Choose the Right Tibet Tours for You

The Guge Kingdom in western Tibet

Tibet is huge, and seeing everything it has to offer in one Tibet tour is not possible. So choosing the right Tibet tours are important for travelers. Your best bet is to identify what aspect of Tibet draws you to visit our homeland and plan your trip around that. But even that sometimes isn’t so simple.

Going through the spectrum of options available can be as dizzying as altitude sickness. Each option is dictated by different travel restrictions, weather, and physical fitness.

It’s okay. Take a deep breath, look through this neatly compiled list and choose your next adventure.

1. Mt. Everest

For Mt. Everest, ask yourself what you would like to see the most on your trip to the tallest mountain in the world?

For an authentic taste of Tibetan culture and a glimpse of the tallest mountain in the world, consider the 8 Day Everest Base Camp Exploration Tour, our most popular option. You’ll get to see all the best parts of Lhasa, like the Potala Palace, Johkang Temple, and Barkhor Street, as well as spend a night at an Everest Base Camp (EBC) guesthouse.

Barkhor Street in Lhasa

If you’re looking to devote yourself more to the mountain itself, think about the 12 Day Everest Base Camp Trekking Tour. After a couple of days acclimatizing in Lhasa, you will spend four days in the Rachu Valley trekking through isolated villages, crossing the Lamar La pass, hiking up to Everest Base Camp, and visit Rongbuk Monastery, the tallest monastery in the world.

Namtso Lake

Or perhaps you’re a romantic and want to tread the nomadic grasslands? After visiting Everest Base Camp, our 9 Day EBC Adventure and Namtso Lake Tour will take you to one of Tibet’s holiest lakes. Local legends say that Namtso Lake and Mt. Nayanchen Thangla are like a couple, as the lake’s source is the mountain’s melting snows.

2. Exploring Tibetan Buddhism during Tibet tours

Samye Monastery in Tsedang

Buddhist devotees and enthusiasts alike might be interested in the 10 Day Cultural and Spiritual Odyssey Tour. From Lhasa, you will travel to Tibet’s first Buddhist monastery in Tsedang, hike to visit devoted yogis in their caves, and visit one of the four holy lakes in Tibet. The trip culminates in a circumambulation of Lhasa and a stay in a nomadic family tent.

For something more off the beaten path, the 8 Day Spiritual Odyssey includes journeying to the north to see the holy Namtso Lake and the peaceful hermitages of Reting Monastery and the Tidrum Nunnery. It is believed that soaking in the mineral-rich hot springs at the Tidrum nunnery can cure various ailments.

3. Mt. Kailash Pilgrimages

Mt. Kailash at night during Tibet tours

In the far west of Tibet, travelers and pilgrims gravitate to Mt. Kailash, a longtime pilgrimage destination for Buddhist, Bon, Hindu, and Jain worshippers. People come to this region to see the dry plains, sandstone valleys, an abundance of wildlife, and the Guge Kingdom’s ancient relics.

For a more nature-centric option that lets you experience every landscape from glaciers to dunes, along with a trek around Mt. Kailash, opt for the 17 Day Mt. Kailash Pilgrimage.

Nomads travel through a sandstone valley in western Tibet

Tibetans believe if you complete a circuit around Manasarovar Lake, it will wash away your sins and purify your body. If you’re interested in visiting the many monasteries around Manasarovar Lake on top of Western Tibet’s natural beauty, consider the 20 Day Spiritual Trekking Odyssey.

4. Plateau Trekking

Immerse yourself in the nomadic lifestyle by trekking across the remote regions of the Tibetan plateau. On trekking tours, you’ll be hiking through grasslands of the plateau, interacting with nomad families tending their herds of yak, and camping next to their settlements.

Trekking on the plateau

For a balance of both culture and nature, think about the 10 Day Tsurpo to Yangpache Nomadic Trekking Tour. The tour passes through remote Tibetan villages in the Drowolong Valley on the way to the Tsurpo monastery. From there, you will spend 4 days trekking through breathtaking mountain panoramas until you arrive for a well-deserved soak in the Yangpachen hot springs.

One of the most challenging treks on the plateau is the 10 Day Ganden to Samye Trekking Tour, an 80 km hike from Ganden Monastery to Samye monastery. But it is well worth the journey. On this tour, you will be cross the steep Shugar La, and Chitu La passes, hike down into the valley, passing wild goats and fragrant junipers along the way.

5. Winter Tibet Tours

Butter Lamps

During winter, the light becomes very soft and gives central Tibet a mystical air about it. The days are surprisingly warm, and it’s the peak season for nomads and villagers to make pilgrimages to Lhasa. Conditions for photography are ideal, so don’t forget to bring your camera!

Winter tours are a great way to experience Tibet as locals do. You can witness and take part in the Butter Lamp Festival in Lhasa, where thousands of monks and pilgrims gather to commemorate the death of Tsong Khapa, a great Tibetan Scholar. At night, butter lamps are hung outside every home and temple, lighting the streets.

Whatever calls you to Tibet, answer it. With over 30 different types of tours, Explore Tibet can help you find the best one for you. Talk to one of our travel consultants today!