tour China - Tibet

China - Tibet Travel Information

A leader's perspective...

Juniper smoke wafts across the horizon as I walk with a steady stream of pilgrims heading toward Drepung Monastery. Today marks the first day of Shoton (Yoghurt) Festival. The sound of chanting mantras, the scrape of prostrating bodies and the whirring of spinning prayer wheels fill my ears. The smell of yak butter permeates the air. The crowds are jostling their way through the monastery gates. It is hard for me to stay on my feet and I’m carried along. As I round the bend a pilgrim taps me on the shoulder and indicates to turn around. There, draped on the hillside is a large Sakyamuni Buddha Thangka (banner) upon which devotees are throwing khatas (silk scarves) as an offering to their beloved god.

Katherine Burt - Intrepid Team

China - Tibet Travel Information

real life experiences...

Base Camping

Standing before Everest – in real rock and snow – is quite humbling. The base camp, on the Tibetan side of the great peak known locally as Chomolangma, offers travellers the chance to spend a night in its shadow. At 5,200m, this experience was the coldest of my life, yet one I will never forget. Our host, Dorje, stoked the fire with cow dung and handed out mountains of blankets before treating us to a hot plate of rice and steaming tea. Tibetan yak butter tea was also on the menu for those with a strong constitution and no taste buds. Chomolangma towered in the darkness outside, omnipresent like a powerful bystander - it is no wonder the mountain has been revered and feared throughout history. The night carried an icy silence, broken only by the occasional yak. It was still dark when Dorje rekindled our fire – a welcome prelude to the morning sun.

Jen Bird - Intrepid Team