drive towards Namtso Lake via Gangbala Pass, pausing to appreciate a dazzling glimpse of Yamdrotso Lake from this unique vantage. On the way, we will visit Gyantse Kumpum Stupa, the most stunning architectural wonder in Tibet.
Day 13: GYANTSE - SHIGATSE
After breakfast drive, we’ll head to Shigatse to visit Shalu and Tashilumpo Monastery, one of the largest functioning monasteries in Tibet.
Day 14: SIGHTSEEING – SHEGAR
After breakfast, we’ll continue to drive to Shera along the Friendship Highway, marveling at the picturesque landscape as we drive past the small town of Lhatse and the Gyamtso La Pass. As the route opens into plains, we’ll see many monasteries and camps of nomadic herders.
Day 15: SHEGAR – RONGBUK
As we drive through the Pang La Pass, we will take the time to marvel at the majestic views of snow-capped peaks from Makalu to Shishapangma. In the afternoon, we will reach Rongbuk, which rises 5,000 meters above sea level, and we will finally get to see the spectacular sight of Mount Everest.
Day 16: EVEREST BASE CAMP
In the morning, you will have the opportunity to make an excursion to the Everest Base Camp. The base camp itself is dry and barren, but the views of Everest more than compensate for it. It truly is an awe-inspiring place with the sheer north face of the world’s highest mountain towering above you.
Day 17: RONGBUK – ZHANGMU
In the morning, we will drive past Tingri over Lalung La Pass and Shug La Pass. Enjoying the enchanting views of the surrounding peaks of Shishapangma, Cho Oyu, Menlungtse and Gauri Shankar, you descend from the arid Tibetan Plateau to verdant Zhangmu on the Nepalese border.
Day 18: ZHANGMU – KATHMANDU
Our final day of driving will bring us over the Bhote Koshi River to the Immigration Post in Kodari, where you will part with your Tibetan guide and walk across the Friendship Bridge. You will meet your Nepalese escort awaiting you here and after completing the re-entry formalities, he will drive you to Kathmandu.
Day 19: KATHMANDU
Enjoy a day of shopping and rest in the beautiful city of Kathmandu.
Day 20: FINAL DEPARTURE
After a leisurely breakfast, we will escort you to the airport for your return flight.
• Due to the formidable Himalayans, Tibet remains one of the most captivating, but least developed parts in the world. Within its very short history of tourism, tourist facilities are still basic and on a limited scale. However we will always put in all our efforts to make your visit as pleasant as possible as well as environmentally sustainable.
• We continue to work with our partner on sustainable initiatives and we only use local Tibetan or Nepalese companies for all of our logistics in order to keep more money in the Tibetan economy. (Free Tibet)