The remoteness of the Mountain Kingdom of Tibet has always provided a fascination to outsiders. There are also, of course, some political issues – it’s a rather sobering thought that the invasion of the country executed at the beginning of the C20th was… by the British Empire. After more than five years of planning, we are now happy to introduce Tibet programs (both here and in our “Off The Rails” brochure of small-group adventure trips) operated on an “ethical” basis.

Rather than bandy-around smart-sounding terms, we’d prefer to be specific about what that really means in Tibet. For us, it broadly means the guidelines developed by the Australia-Tibet Council (www.atc.org.au for more about their work), which are a pattern for responsible and ethical tourism anywhere in the world:

• working with local Tibetan guides who have an expert knowledge of their homeland
• working with local companies so that the local economy gets the real benefits
• working in ways which celebrate and support the indigenous culture and religion of Tibet
• helping our clients to visit in ways which preserve the cultural and environmental legacy of the area for others to enjoy in future

RUSSIA EXPERIENCE DOES NOT USE CHINESE STAFF OR STATE AGENCIES FOR ANY TRAVEL IN TIBET.

You ought to bear the following practical information in mind: (i) all visitors to Tibet require a special Permit to do so – of course, our trips provide this documentation automatically (ii) be ready to adjust to the altitude – this averagely takes 2 days, during which you might get headaches until your red blood-cell rate catches up with sparser oxygen (iii) Not everyone in Tibet is a monk – local Tibetans have a cheerful and earthy sense of fun and humour too! (iv) conditions in roadside accommodation and canteens on the final stretch to Nepal can be fun, but quite basic!