Travels to Tibet

An unusual social order on the roof of the world - Tibet dazzles both the eye and the mind with its otherworldly natural environment, mountainous landscapes, sprawling Buddhist temples and ethnically diverse population.

Tibet is politically an integral part of the People's Republic of China, yet it shares a closer cultural bond with the peoples of the Himalayas. And while Chinese engineers are now building the world's highest-altitude railroad link on permafrost, between Tibet and western China, Tibet is bound to retain its separateness and uniqueness, the very qualities that made it the setting for Shangri-la, both real and fictional.

Through close encounters with Tibetan people, The International Forum engages in actively exploring how they live and work in their social environment – including the initiatives that are involving them with those in other parts of the world in using their talents and skills. Tibet’s present and future are considered with an understanding of its culture – drawing on its history, art, religion, and a society and economy in this remote part of the world. 

For a collection of photos from our most recent program in Tibet, click here

For Information on Travels to Tibet and to see a sample Itinerary, download a brochure

Photos: Francoise Begaux of Terma Foundation discusses the medical condition of a 6 year old boy with participant Christine Croucher; The group in front of Chusul Orphanage Home, funded by the Tibetan Fund (www.tibetfund.org)  and maintained by the initiative of our guide, Peggy Day.  Michael Alexander converses with a Monk while Bjorn Tretvoll looks on; Brian Doyal meets three nuns in Lhasa; the group eats lunch in the mess tent.

Suggested Resources on Tibet

You may want to browse through these  books on Amazon.com before selecting which ones you want to read. In the event that some of them may be difficult to find, don't forget to use the ISBN number in your search.

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Buddhism in Contemporary Tibet : Religious Revival and Cultural Identity
Melvyn C. Goldstein (Editor), Matthew T. Kapstein (Editor), Foreword by Orville Schell
ISBN: 0520211316
Format: Paperback, 235pp
Pub. Date: June 1998
Publisher: University of California Press

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British Policy in Asia : India Office Memoranda: Tibet , Burma and INDO-China, 1862-1940
K. Farrington (Editor)
ISBN: 0720115779
Format: Hardcover
Pub. Date: January 1980
Publisher: Continuum International Publishing Group

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China 's Tibet Policy
Dawa Norbu
ISBN: 0700704744
Format: Hardcover, 470pp
Pub. Date: September 2001
Publisher: Taylor & Francis, Inc.

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Demystifying Tibet : Unlocking the Secrets of the Land of the Snows
Lee Feigon
ISBN: 1566630894
Format: Hardcover, 223pp
Pub. Date: January 1996
Publisher: Dee, Ivan R. Publisher

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Education in Tibet : Policy and Practice since 1950
Catriona Bass
ISBN: 1856496732
Format: Hardcover, 304pp
Pub. Date: February 1999
Publisher: St. Martin 's Press

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Developing Tibet ?: A Survey of International Development Projects
Ann Armbrecht Forbes, Carole McGranahan
ISBN: 0939521474
Format: Paperback, 163pp
Pub. Date: May 1992
Publisher: Cultural Survival, Incorporated

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From Manchuria to Tibet : A Quarter Century of Exploration
How Man Wong, Julie Gaw, Francesca Von Habsburg, Margaret Lee (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9622170986
Format: Hardcover, 226pp
Pub. Date: November 1998
Publisher: Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.

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In Exile from the Land of Snows : The Dalai Lama and Tibet since the Chinese Conquest
John F. Avedon
ISBN: 0060975741
Format: Paperback, 448pp
Pub. Date: August 1994
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

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Making of Modern Tibet
A. Tom Grunfeld
ISBN: 1563247143
Format: Paperback, 352pp
Pub. Date: April 1996
Publisher: Sutton Publishing, Limited

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Mystical Arts of Tibet : Featuring Personal Sacred Objects of the Dalai Lama
Glenn H. Mullin, Andy Webber, Bard Wrisley (Photographer), Foreword by The Dalai Lama
ISBN: 1563523531
Format: Paperback, 166pp
Pub. Date: September 1996
Publisher: Longstreet Press, Inc.

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Pilgrimage in Tibet
Alex McKay, International Institute for Asian Studies
ISBN: 0700709924
Format: Hardcover, 260pp
Pub. Date: March 1998
Publisher: Taylor & Francis, Inc.

