On arrival in Chengdu you are transferred to your hotel.Our airport representative will be holding a sign. In the evening you meet your tour leader and the other group members for a pre-tour briefing. This is generally followed by an optional group dinner at a local restaurant. Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, is known for its hot, spicy dishes that are generally considered by the Chinese as one of the best cuisine within China. In such a food-loving country, that is no mean achievement.

An early morning flight takes us over snow-capped mountains to Lhasa, capital of the autonomous region of Tibet. This is a spectacular flight, as we cross over high mountain peaks before arriving in the high Tibetan Plateau. On arrival at Gonggar Airport we are met and driven by coach to the fabled city of Lhasa, which lies at 3650 metres above sea level. Here we have two days to explore this once-isolated city, with its monasteries and markets bulging with pilgrims and traders. This includes an organised tour to the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and Sera Monastery. Free time to explore the city is subject to the Chinese authorities and the ever-changing political climate, although there are never any problems with filling in the days to great advantage in such a fascinating city. In your free time you may wish to visit the Norbulingka Summer Palace or the interesting Tibet Museum.

Today we travel for about four hours as we take to the Friendship Highway; a spectacular road, which traverses high mountain passes and crosses plateaus, connecting Lhasa with Kathmandu. Please note that the road conditions are very poor in Tibet, so we should be prepared for bumpy journeys. We first travel through Tibet’s richest farming areas, then cross the Brahmaputra River as it winds its way down to the Bay of Bengal. Running here at an altitude of 3939 metres above sea level, it is the highest major river in the world. We cross the river on a solid suspension bridge and wind our way to Kamba La (Pass) and enjoy a view over the huge Yamdrok Tso Lake. After the lake, we climb again to Karo La (Pass) (5010 metres) before descending to the historic town of Gyantse, a small village and home to the Kumbum Monastery, where we find interesting Buddhist murals.

In the morning we explore Gyantse, a town renowned for the exploits of Colonel Younghusband in the 1920s. We walk down the newly rebuilt main street, along with the Nepali Kumbum stupa. In the afternoon we drive for an hour-and-a-half across the Tibetan Plateau. Shigatse is the second largest city of Tibet with a population of some 40,000 people. The Tashilhunpo Monastery is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, the most important incarnation for Tibetan Buddhists, after the Dalai Lama. This impressive religious centre contains a giant statue of Buddha in the Temple of Maitreya as well as an ornate tomb, which is the final resting-place of the fourth Panchen Lama. Its huge size ensures it is almost a town in itself. One of Tibet's most active monasteries, it is currently being restored to its former beauty.

Today we continue along the Friendship Highway towards Lhatse – a place where we can stop for lunch. There are many ‘dzongs’ (fortress-monasteries) and ruins of old forts around Lhatse as well as the small Changmoche Monastery to the west of the town. After leaving Lhatse, the road follows a route that skirts along the banks of the Brahmaputra River. Further ahead, the river valley sprawls over and then picturesque traditional villages come into picture. This scenic drive provides plenty of opportunities for photography. The road then heads in a northerly direction before we reach the small settlement of Saga (4600 metres) where we stop for the night.

Today our drive goes over numerous passes as we weave our way through small dusty town of Zhongba and admire all the enchanting panoramic views en route as we travel to reach Paryang.

We travel along the dusty road from Paryang to Manasarovar as we make our way towards the holy Mount Kailash. This route takes us into the heartland of the Lake Manasarovar region – an area of amid extraordinary landscape. As we near the breathtakingly beautiful and also sacred lake, historic Chiu Monastery becomes visible on the northwestern shore. From this vantage point, we catch a good view of majestic Mount Kailash.

We spend some time exploring magnificent Lake Manasarovar before driving on to Darchen, which is the starting point of our trek around Mount Kailash.

Early in the morning we meet our team of trek crew and Tibetan yak drivers who will escort you around on our ‘kora' (pilgrimage) to Mount Kailash. Further ahead from a place called Tarboche, we trek past verdant meadows and along picturesque streams on our way to Lha Chu Valley. The trail overlooks Turquoise River, which cascades over a narrow canyon surrounded by high steep cliffs. En route, the north face of Mount Kailash comes in sight – a very spectacular and monolithic presence. The trail also takes us to the 13th century monastery of Diraphuk. Visiting this monastery is a very insightful experience and gives us a chance to ask for divine blessing for our Mount Kailash trek. Eventually we conclude our trekking for the day and spend the night camping at Diraphuk.

Lha Chu Valley blurs as we turn towards Dolma Chu Valley. Heading upwards on our amazing trek, we ascend to Dolma La (5630 metres) - the highest point on the trip. Soon after reaching the summit and catching a breathtaking view of Thukpe Dzingbu Lake, also known as the Lake of Compassion, we will come to the realization that we have reached the pinnacle of a tough and challenging ascent, but our efforts have indeed been very worthwhile and our endeavours fruitful. Several prayer flags can be seen fluttering away at the summit. Our trail then descends down to the flat fields of Zutulphuk, which houses a monastery and several fascinating caves. The caves around here are very popular for meditation. In the cave of Milarepa (Tibet’s most famous poet and yogi), Milarepa’s footprints and elbow prints believed to be imprinted all over in the mani stones (stone plates with Buddhist inscriptions). We spent an exciting night camping at Zutulphuk.

