HANOI TO EVEREST – An adventure with NZCFS
With the end of the pandemic, we are now confident that we can undertake this adventure!
Starting in the North of Vietnam, this tour takes us from Hanoi, the exotic and bustling second city of Vietnam, to the unique karst structures in Halong Bay and up to the hill town of Sapa, and the Hmong people, related to the Miao of SW China.
Crossing the nearby border into China’s Yunnan Province, we pass through the Yuanyang rice terraces and old town of Jianshui to Kunming.
Then begins the epic journey on to Lhasa. By bullet train to Lijiang, the UNESCO Heritage town that is always an exciting place to visit with its diverse attractions, and on by coach to
Shangrila (Zhongdian).
From here we hope to travel overland all the way to Lhasa, lifting up onto the Tibetan Plateau through the vast and diverse landscapes of North-west Yunnan and South-east of the Tibetan Autonomous Region. Here the altitude varies from 3200 and occasionally touches on 4000 metres above sea level (masl) before arriving at 3700 masl in Lhasa.
If this road is not passable, we will take the alternative to fly from Shangrila to Lhasa, and take a road trip back to the South-east of Tibet before circling back to Lhasa.
The itinerary is therefore a draft itinerary at this stage, with some of the days open to change.
After experiencing the delights of the magical Lhasa, there is an optional extra to carry on for four days return journey to the Rongbuk Monastery, within view of the North Face of Everest. Passing through Gyantse with its ancient fortress protecting the city, and Shigatse, the second city of Tibet, this journey will truly present the vastness of the high Tibetan plateau, with the road crossing passes over 5000masl, small villages, and grazing yaks.
The timing and order of the itinerary is to start at sea level and head upwards, to allow plenty of time to acclimatise to altitude. We can also expect to skip the onset of monsoon in North Vietnam and southern Yunnan (although with the impact of climate change nothing can be guaranteed).
For all enquiry and expressions of interest, please email [email protected] are sought, No commitment is required at this stage. Please indicate if you are interested in the extension to Everest.
