When a Landslide Extended an 8 Days Tibet Trip to 12 Days for One Canadian

It was late one night in November 2024. I was reviewing the itinerary for Emily, a client from Canada, who was ten days away from her classic 8-day Tibet trip. The plan was to start in Lhasa, head south to Shigatse, travel to Mount Everest Base Camp, and finally exit through the Gyirong Port to Nepal, where her return flight was already booked down to the hour.

Then, with a red "Breaking News" banner on my phone, everything changed.

Trip Cut Short by a Landslide

A breaking news report threw all our plans into chaos. Nepal was hit by severe storms and continuous heavy rain, triggering a major landslide that caused the China-Nepal border's Gyirong Port to be closed indefinitely.

I immediately realized that the very foundation of Emily's journey had been shaken. Her exit route was severed, the planned itinerary was impossible to complete, and her international flight was at risk of being missed, leaving her stranded.

I quickly reached out to her. On the phone, I could feel her anxiety and frustration. This trip to Tibet meant the world to her. While she was genuinely excited to step onto the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau for the first time, her excitement wasn't enough to make her want to get stranded for days. With her plans suddenly ruined, all her anticipation seemed to hang in the air. I didn't rush to offer a solution. Instead, I first listened as she voiced all the emotions she had bottled up: the disappointment, the worry about the cost, and the fear of the unknown.

"It's okay," I told her. "I will help you find another way." After calming her, I began to sort through every possible solution.

First, the most realistic option was to change her method of leaving the country. After emergency communication with the airline and the local travel agency, we confirmed she could fly directly from Lhasa to Kathmandu, bypassing the land port. But this meant canceling her original flights, re-booking her entry to Tibet, and extending her stay to accommodate the new flight schedule. The original 8-day itinerary had to be expanded to 12 days, and the focus of the trip had to be completely re-planned.

For the next 48 hours, I was online the entire time.

I coordinated ticket cancellations, requested special treatment for the flight changes, and rearranged every detail of the itinerary, making sure every night's accommodation aligned with the new schedule. The peach blossoms of Nyingchi had long since faded, but the Nanga Parbat peak would be visible in the autumn mist. The Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse was still solemn, but the travel time to and from Everest Base Camp needed to be more flexible to accommodate the effects of high altitude. I specifically told the guide to build in more rest time in the new itinerary, monitor the client for signs of altitude sickness, and be ready to adjust the route at any moment.

Have A Smooth Trip to Tibet

When Emily finally set foot in Lhasa, she was a day late, but she had no complaints.

The plateau's sunlight was crisp and intense, falling on the golden rooftops of the Potala Palace. The air was filled with the scent of butter tea and smoky incense, and from a distance, the low hum of chanting from the monasteries drifted over, as if time itself had become slow and profound here. As she walked on the cobblestone streets of Barkhor Street, she watched the pilgrims carrying prayer wheels, their steps firm as they slowly moved clockwise. The power of their devotion made her instinctively lighten her own steps and release the anxiety in her heart.

The moment that made her stop and hold her breath came when she arrived at Everest Base Camp that evening.

The viewing platform next to Rongbuk Monastery came into view, and Mount Everest stood silently above the clouds in the dusk. The snow on its summit glowed with a faint golden light, like a silent giant who had been watching over the world for thousands of years. In that moment, the wind was biting and breathing was difficult due to the altitude, but she felt a sense of peace and insignificance she had never experienced before. All the twists and turns, waiting, and uncertainty on her journey turned into dust before the world's highest peak.

At the shore of Lake Namtso, she sat and watched the Nyainqêntanglha Mountains reflect in the mirror-like water. The sky was an endless blue, and the prayer flags fluttered gently in the wind. She said that was the first time she truly felt the weight of the word "purity."

A few days after her trip ended, I saw a positive review she posted on social media. Without any grand words, she simply wrote: “Thank you to my consultant for giving me peace of mind in the chaos. Tibet is a long way away, but because someone was silently protecting every detail, the journey felt more secure than I ever imagined.”