Rabgya Gompa (Rabgya Monastery) is magnificently situated between a towering, twin-peaked mountain rising straight up behind it and the curving waters of the Machu, the Yellow River. It’s easy to get to, being right on the road from Guide to Machen (also spelled as Maqin and also known as Tawo), and well worth a visit. […]
Amdo
Images from Eastern Tibet by Jørgen Johanson
We recently discovered the Tibet work of travel photographer Jørgen Johanson, and have been fascinated by his excellent images of contemporary Amdo and Kham. Jørgen kindly has agreed to share a selection of photos spanning three trips he took over the last several years for a gallery on Eastern Tibet. Thank you, Jørgen! Click on any image below to get […]
A Photographic Journey in Kham and Amdo by Petri Kaipiainen
This beautiful, unusual photographic journey in Kham and Amdo comes to us from Petri Kaipiainen, a Finnish photojournalist and travel writer who has visited Tibet four times since 1985. Petri’s 16-day journey took place in July and August of 2013, starting with the Repkong Shaman Festival in Amdo and making a large clockwise 3000 kilometer […]
Amdo and Kham Photo Gallery by Martin Newman
One journey through Amdo and Kham, two perspectives. Earlier, in a video post called “Journey to Amdo and Kham,” we saw the lovely video by Annick Blanc of her 4000 kilometer exploration of the Amdo and Kham regions of Tibet. Here, we see the same journey through the lens of her travel companion, long-time Tibet […]
Journey to Amdo and Kham: Video by Annick Blanc
We are delighted to share with you a remarkable video of a 4000 kilometer exploration of the Amdo and Kham regions of Tibet by Annick Blanc. On her journey with our friend and great travel photographer Martin Newman, Annick offers a striking introduction to the region, with images of Himalayan mountain passes, daily life […]
How to Bake Tibetan Bread: Amdo Balep Recipe
What is Amdo Balep? These crusty round yeasted loaves take their name from the Amdo region of northeastern Tibet, but are popular also in central Tibet. In both regions, the bakers will sometimes cover the dough in the ashes of fire instead of using an oven or stove. Though we use yeast here, Tibetans […]
Where is Tibet?
To put it simply, Tibet sits in the heart of Asia, right between India and China. Some consider it to be the far Eastern edge of Central Asia, while others classify it as East Asia. In this wonderfully clear map from Michael Buckley, we see the vast, high-altitude Tibetan Plateau, and the surrounding regions: India, […]
The Biggest Mistake People Make about the Tibet Train
While researching the Qinghai-Tibet Railway (the Tibet train) as a way to travel to Tibet, we have learned a lot, which we would like to share with you to save you making some common mistakes. A lot of people still think that taking the Tibet train from Beijing will acclimate them to Lhasa’s high altitude. It […]
6 Essential Tibet Travel Tips
Traveling to Tibet is so much easier than you may think. Here are 6 essential steps for planning an ethical trip that gives you a real feel for Tibet and Tibetans while making sure that the money you spend goes to the local Tibetan economy. To help keep it simple for you, we give our personal recommendations for […]
Walking on the Sky: A Young Tibetan Refugee’s Escape Story
When the food ran out, we were scared, but we had to go on whether we died or not. Tenzin, Tibetan refugee This is the story of a 23-year-old Tibetan refugee named Tenzin who in 1994 survived a harrowing escape from Tibet. Like most of the over 100,000 Tibetans who have fled their country […]