China (including Tibet)

CHINA: Western China Expedition

Kashgar Old Town architecture

Tibetan Motorcycle Diaries. Nomads on the move (image by Inger Vandyke)

Tashilunpho Monastery in Shigatse (image by Inger Vandyke)

Inside the Palace Complex at Guge (image by Inger Vandyke)

Late afternoon at the Potala in Lhasa (image by Inger Vandyke)

The monk debate at Sera Monastery (image by Inger Vandyke)

The Palace Complex at Guge Kingdom (image by Inger Vandyke)

Street view of the Century Old Tea House, one of the key locations for filming "The Kite Runner"

A pilgrim spinning prayer wheels (image by Inger Vandyke)

Ruined statue from the time when Guge Kingdom was sporadically raided by invaders from Ladakh (image by Inger Vandyke)

Tholing's old courtyards (image by Inger Vandyke)

Practicing slow shutter photos of the traffic driving past the Potala in the evening (image by Inger Vandyke)

An emerald lake adorns the Tsada Geological Park in western Tibet (image by Inger Vandyke)

Street scene in old Kashgar

Lost shoes on the edge of a pristine Tibetan Plateau lake (image by Inger Vandyke)

Offerings at the ancient shorten of Tsada (image by Inger Vandyke)

The monk debate at Sera Monastery in Lhasa (image by Inger Vandyke)

Wall of a thousand buddhas in Lhasa (image by Inger Vandyke)

Tashilunpho Monastery in Shigatse (image by Inger Vandyke)

The remarkable eroded cliffs of Tsaparang (image by Inger Vandyke)

If there is one building that says "Tibet" without any words, it is the incredible Potala Palace (image by Inger Vandyke)

The Palace Complex at Guge Kingdom (image by Inger Vandyke)

The iconic Mount Kailash (image by Inger Vandyke)

A beautiful nomadic Tibetan girl (image by Inger Vandyke)

Chinese buddhist offering at Tsada (image by Inger Vandyke)

Gurugyem (or Gurigang) Bon Buddhist Monastery in the Kyunlung Valley of Western Tibet (image by Inger Vandyke)

The Palace Complex at Guge Kingdom (image by Inger Vandyke)

Offerings inside the Monastery at Tholing (image by Inger Vandyke)

A Tibetan nomad with his baby goat (image by Inger Vandyke)

Boxes holding yak butter candlesticks inside Tholing (image by Inger Vandyke)

The intricate murals of the monastery in Tholing (image by Inger Vandyke)

Desert plants in Tsaparang (image by Inger Vandyke)

A mani stone wall in the Kyunlung Valley (image by Inger Vandyke)

The Monk Debate at Sera Monastery(image by Inger Vandyke)

Kyunlung Valley in Western Tibet, tracing the headwaters of the famous Sutlej River (image by Inger Vandyke)

The ancient Chorten of Tsada (image by Inger Vandyke)

Tibetan matriarch (image by Inger Vandyke)

Nuns in Sakya (image by Inger Vandyke)

Inside the monastery of Tholing while it was under renovation (image by Inger Vandyke)

Nomadic Tibetan women can be strikingly beautiful (image by Inger Vandyke)

The rooftop chorten of Tholing (image by Inger Vandyke)

The Palace Complex at Guge Kingdom (image by Inger Vandyke)

Kyunlung Valley in Western Tibet (image by Inger Vandyke)

Although modernised with access to solar panels, insulated tents and motorcycles, the traditional Tibetan nomad dress is still very beautiful (image by Inger Vandyke)

Tibetan nomad child with, oddly, a Spongebob Squarepants toy (image by Inger Vandyke)

Monks at Ganden Monastery (image by Inger Vandyke)

The Rooftop of the Jokhang in Lhasa (image by Inger Vandyke)

A Tibetan nomad girl standing by the motorcycle of her father. Although nomadic Tibetans have access to modern items, many young children still have ruddy coloured cheeks indicating the harshness of the environments in which they live (image by Inger Vandyke)

A yak herder in the Everest Region of Tibet (image by Inger Vandyke)

Tashilunpho Monastery in Shigatse (image by Inger Vandyke)

Old Monk at the Sera Monastery (image by Inger Vandyke)

Entrance detail of the Potala (image by Inger Vandyke)

Remote Tibet is sprinkled with the ruins of civilisations past (image by Inger Vandyke)

Tashilunpho Monastery in Shigatse (image by Inger Vandyke)

The spectacular 'clay forests' of Tsada in western Tibet (image by Inger Vandyke)

Pilgrims arrive at the Jokhang in Lhasa (image by Inger Vandyke)

Candle lit mural of Tholing (image by Inger Vandyke)

A smiling pilgrim spinning a prayer wheel and carrying study books (image by Inger Vandyke)

Inside the prayer hall of the Jokhang. Image taken with strict permission of the government (image by Inger Vandyke)

A Tibetan nomad holding a baby goat that was too small to walk on its own (image by Inger Vandyke)

A beautiful elderly Muya tribal lady walking the kora around the Jokhang in Lhasa (image by Inger Vandyke)

The chortens outside Tholing (image by Inger Vandyke)

Hermitage on the Kora at Ganden Monastery (image by Inger Vandyke)

A nomadic Tibetan woman whose facial lines tell so many stories (image by Inger Vandyke)

Clouds swirling around Shisha Pangma (image by Inger Vandyke)

A mystical shrouded view of Shisha Pangma (image by Inger Vandyke)

The remarkable labyrinth of Piyang Caves in remote western China

A monk inside the Jokhang Image taken with strict permission of the government (image by Inger Vandyke)

The Palace Complex at Guge Kingdom (image by Inger Vandyke)

