The heart of this trip is a trek around Mt. Genyen, a pilgrimage site of immense local importance on the Lithang-Bathang border in southern Kham. You are afforded facets of nomad culture, popular religion, contemporary urban life and mountain life
 Meeting in Kunming (Yunnan) we fly to Gyalthang (3,344 m), southern-most Tibetan town and historical caravan port. We spend a few days exploring the town and its surroundings while allowing our bodies to acclimatise to the altitude.
Sights include the chalet-style adobe houses of Dokhar Dzong (old town), 17th-century Sumtsenling Monastery built by the 5th Dalai Lama, and the revered Gyalwa Ringa temple in the countryside.
Land cruising northwards over the Gongnag-la and the Jarong-la, and the forested hills of the Baimang Nature Reserve, we reach Chatreng, a former dependency of the principality of Lithang. The main site in this largely agricultural and staunchly Gelug area is the fortress-like Sampheling Monastery. Several times besieged, destroyed, and rebuilt in the last 100 years, it has recently been completely moved and splendidly restored on the outskirts of town.
 A one day drive takes us to Lithang, one of the highest towns in the world (4019 m). We visit 16th-century Lithang Monastery which was destroyed in the 1950s, and has now been rebuilt overlooking the town. The most important social event is the annual Lithang Horse-racing Festival from 1 to 4 August. It draws equestrians, folk dancers and wrestlers from all parts of the Tibetan highlands. We ride through the vast grasslands of this region, the birthplace of two Dalai Lamas (nos. 7 and 10) and camp on the pastures where we get more than a glimpse of contemporary nomad culture.
The trailhead is a four-hour drive at the village of Dramla. For the next eight days we will trek an average of six to seven hours daily to circumambulate this sanctuary associated with the first Karmapa (12th century). We visit his hermitage, a cave by the sacred lake Jampa Lhatso, and Neygong Monastery, which he founded in a beautiful green tract known as Shambala Valley.
 Hiking through pristine forests emblazoned with flowers and medicinal plants, we cross Trasong Shik, a major grazing ground where nomads herd their yaks and sheep.
Among the many alpine lakes we pass are Demchok, associated with a Kalachakra deity, and one of the largest alpine lakes in this region, as well as the lakes representing White Tara, Green Tara and Tamdin. The length of the Kora can be customised to suit different needs.
The aroma of wild flowers and pine, the crystal-clear air, and the sight of nomad camps and pastures in the backdrop of the magnificent Mt. Genyen will stay with us long after our return to Gyalthang and to Kunming.
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