Panchen Lama's New Palace (Dekyi Phodrang)

Tashilhunpo Monastery

A pitch-black passageway lets you walk around the Buddha statue. The precious beads and agates inlaid on the base are within arm's reach, and the splendour feels like a dream. Founded in 1447 by Gendun Drupa, a disciple of Tsongkhapa and the First Dalai Lama. From the Fourth Panchen Lama onward, it became the centre of the Panchen Lamas' religious and political activities. It is the fourth-largest monastery of the Gelug school and houses the world's largest gilded bronze Buddha, 22.4 metres tall. The bronze figure is inlaid with more than 1,400 gemstones, and a huge diamond on its brow is set off by over 30 diamonds the size of broad beans. Tashilhunpo has four colleges (扎仓) built into the slope of the mountain. Of the monastery's 64 khang-tsen (康村), many have moved away. Try walking through the dark little chambers: the wooden stair railings have been polished glossy by countless touches, and through narrow window openings you can look out at the bustling monastery grounds, as if gazing across another age.

Peak season ¥100, off-season ¥55 (free during the Jumping Buddha Festival) · 2 hours

Mount Everest (Qomolangma)

The final 100 kilometres require passing a border checkpoint, then continuing up the valley. You will pass the ruins of an ancient fortress, a village, rabbits, antelopes, and increasingly sparse vegetation, until there is nothing at all. There are only loose stones, snowmelt, and peaks, with no grass or moss, and very little life to be seen. Winding around one mountain after another, the driver says, 'Look, Qomolangma.'

Mountain entry fee ¥160; sightseeing bus ¥120

Everest Base Camp

Eight kilometres beyond Rongbuk Monastery lies the Chinese Everest Base Camp, famous throughout the mountaineering world. The only permanent structure there is a small stone hut belonging to the Chinese Mountaineering Association, but during the climbing season, hundreds of tents crowd the foot of the mountain, housing challengers of every nationality and the finest Sherpa guides. On a small hill near the camp stands the new survey marker for Everest's height. On the slope beside it are many gravestones, where numerous brave climbers rest eternally. On the way from Xegar to Everest, you cross the Gyu La Pass at 5,170 metres, where you can gaze out over the Roof of the World: Cho Oyu, Everest, Makalu and Shishapangma stand in a row, a magnificent sight!

Rongbuk Glacier

The Rongbuk Glacier lies in the vast area at the foot of Mount Everest, between 5,300 and 6,300 metres. Made up of the West Rongbuk and Central Rongbuk glaciers, it extends 22.4 km and is the world's most fully developed and best-preserved valley glacier. Cirques, glaciers and hanging glaciers are widespread, and countless glacial lakes, ice cliffs, ice caves and ice streams create breathtaking scenery. Known as “China's most beautiful glacier” and the world's largest “high-mountain park,” it is an extraordinary sight.

1 hour

Shalu Monastery

Shalu Monastery is a renowned temple of the Shalu school of Tibetan Buddhism. It was founded in 1087 by the monk Jizun Xirao Qiongnai. During the Yuan dynasty, an earthquake caused devastating damage to the monastery, and the Yuan emperor sent workers to restore it, including Han Chinese craftsmen. Han and Tibetan artisans together built this temple, which has a distinctive style. Tibetan-style halls are topped with Han-style palatial roofs of glazed tiles, supported by wooden dougong brackets. The two architectural traditions blend seamlessly, a vivid testament to the close collaboration between Han and Tibetan craftsmen. Four treasures of the monastery have survived: a set of scripture boards assembled from 108 small sandalwood blocks; holy water sealed in a copper vessel that is renewed only once every 12 years; a stone basin used by Xirao Jiongnai for washing his face; and a foundation stone, white on one side and black on the other, carved with the six-syllable mantra.

¥60 · 3 hours

Sakya Monastery

Sakya Monastery is the first monastery of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism and is known as the 'Second Dunhuang'. Its architecture is highly unusual. The complex is square in plan and enclosed by walls 10 m high, with watchtowers at the four corners and a man-made moat outside. The outer walls are painted red, black and white, the distinctive hallmark of Sakya temples in Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery's collection of relics is exceptionally rich. It includes thousands of Sanskrit palm-leaf scriptures, over a thousand years old, which are said to have been copied by Tibet's scribes at the direction of Sakya Lama Phagpa, as well as finely crafted murals. Dunhuang has become a relic of history, but Sakya Monastery's traditions have been passed down from generation to generation and continue to thrive. Sakya Monastery holds many ceremonies throughout the year, both large and small. The most significant and distinctive are the Summer Vajra Dance Festival, held in the seventh month of the Tibetan calendar, and the Winter Vajra Dance Festival, which begins on the 19th day of the eleventh Tibetan month.

¥60 · 1–3 hours