All participants must arrive in Chengdu, China by 4pm on 14 October. Elevated Trips will give you detailed instructions on how to easily get to the 5 Star Chengdu Airport Hotel. We will meet in the hotel lobby at 5:30pm. We will eat dinner together during a time of meet and greet at a centrally located restaurant in the hotel.

At 8:35am, we will fly to Lhasa and arrive at 10:50am. The Tibetan capital sits at 3590 meters and is the cultural and spiritual heart of Tibet. After getting situated in a modern, centrally located hotel, we will explore and photograph the center of the Old Tibetan Quarter in the heart of Lhasa. The Barkhor is the main shopping market for local Tibetans. It is one of the most interesting markets in all of Asia and is an excellent place to photograph modern Tibetan culture. In Lhasa we will stay at the 4 Star Shangbala Hotel, located within short walking distance to Jokhang Temple and the Lhasa Old Town.

After breakfast, we will spend the morning going through the Jokhang, Tibet’s holiest and most famous temple. Each day, thousands of Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims work their way through this nearly 1400 year old temple. We will also explore Tsamkhung Nunnery, one of the largest nunneries in the Lhasa area. In the afternoon, we will photograph the Buddhist philosophy debates at Sera, one of Tibet’s largest monasteries. The monk debates will be a major highlight during your time in Tibet. In the late afternoon and after dinner, you can explore the Lhasa Old Town on your own.

We will start the day by exploring Tibet’s most iconic building, the Potala Palace. Towering above Lhasa with more than 1000 rooms, the Potala Palace served as the winter residence of the Dalai Lama’s for hundreds of years. In the afternoon, we will have some free time to do some shopping and continue photographing Lhasa’s amazing Old Town. NOTE: The exact time for us to visit the Potala Palace will be set by the tourism bureau. It normally is in the morning, but could be in the afternoon.

In the morning, we will depart from Lhasa and drive to Gyantse via Yamdrok Lake. Yamdrok Lake, during clear weather, is a brilliant turquoise color and is one of the 4 main holy lakes in Tibetan Buddhism. The huge, glaciated 7191 meter Mt. Nojin Kangtsang forms the backdrop of the lake. The lake sits at an elevation of 4441 meters above sea level. Along the way to Gyantse, we will stop by the glaciers of Mt. Nojin Kangtsang at the Karo La Pass, which come down almost to the highway. Gyantse is a small, but modern Tibetan town, that lies at 4025 meters. We will be photographing the Pelkor Chode Monastery as well as the Gyantse Kumbum, the highest stupa (Buddhist pagoda) in Tibet. The drive from Lhasa to Gyantse covers 260 kms (162 miles). In Gyantse, we will stay at the 3 Star Yeti Hotel, the best in town.

After breakfast, we will photograph the 600 year old Pelkor Chode Monastery. This beautiful monastery lies within a walled complex in the Gyantse Old Town. The short hike to the top of the wall gives an excellent panorama view of the monastery, town and the high plateau in the distance. After lunch, we will depart Gyantse and drive to Shigatse, elevation 3840 meters. Along the way, we will stop and photograph some traditional villages along the way to experience rural Tibetan life. The distance from Gyantse to Shigatse is 95 kilometers (60 miles). In Shigatse we will stay at the 4 Star Tashi Choten Hotel.

Shigatse is home to Tashilhunpo Monastery and its 650+ monks. This monastery, one of the largest in Tibet, is the seat of the Panchen Lama, the second most important lama in Tibetan Buddhism. We will spend the morning exploring this massive Buddhist complex. After lunch, we will walk around the pilgrim route that goes up and around the famous monastery and up to the recently rebuilt Shigatse Fortress, which sits above the Old Town. This nice hike offers great views above the monastery and above the city of Shigatse. Then we will explore the small Old Town Market located near our hotel.

This day we will depart Shigatse and continue westward to the town of Sakya, located 155 kilometers (95 miles) away. Upon reaching Sakya, elevation 4330 meters, we will have lunch and afterwards begin exploring this unique area. Sakya is the home of the Sakya sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The main monastery of the the Sakya school is located in this town. Most of the homes in this area are painted gray, red and white matching the colors of the Sakya Monastery. We will explore the small town of Sakya including the large monastery of Sakya and the villages nearby. We will stay at the 3 Star Manasarovar Hotel, the best in town.

From Sakya we will drive 240 kilometers (150 miles) to the Everest Base Camp Region. Along the way, you will cross the 5231 meter high Gyatso La Pass, the highest point along the journey. From the top of the pass, there is a sweeping view of the Himalayan foothills. From there, you will then go to the Geu La Pass, elevation 5200 meters. From this pass, you can see 5 of the world’s 15 highest peaks, including Mt Everest. This pass offers one of the most impressive panoramic views of the Himalaya’s in Tibet. Next, you will go to Rongphu (Rongbuk) Monastery and stay at a simple guesthouse that looks directly out to the world’s highest peak. We will photograph the sun setting on Everest’s epic North Face.

We will get up early this morning to watch the sun rise on Mt Everest from near our guesthouse at Rongphu Monastery. October generally offers clear skies allowing for excellent views of Everest. After watching the sunrise, we will travel a few kilometers closer to the mountain and photograph near the Rongphu River, which flows off of the Everest glaciers located further up the mountain. We will spend several hours photographing Mt Everest before driving 115 kilometers (72 miles) to the town of Shelkar where we will stay at the 3 Star Qomolangma Everest Hotel, the best accommodation in the Everest Region.

From Shelkar, we will begin making the journey back to Lhasa. We will drive through the rugged, but beautiful wilderness of western Tibet to Phuntsoling. The monastery at Phuntsoling is one of Tibet’s true secrets. This remote monastery offers both a “newer” functioning monastery as well as the ancient ruined monastery that lies above the current one. We will have lunch at a basic restaurant in the area before exploring the spectacular Phuntsoling Monastery. From there, we will return to Shigatse, Tibet’s second largest city. We will stay at the 4 Star Tashi Choten Hotel. The distance from Shelkar to Shigatse is 265 kilometers (165 miles).

Our last full day in Tibet will take us from Shigatse back to the Tibetan capital city of Lhasa. We will drive along the scenic Yarlung River Valley and will be stopping several times to photograph the stunning natural scenery along the way. In Lhasa, we will stay at the Kyichu Hotel, located within a short walk of the Lhasa Old Town. The distance from Shigatse to Lhasa is 270 kilometers (170 miles).

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the Lhasa Airport where you will depart Tibet. All participants will be required to depart from Tibet on this day.