Tibet

At one time this was a pretty good book for traveling indpendently in Tibet but now since the area has become tour only, guidebooks are probably less necessary.  It covers a number of treks including Ganden to Samye, Kailash Kora, and Everest Base Camp as well as a few others.  Its still a good book for planning if you trip is only to Tibet, if you are going other places in China you may be better off with the country guide and making do with the skimpy tibet chapter in that book.

A good guide for the standard route to Everest Base camp and also covers the approach from the Tibetan side as well as Nepal.  Unfortunately since independent trekking is off limits at the moment the Tibet section is little more than extra weight for those not on a group organized trek.  If you are just planing to do the standard base camp or Gokyo Valley this is a good option.  It is also available in ebook Kindle format unlike the Trailblazer guide, which is great for saving weight.

Trekking in Tibet is in its infancy and it is likely to remain that way as long as regulations are so cumbersome and unpredictable in Tibet. Unfortunately regulations have gotten considerably more strict since I was trekking in Tibet back in 2007, and it is now virtually impossible to travel in Tibet independently much less trek. A loosing of these restrictions seems unlikely in the near future.

Having spent nearly four years in the Himalayas, much of it independently trekking throughout the region, I thought I would help others by sharing how to trek independently and economically in the Himalayas. Its not necessary to spend $30 to $70 a day through a travel agency in order to enjoy the splendor of these mountains as many people seem to think. All it takes is a bit of self confidence and knowledge.

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