Kangshung Valley, named after the glacier, is one of the most remote trekking destinations in central Tibet. The trail leads us across remote tiny pristine valleys dotted with beautiful lakes, alpine grazing pastures, and flowered meadows, with an excellent camping spot. While trekking we will enjoy stunning views of Mt. Makalu, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Kangchenjunga and Mt. Everest Kangshung face. We begin Kangshung Valley Trek with a scenic flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa in Tibet, a sacred land of myths and mysteries. We spend 2 nights in Lhasa acclimatizing and exploring the sights and sounds of Lhasa city locked away in its mountains region.
After 2 days’ stay in Lhasa, we continue our trip overland to Kharta village via Gyantse and Shigatse to begin our trek. From Kharta village we head for Lhundrubling, cross Shao La (4970m), explore the forested Karma Valley & trek to the base camp at Pethang Ringmo. Then, we keep going exploring Kangshung Valley, Kangshung Base Camp (5090m) and other remote area places of Tibet. From a high ridge point above the Pethang camp, we enjoy stunning views of the Kangshung Face of Everest. The Kangshung Valley roars with the summer monsoon, the snow that accumulates daily on the peaks starts rumbling at noon and continues to fall noisily throughout the most nights.
On completion of the Kangshung Valley Trek at Kharta, we drive to Shegar and hike Rongbuk valley for views of the north face of Everest and visit Rongbuk Monastery. We explore Everest Base Camp and follow the same route until we reach Lhasa. From Lhasa, we catch a flight back to Kathmandu or continue our journey to the mainland cities in China.
Arrive at the Tribhuwan International Airport where you will be welcomed by Trek Himalayan representative and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the afternoon is free until evening when you will enjoy a welcome drinks with your guide and introduce each other. Overnight in Kathmandu
Your guide will meet you at your hotel in the morning to begin your city tour of Kathmandu. You will visit the Boudhanath temple, the largest Buddhist stupa in Nepal, Pashupatinath, a Hindu pilgrimage site, and possibly view cremation ceremonies along the banks of the Bagmati River. Continue drive to Patan Durbar Square to see the ancient Nepalese architecture and end your tour after lunch.Then, you will visit the Patan museum. Overnight in Kathmandu
Today we need to collect your Chinese Visa from the consular section between 0900 hrs. to 1100 hrs. Afternoon you are free on your own.
Transfer to the airport for the hour-long flight across the main Himalayan range. Afternoon at rest to acclimatise to Lhasa’s high altitude
Visit Potala Palace and Jokang Monastery today, then walk on the Barkhor Street surrounding Jokhang, a big free market with its prolific stalls for selling local specialties.
Visit Drepung Monastery for the whole morning, later after lunch, visit Sera monastery. We do the Sera Kora walk of about 1 hr and then attend the famous debate session (if the debate session is in process) of the monks before returning to Lhasa. O/N in Hotel
Drive to Gyantse-the least Chinese influenced city along the highway. The journey involves crossing of two high passes Kamba La (15,700 ft) and Karo La (16,500ft) and the follows the bank of Yamdrok Tso Lake for more than 40 miles. Check in hotel and take rest for the day. O/N in Hotel
After an early morning tour of some of the Gyantse Dzong (14th Century fort) and the Kumbum, a large stupa, we head off on a short 90km drive to Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet. In the afternoon we will explore the area, local monasteries and market. Overnight at the Hotel. (90km)
Leaving Shigatse, we drive to Shegar enjoying beautiful views of the Himalayan mountains range on the way .We pass through isolated monasteries and nomadic herders’ camps .Upon arrival to Shegar we visit the ruins of Shegar Dzong (Crystal Fort), which was once the capital of the Tingri region. You can take a short excursion to nearby view-point to see the distant Mt Everest and take photographs.
Approximately 10 km. past the town of Shegar, we take diversion from the main highway and drive south towards the Everest region. From the top of Pang La (5150m) you get to see excellent views of Mt. Everest and the surrounding countryside. From the pass you descend to the village of Phadhruchi, where the jeep track divides; the track to the west heads to the Rongbuk Valley whereas the one to the east taking us to the Phung Chu (Arun Valley) and the village of Kharta, which are the administrative headquarters of the region. We follow the way for Kharta.
As you head away from Kharta Valley, you will find a bridge over Lang Chu. On crossing this bridge the trail takes you towards north bank of crystal-clear Kharta Chu. Traversing past barley fields, you follow the upper trail that ascends to Shao La. Few kilometers ahead, the trail opens to Lundrubling.
