Visit Tibet

Try traditional butter tea, also known as yak tea, a Tibetan beverage made with tea leaves, yak butter, and salt.

Explore Tibet's former home of the Dalai Lama

Visit Tibet's most sacred Buddhist temple

Undertake a spiritual pilgrimage to Mount Kailash (6,638m) and Lake Manasarovar in Tibet. Circumambulate the sacred mountain (52km kora) revered in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Bon, and take a ritual bath in the pristine lake (4,590m altitude) believed to cleanse sins. Visit nearby sites like Tarboche (flagpole for annual Saga Dawa festival) and Chiu Monastery (offering panoramic views of the region).

The lowest of the fourteen at 8,027 m, and the only one entirely inside Tibet.

Walk the Great Wall, imperial palaces, and karst rivers of China

Explore Xinjiang, a vast autonomous region in northwest China known for its dramatic landscapes and diverse cultures. Trek through the Tianshan Mountains (home to the stunning Heavenly Lake and glaciers), visit the ancient city of Kashgar (with its Sunday livestock market and 1,000-year-old Id Kah Mosque), see the Flaming Mountains and Turpan Depression (one of the hottest places in China, famous for grapes and the Karez irrigation system), and discover the remote Altai Mountains and Kanas Lake (legendary for its mysterious lake monster and pristine forests).

The friendliest eight-thousander at 8,188 m, and most climbers’ first.