Travel across the Friendship Highway from Tibet to Nepal!

Chengdu

Start your journey in Chengdu, China. Let a tour agency arrange your permit and your itinerary along the Friendship Highway. Mix Hostel is greatly recommended (both for staying there and for arranging the trip to Tibet). You'll probably need to spend a few days in Chengdu before everything is settled. In the meantime you can enjoy Chengdu's highlights. Chengdu is a busy city and it's already quite amusing to see everyday life go by; for example little men riding bicycles with an enormous pile of boxes on their carrier (and I mean; truly enormous). Visit Chengdu's Old Quarter and the beautiful Wenshu Temple with the Thousand Buddha Peace Pagoda. Go to People's Park to watch people dance en work out together, while enjoying a cup of tea (or you might as well join them to show your own moves :)); or join them in a game of Mahjong. Beware of Chengdu's very spicy food... A bit spicy for Chinese people is still freaking hot for Westerners.... I dare you to try the famous hot pot :) ! And laugh about the English language Chinese put on their menus (they call it "Chinglish").. (For example: "Pork with fish taste"). From Chengdu you can make a nice day trip to the Leshan Grand Buddha, which is truly enormous and impressive. When in Chengdu, you must ofcourse visit the Giant Panda Breeding Center! Most pandas are pretty lazy, but the smaller ones are very nice to watch when they're playing. Planning to gou out? We had an amazing night at the MGM International Club!

Lhasa

Make sure your hotel is near Barkor Square, because in other areas in Lhasa it might be difficult to walk around without your guide. Take your first day to get used to the altitude. Everything is going a bit slower than normal and you might feel a bit dizzy. Don't drink too much alcohol or buy a bottle of oxygen ;) . Enjoy Barkor Square, do some souvenir shopping and watch the buddhist people doing their "kora" (way of praying). In Lhasa visit the colourful Jokhang Temple, Tibet's oldest temple. Visit the Potala Palace (also called Red or Winter Palace) where the Dalai Lama lived, before he was banned. Visit the Potala Palace by day and go back there by night because of the beautiful lighting. If you do get the chance it's really informative to talk to a buddhist monk. They can tell you a lot about how buddhism works :) . Definitely try a Lhasa beer and a "momo". From Lhasa you can make easy day trips to surrounding sights. You can visit Drepung Monastery (the biggest monastery of Lhasa) and Nechung Monastery. The monasteries are normally a bit higher situated than the other buildings, which means beautiful views! In your remaining days you can visit Norbulingka (the Summer Palace of the Dalai Lama), Sera Monastery with her debating monks, and the fountain show at Potala Square. Another highlight is a daytrip to Ganden Monastery. It's a kilometre above Lhasa, on a mountain... You can go there by car (many many hairpin turns, which makes it a bit scary), but the ride is truly beautiful; the mountains, the valley, the river... Another daytrip I would really recommend is going to Nam-Tso, an enormous mountain lake. The lake is holy to Tibetan people, so don't touch the water out of respect.

Yamdrok Tso

Your first stopover will be at lake Yamdrok Tso; a beautiful montain lake.

Gyangtse

Stopover at Gyangtse monastery.

Shigatse

Stay the night at Shigatse; the next day you will visit Tashilunpo monastery and Sakya monastery while driving to Baber (a very small village; it's even that small that I couldn't put it in the itinerary ;) ...). You will stay the night here, because it's near Everest Base Camp, where you will go the day after!

Sakya Monastery

Visit Xigaze while traveling to Xigaze. Must-see highlights in and around Xigaze are Sakya Monastery.

Baber

Stay the night in Baber

EBC/Tingri

Take a picture of the Mount Everest. If possible, stay the night at the Everest Base Camp. If this is not possible, go further to Tingri, where you can stay the night as well.

Zhangmu

Zhangmu is a border town. According to the Lonely Planet it's a depressing town and that's about it. You'll need to be here though to cross the border to Nepal.

Kathmandu

You're in Kathmandu! Be prepared for the very chaotic traffic after the tranquility of the Friendship Highway ;) . Enjoy touristy and busy Thamel; in Thamel Pilgrim's Guesthouse is a nice guesthouse with a relaxing garden area. (Say hello to Sunny!) Climb the enormous stairs to Swayambhunath (monkey temple). The rest of Kathmandu you can visit after your trip to Chitwan tomorrow.

Chitwan

Chitwan national park is great to see some wildlife. Rainbow Adventure Safari Resort is a nice place to stay and they offer value for money. In Chitwan you can walk around in the jungle, visit the Elephant Breeding Center and take a boat trip on the river. I saw elephants, rhinos, wild boars, crocodiles and deers. On your way back to Kathmandu you can make a stopover to go rafting for a bit of a thrill seeking experience ;)

Kathmandu

Visit Kathmandu's Durbar Square and her Kamasutra temple. In Kathmandu many Nepali people will offer to guide you around to practice their English for a small fee or for buying a school book.. Say yes! They'll bring you to places that aren't really in the guidebooks and they can tell a lot about their country. Kathesimbu Stupa is a smaller (but nice) copy of the monkey temple. Another temple you can visit is Seto Machhendranath, where hindus and buddhists pray together. Walk by the house of the Kumari ("the living goddess"). Go to Patan and Bhaktapur Durbar Square; I thought both were more beautiful than Kathmandu Durbar Square. Make a day trip to viewing point Nagarkot (preferably by a local bus.. Sit on the roof!) Restaurant: OR2K Drinks: Buddha bar

Bandipur

Take a bus to Dumre and from there a bus to the little village Bandipur. The environment is beautiful and the people are lovely! Walk around the village (Tundikhel, Martyrts memorial) and enjoy the magnificent views! If you're longing for a fancier place to stay; the Old Inn is recommendable

Pokhara

Visit the Devis fall waterfall and go to the Peace Pagoda (quite a climb, but definitely worth it!) Make a boat trip across the lake. In Pokhara you can arrange a trekking in the Annapurna mountain range. In Pokhara you can also visit the Bindyabasini Temple and Karma Dubgyu Chokhorling Monastery (last one is a very colourful buddhist monastery). In Pokhara you can find the Namaste Children House (an orphanage). They're happy to guide you around :). For magnificent views; go to viewing point Sarangkot. Restaurant: Cafe Concerto (good Italian food, nice cocktails) Drinks: Busy Bee Cafe Guesthouse: Giri Guesthouse (really sweet people!)

Kathmandu

And back in Kathmandu again... But still a lot to see and visit! Definitely go to Pashupatinath where the Nepali people cremate their dead loved ones. It's very impressive to watch their ceremonies. Another beautiful temple is the Bodnath Stupa; you can easily go their on foot from Pashupatinath. Your last day is for souvenir shopping, because as you've already seen...; there are lots in Kathmandu! Restaurant tip: Maya Pub (Mexican food)