My First Tibet Trek
by Zephyr Owner Allan Wright

Following is the story of my first trip to Tibet and a three-day trek I took through a totally unvisited part of the Tibetan plateau. In this story I do not give place names, simply because we don't want our unspoiled trek to become spoiled.  While the trek we do on our current Tibet Trekking Adventure is different (without the high pass), it is a similar experience and in the same area.

Let me preface this story by revealing that I have been traveling the world since I was 20 years old.  I have been to over 50 countries, including most of Europe and parts of Asia, North Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.  I have seen some amazing sights (the Taj Mahal), experienced a few dangers (street bombs in Ramallah, the West Bank of Israel), met hundreds of wonderful locals and fellow travelers, and probably became somewhat jaded in the process.  In other words, it is sometimes hard for me have an experience that really drops my jaw, something I have not experienced before in my travels. Tibet, however, is definitely a jaw-dropping experience.

Trek Planning
Jon Otto, one of Zephyr Adventure's guides at that time, was the organizer of our Tibet trek.  Jon has been to Tibet dozens of times and specializes in organizing mountaineering trips for aspiring climbers.

Before ever reaching Tibet, Jon and I spent countless hours researching possible treks.  Our basic choice was whether to select a common trek (Ganden to Samye Monastery, for example) or whether to try an unexplored region of Tibet on which Jon had his eye.

It would certainly be much safer to do the former as there are already many well-established treks in Tibet. However, the latter offered the lure of visiting an unexplored area. About the region Jon was eyeing, he wrote to me "I have not actually done it myself, so doing it this time is a bit of a risk."  Still, we chose the latter, figuring that it would still give us a good sample of trekking in Tibet and would be more exciting in the process.  Once that decision was made, it was a matter of poring over maps to identify the exact route we wished to take.

Trip Preparations
We had the advantage of Jon's contacts in Lhasa to make our trek preparation (and permit processing) easier. We spent the requisite three days acclimatizing in Lhasa, using this time to gather our trekking gear and hire a local guide. Trekking gear consisted of personal sleep tents, one main cooking/eating tent, food, stoves, fuel, sleeping bags, pads, medical kit, and more.  We rounded all this up, interviewed half a dozen local guides before selecting one, and arranged our transportation to the base town of our trek.

Our party was small - just Jon, our local guide Kaldan, and me. We spent one day driving to the base town and visited the local market to purchase fresh vegetables and other staples. The advantage of trekking in Tibet is that it involves yaks - and that means weight is not an issue.

We spent one night at the base town, which was several thousand feet above Lhasa's 11,800-foot height.  We then moved the following morning to the end of the jeep road and the start of our trek.  Setting up camp, we spent the afternoon hiking the area, adjusting to the even higher altitude, and negotiating with the local yak herders for the use of two yaks (and drivers).  We were at the base of a 24,000-foot mountain and the sights were incredible.

The Trek
We started the next morning on our three-day trek.  The trekking was at high altitude (we started at about 15,000 feet) but we had already acclimatized and it did not seem strenuous.  In fact, much of the trekking was up and down valley floors rather than the traditional peak-bagging of Colorado or even Nepal.

The landscape was tremendous, with short grasses, no trees, and many rocks.  The 24,000-foot mountain was always on our right as we rounded its flanks, lending the trek a very alpine feel.

At one point, we hiked slowly up a valley until we came to a pass, at 17,100 feet the high point of our trek. There were two rock cairns (piles of rock) identifying the spot and we unfolded a prayer flag from our pack, stretching it between the cairns to mark our arrival and our appreciation to the gods for our safe travels.

Each day we only hiked about six hours and six miles.  This was a very moderate pace, in part because we were in no hurry and, in part, because we met so many local villagers.  Our frequent conversations with them slowed our pace but enhanced our pleasure considerably.

