The pilgrimage of the Kawa Karpo is one of the most revered in Tibetan Buddhism. Taking the believers from the province of Yunnan to Tibet in Western China, through snowy mountain passes up to five thousand meters, it is also an excruciating twelve-day trek, often accomplished in very rudimentary conditions. In May 2012 I set myself with a team of guides and sherpas to accomplish the journey. These images tell the story of the Tibetans I met in these remote areas, locals and pilgrims, all united under one religion