Starting early, you head along the trail past Shao La at 4,970m, amid stunning views of Mt. Everest 8848m, Makalu 8,463m, and Lhotse 8,516m and so on. The trail steeply descends along picturesque yak pastures, through forests of rhododendron and dwarf birch leading to the Kaama Tsangpo Valley (4000m).
The trail then skirts away from Kaamo Tsangpo Valley passing through coniferous forest and ascends steeply to 375 meter altitude from where you can take pleasure in majestic views of Arun valley and Eastern- Northern Nepal. Along the trail, you can view the alpine ridges. Yak herders from Kharta village choose these ridges as their summer camps. The trail then ascends, crossing pristine emerald green lakes. En route you can view the Kangshung Face of Everest.
If you think you can deal with moraines and landslides, then you can begin trekking right away along the trail to this lake for 40 minutes. A sacred cave most popularly renowned as a meditation place of Padmasambhava, the lotus-born Buddha, lies at the end of the lake. This cave has prayer rooms and shelters for pilgrims. A few kilo meters ahead, you will approach a bend, known as Orga. Beyond the Kangshung Glacier and at this spot, Mt. Everest is exceedingly visible. You then traverse to the right, from where you ascend to a 150m ridge that overlooks the Karma River and glacier. Some three hours of gentle walks will take you to Kangshung Face base camp at 5000m. After few rock-strewn descents, you
will enter the picturesque alpine camp of Pethang Ringmo at 4,550m
While heading away from Pethang Ringmo towards Hoppo, the trail crosses lush fertile meadows and then follows several ascents. Thereafter, Kangshung Face of Everest comes into view, along with the towering Chomo Lonzo with its glistening glaciers. Few hours of more trekking brings you to Hoppo at 4800m.
Kangshung Base Camp lies few kilometers away from Hoppo at an elevation of 5050m. En route you ascend grassy ridges along the magnificent Kangshung Glacier. Along the way you get to view the northeast ridge of Everest.
On this day you trek along the trail that leads to a valley from Pathang Ringmo, and then skirts northwards to Langma La pass. Savoring the majestic sights of the Himalayan range, you walk past yak pastures. After traversing for hours, you arrive at Shurimo at 4,800m located at the base of Langma La.
It is advisable to make an early start while ascending to Langma La. After trekking amidst mesmerizing views of Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu for a couple of hours, you will descend steeply from Langma La pass to the valley. While entering the valley, you may encounter yak herders from Kharta at their camps. You will find several Tibetan traditional villages in the vicinity. Along the trail, you will pass the confluence of the Kharta Valley. You also get the view of Kanchenjunga massif nestled above the ridges beyond Kharta on the Nepal-Sikkim border. Further ahead, the trail advances towards the village of Lundrubling.
You trek along the trail turning away from Lundrubling towards Kharta for about 3 hrs and board the waiting 4WD Land cruiser to drive Shegar.
Retrace drive to the village of Phadhruchi and head towards Rongbuk Monastery. From Rongbuk, we have unrivalled views of the North Face of Everest. Overnight at guesthouse
In the morning, we take one hour hike to the Everest Base Camp at 5, 200m. The base camp itself is dry and barren, but the views of Everest are more spectacula. It is a truly awe-inspiring place with the sheer north face of the highest mountain in the world towering above us. We leave the Rongbuk valley and drive towards Shegar. We join the Friendship Highway and head westwards to Tingri, a small roadside town for overnight
After breakfast we continue our drive across some high passes including Lalung la 5135 meter with enchanting views of the surrounding peaks of Shishapangma, Cho-Oyu, Menlung Tse and Gauri Shanker and so on, finally we arrive at Zhangmu. We check in Zhangmu Hotel offering lively facility.
After breakfast we drive to friendship border. As we complete the exit formality in Chinese immigration, we re-enter Nepal and then drive to Kathmandu through interweave road following Bhote Koshi River viewing waterfalls, beautiful landscape and scattered villages. A relaxing drive of 4 hours (115 kilo meters) brings us in Kathmandu. We will check in our hotel.
Trip Notes tell you about the itinerary details and supplementary information of the relevant trip of Trek Himalayan. We have prepared specific trip notes adhering to fixed travel dates. Please check which travel dates suit you. If you find any trip notes missing or only partially received while sending to you by email, please bear with us. They will be there anytime soon.