The best of the west

The Xinjiang-Tibet Highway, Qomolangma (Mount Everest) and Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, each among the highest, tallest and grandest of their kinds, are studded along the southern route, along with world-class cultural heritage sites, including the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and Norbulingka Summer Palace in Tibet. Travelers will enjoy Tibetan folk operas and art featuring fragrance and paper making, as well as festive celebrations. The route also meanders along borders between Tibet and India, Nepal and Bhutan.

The southeastern part of the loop encourages one to seek out the heritage of the Tea Horse Road, also known as the Southern Silk Road. An ancient trade route, it was used to transport tea and goods, such as aromatic beverages, between Sichuan and Yunnan province and Tibet a thousand years ago.

The route runs between Yunnan's Kunming and Tibet's Lhasa, across the Himalayan and Hengduan Mountains, as well as the Yarlung Zangbo, Jinsha and Lancang rivers. It takes travelers down through valley and alpine scenery and allows them to enjoy primitive forests and roaring rivers during the trip. The holy towers in Yunnan's Dali and temples in Tibet have never failed to pack in pious visitors, while the surviving ancient courier stations along the route hint at how people moved from self-sustaining to a goods exchange-based economy.