Flying from Kathmandu (1,280m) over the spectacular Himalayan mountain chain, we'll arrive just outside Lhasa, the heart and soul of Tibetan Buddhism, at almost 3,600m. We'll spend our first night in Tibet relaxing and acclimatizing to the significant increase in altitude. While in Lhasa, we'll tour the former winter residence of the Dalai Lama, the Potala Palace, and his summer residence, Norbulingka Palace. We'll visit other notable sites such as Jokhang Monastery, barter for goods at Barkhor Market, and travel just beyond the city limits to watch the scriptural debates at Sera Monastery.
After
arrival
at Chinese Base Camp,
we'll rest, acclimatize and make the necessary climb preparations before
making our ascent to advanced base camp at 5,700m. We'll cross through
steep moraines to establish Camp 1 at 6,400m,
which should take around 4 - 6 hours depending on weather conditions and
how we're feeling. We'll traverse a ridge and ascend a 50m headwall to
Camp 2 at 7,000m - a hard day taking 6
- 7 hours. Our
strong Sherpa time will fix all ropes as required. We'll establish Camp
3 at 7,500m on the northwest It
will require an extra push to reach the true summit peak on the far end
of the high snowfield. Summit
day, though long and arduous, will be well worth it when the highest peaks
in the world are in view.
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