Lifestyle

LIFESTYLE

Key takeaways Kathmandu Valley holds seven UNESCO World Heritage monument zones, inscribed together in 1979, so much of what you want to see already carries global heritage status. Give yourself two full days in and around Kathmandu before a trek and...

LIFESTYLE

Key takeaways The Annapurna Circuit crosses Thorong La at 5,416 meters, the highest point of the trek and the day that demands the most patience. Plan 12 to 18 days on the trail so your body has time to acclimatize; the CDC advises gaining no more than...

LIFESTYLE

Key takeaways Tibetans are the majority ethnic group across the Tibet Autonomous Region, living mostly on a high plateau that sits far above most inhabited land on Earth. Tibetan Buddhism shapes daily life, from prayer wheels and mani stones to the kora,...

LIFESTYLE

Key takeaways Mount Everest sits on the border between Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, with its summit line splitting the two countries. The summit stands at 8,848.86 meters (29,031.7 feet), the figure Nepal and China jointly announced...

LIFESTYLE

Key takeaways Pack a three-layer clothing system rather than one heavy coat, so you can adjust from warm afternoons to freezing pre-dawn starts. Break in your boots at home; new footwear on the trail is the single most common cause of trip-ending blisters. Down...

LIFESTYLE

Key takeaways Most Kailash Mansarovar Yatra packages run 12 to 16 days, with the overland route from Kathmandu through Lhasa or the direct Kerung border crossing being the two main choices. The kora, the sacred 52-kilometer circuit around Mount Kailash,...

LIFESTYLE

Key takeaways The Annapurna massif holds Annapurna I at 8,091 metres, the world's 10th highest peak and the first 8,000-metre mountain ever climbed. The three most popular treks are Annapurna Base Camp, the Annapurna Circuit over Thorong La at 5,416...

LIFESTYLE

Key takeaways Foreign travelers cannot tour Tibet independently. You must join an organized, permitted group, which makes a small-group tour the standard way in. The three signature routes are Lhasa cultural circuits, Everest North Base Camp at around...