Tibet, the once forbidden land, protected by the great Himalayan chain in the south and west, and even more inhospitable mountains to the north and east, has long haunted the western imagination, and it is only in the last twenty years that more than a handful of travelers have managed to penetrate its remote secrets. Although there are now frequent visitors to Tibet the allure is still there. The very remoteness, inaccessibility and mystery are still enough to attract most travelers. Tibet is a land of stark beauty, vast landscapes and glittering peaks, high altitude deserts, densely forested gorges, brilliant skies, clean rivers, and little modern development.

Tibet today is so-called autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, situated west of China proper and covering 1,225,000 square miles. It is mostly a high plateau and wilderness of mountains, few of which is below 3000m. Most of the plateau is desert or moor land, blanketed by snow during the harsh winter, but providing good grazing for yak and sheep in the summer months. The central Yarlung Tsangpo valley and its tributaries (which include the Lhasa River) are more fertile and enjoy a more temperate climate, but it is only in the southeast corner of Tibet, where the Arun and Yarlung Tsangpo plunge down to Nepal and India respectively, that the empty plateau gives way to a lush, forested landscape.

The soul of Tibet is its religion, a highly developed form of Mahayana Buddhism introduced from India and conditioned by the traditional Bon religion. It dictated the whole way of life for many centuries, and the focal point of all communities was the monastery, which held economic sway over every family. This traditional way of life was catastrophically affected by the annexation of Tibet by China in 1959, and the departure of the Dalai Lama. The more secular program of modernization saw the dismantling of the religious infrastructure, and the Cultural Revolution resulted in the wholesale destruction or abandonment of most of the monasteries and religious schools--tearing the heart out of the body of the community.

Centuries of tradition cannot however be changed in a few years, and even after years of attempts to impose communism, consumerism and the terrible destruction wrought during the Cultural Revolution, vestiges of the rich old traditions and culture are still evident. This is now aided by a significant change of government policy, which has seen many monasteries and temples renovated and restored, though sadly many of the finest wall paintings and works of art have been lost for ever. Belief and prayer are now generally tolerated, and many previously banned festivals are being reinstated. However, over the last few years there has been a determined effort by the Chinese to reduce the influence of the Dalai Lama, and the banning of his photographs. Political expression and the independence movement are kept firmly and sometimes brutally in check by the Chinese authorities, although many Tibetans in the countryside are able to live relatively unaffected by Chinese influences. The march of progress has resulted in considerable land reform, and a real attempt to increase crop production from subsistence level. In many places this has been successful, while in others the economy still, necessarily, revolves around goats, sheep and yaks, that amazing high altitude cow. Hydroelectric and geothermal schemes are in hand (although not always environmentally sound), and there are rich minerals to be exploited, examples of which can be seen in the traditional Tibetan jewellery.

We are sometimes asked whether it is right to assist the Chinese economy by organizing tours to what many people consider to be an occupied country. The Dalai Lama himself has stated that he believes westerners should visit Tibet so that Tibet and the Tibetans do not become isolated, and our belief is that the Tibetans themselves, in general, regard the presence of westerners in Tibet as a positive factor. Tourism in general is still run by the Chinese. However, our agent in Tibet is Tibetan, and as far as possible, we only use Tibetan guides, and wherever possible use facilities that are Tibetan owned and run. Usually, with the larger hotels this is not always possible, and if you travel in Tibet you must accept that at times we must use Chinese-run facilities.