Fly to Lhasa . It is a one hour flight from Kathmandu . If the weather is clear the will give extraordinary views of the Himalaya , including Everest, Makalu and Kangchenjunga. You should also get a good view of the Kangshung valley. On arrival at Gongar Airport , you will be met and then driven for 2 hours (90kms/56 miles) to Lhasa .

Day 02: DRIVE TO GYANGTSE (12,959ft/3,950m)

Begin a 6-7 hour drive westwards across Tibet , heading back to Nepal along the "friendship highway". This first section to the Kamba Pass (15,728ft/4,794m) is mostly on tarmac; thereafter the roads are mainly dirt. From the pass you look down onto the Yamdrok Yam Tso (lake), a huge area of water surrounded by mountains. After a long drive around the edge of the lake the road climbs to cross the Koro La, (16,552ft/5,045m), next to Mount Nazin Kang Sa, (23,792ft/7,252m). The road then descends before arriving in Gyangtse. Here you will stay in a small local hotel and will have some time to do some exploration. Today's distance is 261km. In recent times the road has been undergoing an 'up-grade' which has meant delays en-route. The drive time therefore depends on the state of the road. Gyangtse is one of the most attractive towns in Tibet and contains the largest Tibetan Buddhist chorten in the world, the Kumbum. Halt overnight.

Day 03: DRIVE TO SHIGATSE (12,795ft/3,900m) (1-2 hrs drive, 60kms)

You will have some time this morning to complete your sightseeing before the short drive (60km) to Shigatse following the broad Tsangpo River . In the afternoon a visit to the huge and impressive Tashilhunpu Monastery is a must. This is the seat of the Panchen Lama, the second most important personage in Tibet . Halt overnight.

Day 04: DRIVE TO SHEGAR. (14,271ft/4,350m), VISIT SAKYA ENROUTE. (8 hrs drive, 244 kms/153 miles)

Today you will have a long drive to Shegar (244km). On the way make the 40km detour to visit Sakya monastery, which spans the hillside overlooking the town. This is one of the few huge monasteries to survive the Chinese Cultural Revolution. You will be driving along a dirt road through spectacularly barren country. There are many small villages eking out a living from their tiny wheat fields and sheep, goats and yaks. After arriving at the hotel it is worth driving the few miles into town to look around the old fortress and monastery. Halt overnight.

Day 05: DRIVE TO KHARTA. (12,300ft/3,750m) (7 hour drive)

Leave the main Lhasa to Kathmandu highway and head due south to the remote and little-visited village of Kharta , a small administrative post on the Phung Chhu river, not far from the Nepal border. This area is relatively well watered by what little of the monsoon escapes over the Himalaya and there are forests of shrub juniper and dwarf rhododendron plus dense thickets of willows by the edge of the creeks. The road/track is likely to be very bumpy hence the need for jeeps/land cruisers/lorries rather than minibuses. Camp overnight at Kharta.

Day 06: TREK TO BEYOND LUNDRUBLING (4-5 hrs)

From here begin a four-day trek to Kangshung Base Camp, during which you cross a high pass, the Langma La (17,500ft/5,330m) which is the key to the secret of entering the Kangshung valley. You leave Kharta on a willow-lined path that winds gently through terraced barley fields to the ancient-looking settlement of Chhothang and then via a cart track and a desert plateau of scrub and boulders to the edge of the Kharta Tsangpo Valley . Here the track descends to the north bank of the river, which is fed by the glacial meltwaters flowing from Kharta Changri (23,149ft/7,056m) and Khartaphu (23,720ft/7,230m). The river helps sustain thickets of wild roses in the nearby desert, and brilliant red and black-capped river chats dart above the water, hunting for insects. As the path heads upstream, the valley walls open up revealing distant views of forested ridges. The Langma La is at the head of a large tributary that enters from the left (south).

About an hour after leaving Kharta you cross to the right hand bank over a small bridge. Shortly afterwards the path crosses a trail to Kharta Yulbaa, the main village in the region, but you carry on alongside the river into a gently sloping basin of terraced fields. A small fortresslike settlement guards the entrance to this region, with the unpainted rock walls of the houses adding to the sense of fortifications. Less than an hour after leaving the turn off for Kharta Yulbaa, the path forks to ascend beside a creek. To continue to the Kangshung Base Camp via the Kharta Tsangpo valley, you take the lower right hand trail at the fork where the routes split for Shao La and Langma La. You cross the creek and descend past the stone house with some of the largest old twisted birch trees to be found in the Himalaya . The path rises again and crosses another stream before climbing up the side of a ridge. There are two small temples here, one called Tarpaling and the other, Ganden Chhofel Gompa. After the ridge and crossing a stream the trail carries on through a series of barley fields to the village of Lundrubling . Behind the village is a ridge of moraine and on the far side of this ridge is the valley leading up to the Langma La. A little over half an hour beyond the village you reach some cairns on the summit of the ridge (13,900ft/4,240m). The trail to the Langma La now turns left, away from the Kharta Tsangpo. Descending from the ridge you arrive at several camp sites beside the stream, but crossing to the west bank, follow the trail to a low ridge on top of which is a good camp site (14,000ft/4,270m) offering excellent views.