The Camping
We chose a flat spot each night for camping.  Our first task was always to set up the main cooking tent so that either Jon, our local guide Kaldan, or I could start water boiling for afternoon tea.  We then set up the remaining tents, wandered around our camp area for a short time, and eventually started to make dinner.  Usually, we were near a village and word of arrival would have already spread to the locals. We often spent the evening in an interpreted conversation with the local Tibetans before retiring early to our pads and sleeping bags.

Each morning, we woke up to another beautiful day.  One morning it had snowed the night before and there was a wonderful layer of white on our tents and the landscape.  We took our time making and eating breakfast before packing up, loading the yaks, and starting the day's trek.

The People
The people were, far and away, the best part of our trek.  Our two yak drivers were young boys who were more than eager to make some extra money yak-herding with us.  One had never been out of the area, knew no English, and didn't really know what to ask us even when Kaldan, the local guide, interpreted.  The other had been to Lhasa where he had picked up a few English phrases ("Let's Go!"). He was also more curious about us, although when we told him (through Kaldan) he could ask us anything he wished about America the only question he had was "What is the farming like?"

Kaldan, our local guide, was an interesting character.  He had fled Tibet for northern India, current home of the Dalai Lama, because of his distaste for the Chinese authorities.  Like many young Tibetans, he also became disillusioned with the lack of progress in returning the Dalai Lama to power and, after a dozen years, he eventually decided to return home.  Kaldan is very much in favor of us bringing Westerners to Tibet because he hopes this will increase the exposure in the West of what he considers an extremely unjust situation - the occupation of Tibet.

Even more fascinating were the locals we encountered on our trek.  We passed a yak-herding or farming village every few hours and the locals would often shout to each other that we were coming.  As we entered a village we were usually greeted by curious men, blushing women, and children hiding behind fences or their mothers' skirts.  We often talked with them and taught them simple games.

As it turned out, Jon was correct that no one had traveled in this area before.  We sat down to dinner one night with 12 faces peering through the door of our tent.  After dinner, we had an interpreted conversation with the villagers.  At one point, I asked them if they had ever seen a foreigner.  None ever had.  I then asked what they knew about America.  No one had even heard of America!  Having traveled all over the world, where Pepsi is ever-present, McDonald's are frequent, and many people yearn for a lifestyle such as we have in America, I was literally shocked.  This was truly adventurous – and yet accessible - travel.

Shangri La
We eventually came to a final town, a place slightly larger and more established than the villages through which we had trekked the last two days.  This village looked incredibly beautiful as it came into sight below us, nestled against a hillside and above a river. For a few precious moments, no one in the village saw us and we could soak in the life of the villagers as they herded yaks, tended fires, or played in the gardens.

We were then spotted and the cry went up! Foreigners - with funny clothes, funny equipment, and yaks! We were quickly surrounded and spent over 30 minutes showing them our cameras, our food, and our maps.  The locals asked Kaldan from where we had come and to where we were going, eventually offering to let us bed down in their fields for the night.  We gladly took up the offer and were led by a village leader and a dozen screaming kids to an ideal spot next to the river.

We invited the leader to eat with us and played games with the kids all evening.  We taught them paddy cake, a few simple songs, and a few English words.  They were enthralled and so were we.  The next morning all 12 were back helping us to fold our tents, pack our bags, and eventually escort us out of the village. Although we return to this Shangri La each year, I will have memories of my first visit forever.

Trekking with Zephyr Adventures
Trekking with Zephyr Adventures will be similar to the trek I completed but with some key differences. We will use yaks and carry only daypacks. We will not cover large distances and, instead, will spend time in local villages and in conversation with local villagers, although there are always options for additional hikes. We will trek in the same area of Tibet but won't be going over the high pass. We will still visit villages almost untouched by Western hands, including our "Shangri La". However, we have camp staff to set up the tents, boil the water, and cook for us. We have a fantastic guide, Tenzin, who has been with us since our first organized trip in Tibet. Most importantly, we don't have to find our own way!