A holiday in Tibet is a holiday in one of the world's most extraordinary destinations. Its name the "Roof of the World" is perfectly fitting, the snow capped plateaux are the highest in the world, and most mountains exceed 5000m. This is the Himalaya that the magazines made famous.

Tibet’s high mountain environment rewards the visitor with brilliant sunshine, clean fresh air and mountain panoramas that take the breath away. It’s an adventure lovers’ paradise, with a swag of opportunities to get the adrenalin pumping. How about a trek to Mt Everest base camp? If you’re perfectly fit, acclimatised to the altitude and fully equipped with all the right gear, you might just make the target in four days. Hundreds of other trekking opportunities exist, most not quite as demanding as the base camp, but it’s best to tackle them in a small group, solo travel can be especially difficult.

Tibet is the natural home of the adventure biker and the most in-demand tracks are the Quinghai- Tibet highway and the Sichuan - Tibet highway routes. Adrenaline junkies also seek out white water rafting for the explosive thrills of plummeting down the wild Tsangpo River. On your journeys you might be lucky to spot leopards, tigers, bears and wolves in the wild; another good reason to stick to escorted adventures.

Profoundly religious, Tibetans have a pilgrim culture, and you’ll often come across them individually or in small groups, as they make their way to pay homage at any number of significant sites such as monasteries, lakes and mountain retreats. An agrarian people, 90% subsisting on the land, many are nomadic, following the seasons as they lead herds of yaks and sheep to pasture. So it’s likely you’ll bump into them on your wanderings.

Tibet isn’t a luxury destination, it’s still developing a tourism infrastructure, so you shouldn’t expect too much in the way of creature comforts. On the plus side, it’s a fascinating country and an absolute must for the travel photographer.

Tibet is cold in winter; cool in summer and generally dry, receiving only 450mm of rain or snow. Sunlight is extremely intense. The thin air neither blocks nor holds heat, so sunshine feels warm and temperatures can vary greatly within a day, exceeding 29C in desert areas in summer, and plunging below 4C the same night. The most pleasant months to visit are from April to October.

Covering an area the size of Western Europe, Tibet consists of a vast plateau at an average altitude of 4300m

The Tibet national flag is a mountain with snow lions and red and blue rays over a sun. It is outlawed

Lhasa is on the banks of the Kyi-chu River