Colourful, fluttering prayer flags, burgundy robed monks chanting low, rhythmic mantras, freezing snowy passes and the surprisingly pleasant yak butter tea are just some of the memories travellers to Tibet take away with them. Tibet is the highest region on earth, tumbling from these heights are the waters of the Yangtze, Ganges, Mekong and Indus. Tibet has also been a centre of Buddhism for hundreds of years. Cut off from the outside world for so long Tibet managed to retain its traditions and culture but since the opening of the Peoples Republic of China travellers are now permitted to enter this mystical land. The Chinese government have hugely limited the religious practices of the Tibetan people and their leader His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama is still living in exile in Dharamsala in India. Despite this the well-informed traveller can learn much about the Tibetan culture by visiting the magnificent sites such as The Potala Palace, Drepung Monastery and the Jokang Temple in the Tibet’s spiritual heart – the city of Lhasa. Travelling out of Lhasa along winding mountain roads the Himalayan views are stunning, the people in the small mountain communities are so inquisitive and friendly and the lonely monasteries perched on rocky outcrops are perhaps the most haunting places on earth.
Trekking in Tibet is not for the faint hearted as the average height of the entire country is over 4000 meters. Your efforts will be greatly rewarded however, with views across the roof of the world.