China

Tashilhunpo Monastery is the second most holy monastery in Tibet and home to the Panchen Lama (second seat to the Dalai Lama). I never had the time to walk the Tashilhunpo Kora during my first two visits to Tibet. Although I was in Shigatse (Tibetan spelling, Xigaze in Chinese), I never took the ...

This is the recommended place to sleep when visiting Mount Everest from the North. There are many Yak wool tents, each has a unique name outside the entrance. It's very interesting to see. A few issues with any of the tents. If you need to go to the bathroom, all the "toilets" are behind the tent...

Take a taxi one way from Yushu (玉树) to Princess Wencheng Temple (文成公主寺). Should be around 30-40RMB and something like 12km.Once you get to the temple, take a look around. It's famous, butpretty small. There are tons of prayer flags and yaks hanging aroundthough. After that, hike back 2km to the m...

The starting location of this adventure is set at the city's largest hotel, aptly named Gyantse Hotel. All of the streets surrounding the hotel are flat and cobblestoned, with little traffic or danger, and should be comfortable for all types of travelers. Head right out of the entrance of the hot...

When you first see Yumbulagang from a distance, it is quite an impressive sight. Perched atop a craggy hill makes the main tower here seem much larger than it is. Yumbulagang is said to be the first Monastery in Tibet, built by the first Tibetan King. There is only a few monks present to tend to ...

This route follows a narrow goat and yak trail high up in the hills overlooking the capital of Tibet. Though the trip is not very long or steep, tourists visiting from sea level will feel the strenuous effects of altitude as they complete this trek (elevation highpoint is around 13,000 feet). Beg...

This hike was my first exposure to walking a Kora around a Monastery.  Sera Monastery is considered one of the three great monastery's, the other two being Drepung (also in Lhasa) and Ganden.  Sera is an active Gelug Unniversity which last I heard has nearly 2000 monks studying here.The Kora star...

Pelkor Chode is the largest and main monastery in Gyantse. The entrance is unique as it is a walkway lined with prayer wheels on either side and leads directly to an extremely large prayer wheel that is housed inside a dedicated building and monitored by an attendant. To the left of this large pr...

Ganden Monastery is one of the three major Buddhist university's in Tibet.  Many monks study here and there is no shortage of Tibetans making a pilgrimage to the monastery. Ganden sits on the side of a mountain, laid out is crescent shape.  This is the only Kora that I have done where the path le...

Namtso is to the north of Lhasa, ~190 kilometers away. You could hitch hike or rent a car from Lhasa to Zhaxi peninsula (扎西半岛)  It will take you about 4 hours from Lhasa to the Zhaxi peninsula and a ticket is required for 120 RMB per person. When you arrive at the Zhaxi peninsula, you will see se...

Yungdrungling is one of the few remaining Bon Monastery's remaining in Tibet.  Often referred to as the original religion of Tibet, it came about during the 11th century.  The Bon teachings and terminology are very similar to that of Buddhism.  From an explorers point of view, they are relatively...

Visiting Potala Palace is the highlight of any tour in Tibet. It is best to start the day by walking towards the Palace and setting on the opposite side if it. Chak Pori Hill is one of the best spots to take incredible photos of the Palace. Of course, if you can visit it for sunrise or sunset, th...