Deart UK and fly to Lhasa in Tibet.

On arrival at Lhasa airport your Tibetan guide will meet you and take you into the city. Your hotel is well positioned in the city centre, after a brief orientation the rest of the day is free to adjust to the altitude. You may wish to wander through the local markets or sit in the main square and watch the world go by in this unique and friendly city, the 'Place of the Gods.' Overnight in Lhasa (Hotel) Meals: no meals included today.

You will spend the full day sightseeing in Lhasa, the colourful capital of Tibet is filled with monasteries, temples and typical Tibetan architecture. You will first explore the most famous of Lhasa’s sites the Potala Palace, this incredible building was the winter residence of the Dalai Lama. From here you will enter the heart of Lhasa – the Jokang Temple. In the afternoon you can drive out to see the wonderfully serene summer residence of the Dalai Lama – the Norbulingka and its vast gardens. Overnight in Lhasa. (Hotel) Meals: breakfast.

Today the journey into the mountains begins. It is a long drive but offering magnificent views, the first stop will be at the holy Yamdrok Lake, this beautiful, mirror like lake is 43 miles long and lies at an altitude of over 4000m. It is also known as Jade Green Lake due to its pure waters and pretty colour. You will then continue to Gyantse stopping to visit the famous Pelkor Chode on the way. This incredible monastery has a high status in Buddhist history as it houses three different sects of Buddhism and is over 500 years old. The most striking building is the 'Ten Thousand Buddha Pagoda' which has nine tiers, 108 gates and 76 chapels. Overnight at Gyantse (Hotel) Meals: breakfast

From Gyantse the road continues to rise, your first stop will be at Shigatse (Xigatse.) This prosperous little town literally means 'the fertile land' and its most famous landmark is the Tashilunpo Monastery. Founded by the Dalai Lama in 1446 this huge monastery sits at the foot of Tara's Mountain. Inside one of the chaples sits a huge statue of Maitreya Buddha, 26m tall and decorated in copper, pearls, gold and precious stones. From the monastery the road continues to Sakya (4280m) where you can visit the Sakya Monastery, this unique building is more Mongolian in style and contains some of the finest examples of Tibetan artwork in the whole country. Overnight in Sakya (Hotel) Meals: breakfast

Continuing still higher, on the road today you will truely feel like you are driving across the roof of the world. You will pass between snowy peaks and along several high plateau lakes on the way to Saga. You may spot the tents of nomadic herders up in this bleak wilderness. Overnight in Saga (Hotel) Meals: breakfast

Today you will continue on the road to Mount Kailash. Paryang is positioned at 4750m and offers amazing panormaic views of the Himalayas. On the way you will pass through the small town of Zhongba apart from which the journey is a lonely trip through sheer wilderness. Overnight in Paryang. (simple guesthouse) Meals: none included.

This morning the route passes many tiny villages and camps of yak herders. The snow caped mountains loom ahead as the road winds forever upward. On the way to Lake Manasarovar you will cross the highest point of the jouney - the Mayun-la Pass (5216m) From here you will drive across a vast plateau of grassland and gradually the sacred lake will come into view. On arrival at the lakeside there will be time to wander on the shore and reflect on your journey before taking a short walk Chiu Monastery where you can get the best view of this beautiful lake. Overnight in Chiu Monastery village (simple gueshouse) Meals: no meals included.

Today you will have a full day in this sacred region. We recommend an early wake-up call so that you may watch the sunrise over the lake. A short drive from here will take you to Darchen just 30km north of the lake, here you can check-in to the little gueshouse before setting off on a half day trek to Gyangdruk Monastery which faces the south face of Mount Kailash. Overnight in Darchen/Chiu Monastery village. (simple guesthouse) Meals: no meals included.

Today you will begin your journey back to Saga, this is the longest driving day of the tour but will be a good chance to rest and recuperate. You will have your last view of Mount Kailash from the road. Overnight at Saga (Hotel) Meals: no meals included.

Today a shorter drive will take you to Old Tingri via Peiku-tso lake. From the lake side you will get fantastic views of Shishapangma, the worlds 14th highest mountain and the last of the 8,000m mountains to be climbed. Overnight at Old Tingri. (simple guesthouse) Meals: no meals included

It will take jut 3-4 hours to get from Old Tingri to Rongbuk following the ough trekking route into the mountain. Rongbuk has the highest monastery in Tibet and offers some of the best views of Everest. In the afternoon you will begin the trek into base camp from Rongbuk. The trek takes about 2 hours and will climb from 4980 - 5200m for those not feeling up to the trek there is the option to take a yak cart. Overnight in Rongbuk (simple guesthouse) Meals: no meals included

This is your last morning up in the clouds, an early start will allow you to watch the sunrise against Everest before beginning your descent out of the mountains. Firstly you will return to Old Tingri and then follow the road toward the Nepalese border. Overnight in Zhangmu (Hotel) Meals: no meals included

This morning your Tibetan guide will help you clear customs and come with you as far as the Friendship Bridge, here you will say farewell and cross the border to meet your Nepali guide and driver. In the afternoon you will arrive to the bustling centre of Kathmandu. The rest of the day is free to make the most of your comfortable hotel and rest after an amazing journey. Overnight in Kathmandu (Hotel) Meals: no meals included

Your final day of the tour will be spent exploring the Kathmandu Valley. We have included a half day sightseeing tour to visit some of the important sites outside of Kathmandu such as Bodhnath Stupa and the beautiful city of Bhaktapur. In the afternoon your guide will bring you to Dubari Square and guide you through the streets to the heart of the city, the rest of the day is free. Thamel is crammed full of bars, restaurants, outdoor gear stores, internet cafes and souvenir shops. It is the perfect place to end the tour, we recommend a quick email home followed by a delicious dhal bhat dinner washed down with ample bottles of Everest Beer. Overnight in Kathmandu (Hotel) Meals: breakfast

Today the tour ends, depending on flight times there maybe time for some additional sight-seeing in Kathmandu before you are met by your Nepali guide and taken to the airport. Meals: breakfast