Trip Details
20 Days: Arrival at Lhasa airport to departure at Nepal border.
- 6 nights in comfortable hotels, 2 nights in basic guest houses, 11 nights camping.
- 10 days trekking.
- All meals included.
Basic itinerary:
- Day 1-3: Lhasa sightseeing.
- Day 4-6: via Yamdrak-tso to Gyantse, Shigatse.
- Day 7-8: to Kharta trailhead.
- Day 9-13: trekking via Shao-la to Pethang Ringmo.
- Day 14: rest and exploration.
- Day 15-18: trekking via Langma-la to Kharta and vehicles.
- Day 19: to Tingri.
- Day 20: cross to Nepal in mid-afternoon.
Price varies according to the level of service requested and number of persons in your group. Please email us for a quote.
Equipment: we recommend you bring your own hiking shoes, cold-weather clothes, and sleeping bag; we supply the rest (sleeping mats, tents, kitchen equipment etc.). If needed, sleeping bags are available for rental; and cold-weather gear as well as sleeping bags are easily available for purchase in Lhasa.
Kangshung Face of Everest
The eastern, Kangshung, face of Mt. Everest (Chomolungma) and the valley beneath it is one of the most dramatic and little-visited locations in the Himalaya. We pioneered this trek along with a foreign partner over a decade ago and it remains a rare jewel in the realm of adventure travel.
The first three days in Lhasa and the drive through Gyantse and Shigatse is along the same schedule outlined in the first “Cultural Tours” options. We then drive deep into the Himalaya and the starting point of our trek in the Kharta valley. Our trek crosses the Shao-la into the uninhabited Kama valley, an ecological wonderland formed by the warm, moist air flowing up the Arun valley from Nepal and collecting in the glacial basins of the high Himalaya. We walk past alpine meadows, juniper and rhododendron forests, and mountain tarns to reach the outlet of the Kangshung glacier. Here we walk beneath the soaring faces of Chomolonzo and Makalu into the lap of Chomolungma and Lhotse and make high camp in the meadows beside the glacier. With nothing but snow peaks towering above us while we relax in the idyllic meadow of Pethang Ringmo it is easy to imagine how this is the secret northern entrance to the fabled “Hidden Land” of Khembalung. This is an unforgettable location far from any road and nestled amongst the world’s highest peaks.
We return to our vehicles by another route over the Langma-la and enjoy a final camp before driving out via Tingri. We will be able to reach the Nepal border late afternoon of the 20th day.