Tibet/Nepal/Bhutan/Thailand
The Best of the Mountain Kingdoms: Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan
Program No. 21103RJ
Sacred temples, hidden monasteries, magnificent palaces and ancient cities — learn about these and other enduring cultural treasures from the people who call the Himalayas their home.
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Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
DATES
& starting prices
PRICES
DATES
& starting prices
PRICES
Nov 29 - Dec 19, 2024
Starting at
10,299Apr 4 - Apr 24, 2025
Starting at
10,629Apr 18 - May 8, 2025
Starting at
10,629May 2 - May 22, 2025
Starting at
10,629Not seeing the date you're looking for?
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21 days
20 nights
51 meals
18B 17L 16D
1
Depart for China
In Flight
2
In Flight
In Flight
14
Patan Square, Free Afternoon
Kathmandu
15
Fly to Paro, Drive to Thimphu
Thimphu
21
In Transit from Program
In Flight
At a Glance
Colorful prayer flags flutter in the breeze. Mountain peaks seem to pierce the heavens. And rugged but friendly people are ready to welcome you with a warm cup of butter tea. Journey amongst majestic mountains and experience the unique cultures of three lands of the Himalayas: Tibet, the “roof of the world”; Nepal, home to Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain; and Bhutan with its verdant valleys and “Gross National Happiness” philosophy.
Activity Level
Let's Go!
Walking 1-2 miles on varied terrain most days with one longer hike. Elevations up to 12,000 feet.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Journey to Tibetan grasslands, a remote village in Bhutan and a tiny monastery tucked away in the midst of the incredible Himalayas.
- Discover the sacred and beautiful Hindu and Buddhist temples of the Kathmandu Valley.
- Learn about Bhutan's Gross National Happiness philosophy.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Anup Shrestha
Anup Shrestha has worked as a group manager, trip leader and group leader for various UK, German and US-based companies since 2006. He has a bachelor's degree in commerce and has traveled to England, Thailand, India and Tibet. He enjoys spending time outside in nature and sharing his love of Nepal with visitors. He speaks Nepali, Newari, Hindi, English and German.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Anup Shrestha
View biography
Anup Shrestha has worked as a group manager, trip leader and group leader for various UK, German and US-based companies since 2006. He has a bachelor's degree in commerce and has traveled to England, Thailand, India and Tibet. He enjoys spending time outside in nature and sharing his love of Nepal with visitors. He speaks Nepali, Newari, Hindi, English and German.
Liu Hao
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Liu Hao grew up in a northern Chinese city close to Beijing, near Hebei University, where he majored in American literature and English, and completed research on Chinese history and culture. During his spare time, he shows great interest in classical music, calligraphy, tai ji, and Chinese history. Liu has traveled to America, Vietnam, and other countries for cultural exchanges, making him a valued contributor to China's national culture.
Zhao Dengrui
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For emergencies, while on program in China and Tibet please contact the Group Leader first, then Zhao Dengrui our site coordinator in China.
Bridge to Bhutan
View biography
Bridge To Bhutan is our Road Scholar vendor for tour operations in Bhutan.
Suggested Reading List
(20 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
The Best of the Mountain Kingdoms: Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan
Program Number: 21103
Photographic Guide to Birds of the Himalayas
A pocket guide to 250 birds found from the foothills up to high elevations ranging from the Hindu Kush and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh in the Eastern Himalayas. With brief descriptive information, maps and 260 full-color illustrations.
The Skull Mantra
The first in Pattison's series of superb political thrillers set in Tibet. When a headless corpse turns up on a Tibetan mountainside, veteran police inspector Shan Tao Yun is released from prison to investigate the crime, and he quickly uncovers a conspiracy involving American mining interests, corrupt Party officials and Tibetan sorcerers.
The Snow Leopard
The most perceptive, acutely observed and personal of all his books, Matthiessen's account of a five-week journey through Nepal with naturalist George Schaller combines their quest for the elusive cat with a moving introduction to Buddhism and the people and culture of the Himalayas.
