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NEXTThe highest mountain range in the world? Yep, it’s on the list. The majority of trekkers to Nepal end up hiking up the Khumbu valley to Everest Base camp, but that’s so 2010. Instead, head off the teahouse trail and explore regions few trekkers ever see. In September, One World Trekking makes a 27-day tour to the Tibetan Buddhist villages of Naar and Phu, just opened to westerners in the last decade (from $3615). You’ll spend the first five days on the Annapurna Circuit and then head north towards the Tibetan border, where you’ll encounter villagers spinning their yak and sheep wool and pounding mustard seeds into a paste for oil. Or join Mountain Madness’s November 16-day trek to the Tsum Valley, opened just three years ago, where villagers lead their pony trains into Tibet to trade rice, fruit, and vegetables for yak meat and milk ($4,900). The company brings a Tibetan lama—or priest—along on the trip to help you learn about local traditions.
The Annapurna circuit at night. Via Shutterstock
Photo: Anton Jankovoy