A pilgrim walks the Gyantse Kumbum (image by Inger Vandyke)

Deserted Fortress at Gyantse (image by Inger Vandyke)

The Palace Complex at Guge Kingdom (image by Inger Vandyke)

Gyantse Kumbum (image by Inger Vandyke)

Remote village near Lao Tingri on the Tibetan Plateau (image by Inger Vandyke)

Mount Kailash is almost constantly crowned by snow, even at the height of summer (image by Inger Vandyke)

The ancient murals of Tholing date back to the 14th century (image by Inger Vandyke)

Prayer flags adorn the spiritual entrance to the realm of Mount Kailash (image by Inger Vandyke)

Interior of the monastery in Tholing (image by Inger Vandyke)

The Palace Complex at Guge Kingdom (image by Inger Vandyke)

Sunset at Chiu Gompa Monastery, Lake Manasarovar, Tibet (image by Inger Vandyke)

The Palace Complex at Guge Kingdom (image by Inger Vandyke)

Inside the ancient monastery of Tholing (image by Inger Vandyke)

Monks at Ganden Monastery (image by Inger Vandyke)

Saturday 13th May – Saturday 3rd June 2028

Leader: Inger Vandyke

22 Days

Group Size Limit 7

Remote western China. It is a destination that has been rarely visited by the travellers and one whose rich history is etched out in spectacular landscapes, ancient trading towns, ruined monasteries and nomadic traditions.

In 2013 Wild Images leader led an adventurous expedition to explore remote western Tibet and the ancient ruins of Guge Kingdom. With the passage of time, a global pandemic and a rapidly changing China, she had long thought that returning to this region would be impossible, until recently. In 2028, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of her inaugural exploration of this region, she is returning with a small group of guests to western China.

Applying for access permits to visit this region took three years last time, so we are now in the planning phase of the expedition which we are operating in May 2028.

Taking a small group of guests in 4WD vehicles our expedition will start in the ancient Silk Route trading town of Kashi in Xinjiang. Meeting here we will have some time to explore the streets of the old town with its bustling market before we venture out to the edge of the wild Taklamakan Desert to visit its mesmerising dunescapes and Bactrian camels. Wandering the streets of the old town we will sip tea with the locals at a century old tea house that was made famous as one of the key film sets for the movie “The Kite Runner”. Wandering around Kashi, with its old crumbling facades and highly decorated tombs and mosques is a very special experience at the start of this expedition.

From Kashi we will travel south eastwards towards the ruined Guge Kingdom. Hidden deep inside the stunning eroded landscapes of Tsaparang, Guge sits as a testimony to the time when this part of China was once raided by Ladakhis from across the border. The palace of Guge sits on top of a clay hillock that affords breathtaking views across the countryside towards the otherworldly Clay Forests of Tsada, our base for this section of the expedition.

Nestled in these clay forests is the ancient monastery of Tholing with its intricate painted wall murals and step shorten piercing the skies above the town.

From Tsada we will travel eastward, visiting the remote Kyunglung Valley to explore the ancient Bon Buddhist monastery of Gurugyem, at the headwaters of the famous Sutlej River.

Further east, as we travel towards Lhasa we will spend time photographing the mystical Mount Kailash and exploring the beautiful Lake Manasrovar nearby.

En-route we will stop to visit roaming Tibetan nomads with their livestocks on the vast expanses of the Tibetan Plateau, a high altitude realm of magnificent landscapes featuring snow capped Himalayan peaks, dunes and emerald lakes. While we traverse the plateau we will also be watching for China’s special wildlife including Kiangs (wild horses), Tibetan Foxes, pikas and a variety of birds.

As we travel closer to Lhasa, we will start to visit some of the ancient monasteries of Tibet, joining Tibetan pilgrims on their prayer circuits (or Koras) and spinning prayer wheels. At some we will witness the ancient ritual of philosophical debates by Tibetan buddhist monks and enjoy the beautiful monastic architecture including intricately painted murals, prayer halls and shortens.

Finally when we arrive in Lhasa we will have the opportunity to visit and photograph the Potala, surely one of the world’s most iconic religious buildings. A highlight will be exploring the Barkor, or Lhasa’s old quarter, with the incredible ancient Jokhang, one of the holiest sites in Tibet, at its heart. Lhasa is a magical place to end the expedition offering some very fine Chinese food, wonderful antique shopping and also colourful street life.

To express your interest in joining this rarely offered expedition, please email our office on [email protected] and we will be in touch when we have finalised details, including the itinerary, exact dates and cost, when they are available. We hope you can join us on this once in a lifetime expedition.

Photographic Highlights

A chance to visit parts of China rarely seen by outsiders
Walk the old town of Kashi, famous for its importance in the days of the Silk Route
Explore the ancient ruins of Guge Kingdom, buried deep in the stunning eroded landscapes of Tsaparang
Photograph the spectacular Clay Forests of Tsada
Visit the ancient and beautiful architecture of the Tholing Monastery complex
Journey down the Kyunglung Valley visiting the ancient Bon Buddhist monastery of Gurugyem (Gurigang)
Join Tibetan pilgrims on their circular koras, spinning prayer wheels
Photograph the iconic Potala Palace, surely one of the greatest architectural wonders of the world
Visit the Jokhang, Tibet's oldest monastery
Photograph the stunning and almost mystical Mount Kailash
Visit old monasteries and witness the ritual debates of Tibetan monks
Sip tea with Tibetan nomads who still roam the wilds of western China

The price of the expedition is yet to be confirmed.

The exact itinerary is yet to be confirmed but the expedition will start in Kashi, Xinjiang and end in Lhasa.