Travel Information

Below is some important information you should know before you tour Tibet.

Tibet Permits

Except a Chinese Visa, a trip to Tibet for all non-Chinese passport holders is to be required of having Tibet Travel Permits with an organized trip, including Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB) permit, Aliens' Travel Permit (ATP) and Military Permit that are actually several different Tibet local government approved the travel documents.

Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB) Permit

It is approved by Tibet Tourism Bureau and is a basic one for foreign travellers entering Tibet. The Alien Travel Permit and Military Permit could be applied based on issued TTB. If you take the flight from Mainland China to Tibet, then you need the original of the permit to board the flight, if you take the train to Tibet, then a copy of the permit is needed.

PSB (Alien's Travel Permit)

It is required when you travel to some of the remote parts of Tibet, which is issued by the Public Security Bureau (PSB) and can be obtained when you are in Tibet.

Military Permit

It is required for some sensitive part or some restricted remote areas for an appropriate reason.

Enter Tibet from Mainland China

If you plan to travel to Tibet by entering from any cities in mainland China, you have to process your own individual Chinese travel visa through Chinese consulate in your resident country before your departure. Mention only those places in Mainland China to be visited (exclude to mention Tibet). After you get the Chinese visa, please send us the clear scancopied of visa and passport pages with required personal information, and then we will start to process your Tibet Travel Permits based on the confirmed tour itinerary. The original or copy of TTB (depends on the transportation you enter to Tibet) will be delivered to you when you are in China before traveling to Tibet.

For those who work or study in China but hold non-tourist visa, means visa types of visiting visa (F), student visa (X) or business visa (Z), an extra certificate letter with an official seal or stamp from your company, organization, school or university is required to process the permit.

Enter Tibet from Nepal

When entering Tibet from Nepal, all travellers Do Not need to have a Chinese visa before your departure either way of entering Tibet by flight or by land, both Chinese visa and Tibet travel permits will be applied by your selected tour operator, and will be obtained with your original passport once you arrive in Katmandu.

The diplomats, journalists, and government officials need to contact the Foreign Affairs Office of the Tibetan Government to arrange a travel and permit to Tibet.

Get into Tibet and Away

Flight to Tibet

Flying to Tibet is the primary transportation entering into Tibet. Chengdu is the earliest gateway city to have the flight to Lhasa. Today, Chengdu and Chongqing are the easiest option flying to Tibet, because there are the most daily flights comparing other cities in mainland China. You also can consider taking the direct flight to Lhasa from other cities include Beijing, Xi’an, Kunming, Zhongdian (Shangri-La), Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hongkong, or you could fly to Nyingchi and Shigatse from Chengdu and Shanghai, but it is difficult to get the air tickets for flying to Chamdo and Ngari. All foreign travelers should have the original Tibet travel permit to board the flight to Tibet. For travellers in Nepal can take the flight to Lhasa from Kathmandu that is the only one international flight to Tibet.

Train to Tibet

Qinghai-Tibet railway is the highest railway on earth and the first railway to Tibet. The train is equipped with air-condition, oxygen supply system and anti-radiation sightseeing windows. Taking the train to Tibet, you can slowly adapt to high altitude conditions instead of a sudden shift if you were to take a flight, and the scenes along the railway is spectacular. At present, there are several trains to and out of Tibet, include the train in Xining, Lanzhou, Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. The essence portion is from Xining to Lhasa.

Overland to Tibet

There are five major roads into Tibet, include Sichuan – Tibet Highways and Yunnan – Tibet highway from the east, Qinghai – Tibet highway from the north, Xinjiang – Tibet Highway from the west, and only one international highway from Kathmandu of Nepal. Sichuan – Tibet Highways are started from Chengdu and divided into two roads after Kangding, that the southern route takes the NO. 318 national highway to Lhasa along Mankham while the northern route takes the NO. 317 national highway via Dege. Either ways are spectacular with some breathtaking landscapes and portions of rough roads, which is thought to be one of the ten challenging highway in the world. Yunnan – Tibet Highway starts from Zhongdian (Shangri-La) in Yunnan province and ride ahead to Mankham, after that it will cover the same road as the Sichuan – Tibet Highway, which is also the historical trail along ancient Tea-Horse Road. Qinghai – Tibet highway is from Golmud, paralleled with the Qinghai-Tibet railway that is the easiest road into Tibet. Xinijang – Tibet highway is from Kashgar. The main advantage of this way is that it passes by Mount Kailash and through a beautiful, very remote region inhabited by nomads. The road from Kathmandu to Tibet takes five days and is very pretty along the way. Currently, Sichuan – Tibet highway, Yunnan – Tibet highway and Xinjiang – Tibet highway are banned for foreign travellers or tourists.

