NEPAL, TIBET & BHUTAN - TRAVEL GUIDES

“The country through which we had been travelling for days has an original beauty. Wide plains were diversified by stretches of hilly country with low passes. We often had to wade through swift running ice-cold brooks. It has long since we had seen a glacier, but as we were approaching the tasam at Barka, a chain of glaciers gleaming in the sunshine came into view. The landscape was dominated by the 25,000-foot peak of Gurla Mandhata; less striking, but far more famous, was the sacred Mount Kailash, 3,000 feet lower, which stands in majestic isolation apart from the Himalayan range.” 
Heinrich Harrar, Seven Years in Tibet

TRAVELING TO NEPAL, TIBET & BHUTAN

The allure of Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan comes from a combination of spectacular Himalayan scenery, a rich Buddhist culture, and a warm and likeable people.  Visitors can find remote monasteries, breathtaking treks, and of course the world’s highest mountain.  Here are our recommendations on the best travel books for this region

A5 RECOMMENDATIONS

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Lonely Planet: Bhutan

Our favorite guide book for those traveling to Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet (and most of Asia to be honest) is Lonely Planet.  The roots of the company started in Asia, with a concentration on local insights and helpful tips designed to help travelers truly experience the essence of the country and make the most of each trip.  There are separate guides for each country.

Seven Years in Tibet, by Heinrich Harrer

Seven Years in Tibet is the best-selling travel book by Heinrich Harrer telling the story of how he escaped from a British POW camp during WWII into the Himalayas and to the mysterious land of Tibet, where he ultimately befriended the young Dalai Lama.  He was there during the Communist Chinese  invasion in 1950, providing history and insight into the plight of the Tibetans.  Click here for our review of Seven Years in Tibet.

The Snow Leopard, by Peter Matthiessen

The Snow Leopard is a classic in travel writing, worth reading both for the beauty of the prose and for the reflection on Buddhist teaching.  The author Peter Matthiessen recounts his 1973 trek through the Dolpo region in the Himalayas with a naturalist friend studying Himalayan blue sheep, embracing the landscape, and hoping to see a rare snow leopard.  The book is best though for the description of Matthiessen’s moving spiritual journey.  Click here for our review of The Snow Leopard.

The Call of Everest:  The History, Science & Future of the World's Tallest Peak

One of the most complete books on the history of Mount Everest comes from National Geographic.  National Geographic actually helped sponsor of the first American venture to successfully scale this peak, 50 years later, adventurer Conrad Anker led another National Geographic team up for a legacy climb, leading to this informative and beautiful book.  Click here to see more information on The Call of Everest.

Video Night in Kathmandu, by Pico Iyer

Video Night in Kathmandu is an excellent collection of travel essays by Pico Iyer, describing his travels through Asia in the mid-1980s.  This isn’t a travel book that only focuses on Nepal or Tibet, but his chapters on those two countries are among the best.  One of Iyer’s overall themes is how the East and West are colliding, with interesting observations that still are meaningful today.  Iyer is  a prolific travel writer, and this is in our opinion his best work.  Click here for our review of Video Night in Kathmandu.

Shopping for Buddhas: An Adventure in Nepal, by Jeff Greenwald

For a more modern and more casual look at this area of the world, we recommend Shopping for Buddhas, a funny and thought-provoking travelogue by Jeff Greenwald on his travels through Nepal and his quest to find the ultimate Buddha statue.  Souvenir hunting as a tourist in Kathmandu ironically brings him closer to the local culture and to the Buddhist religion itself.  Highly recommended, not just for those interested in Nepal but for all those who like travel writing.  Click here for our review on Shopping for Buddhas.
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Slowly Slowly by Lee Prescott

Slowly Slowly is a book published in 2020 by Englishman Lee Prescott recounting his quest to hike through Nepal to Everest Base Camp.  This is not the typical adventurous tale of mountaineers aspiring to make the summit but instead a funny and relatable account of a middle-aged man’s month-long trek through rural Nepal.  The highlights are the people he meets along the way, both fellow travelers and locals, and the funny realities of such an intrepid journey.  Some of the cultural references might be tough for Americans to understand, but that is part of the charm of the story.