After years of isolation, when this autonomous region of China finally did open its doors to the world, it revealed a land in ruins; a silent witness to the conflict protecting its independence and rich heritage.

Today, however, Tibet is alive and bustling. Local Tibetan pilgrims flock to the many temples and monasteries within the region and tourism is booming. It’s an extraordinary place to visit. Whether you’re on a spiritual pilgrimage or looking for some fairly hardcore outdoor adventure, Tibet will not disappoint. The Tibetan people are also one of the most hospitable in the world.

It is important to remember that Tibet is at a very high elevation, which means the air is thin; far thinner than most are used to breathing. For this reason, it is not uncommon for travelers to experience altitude sickness while visiting Tibet. Bring along medication and also sun protection gear like hats, glasses and sun-screen lotion to protect from the high ultraviolet radiation.

Before leaving for Tibet, it is advisable to check up on the possibility of travel restriction, sometimes imposed by the Chinese Central government.

A visit to Tibet should include the following sights:

Mt. Everest - of course Mt. Everest is synonymous with Tibet. The world’s highest and most famous peak lies to the south of the region on the border with Nepal. Tibetans also call Mt. Everest, Mt. Qomolangma which means, Mother Goddess of the Universe.

Potala Palace – Potala Palace is a 13-storey, 117meter (383 feet) high white palace that towers over the capital city of Lhasa. It’s an architectural wonder that covers 41 hectares. Constructed in the 7th century, it was totally destroyed by fire during a thunderstorm. In the 17th century, during the reign of the 5th Dalai Lama, massive scale reconstruction took place.

Potala Palace is the official residence of the Dalai Lama. It stands as a symbol of Tibet’s former theocracy. The Palace also houses an art museum and safe haven for historical documents.

Ngari Region – is located at the highest point of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Often, it’s called the “highest part of the roof of the world” and, naturally, it experiences severely cold temperatures. A visit to the Ngari Region should include the sacred Mount Kailash, experiencing the mystical colours of the Ghost Lake, Lake Manasarova, and exploring the historical ruins of Zhada County.

Yarlung Tsangpo River and Canyon – the Yarlung Canyon is now considered the deepest canyon in the world. Results from research done in 1994, show it has an average depth of 5000m (16, 404 feet), with the deepest drop being 5382 meters or 17, 657 feet (the Grand Canyon is 5133 meters or 16, 840 feet) deep.

The vastness of this area is home to nine natural vertical zones ranging from cold snow belts to tropical seasonal forests. Various kinds of wildlife exist in this ecologically diverse habitat; it’s for this reason this area is called “the Gene Pool of Biological Resources” and a “Geological Museum”.

Lake Namtso – In Tibetan, “Namtso” means Sacred Lake or Heaven Lake; it’s considered as one of the three holy lakes in Tibet. As the second largest salt water lake in China - and the biggest in Tibet - it covers an area of more than 1,900 square kilometers (733 sq miles) and is 4,718 meters (15, 479 feet) above sea level. It is also the highest saltwater lake in the world. Namtso was decaled as one of the five most beautiful lakes in China by Chinese National Geographic magazine.

Gyantse –Gyantse is world renowned for the Gyantse Kumbum, considered to be the largest chörten (a mount like structure used by Buddhists as a place of worship) in Tibet. It is a splendid multi-level structure housing an endless succession of mural-filled chapels. The chörten also offers visitors a magnificent view of the town from its upper levels. Visitors flock to see the “kumbum” where they can see 100,000 images of the Buddha.

Jokhang – the “Jokhang” or ‘House of the Lord” is the most holy site in Tibet, bringing together the different sect of Buddhaism or Lamaism. This 25 100 sq meter (270174sq feet) temple is included on UNESCO”s World Heritage list.

Sakya Monastery – southwest of the city of Shigaste, in the Sakya County, is the Sakya Monastery (Sakya means “Grey Soil” in Tibetan). From its construction in 1073 to 1959 it was the seat of the Sakya Order of Tibetan Buddhism and the Sakya Trinzins (the spiritual leaders of this sect). Originally built as two North and South monasteries, today it’s only the southern monastic that stands; the northern part is completely destroyed and lies in ruin.

The buildings of hold thousands of artifacts, paintings murals and libraries of scriptures in Tibetan, Chinese, Mongolian and Sandskrit.

Tourists will find that the buildings have a standard color—ash gray with white and red vertical stripes. These colors and the stripes represent the Rigsum Gonpo (the trinity of Bodhisattvas), a symbol of Sakya authority.

Tibet is a sparsely populated area having an average of only 2.21 persons per square kilometer. According the sixth national census in 2005 there were 2.7368 million at that time.

The main inhabitants of the region are Tibetans, making up 90% of the population. However, there are also other ethnic communities including the Han, Menpa, Sherpa, Luopa, and Deng people.

From the choice of ingredients to cooking methods, Tibetan cuisine mix together Indian and Chinese food.

The daily meal of Tibetans is a mix of barley, meat and dairy products. The regions very high altitudes above sea level are not ideal for growing vegetables, so they are not frequently used in Tibetan cooking.

The people of Tibet are big meat eaters compared to others parts of China; yak, beef and mutton are used extensively in their dishes. Eating raw, dried meat is common during the winter months. The Yak is a very important animal in Tibetan culture, featuring strongly in their diet as meat, butter, cheese and yoghurt.

The most popular food - and the staple diet - in Tibet is Tsampa, made from roasted flour, normally barley, but wheat and rice are also used. The flour is hand mixed with loads of yak butter and salted tea. Once at the right consistency the Tsampa is rolled into balls and eaten - great for keeping out the cold weather! Depending on how it is served, Tsampa can also be sweet.

Blood, meat, flour and liver sausage are also eaten. Other Tibetan specialties are Thenthuk (ten-took), a noodle soup made from meat or vegetable. The other sociality is the Tibetan dumpling; Momo.

The most common beverages are buttered, milk, sweet teas (tea is has strong culture in Tibet) and the slightly intoxicating Chang beer. Buttered tea is quite salty, tasting more like soup broth than tea. Chang is a sweet tasting, low alcohol content beer made from barley.