Head to the mountains for a breath of fresh air

If you’re an intrepid traveler with a taste for adventure, you might want to consider signing up for a trip to Tibet and Nepal to visit the mountains—it’ll definitely be a fresh change of scenery from the usual beach or city destinations. Plus, you’ll get to challenge yourself physically, mentally and even spiritually.

For one, Soma Journeys will be organizing an expedition to Mount Kailash in Western Tibet. Mount Kailash is a sacred mountain that sees thousands of pilgrims visiting it every year, so you’ll get to experience first-hand Tibet’s ancient Buddhist and pre-Buddhist traditions. 

The journey will begin in Kathmandu, and participants will fly to Humla (a remote village in northwest Nepal) before embarking on a six-day trek over the Nara La pass and into Tibet. Fret not, however: you won’t actually be scaling the 6,638m high mountain—you’ll be circumambulating it and visiting the Inner Sanctuary instead. Thereafter, you’ll get to visit the Tibetian capital, Lhasa, as well as the Potala Palace (the former residence of the Dalai Lama!). 

The expedition will run from September 2 to 24, and will set you back USD8,550 (S$10.737) per person—a reasonable price to pay, considering the fact that it includes the cost of two chartered domestic flights, luxury camping accommodation, visa permits, services of guides and drivers, entrance fees and such. Visit www.somajourneys.com for more info.

Alternatively, World Expeditions has just launched its 2014-15 Himalaya brochure, with itineraries such as an Everest Base Camp and Kala Pattar trek, and Classic Poon Hill trek on offer. For the super adventurous, there’s also the High Flyers’ trek, whereby trekkers walk to Everest Base Camp before returning to Kathmandu via helicopter (from an altitude of 4,930m!). Plus, if you book a holiday from the brochure by June 30, you get to save 15% on the second traveler (single travelers get 7.5% off). Valid for trips made before February 28 2015; access the e-brochure here


Want to explore the Himalayan regions on your own instead? Check out our travel guide to Kathmandu.