So Close to Heaven, The Vanishing Buddhist Kingdoms of the Himalayas
Asia correspondent for the New York Times, Crossette portrays Bhutan and neighboring Ladakh and Sikkim as strongholds of Tantric Buddhism in an increasingly homogenized world.
Fortress Monasteries of the Himalayas
This slim book recreates the dramatic and colorful fortifications of Tibet, Ladakh, Nepal and Bhutan, recounting their history through foreign incursions, religious conflicts and civil wars to the Tibetan uprising and flight of the Dalai Lama from Potala Palace in 1959.
The Blessings of Bhutan
Head-over-heels in love with Bhutan, the Carpenters introduce their adopted home, its people, customs, religion and history.
Himalaya Map
A colorful regional map of the Himalayas at a scale of 1:1,500,000, including Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet and Sikkim.
The Circle of Karma, A Novel
The first novel by a Bhutanese woman, this lyrical coming-of-age story explores the rituals of daily life in Bhutan. When Tsomo's mother suddenly dies, the young girl must travel alone across Bhutan and into India.
My Journey to Lhasa
Dressed as a humble pilgrim and traveling under the cover of night, the indomitable 55-year-old David-Neel and her young companion climbed mountains and tricked soldiers to ultimately reach Tibet's forbidden capital. Originally published in 1923, her account stands as a riveting portrait of early 20th-century Tibet.
Lonely Planet Bangkok Encounter
With a section of not-to-be-missed highlights, pullout map, and a calendar of annual events.
Bangkok 8, A Novel
Burdett explores the criminal underworld of Bangkok -- and mysterious deaths by snakebite.
Radio Shangri-La
Napoli's memoir of her time working on a fledgling Bhutanese radion station. She writes with frankness and clarity about the contradictions, poverty and reality of much mythologized Bhutan.
What Makes You Not a Buddhist
Born in Bhutan in 1961, a Tibetan lama and filmmaker (Travellers and Magicians), Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche gives a decidedly modern take on dharma, happiness, suffering and enlightenment in this engaging primer.
Essential Tibetan Buddhism
The foremost Western scholar of Tibetan Buddhism, Thurman has chosen well from that tradition's sacred literature and helpfully includes suggested further reading, explanatory notes and a directory of sacred sites.
To a Mountain in Tibet
The intrepid, soulful Colin Thubron journeys from Nepal to Kailas, the revered mountain, "source of the universe, created from cosmic waters and the mind of Brahma" in his most revealing book yet. A New York Times Notable Book and Longitude favorite of 2011.
The Soul of the Rhino
Mishra writes of his long career in conservation and particularly his work with the endangered Asian rhino at Royal Chitwan in this absorbing memoir, marvelously subtitled A Nepali Adventure With Kings and Elephant Drivers, Billionaires and Bureaucrats, Shamans and Scientists.
Buddha's Orphans
This novel by Samrat Upadhyay (Arresting God in Kathmandu) sets Nepal’s political upheaval as a backdrop to the love story of Raja, an orphan boy, and Nilu, a daughter of privilege. Their story transports readers across generations and explores family connections.
Bhutan, The Land of Serenity
A Buddhist monk, photographer, and French interpreter for the Dalai Lama, Ricard draws on his time in Bhutan over the last 25 years for this intimate portrait. With illuminating chapters on the remarkable Khyentse Rinpoche, sacred art, architecture, dancing monks and ceremonies.
Altitude Illness: Prevention and Treatment, How to Stay Healthy at Altitude
Bezruchka, a mountaineer and M.D., includes case studies, frequently asked questions and simple methods of diagnosis and treatment in this indispensable pocket guide.
The Folded Earth
Tiger man Jim Corbett, Edwina Mountbatten and Jawaharlal Nehru all make a cameo appearance in Anuradha Roy's second novel, marvelously populated with a host of characters and beautifully set in Ranikhet, a hill station in the foothills of the Himalayas, where the author makes her home part of the year.
