Reverse-direction overland from 1,400 m Kathmandu to 3,656 m Lhasa via EBC
Kathmandu to Lhasa is the reverse of the standard Lhasa–Kathmandu Friendship Highway run — a 7-day climb from 1,400 m at Kathmandu to 3,656 m at Lhasa, with EBC sleeping at 5,150 m as a deliberate altitude milestone. The route makes physiological sense for travellers already in Nepal who want to reach Tibet without backtracking through India or China.
Permit logistics differ from the Lhasa-start direction: the Tibet Travel Permit must be issued in Kathmandu by the Tibet office and collected from your Kathmandu hotel before the border drive. We coordinate with the Tibet office to make sure the permit is in your hand 24 hours before departure.
Cover all highlights of Tibet, start in Lhasa and exit from Gyirong Border. Take our 13-day Tibet overland group tour to Lhasa, Yamdrok Lake, EBC, Mount Kailash, exit at Gyirong Border at cheap price. Small group, stable departure, 4-star hotels.
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Tibet Group Tours2-week small group to explore Tibet! This 14-days Tibet Grand Loop tour to Lhasa, Mount Kailash (3-day Kora), Guge Kingdom, Northern Tibet (Shiquanhe-Ngari Region) with many holy lakes. Budget price, safe trip with local agency!
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A Kathmandu to Lhasa tour is a 7–11 day overland itinerary in the reverse direction of the standard Friendship Highway run, climbing 2,300 m vertical from Kathmandu (1,400 m) to Lhasa (3,656 m) over the 175 km Pasang Lhamu Highway and the 820 km G318 across the Tibetan Plateau. EBC at 5,150 m is the highest sleeping point on the route. Most travellers spend 1–2 days in Kathmandu Valley first, drive 7 days to Lhasa, and either fly out from Lhasa or continue to a longer Tibet block.
Same windows as the Lhasa-start direction — late April–early June and September–early November. October is the single strongest month. Permit lead time is the same 15 working days but the issuing logistics shift to the Lhasa office issuing to a Kathmandu pickup, so we need passport and Nepal visa scans 18 working days before your border crossing date.
Plan 8–10 days minimum. The Kathmandu–Rasuwagadhi drive (175 km) takes 7–8 hours including border processing time; longer in monsoon if landslide repair is in progress.
The Nepal-side leg uses our Kathmandu partner agency and an air-conditioned vehicle. The border handoff at Rasuwagadhi: Nepali driver drops you at the Nepal-side post; you walk 700 m across no-man’s-land; your Tibetan guide meets you at the China-side Gyirong Port with a khata silk scarf and the Tibet Travel Permit envelope. From there it’s the standard Friendship Highway routing in reverse.
An 8-day Kathmandu–EBC–Lhasa overland tour from USD 1,250 per person on a 2-pax basis. An 11-day Nepal–Tibet overland with Mount Kailash from USD 2,400. A 4-day Lhasa-from-Kathmandu fly tour (no overland) from USD 720. Includes Tibet Travel Permit, Tibet-side hotels and 4WD, Nepal-side pickup and vehicle, Tibetan guide, breakfast.
The Tibet Tourism Bureau in Lhasa issues the permit; we courier the original to your Kathmandu hotel 24–48 hours before your border drive. The permit is checked at Gyirong Port immigration and again at multiple checkpoints across the Tibet side. You also need a separate group visa to enter China at the land border (issued by the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu, processing time 3 working days, USD 175 per person for most nationalities).
The route climbs 2,300 m vertical from Kathmandu (1,400 m) to Lhasa (3,656 m) over 7 days, with sleeping nights at Gyirong (2,700 m), Tingri (4,300 m), EBC Rongbuk (5,150 m), Shigatse (3,840 m), Lhasa (3,656 m). The pace is genuinely gentler than a Lhasa-flight arrival from sea level. We carry portable oxygen on every vehicle.
Yes — Gyirong (Kyirong) Port on the China side, Rasuwagadhi on the Nepal side. Procedure is the same in reverse: Nepali exit (15–30 min), 700 m walk, China entry (30–60 min including X-ray and permit check). Total crossing time 1.5–2.5 hours.
Send dates and confirm you can be at the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu 4 working days before the border drive (we book the appointment). We start the Tibet Travel Permit application in parallel. Total booking-to-departure window: 6–10 weeks, including the China group-visa lead time.