From Lhasa to Kathmandu: the magical route of Tibetan friendship

The extraordinary French traveler Alexandra David-Néel was the first Western woman to enter Lhasa, the forbidden capital of Tibet. It was in 1924, after a four-month trek on foot through the Himalayas and several failed attempts, some due to the harsh climate and others due to the Tibetan authorities. But the difficulties only strengthened her resolve and transformed her goal into a true obsession: "Is it not allowed to pass through here? I was told that twice, and then I laughed at the memory, completely alone at night, in the middle of the bush. Is it not allowed to pass through? Really? A woman will pass through!"

Finally, the indomitable Alexandra entered Lhasa disguised as a beggar in February 1924, coinciding with the Losar or Tibetan New Year festivities, and accompanied by the young lama Aphur Yongden, who would eventually become her adopted son. Her books sparked curiosity about Tibet in many generations of travelers. He speaks of mystical and magical experiences and describes in meticulous detail a Tibet unknown to the explorers of his time. Over the years, several authors have fueled the flame of fascination with the Tibetan myth, among them the Belgian cartoonist Hergé, creator of the comic book character Tintin. In his book Tintin in TibetHere you'll find some of the essential ingredients of the Tibetan traveler's imagination: remote monasteries inhabited by lamas, mountain passes covered in perpetual snow, and the legend of the Yeti, the most famous inhabitant of the Himalayas. With an area of ​​nearly 2.5 million square kilometers, the vast Tibetan Plateau is the largest elevated landmass on Earth, the result of the collision that occurred 55 million years ago between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, which also gave rise to the mountain range. Its highest point is the summit of Qomolangma or Chomolungma, the Tibetan name for Mount Everest, meaning "mother or goddess of the universe." Several of Asia's most important rivers originate on this plateau, such as the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra), the Dza Chu (Mekong), the Senggé Khabap (the upper course of the Indus), and the Dri Chu (Yangtze).

Currently, Tibet is part of the People's Republic of China and its official name is the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), although in China it is known as Xizang. This Tibet Autonomous Region is only a part of Greater Tibet or historical Tibet, as it occupies less than half of the total plateau, and includes the territories of Kham and Amdo, administratively belonging to the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, and Qinghai (Kham) and Qinghai, Gansu, and Sichuan (Amdo). In addition, there are other territories with a strong Tibetan culture in India (Sikkim, Ladakh, Zangskar, Spiti, and Lahaul), Nepal (Mustang and Dolpo), and Bhutan. To grasp the magnitude of this vast territory, scientists believe that the plateau exerts a profound influence on Asian monsoon systems and, consequently, on the biodiversity of the entire continent.

The 900-km route linking Lhasa to the Nepalese border remains the most popular overland journey in Tibet. Known as the "Friendship Route," the original itinerary follows what is now China's National Highway 318 and ends in the town of Kyirong, near the Nepalese border, before continuing on to Kathmandu. Due to the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, the new border crossing is located at Rasuwagadhi, replacing the former Kodari border crossing. Starting in Lhasa, the spiritual heart of Tibetan culture, this route passes through some of Tibet's most iconic sites: Yamdrok Lake, one of Tibet's four sacred lakes; Pelkor Chode Monastery in Gyantse; Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse; and the majestic northern slopes of Rongbuk, considered the highest peak in the world.

The ancient city of Lhasa

The old city of Lhasa, the original one, is made up of a network of narrow alleyways. During the day, a multitude of small shops sell fruits and vegetables, religious items, mountains of yak butter, and momos—a type of Tibetan dumpling made with barley flour and filled with lamb—filling the streets with life and activity. One of the star products is the yartsa gunbu (Ophiocordyceps sinensis), a fungus that parasitizes the still-living larvae of a particular genus of moths (Thitarodes). Once it establishes itself in the larva's body, it kills it and emerges from it. yartsa gunbu It is distributed throughout the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau, and is valued in traditional Chinese medicine. In rural Tibet, it is considered the most important source of cash, as the price of a kilogram of yartsa gunbu The best quality ones can exceed 60,000 euros.

