Our magnificent journey to Kailash begins with an eleven-day trek to the Tibetan border through the remote Limi Valley in the fabled region of Humla, far west Nepal, where the people are Bhotias of Tibetan descent. This wild trek takes us deep into a region of Nepal where the culture is still traditional (we will see old men with weathered, Central Asian faces, sitting smoking a hooka), the scenery spectacular, wild-life abounds and the ancient trade routes are still in use.

But first, the colourful Saga Dawa festival at Raling, a little-visited but important outpost of Tibetan Buddhism in the Limi Valley, where we will have plenty of opportunity for photographing this festival of Lama dancing on the fourth full moon of each year, on Buddha's birthday.

The Kailash Kora itself is one of the most spectacular short treks in the Himalaya, crossing the Dolma La (5600m) with a memorable campsites under the north face of Kailash, all done with the Tibetan pilgrims, who have come as far as east Tibet for this once-in-a-lifetime trip to erase their sins, and acquire merit for humanity ...

With plenty of trekking, a bit of exploring and some good karma under our belts, we embark on an epic cross-Tibet jeep expedition, finally arriving at the exotic capital of Lhasa, where we have three full days to absorb the exoticism of the Tibetan quarter with its colourful pilgrims and Barkor square, and to explore this history-laden city and its ancient gompas.