Kathmandu: a fabled capital of convivial pilgrims and carved rose-brick temples, and a frenetic sprawl of modern towers, mobbed by beggars and monkeys and smothered in diesel fumes. In December and January, the views are crystal clear, but it can be chilly in the evenings: few of the cheaper hotels in Kathmandu have any heating and most travellers stay out in the warmth of Thamel's bars and restaurants until late and then rush home and dive under the blankets

Lhasa: As the beautiful capital city of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), Lhasa is situated in the South Central part of the region, on the North bank of the Kyichu River (Lhasa River) in a mountain-fringed valley. This ancient sprawling city, settled 1,300 years ago, covers 30,000 square kilometers (11,583 square miles), with a population of 400,000, of which 87 percent are Tibetans. The urban population is 180,000.

Khambala pass:The Janglam takes a circuitous course southwards to Gyantse and the Yamdok Cho before dropping again over the Khambala pass to the ferry at Khamba barje near Chushul. Thence the valley of the Kyi-chu (itself navigable for small boats for about 30 m.) leads to Lhasa northwards. At Chushul there is an iron chain-and-rope suspension bridge over the deepest part of the river, but it does not completely span the river, and it is too insecure for use. The remains of a similar bridge exist at Janglache; but there are no wooden or twig suspension bridges over the Tsanpo.

Yamdrok Tso: Yamdrok Tso is a turquoise blue lake located about 100 km to the south-west of Lhasa, capital of Tibet. 'Yadrok or Yamdrok' in Tibetan means 'upper pasture' and 'Tso' refers to lake, thus Yamdrok Tso means Upper Pasture Lake. It has an elevation of 4,441 meters above mean sea level. The lake occupies an area of 678 sq. km and drains a watershed area of 6,100 sq. km. It has no outlet and is the third largest lake on the Tibetan Plateau. This lake is sacred to the Tibetan Buddhists. The lake has no perennial source of water.

Pede Dzong: Pede Dzong (dpal sde rdzong) is situated in Southern Tibet and on the main trade route from Sikkim to Lhasa. The dzong served as a fort and an administration centre for the district. Pede Dzong, grabbing some water, and then stopping in Nangartse Dzong for a late biking. Nangartse Dzong has a large Chinese presence, which means lots of Chinese restaurants, shops, schools, and other businesses. fill up on supplies before heading out on the road to Karo La.

Gyantse: Gyantse (at an altitude of 3950 m or about 13000 ft) is 254 km southwest of Lhasa. It is the third largest town in Tibet and was the scene in 1904 of a major battle between Tibetans and British troops under Colonel Younghusband as the British advanced on Lhasa. The town still has the feel of a frontier town, with horses and yaks on the main streets. The main site in Gyantse is the Kumbum and the Pelkor Chode monastery.

Shigatse: Shigatse is one of the world's highest cities with beautiful high plateau scenery. It is also a hot spot for Chinese tourism. The average elevation here is in a range of 3840 meters (about 12598.4 feet) - 4464 meters (about 14645.7 feet), which endows cool and even cold weather to the area. In the high plateau, the climate is not very pleasant due to the frequent wind and dry atmosphere. However, it is not bad a place for summering.

Shegar: Shegar also known as New Tingri, but not to be confused with Tingri, is where you can buy your entry ticket to the Qomolangma Nature Preserve. Inside the preserve are Everest Base Camp, Rongphu Monastery and Cho Oyu Base Camp. The preserve office is in the QNP San Cheng Guesthouse, is the place to you can buy the entrance ticket.Shegar itself, a 7km diversion northwest of the Friendship Hwy, tourists always have a stop here to have breakfast after Lhatse.

Tingri: The altitude of Mt. Everest is now about 8,844.43 m. (29,017 ft.). It is the dominant peak of Himalayas, the northern brae in Tingri County of Tibet and the southern in the Nepal. The area has 4 peaks above 8,000 m. (26,247 ft.) and 38 peaks above 7,000 m. (22,965 ft.), hence the laudatory title 'the Third Pole of the Earth'.

Lalung La: Lalung La (Lalung Pass) a high pass at 5 050 meters (16 600 feet) with the Everest (8 848 meters - 29 029 feet) in the background. The air is thin and cold at this altitude. This beautiful expanse appears barren now in mid may but in a month it will produce enough hardy grasses to graze some yak and tibetan sheep and goats.

Zhagmu: Zhagmu, the last Chinese/Tibetan town before crossing the border into Nepal, is not far but the road there is narrow, windy and under construction, so head out early.

Kodari: about 6/7 hours drive from Kathmandu lies on the Nepal-China border. This border is still regarded as an important trading center between Nepal and Tibet. Apart from all this, Kodari is very famous for its magnificent rivers gorges and splendid scenes of mountains. The very famous hot water spring of Nepal called Tatopani is also very close to Kodari. There are quite few places to lodge in this area and regular buses are available to commute to Kathmandu.