Day 1

London/Beijing

Fly non-stop flight from London Heathrow to Beijing with Qatar Airways.

Day 2

Beijing

Arrive in Beijing for a three-night stay at the 4* Novotel Xinqiao Beijing Hotel. Enjoy a welcome dinner. D

Day 3

Roof of the World train

Tour the Lama Temple where the Emperors' eunuchs used to live, and the neighbouring Confucius Temple, admire panoramic views from Jingshan Park, and explore the quaint hutong district of Shichahai. Later this evening transfer to the railway station for the 48-hour train journey across the Roof of the World to Lhasa. Accommodation is sharing ‘soft sleeper’ four-berth compartments, with twin and sole occupancy cabins on request and at extra cost. The trains  have an oxygen supply to every seat, there is a restaurant car (no meals are included on the train) and toilets and washbasins are at each end of the carriages.  BLD

Day 4

Roof of the World train

This is one of the world's greatest rail journeys, an overland expedition across the vast and remote wilderness known as 'the roof of the world' to the furthest outpost of China, and a massive feat of engineering – it is the world's highest railway and its highest point is at Tanggula Pass, 16,640ft above sea level, it incorporates 675 bridges, and 340 miles of the track are laid on permafrost.

Day 5

Lhasa         

After traversing the vast frozen expanse of the Tibetan plateau, a high-altitude desert, passing glaciers, lakes and rivers, and cutting through the immense mountain ranges that have isolated the country from the outside world until now, arrive in Lhasa this evening and transfer to the (officially 5*) 4*Brahmaputra Hotel, a modern and very comfortable hotel with many cultural artefacts on display throughout its public areas.   D

Day 6

Lhasa

The name Lhasa means 'place of the gods' and it remains a vivid and still-thriving enclave of devout Buddhism despite the increasing modernisation even of this remote corner of China. 425 ft above the city on Red Mountain stands the fortress-like Potala Palace, 13 storeys high and with 1,000 rooms filled with statues,chapels, manuscripts and murals. Potala was the winter palace of the Dalai Lamas and Tibet's political and spiritual headquarters for centuries.  Later, visit the summer palace, Norbulingka, a complex of delightful pavilions and gardens outside the city.  Visit the 15th Century Sera Monastery and its Great Assembly Hall, dormitories and colleges where 10,000 monks used to live. BLD

Day 7

Lhasa

One of the three great monasteries of Tibet, Drepung Monastery is a religious university where around 600 monks live-in its heyday before the Potala Palace was built there were over 10,000  and it was the largest in the world.  Afternoon free, follow the throngs of pilgrimsas hey make the clockwise circuit along Barkhor Street that encircles the golden-roofed Jokhang Temple, home to the most sacred Buddha Statue for Tibetans.BLD

Day 8

Gyantse/Shigatse

Leave Lhasa and drive along the Southern Friendship Highway over the Kampa La Mountain pass to Yamdrok Lake, the sacred 'holy sapphire' and female guardian of Buddhism in Tibet.  Continue pass the Karo La Glacier to the small town of Gyantze to visit Palkhor Chode Monastery and its nine-storey pyramid-like structure known as a kumbum with 76 chapels lined with lavish murals. Continue to Shigatze to stay at Shigatze Hotel for one night. BLD

Day 9

Gyantse/Shegar (New Tingri)

Visit the red and gold Tashilungpo Monasery, founded by he first Dalai Lama in the 15th century and traditional seat of his second-in-command, the Panchen Lama, ever since. See the jewel-encrusted tomb of the tragic 10th Panchen Lama, the 86ft high Maireya Buddha Statue, murals and the immense Thangka Wall. Drive through stark landscaes and over mountain passes with only occasional prayer flags providing spots of colour, then as we head towards New Tingri the road descends into the plains where yaks and sheep graze and nomadic herdsmen live in yakhair tents beneath the panorama of the Himalayas, a sea of snow-capped peaks.  This will be the first glimpse of Mount Everest. Stay at the modest Zhufeng Hotel for two nights, a convenient base for the drive to Mount Everest tomorrow. BLD

Day 10

Mount Everest   

An unforgettable excursion to Mount Everest, known in Tibet as 'the mother goddess of the universe'. Officially the height of the world's highest mountain is 29,017 ft, although satellite technology says it to be 29,035ft and increasing in height by up to four inches every year as the tectonic plate under India continues to move north into China. Visit the Base Camp at 17,000ft to see the spectacular noth face of Mount.   BLD

Day 11

Zhangmu

Rejoin the Friendship Highway and drive down to the border of Tibet and Nepal at Zhangmu, descending nearly 10,000ft along winding roads.  The landscapes change dramatically, with stunning waterfalls tumbling down deep valleys, thick, lush forests and a much warmer temperature. Stay the night at the modest Caiyuan Hotel. BLD

Day 12

Kathmandu

Cross the Friendship Bridge into Nepal, and drive through the rich valleys to Kathmandu to stay at the 5* Radisson Hotel.B L

Day 13

Kathmandu

Fly from Kathmandu to London Heathrow via Doha with Qatar Airways. B

Day 14

London

Arrive at London Heathrow Airport.

Key:

B=Breakfast    L=Lunch    D=Dinner