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Pioneer in Tibet : The Life and Perils of Dr. Albert Shelton
Douglas Wissing
ISBN: 1403963282
Format: Hardcover, 336pp
Pub. Date: March 2004
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

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Recent Developments in Tibet : One Step Forward, Three Steps Back: Hearing before the Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate,
ISBN: 0160647681
Format: Hardcover, 37pp
Pub. Date: January 2001
Publisher: United States Government Printing Office

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Religion and Biography in China and Tibet
Benjamin Penny
ISBN: 0700711775
Format: Hardcover, 320pp
Pub. Date: December 2003
Publisher: Taylor & Francis, Inc.

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Resistance and Reform in Tibet
Robert Barnett (Editor), Shirin Akiner (Editor)
ISBN: 0253311314
Format: Hardcover, 314pp
Pub. Date: March 1994
Publisher: Indiana University Press

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Return to Tibet
Heinrich Harrer, Ewald Osers (Translator)
ISBN: 0805239472
Format: Hardcover, 192pp
Pub. Date: May 1985
Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group

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Secret Tibet
Fosco Maraini
ISBN: 8173030154
Format: Paperback
Publisher: South Asia Books

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Seven Years in Tibet
Heinrich Harrer,
Foreword by Dalai Lama
ISBN: 0874778883
Format: Paperback, 352pp
Pub. Date: September 1997
Publisher: Tarcher

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Situation of Tibet and Its People: Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate, One Hundred Fifth Congress, First Session, May 13, 1997
ISBN: 0160554683
Format: Hardcover
Pub. Date: January 1997
Publisher: United States Government Printing Office

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Status of Negotiations between China and Tibet : Congressional Hearing Benjamin A. Gilman (Editor)
ISBN: 0756719844
Format: Paperback, 86pp
Pub. Date: January 2000
Publisher: DIANE Publishing Company

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Situation of Tibet and Its People
Jesse Helms (Editor)
ISBN: 0788180959
Format: Paperback, 82pp
Pub. Date: July 1999
Publisher: DIANE Publishing Company

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The Dragon in the Land of Snows : A History of Modern Tibet since 1947
Tsering Shakya
ISBN: 0140196153
Format: Paperback, 616pp
Pub. Date: October 2000
Publisher: Penguin

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The Snow Lion and the Dragon: China , Tibet , and the Dalai Lama
Melvyn C. Goldstein
ISBN: 0520219511
Format: Paperback, 165pp
Pub. Date: April 1999
Publisher: University of California Press

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Tibet : Survival in Question
Pierre-Antoine Donnet, Tica Broch (Translator)
ISBN: 1856491307
Format: Paperback, 288pp
Pub. Date: January 1994
Publisher: St. Martin 's Press

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Tibetan Rescue: The Extraordinary Quest to Save the Sacred Art Treasure of Tibet
Pamela Logan, Pam Logan
ISBN: 0804834210
Format: Hardcover, 256pp
Pub. Date: November 2001
Publisher: Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc.

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U.S. Policy Considerations in Tibet : Hearing before the Committee on International Relations, House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventh Congress, Second Session, March 7, 2002
ISBN: 0160683270
Format: Hardcover, 31pp
Pub. Date: January 2002
Publisher: United States Government Printing Office

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Vanished Kingdoms: A Woman Explorer in Tibet , China , and Mongolia 1921-1925
Mabel H. Cabot, Mabel Cabot, Janet Wulsin (Photographer), Preface by Rubie Watson
ISBN: 1931788081
Format: Hardcover, 200pp
Pub. Date: March 2003
Publisher: Aperture

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Ways of Thinking of Eastern Peoples: India - China - Tibet - Japan
Hajime Nakamura, Philip P. Wiener (Editor)
ISBN: 8120807642
Format: Paperback
Pub. Date: January 1999
Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass

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Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet
Marylin M. Rhie, Bigelow Taylor (Photographer),Robert Thurman
ISBN: 0810982048
Pub. Date: September 2000
Publisher: Abrams, Harry N., Incorporated

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Yangzi River Map from Source to Sea: Featuring the 3 Gorges, Shanghai, Wuhan , Chongqing , and the Source in Tibet
Richard Hayman, Mark Stroud, Wong How Man (Photographer)
ISBN: 9622177158
Format: Other Format, 350pp
Pub. Date: March 2003
Publisher: Odyssey Publications, Ltd.