Day 07: TREK TO LHATSE (16,100ft/4,900m)

You do not take the obvious trail but climb steeply up the west ridge on a rocky path, passing groves of stunted juniper. The bushes eventually give way to more alpine grassland and after an hour or so you reach the crest of a spur (14,600ft/4,450m). This marks the end of a former glacial advance. The trail is indistinct and climbs along the left hand side of the ridge. Ascending from the spur for about another hour, again through juniper and dwarf rhododendron, you reach the nose of another ridge (15,650ft/4,770m). The valley then swings west and enters a box canyon and the trail to the Langma La climbs to a well defined gap in the ridge where there is a waterfall. Do not be deceived, this is not actually the pass as the true summit crosses a higher ridge further to the west. From the last ridge spur, traverse along the slopes to a meadow known locally as Lhatse (16,100ft/4,900m). Here there are some stone shelters. This is the last camp before the Langma La and is situated at the base of a crumbling cliff. You could push on over the pass which is at least another 2 hours away, after which you would have to descend for a further hour to reach the next possible camp site. It's probably best to stop at Lhatse.

Day 08: CROSS THE LANGMA LA, TREK TO OPKA

Take a contort path up from Lhatse for about an hour from the camp to reach the summit of the waterfall ridge. The actual pass is the notch in the ridge a further 1,000 ft further on to the west. You may well see blue poppies in this area. When you do reach the pass, it is marked by numerous prayer flags. This is the view you have been waiting for. A vast array of Himalayan giants meets your eye, including Makalu (27,805ft/8,475m), the fifth highest mountain in the world, Chomolonzo (25,557ft/7,790m), Pethangtse (22,106ft/6,738m), Lhotse Shar (27,513ft/8,386m), Lhotse itself (27,890ft/8,501m) and of course Everest (29,035ft/8,850m). You will have to leave the view behind and follow a wandering stream bed down to a narrow strip of pasture half an hour below the pass. There is a camp site near here but unfortunately there is rarely water available. Again the panorama from here is stunning. Here you get your best views of the east face of Everest prior to reaching base camp itself. Descend from here through juniper and rhododendron to reach the valley floor (14,100ft/4,300m). Again there are camp sites here and the next camp is more than 2 hours away. Here there is a wooden bridge and a route up the Kangshung valley crosses the bridge to the west bank. Not far from here the rhododendrons are more than 6ft high. You should try to press up the Kangshung valley along the north side through dense scrub. Less than an hour past the creek crossing, the trail reaches a steep slope where the hills of the moraine suddenly fall away to the river. Here you will need to take care crossing rocky slopes and rock slides before again the trail traverses high above the rushing river. Everest and Lhotse now come into view and half an hour beyond the landslide area the path drops into a grassy basin (15,300ft/4,660m). This is a fine protected campsite, though Everest is hidden from view. A much more spectacular camp is another hour up the valley. To reach this site, cross the main stream and ascend the hills to the west. You will eventually emerge onto a large meadow of lush grass (16,150ft/4,920m). This place can often be ablaze with a thick carpet of yellow wild flowers. The highest mountains of the world dominate the west end of the valley. Camp overnight.

Day 09: EXPLORING AT KANGSHUNG BASE CAMP (16,400ft/5,000m)

The Kangshung face of Everest is arguably the most impressive side of Everest from where you can go to a base camp called Pethang Ringmo. It is situated where the Kangshung Glacier bends to the right, spilling off the northern flank of Mount Everest . It is also the last point to which yaks will carry loads up the valley. Besides visiting the base camp itself, there is also an excellent day hike to a high ridge to the north of the base camp (19,600ft/5,940m), which overlooks both the Kangshung and upper Kharta Zangpo valleys. Camp overnight.

Day 10: TREK TO KHARTA

Begin the return trek to Kharta and as this only takes four days instead of five, you can camp at different sites each night. There is also the possibility that if time allows you could make a different trip back to Kharta via the Shao La (16,300ft/4,970m). This route takes 4 or 5 days as opposed to 3 or 4 days back via the Langma La.

Day 11: DRIVE TO OLD TINGRI. (14,401ft/4,390m)

You now follow the bumpy road back down to the main Lhasa-Kathmandu highway (the Friendship Road ) and on to Old Tingri, where you stay overnight at any guest house.

Day 12: DRIVE TO ZHANGMU (8 hrs drive, 244 km/153 miles)

A lovely drive takes you through to Zhangmu, which is on the border with Nepal . Again during the drive Everest is in view some of the time on the horizon. Later in the day there are magnificent views of Shishapangma and many other beautiful mountains from the Lablung La about 16,000ft/4,900m. Take note of the arid mountain desert for the last time, for as you enter a huge gorge the change of landscape is dramatic as, after a few hours, the lush Nepali valleys come into view. On arrival in Zhangmu you will spend your last night in Tibet , before the formalities of the border crossing tomorrow. Halt Overnight.

Day 13: DRIVE TO KATHMANDU (5-6 hrs drive, 117 kms/73 miles)

Zhangmu is many hundreds of feet above the Nepalese border post at Kodari, and before the drive through the lush mountain country of Nepal there are tiresome formalities to complete at both Zhangmu and Kodari.