The early stages of this expedition involve sightseeing and experiencing the traditional Chinese culture in Beijing, and then boarding our train on the world’s highest railway. the Qinghai-Tibet railway. As this train does climb to high altitude it has been equipped with supplementary oxygen equipment.
We then commence exploring the Buddhist temples and palaces, markets and scenic spots around the ancient forbidden city of Lhasa. On the last day the many stairs of Potala Palace make for a good acclimatisation trek!
When our bodies have adjusted we depart Lhasa toward the start of our trek stopping for a look at Shigatse, the second-largest city in Tibet with a population of 80,000 and the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama.
We continue to Shegar where we have our first views of Everest, Cho Oyu and Makalu from the ground. Our jeeps provide a comfortable journey along the rough and bumpy Friendship Highway that links Kathmandu and Lhasa.
We take three days to travel to Base Camp to allow our bodies to adjust to the ever-increasing altitude. On arrival at Base Camp, we take several days to rest and explore the area, before heading up the glacier to Advance Base Camp.
The 22km to Advanced Base Camp is a demanding section along a rough trail on the glacial moraine of the Rongbuk Glacier. We use two camps along the way before finally reaching the staggering height of 6,400m at Advanced Base Camp. The approach to ABC is a particularly challenging day as you push your body to acclimatise to 6,400m.
We have planned plenty of time here to allow our bodies to adjust to the extreme altitude. We rest in ABC before returning to BC and the drive to Kathmandu via Zhangmu then a night’s rest before heading for home.