Tibet & Nepal Grand Journey

A 12-day Nepal and Tibet tour from Singapore needs about 8 to 10 working days of annual leave, depending on how many weekends your dates span. Day 1 is your arrival in Kathmandu after a flight of about 5 hours from Singapore, with a briefing and welcome dinner that evening, and Day 12 is your flight home, which takes about 5 hours, so most travellers are home the same day. Flight changes on the Kathmandu to Lhasa route, weather or road closures can shift plans, so keep a buffer day before you are due back at work.

Fly from Singapore Changi to Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, about 5 hours, where you collect your Nepal visa on arrival and HSJ's Kathmandu team meets you outside the terminal. Flights between Singapore and Kathmandu are not included, so book them once your dates are confirmed. Airport transfers in Kathmandu and Lhasa are included on every arrival and departure, as are the flights between Kathmandu and Lhasa. Nepal is 2 hours 15 minutes behind Singapore, while Tibet uses Beijing time, the same as Singapore. Visa fees and arrival paperwork are covered in the country FAQs.

HSJ prices this Nepal and Tibet journey per person in Singapore dollars on a twin-share basis, and the price for each departure is shown in the dates and prices table on this page, with a single supplement for a room of your own. The price includes the Kathmandu to Lhasa return flights, the Tibet Travel Permit, Alien's Travel Permit, border pass and Everest area permits, guides in Kathmandu and Tibet, vehicles with professional drivers, oxygen in every vehicle in Tibet, ten 4-star hotel nights and the night near Everest, daily breakfast from Day 2, four dinners and entrance fees. Budget separately for Singapore flights, the Nepal visa, insurance, other meals, tips and the optional mountain flight.

The best months for a Nepal and Tibet tour are April to June and September to October, which is when this journey is planned to run. The Singapore June school holidays fall inside that window. The year-end holidays from mid-November to December are outside the listed seasons, with much colder nights near Everest, and Tibet can close to foreign visitors at short notice, historically around February and March. Open dates appear in the dates table on this page, and other dates can be requested through the enquiry form, subject to the flight days on the Kathmandu to Lhasa route.

The Nepal and Tibet journey needs reasonable general health, not trekking fitness, because there is no trekking: walking is gentle, in Kathmandu's old squares and around monasteries, with long stairways at the Potala Palace. The hardest days are on the road, Day 8 from Shigatse to Rongbuk and Day 9 back, each about 340 km and 8 hours. Active days run 3 to 8 hours. The real challenge is seven nights between 3,650 m and 5,000 m, and age does not predict how you cope, so seniors should see a doctor first, especially with heart or lung conditions, high blood pressure or past altitude problems.

The highest altitude on the Nepal and Tibet tour is Gyatso La at 5,248 m, crossed by vehicle on Days 8 and 9, and the highest night is near Rongbuk at about 5,000 m. Kathmandu is at about 1,400 m, Lhasa about 3,650 m, Gyantse about 3,980 m and Shigatse about 3,840 m, and on Day 7 the road crosses Kamba La at about 4,790 m and Karo La at about 5,010 m. Three days in Kathmandu and three in Lhasa give your body time to adjust before going higher, and there is bottled oxygen in every vehicle in Tibet.

In Kathmandu you stay four nights at Hotel Barahi Kathmandu, in Lhasa four nights at the Lagari Hotel Lhasa by the Lhasa River, with diffused oxygen, and in Shigatse two nights at the Shigatse Cangyu Yabu Hotel, all premium 4-star and twin sharing. The night near Everest is at the Everest Base Camp Tent Guesthouse, or the Rongbuk Monastery guesthouse outside the tent season, with warm bedding, shared toilets and no showers. Breakfast is included daily from Day 2, with a welcome dinner on Day 1, dinners on Days 8 and 9, and a farewell dinner in Kathmandu on Day 11.

Singaporeans on this Nepal and Tibet tour need a Nepal visa, available on arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport, plus the Tibet Travel Permit and the border pass, which HSJ arranges with the Alien's Travel Permit and Everest area permits. Under the mutual visa exemption between Singapore and China, Singapore passport holders do not need a China group visa for this route. HSJ's Kathmandu team finalises the Tibet permits on Day 3, before the flight to Lhasa. Book at least 30 days ahead, take insurance covering high altitude and emergency evacuation, and check the latest rules before you travel.

Solo travellers can join HSJ's Nepal and Tibet journey as a small-group departure of 2 to 12 travellers, with an English-speaking guide in Kathmandu and a licensed English-speaking Tibetan guide throughout Tibet, and the same itinerary can also be booked privately for your own family or friends. In Tibet every trip must travel with a licensed guide and a registered vehicle and driver, both included. The price is per person on a twin-share basis, so a solo traveller who wants a room alone pays the single supplement. Private dates can be requested through the enquiry form.