Xeger

High Tibetan road town below Xegar Dzong, used as a staging point for Everest trips

Xeger (also spelled Shelkar or New Tingri) is a small town at 4,350 metres in southern Tibet, built at the foot of the ruins of Xegar Dzong, an old hilltop fortress. It sits just off the Friendship Highway between Shigatse and the Nepalese border.

The town is primarily a stopping point for expeditions heading to Mount Everest — the turnoff to Everest Base Camp is about 10 km west. The Pang La pass on that road, at 5,050 metres, offers on clear mornings a panorama of five 8,000-metre peaks at once. The dzong ruins above the town are worth the 45-minute climb for views across the Tingri plain. At this altitude, take it easy — the thin air is felt immediately, and acute mountain sickness is a real risk for anyone who has not had adequate acclimatisation time.

Guide

Getting There

Xeger sits on the Friendship Highway (G318), the main road connecting Lhasa to the Nepalese border at Zhangmu. By road from Shigatse it is about 230 km west — roughly 4–5 hours depending on road conditions and altitude acclimatisation stops. By road from Lhasa it is about 500 km and a full day's drive.

All travel in Tibet requires a Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) permit in addition to a Chinese visa. The TAR permit must be arranged through a registered travel agency before entering Tibet, and you must travel with a registered guide. Independent travel (arriving alone, hiring your own car) is not permitted. The Everest region requires an additional Alien's Travel Permit.

Most visitors to Xeger are part of organised tours that travel the Friendship Highway between Lhasa and Nepal or are on multi-day expeditions to Everest Base Camp. The town has basic guesthouses and restaurants along the main road, sufficient for a night's stop but not much more.

Guide

Things to Do

The main thing to do in Xeger itself is climb to the Xegar Dzong ruins on the ridge above the town — a 45-minute scramble rewarded by panoramic views across the Tingri plain and the distant Himalayan peaks. The ruins of the fortified monastery are extensive enough to explore for an hour.

Xeger's real significance is as the gateway to Everest Base Camp on the Tibetan side. The turnoff is 10 km west of town; the road climbs to Pang La pass at 5,050 metres, where on clear mornings you can see five 8,000-metre peaks at once, then continues to Rongbuk Monastery (the highest monastery in the world) and the base camp at 5,150 metres. The trip requires a Tibet Tourism Bureau permit in addition to the standard TAR permit, and must be done with a registered guide and vehicle arranged in Lhasa.