Beijing combines imperial grandeur with the energy of a modern capital. Monumental sites such as the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, and Great Wall reveal the scale and sophistication of China’s dynastic past.

Overnight: Beijing Chongwenmwen hotel

Beijing combines imperial grandeur with the energy of a modern capital. Monumental sites such as the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, and Great Wall reveal the scale and sophistication of China’s dynastic past.

Overnight: Beijing Chongwenmwen hotel

Beijing combines imperial grandeur with the energy of a modern capital. Monumental sites such as the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, and Great Wall reveal the scale and sophistication of China’s dynastic past. Xining is the gateway to the northeastern Tibetan Plateau and a meeting point of Tibetan, Hui, Mongolian, and Han cultures. Its location makes it an ideal place to begin acclimatizing before traveling toward Lhasa.

Xining is the gateway to the northeastern Tibetan Plateau and a meeting point of Tibetan, Hui, Mongolian, and Han cultures. Its location makes it an ideal place to begin acclimatizing before traveling toward Lhasa. Qinghai Lake is China’s largest lake, an immense sweep of blue water set amid open grasslands and distant mountains. Long revered by Tibetan communities, it conveys the scale and spaciousness of the plateau. Chaka Salt Lake is famed for its mirror-like surface, which on calm days reflects the sky and surrounding mountains. The brilliant salt flats create a minimalist landscape unlike anywhere else on the journey.

Overnight: Chaka Vienna or similar hotel

Xining is the gateway to the northeastern Tibetan Plateau and a meeting point of Tibetan, Hui, Mongolian, and Han cultures. Its location makes it an ideal place to begin acclimatizing before traveling toward Lhasa. Chaka Salt Lake is famed for its mirror-like surface, which on calm days reflects the sky and surrounding mountains. The brilliant salt flats create a minimalist landscape unlike anywhere else on the journey.

Overnight: Xining Hampton by Hilton

Lhasa is Tibet’s historic and spiritual capital, where monumental palaces and monasteries stand alongside a living culture of pilgrimage and devotion. Time here reveals both the grandeur of Tibetan history and the intimate rhythms of everyday life. Xining is the gateway to the northeastern Tibetan Plateau and a meeting point of Tibetan, Hui, Mongolian, and Han cultures. Its location makes it an ideal place to begin acclimatizing before traveling toward Lhasa. Sakya is a historic monastic town distinguished by its massive fortress-like monastery and distinctive grey, red, and white architecture. It is the spiritual center of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism.

Overnight: the train,  (soft sleepers)

Lhasa is Tibet’s historic and spiritual capital, where monumental palaces and monasteries stand alongside a living culture of pilgrimage and devotion. Time here reveals both the grandeur of Tibetan history and the intimate rhythms of everyday life.

Overnight: Kyichu or Tangkha hotel (all meal inclusive)

Lhasa is Tibet’s historic and spiritual capital, where monumental palaces and monasteries stand alongside a living culture of pilgrimage and devotion. Time here reveals both the grandeur of Tibetan history and the intimate rhythms of everyday life. The Potala Palace rises above Lhasa as the defining architectural symbol of Tibet. Its chapels, ceremonial halls, murals, sacred objects, and panoramic views offer an extraordinary introduction to Tibetan history and religion. The Jokhang Temple is the spiritual heart of Lhasa and one of the most revered pilgrimage destinations in Tibetan Buddhism. Outside, pilgrims move continuously along the Barkhor kora, creating one of Tibet’s most compelling cultural experiences.

Overnight: Kyichu or Tangkha hotel (all meal inclusive)

Lhasa is Tibet’s historic and spiritual capital, where monumental palaces and monasteries stand alongside a living culture of pilgrimage and devotion. Time here reveals both the grandeur of Tibetan history and the intimate rhythms of everyday life. The Potala Palace rises above Lhasa as the defining architectural symbol of Tibet. Its chapels, ceremonial halls, murals, sacred objects, and panoramic views offer an extraordinary introduction to Tibetan history and religion. Drepung Monastery was once one of the largest monastic institutions in the Tibetan world. Its hillside courtyards, assembly halls, colleges, and monastic quarters provide insight into Tibet’s great scholarly tradition.

Overnight: Kyichu or Tangkha hotel (all meal inclusive)

Lhasa is Tibet’s historic and spiritual capital, where monumental palaces and monasteries stand alongside a living culture of pilgrimage and devotion. Time here reveals both the grandeur of Tibetan history and the intimate rhythms of everyday life. Shigatse is Tibet’s second-largest city and the traditional seat of the Panchen Lamas. Tashilhunpo Monastery remains its cultural centerpiece, with grand halls, gilded roofs, and an active monastic community. Gyantse is one of Tibet’s best-preserved historic towns, surrounded by fertile barley fields and overlooked by its imposing dzong. Its great Kumbum chorten and Pelkor Chode Monastery preserve exceptional examples of Tibetan religious art.

Overnight: Shigatse: Gesar or Manasarovar hotel

Shigatse is Tibet’s second-largest city and the traditional seat of the Panchen Lamas. Tashilhunpo Monastery remains its cultural centerpiece, with grand halls, gilded roofs, and an active monastic community. Sakya is a historic monastic town distinguished by its massive fortress-like monastery and distinctive grey, red, and white architecture. It is the spiritual center of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism.

Overnight: Sakya Naicang Hotel

Sakya is a historic monastic town distinguished by its massive fortress-like monastery and distinctive grey, red, and white architecture. It is the spiritual center of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. The northern approach to Mount Everest offers one of the most dramatic mountain experiences in Tibet. Weather permitting, sunrise, sunset, and the immense north face of the world’s highest peak create an unforgettable high-Himalayan finale. Rongbuk Monastery stands in a stark Himalayan valley beneath Mount Everest and is among the world’s highest monasteries. Its remote setting gives the Everest experience a powerful spiritual dimension.

Overnight: the monastery (or Everest Base Camp), we will have a great chance to see the sunset of Mount Everest

Rongbuk Monastery stands in a stark Himalayan valley beneath Mount Everest and is among the world’s highest monasteries. Its remote setting gives the Everest experience a powerful spiritual dimension. Tingri sits on a broad Himalayan plain with magnificent views toward some of the world’s highest mountains. The immense horizon makes it a classic landscape of southern Tibet. Gyirong Valley descends dramatically from the high Tibetan Plateau into a greener Himalayan world of forests, waterfalls, and deep gorges. The rapid change in altitude and vegetation makes the approach to Nepal especially striking.

Overnight: Kyirong: Vienna or similar hotel (all meal inclusive)

Kathmandu is Nepal’s energetic capital and a historic crossroads of Himalayan cultures. Arrival here brings a vivid change of landscape, architecture, and atmosphere after the high plateau of Tibet. Gyirong Valley descends dramatically from the high Tibetan Plateau into a greener Himalayan world of forests, waterfalls, and deep gorges. The rapid change in altitude and vegetation makes the approach to Nepal especially striking.