From the moment I booked my Overland Tibet Tour, I worried how I would handle the high altitude of the Tibetan Plateau. I begin to suffer from Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) the moment I reach an altitude of 4,000 meters (13,123 feet). I become nauseous, my stomach feels like it is flipping upside down, my head starts throbbing incessantly, and I gasp for breath. Not usually willing to take prescription drugs unless absolutely necessary, I decided to take the advice of my tour operator and get a prescription for Diamox, a drug used to treat AMS. Unfortunately, I had an adverse reaction to the drug. It made me so dizzy I was bouncing off walls and every inch of my skin felt like it was vibrating. Rather than try to tolerate the side effects, I decided to see if I could tough it out without Diamox.
Fortunately, I had done extensive research prior to choosing a tour company. Many firms that offer this overland journey are Nepali-owned resellers located in Kathmandu. Since the Chinese government only allows Chinese companies to conduct these tours, Nepal-based companies must
turn over their clients to a Tibet based operator at the border between Nepal and China. Even more importantly, most of these tours start out in Kathmandu and end in Lhasa. This means that travelers go from 1,300-meter high (4,365-foot) Kathmandu to 5,200-meter high (17,060-foot) Mount Everest Base Camp in Tibet in the space of two days. This rapid increase in altitude, without adequate time to acclimate, virtually assures that anyone sensitive to high altitude will fall ill.
I chose Himalaya Journey because, not only are they based in Tibet, their tour begins in Lhasa and ends in Kathmandu. As a result, the change in altitude is much more gradual each day, allowing the body to better adjust. Additionally, while other tour operators cram the experience into seven or eight days, the tour I selected was 12 days long, which meant we could see more, spend more time in the places we visited, and climb even more gradually.
So, how did I fare? I was anxious the first time we breached my 4,000-meter limit but the incremental increase in altitude each day had worked its magic. I easily managed our overnight stop in Gyantse, which sits an elevation of 4,000 meters. I felt little effect at the 4,441-meter high Yamdrok Lake, and managed a stop at the 5,200-meter high Gyatso La Pass with only a slight shortness of breath, especially since we descended to 4,300 meters for the night. My only difficulty occurred the night we stayed at 5,200-meter high Mount Everest Base Camp in Tibet.
We arrived late in the afternoon, just in time to see the peak dripping with golden light in the setting sun. I dragged myself up a low hill on feet that felt encased in lead. By the time I reached the top I was gasping for breath. It didn’t get any better through the night; I gasped continually, never able to completely fill my lungs with enough oxygen. Just before dawn, the rest of my crew rolled out of bed to take photos of the sunrise, but I was feeling too poorly to join them. We left shortly after breakfast and it was all downhill from there. Within minutes of beginning our descent I was my normal self, breathing easily and feeling grateful that I’d had enough energy the prior evening to capture the sunset photo shown above.
Author’s note: After many years of trying to visit Tibet, I was finally successful with the assistance of Himalaya Journey, an absolutely fantastic company that specializes in small group tours of Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, and India.
Wow, some really great places.
Thanks for sharing this amazing information. Keep it up.
WOW! Super gorgeous! ? I got goosebumps… God willing, I hope I get to experience this glorious view one day. I enjoy yr blogs and photos a lot. Thank u for sharing yr journeys, Barbara. Stay safe and healthy.
I hope you also get to see this glorious view someday Risa. And thanks so much for your kind words about my blog.
Everest is a challenging environment. Your travel experience sounds exciting.
What a pleasing view, it can be the perfect trip for those who are looking for a peaceful trip. Tibet is world most awesome place to be for vacation. You gave the perfect reason what makes Tibet special. Thanks for sharing such an awesome blog.
It’s a great view. Lucky you
Thanks Jogi. I do feel very lucky.
This is so useful, will definitely use some of these tips when I visit TIBET next year, thanks!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. It’s a fascinating region.
This view looks beautiful! This is something I definitely want to experience – cheer!
I hope you get to experience it Tash!
Such magical light. Almost tempted to travel to Everest 🙂
LOL – Georgia, give in to the temptation! 🙂
Mount everest is the highest that one can achieve. Every year there are so many people start trekking it. It\’s great view from the base camp of tibet. Thanks for your great info, I really appreciate, I hope one day I would try it out.
Thanks for your comment Jim. Hope you get there one day.
Oh my goodness Barbara! That sounds dangerous and amazing a the same time! Good for you!
Hi Irene: I don’t think it was a bit dangerous, as I could have breathed the supplemental oxygen that Himalaya Journey always carries on its tours. But I definitely agree with you about the amazing part! 🙂
Thanks for sharing your experience with the altitude. I think I’ll pass on this kind of trip. You are one brave woman. Kudos to you.
Betty
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Oh Betty, don’t write it off. Tibet was spectacular, and Himalaya Journey has everything so well planned that you don’t need to be the least bit brave to do it. The discomfort at high altitude was really just for one night – well worth suffering it to see Everest in all its glory.
Most definitely a trip to be made by strong individuals. A friend did a group hike to base camp and said it was the hardest thing she’s ever done. She’s a long distance runner. The highest elevation I have ever been to was 14,000+ at Pike’s Peak…and that we drove! That elevation was difficult to breathe at, but there also was a facility with oxygen. My hat’s off to anyone that can make that trip.
LOL – well fortunately, Holly, I wasn’t trekking. We arrived by van and only had to walk short distances in the thin air. I’m guessing that your friend probably did that trek on the Nepal side of the mountain, which does require a difficult trek to reach Everest Base Camp. With my altitude sickness, no way I could ever do that, so I was delighted to be able to get to the EBC on the Chinese side without the trek.
oxygen not available? Sounds dangerous
Oxygen WAS available, however I was not sick enough to require it.
This is an amazing post thanks for sharing, with us, keep it up…
This is something I have always wanted to do but worried about how I would handle the altitude, especially because I am an older traveler. I really appreciate reading about your experience. Sounds like a great company and helps me to believe I might be able to do this! Thanks!
Karen, I truly think Himalaya Journey is one of the top, if not the best company out there doing Tibet trips. You won’t really know if you will be affected by the altitude until you get there, but if you take the Diamox meds you’ll probably be fine, and they always have supplemental oxygen available at the high altitudes.