Departing Zutulphuk we follow the trail through the Barkha Plains that leads to Darchen. It is an easy walk along some impressive gorges and around many mani stones and mani walls as we make our way through the plains and back to dusty Darchen. Our ‘kora’ is finished and according to local beliefs we can consider that we have been absolved of your sins, having embarked on a short journey that involved enduring cold nights and freezing mornings, crossed one of the highest passes in the world, met countless fellow pilgrims and sent prayers of peace out to the rest of the world. From here, we divert to the famous pilgrimage site of Trita Puri. Considered a holy place since Guru Rimpoche spent time and accomplished various miracles here, Trita Puri is also noted for its hot springs and a geyser with white and pink terraces. A pilgrimage to Mount Kailash is considered unfinished unless a visit is made to this place.

We drive via Zhada to reach the Tsaparang Toiling Monastery, also known as the Guge Kingdom ruins. It was here in the gorge country of the Sutlej that a small kingdom was established around 9th century. Rinchen Zangpo, a young monk from this region, spent 17 years in India and became possibly the greatest Tibetan translator of Sanskrit texts. After his return to Tibet, he was responsible for the construction of over one hundred monasteries in western Tibet. In 1042 Atisha, the renowned Indian Buddhist teacher, also came to Tholing which was then the capital and composed his most famous work – ‘The Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment’. The Kingdom of Guge flourished for more than 500 years, attracting gifted teachers, artists and scholars from India, Kashmir and Tibet. With the support of sympathetic rulers, it was their efforts which were responsible for the flowering of Tibetan Buddhist culture and its expansion throughout Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan. By the 18th century both cities were virtually deserted following a series of calamities. A smallpox epidemic, an invasion from Kashmir and a decline in rainfall throughout the whole region resulting in progressive desertification, all combined to force the local people to leave their homeland. Despite the desecration which took place during the Cultural Revolution, many buildings including temples remain and many works of art are still well preserved at both sites. Tsaparang in particular has still the remains of the artistic treasures and relics and its astonishing museum contains some of Asia's most beautiful murals.

Our drive today passes back through Trita Puri to our way back to our camp on the banks of Lake Manasarovar. En route we pass through dusty town of Montser and travel over a few smaller passes. Lake Manasarovar is one of the holiest lakes in Tibet. By following the cosmological concept of Hinduism and Buddhism, this lake is the source of four great rivers - the Brahmaputra, Sutlej, Karnali and Indus. We get enjoy astounding views of Gurla Mandhata (7728 metres), as well as Trugo Monastery and Chiu Monastery. From Lake Manasarovar we drive through Lak Gungyu Cho and cross the Mayum La (Pass) at 5280 metres, as well as several rivers. The scenery along this section is very spectacular as we pass through pastures with sheep and local Tibetans on horseback. We pass through small settlements of Razen and Satsang to reach our camp at Ngari Pursum. We then drive through the small towns of Nichung, Horpa and Paryang to cross the Soge La (Pass) at 4735 metres and another pass to reach Zhongba and Zhadun. Another pass crossing takes us on to Lhaktsang. Our undulating drive takes us through Basaguke and Dargyeling before reaching to reach Saga, where we stop for the night.

Soon after leaving Saga the road opens into a wide flat plain and passes through huge turquoise lake, Peiku-Tso, with spectacular views of Xixipangma (8027 metres) as the backdrop. The road then reaches Lalung La (Pass) (5050 metres), where the scenery is again fantastic. From the top of the pass we descend nearly 3000 metres to the small town of Nyalam, before continuing to the border town of Zhangmu. As you near the border, the road is cut into the cliffs high above the valley floor. If you don’t like heights, sit on the left-hand side of the vehicle! At Zhangmu you say farewell to your Tibetan guide and driver.

Today, after finalising departure formalities, you exit from China and enter Nepal. Descending steeply down the zigzag road, you reach the Nepalese immigration and customs at Tatopani. During the monsoon season there may be landslides, which may cause sections of the road near the border to be closed. Should this be the case, porters then carry our luggage as we walk across the border to our Nepalese vehicle. It is then a 4½-hour drive to Kathmandu. There is much to see in the Nepalese capital and we will cover two of the city’s major temples on an included tour. In your free time you may wish to walk down and visit the city's fascinating Durbar Square, whilst another Durbar Square in neighbouring Patan is also well worth a visit.

In the morning we explore Kathmandu on an organised sightseeing tour. We visit Bodhnath Stupa, one of the biggest Buddhist shrines in the world, where we observe Buddhist monks in prayer in the monasteries surrounding the stupa. We also visit Pashupatinath, the most famous Hindu temple in the country, located on the banks of the holy Bagmati River. Here we see Hindu holy men (sadhus) meditating, pilgrims bathing and occasionally funeral pyres burning on the ghats. In the afternoon we make a visit to Bhaktapur, probably the most fascinating of the medieval towns in the Kathmandu Valley. As we wander the timeless cobbled streets and admire the intricate wooden lattice-works that adorn the buildings, we feel as if we’ve been transported to a place that has changed little in centuries. We return to Kathmandu where our evening is free. A visit to Thamel gives us a chance to choose from a wide array of cafes restaurants and cafes.

Your tour ends after breakfast this morning. A transfer to the airport is not included, however, your tour leader will be on hand to advise you as to the options available.