Kathmandu to Lhasa overland – Day 1
To go from Kathmandu to Lhasa, overland, you have to use a tour operator because travelling in Tibet is very tightly controlled. I decided to take full advantage of Thamel’s tourist facilities. Eventually, I found a five-day tour with accommodation and several arranged visits included. A tour is always a bit of a lottery, and even more so if you’re used to the luxury of hopping on and off trains and buses, changing accommodation, and choosing where and when to eat. With a tour, all of that goes out of the window as you entrust it all to someone else. And then there are the travelling companions – some become life-long friends, and others, not.
Kathmandu to Kodari – the border town with Tibet
Leaving the Kathmandu Valley
Kathmandu to Lhasa overland – Day 1. We caught some of the monsoon rains as we left the Kathmandu Valley, but we were fortunate not to have had to deal with landslides which are common in July and August in the Himalayas. The climb to the border with Tibet passes narrow, rock and mud tracks which follow the Sunkoshi river for much of the way. Agricultural terracing, dense vegetation, and waterfalls were abundant.
Bahrabise
Bahrabise is a small and colourful Nepali city, on the road from Kathmandu to Lhasa, where traditional stone houses cling to the banks of the Sunkoshi River.
The Approach to Kodari
We continued through spectacular scenery, in and out of cloud and mist with the Koshi River raging alongside us.
Kodari
Kathmandu to Lhasa overland – Day 1 at an end, and we were now lodged in a shabby hotel but with the most amazing views!
