Our journey across the heart of Kham to Lhasa, the "Holy City" follows ancient mule caravan trade routes. Starting at Dartsedo, our gateway & border post with China, we skirt our way along the Sichuan-Tibet Highway through mountainous terrain & river valleys to the historical towns of Tawu, Kanze, Dege & Chamdo. From Chamdo we follow the southern route via Kongpo region & the Yarlung Tsangpo Valley to Lhasa, the Forbidden City. We visit all the important monasteries in Kham belonging to different schools of Tibetan Buddhism including the sacred Katok Monastery of Nyingmapa School believed to have been miraculously built by Guru Rinpoche in early 8th century. The journey is rugged & the facilities en route basic.

Amdo is home to the 14th Dalai Lama & is also the birth place of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelukpa School of Tibetan Buddhism. Traversing the expansive grasslands of Amdo, we visit the famous Labrang & Kubum monasteries, one of the most important Gelukpa monasteries in the Tibetan world. We also visit Kokonor Lake, the largest salt water lake on the plateau & the bird island. From Xining we fly to Lhasa, the forbidden city & the ultimate pilgrim destination for Tibetan Buddhist all over.

After exploring the Forbidden city, we have the option to continue via overland to Nepal including excursion to Everest Base Camp or fly out to Kathmandu/Chengdu/Xinin.