Shigatse - Qilin Gorge - Everest East Slope - Rongbuk Monastery - Everest Base Camp
After breakfast, you will depart from Shigatse for Everest Base Camp. Along the way, you will pass through the beautiful Kongma Grassland, then arrive at Gangba County, the land of sacred water, where you can gaze at China's most beautiful snow mountain, [Mother of Snow Mountains - Chomoyongqing]. Legend says it is the mother of the surrounding snow mountains, hence the name Mother of Snow Mountains. After that, you will continue along Route 219, also known as the China-India-Nepal border highway, for 45 km, then arrive at the magical Qilin Gorge. [Qilin Gorge] is a famous canyon geological landscape set in a long, deep canyon, sunken hundreds of meters below the surface. The earth forest rises like bamboo shoots, with giant rocks holding up the sky. They stretch out in vast, interlocking arrays or in small groups lined up in order, like stern, independent guards. At Qilin Gorge, you can personally feel the masterful work of nature and marvel at its geological wonders of "majesty, wonder, danger, and uniqueness."
After lunch, you will continue along the China-India-Nepal border Route 219 for about 30 km. Along the way, you can admire one of China's most beautiful snow mountains, [Rimana Snow Mountain], known locally as Renqing Snow Mountain, and also see China's largest wetland, [Dingjie Wetland]. Then you will follow the wetland to Dingjie County, the kingdom of wetlands. After a short rest here, you can look out along the Yeru Tsangpo River valley at [Lhotse, the world's fourth-highest peak]. After that, you will follow the beautiful border village road to the sacred mountain [Longren Mountain]. At Longren Mountain, you can view up close the world's fifth-highest peak, Makalu, and the east face of Everest. Here it is a "grand platter of beautiful scenery," with the golden sunrise on three 8000-meter-class snow peaks - Everest (8844m), Lhotse (8516m, world's fourth), and Makalu (8463m, world's fifth) - as well as Chomolonzo (7804m), unfolding before your eyes one after another.
Afterward, you will head to the world's highest monastery - Rongbuk Monastery. [Rongbuk Monastery] is universally recognized as the best place to gaze up at Everest. Then you will arrive at [Everest Base Camp], take a photo with the Everest Base Camp altitude stone marker, and here you will dance with the world's highest peak, Mount Everest. If lucky, you may also see Everest's banner cloud drifting like a flame of life.
Tip: In winter, the tent camp at Rongbuk Monastery is not open, so accommodation will be changed to a multi-person room at a Basong village guesthouse.
🍽️ Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included
🏨 Camp tent