The labyrinthine urban complex of Lhasa converges in the Barkhor area, where the Jokhang Temple is located. Here, a continuous flow of Buddhist devotees from all corners of Tibet walks the approximately one-kilometer-long street that encircles the sanctuary each day. As they make their way, the devotees move their Manikhor or prayer wheel, which consists of a copper drum that rotates around a metal rod placed in its center as an axle and extending into a wooden handle. For the purpose of dispersing the mantras written on a strip of paper placed inside, the faithful rotate their Manikhor For hours, they move clockwise, propelled by a gentle flick of the wrist and aided by a small weight attached to a chain. Centrifugal force does the rest. The faces of the devotees show the harshness of the climate and reflect their fervor as they complete the circumambulation of the temple or koraMost do it walking, others prostrating themselves at each step, throwing themselves face down and rising again after a bow. Inside the Jokhang, the smoke from the numerous oil lamps—here many still burn yak butter—fills the air. In the traditional style, it creates a unique, sometimes stifling, atmosphere, immersing pilgrims and visitors in a mystical and special setting.

Beyond the Barkhor and built on a rise known as Red Hill or Marpo Ri stands the city's other great icon: the Potala Palace. This thirteen-story palace, soaring more than 100 meters above the Lhasa River valley, was the residence of the Dalai Lama from 1649 to 1959. It is a magnificent structure that has become a symbol of Tibet and an absolute reference point for its culture. The Potala Palace was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and currently functions as a museum, of which only a small part of a complex made up of more than a thousand rooms and chapels can be visited. At the base is the White Palace, which houses the Dalai Lama's residence and other quarters where foreign envoys stayed. Just above it is the Palau Vermell, used for religious purposes and full of chapels that house a wealth of valuable Buddhist artifacts.

From Lhasa, the route heads southwest to one of Tibet's four great sacred lakes, Yamdrok, with its turquoise waters. Yamdrok is believed to possess divinatory properties. The journey continues to Gyantse, where the kumbun, considered the chörten The largest Buddhist funerary monument in Tibet—reaching 35 meters in height—is located inside the Pelkor Chode (Palcho) Monastery.

The route continues to Shigatse, Tibet's second-largest city, and crosses a landscape dominated by fertile fields where high-altitude grains like wheat and barley are cultivated. In Shigatse, the Tashilhunpo Monastery, the traditional seat of the Panchem Lama (Tibet's second-highest religious authority), was built in the 15th century.

Before tackling the final approach to Everest's north face, the trail passes through the village of Sakya, which in Tibetan means "pale land," due to the color of the surrounding mountains. Like its fortified monastery, the houses in Sakya are painted dark gray and adorned with vertical red and white stripes. These colors represent the Rig Sum Gonpo, or the three Bodhisattvas: Avalokiteshvara (the Buddha of Compassion), Manjushri (the Buddha of Wisdom), and Vajrapani (the Buddha of Protection). Inside the monastery is a library, discovered in 2003 within one of the monastery walls, containing the most extensive collection of scriptures in Tibet. There are approximately 84,000 scrolls, almost all of them Buddhist in nature.

Road to Everest

The road heads south, venturing deeper into the inhospitable Tibetan Plateau. This plain stretches to the foot of the snow-capped mountains and rises above several ranges, such as Pang La (5,200 m), from where it's possible to see several peaks exceeding 8,000 m. Makalu, Lhotse, Mount Everest, and Cho Oyu are all visible. A few kilometers further on, you reach Rongbuk Monastery, situated at 4,980 m, the closest point to Everest accessible from its northern slopes. This small gompa It boasts being the highest altitude Buddhist monastery in the world.

The final leg of the journey before reaching the monastery is covered by an electric bus service recently established by the Chinese government to preserve this area, which has been protected as a national park since 2012. The region is renowned for its botanical richness, boasting numerous species thanks to the abundance of water in the form of rivers, lakes, and glaciers. Himalayan fauna is also well represented, with important species such as the elusive snow leopard, the baral, the Himalayan wolf, and the bearded vulture. This approach route to the north face of Everest is the same one followed by the 1924 British expedition, during which Sandy Irvin and George Mallory disappeared. Tragically, Mallory's camera, which might have contained evidence of those who reached the summit, was never found.

From Rongbuk, one can enjoy one of the most spectacular views of the giant, the mountain of mountains, the abode of the gods, Qomolangma, or Everest. Named by the British in the 19th century, the mountain still exerts an irresistible magnetism. "Because it's there," replied George Mallory when asked why he wanted to conquer it.

Leaving behind the icy air from the roof of the world, the last stretch of the Friendship Road still runs across the plateau before descending near the border with Nepal. In this final part of the journey, it's common to see herds of yaks grazing and, with a bit of luck, to spot a family group of kiangs, a tremendously robust wild donkey endemic to the Tibetan Plateau. The route ends by heading south and descending towards the Nepalese border to reach its capital, Kathmandu, a day later.