High Altitude Sickness

People travelling to Tibet may suffer from the high altitude sickness. Altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness (AMS), is the reaction of the body adjusting to decreasing amounts of oxygen. Normally, the higher the altitude, the less oxygen available for the body to carry on normal functions. It commonly occurs above 2,400 metres (8,000 feet) but this is different for everyone. One may experience the symptoms of headache, Loss of appetite, disturbed sleep or drowsiness, irritability, fatigue, nausea/vomiting, dizziness, swelling of hands, feet & face and such before adjusts to altitude. In most cases, the symptoms are mild and will subside in several hours to several days as the body acclimatizes. So the proper acclimatization is very important before you continue to go higher, and below methods may be helpful to better avoid the symptoms of the altitude sickness.

  • Have a body check or take your doctor's advice before travelling Tibet
  • Avoid catching cold or respiratory problems before entering Tibet
  • Prepare AMS medication with your doctor's advice
  • Don’t increase psychological burden to yourself. Be relax!
  • Drinking plenty of water - at least 4 litres per day on top of other forms of fluids such as tea or soups
  • Avoiding eat too much at the beginning of your arrival to Tibet
  • Don't take shower at the first day arrival in order to avoid catching cold
  • Taking it easy or have a regular break and walk at a slower pace to avoid over-exertion
  • Avoiding alcohol, tobacco and substances that can interfere with good delivery of oxygen to the body or cause dehydration
  • Eating high-carbohydrate food

If the symptoms increase, please let our guide to know immediately!

Best Time to Travel Tibet

The best time to visit Tibet is between April to October. March, May and October are the best months to clear view of Mt. Everest. However, March is not recommended as it is often closed for foreign tourists in recent years. Though November to May is the winter season could be cold, as the facilities improved, it is still possible for tourists to visit Tibet in areas of Lhasa, Shigatse and Tsedang.

Things to Bring for Tibet Tour

The temperatures in Tibet are quite different during day time and night time, it is necessary to add or strip clothes to avoid becoming ill. The personal items listed below are general main stuffs recommended to keep with you when you are travelling to Tibet:

  • ‘Layered’ clothing for flexibility
  • A ‘fleece’ jacket and a good/warm waterproof windbreaker
  • T-shirts or long and short sleeved shirts/sweaters
  • Comfortable/warm walking shoes
  • A combination of loose fitting and warm pants
  • Sun hat, sunglasses, suntan lotion, lipsticks, umbrella, day pack etc.
  • The hotel facility is lower rate in the remote areas, it is suggested you to bring an inner sheet or a light sleeping bag incase any use.

The above list is the regular things to pack, we will provide a list of appropriate travel stuffs depending on your travel types, itineraries and travel areas.

Transportation for Tibet Tour

The wide variety of vehicles can be best available for tourists according to the group size, itinerary and road conditions. 4WD Toyota Land Cruiser is commonly used in Tibet for tourism, as it is capable for the areas involve tough road driving and off road excursions. As the road improved these years, the road has been paved to the flat tar road for the main part of Tibet that make the business van, smaller and medium sized vans to widely used for the group. Large buses are available for larger groups. Trekking, motor ride, motor biking, cycling and mountain biking are the ways to get around in Tibet.

Hotels, Guest Houses and Lodges in Tibet

Main Cities like Lhasa and Shigatse have the reputed or new opened hotels ranging from budget to luxury, some boutique hotels or family hostel give you an experience in-depth to Tibetan cultures or lifestyle. In other larger cities of Tsedang, Nyingchi, Gyantse have selection of relatively good hotels with 3 or 4 star categories. In smaller towns, the hotels are more basic. Further in remote towns, the accommodation is rudimentary or the guest house with dorm bed and outhouse toilet.

Food & Restaurant

The traditional Tibetan is Tsampa (roasted barley flour), momo (steamed or fried dumplings), meat (mutton or yak), thukpa (noodle soup with meat or vegetables) and dairy products, with very few spices or vegetables. The butter tea is the most common drink in Tibet that is made of brick tea mixed with butter and salt. In Lhasa, many decent restaurants provide meals mixed the features of Tibetan, Nepali, Indian and continental good that could be found around Barkhor area, or you have options for Chinese food or Muslim food restaurants. Outside of Lhasa, Chinese restaurant is the better choose for taste and sanitation. For our tour group, we normally cover the breakfast only, but leave the flexibility for your own selection for lunches and dinners that can order based on personal interests, appetite and budget. While trekking, our crews prepare all meals for you.

Featured Commodities

Tibet is vast in territory and rich in variety of products, exquisite of traditional craftsmanship and many local specialties. Some of them are exported to many foreign countries: for instance, carpets of Gyantse, aprons of Gongkar, the tweeds of Dranang, religious articles made of gold and copper from Chamdo, Tibetan knives of Lhatse, jade wares of Rinpung, wooden bowls from the Himalayas, ect. A lot of Chinese medicines produced in Tibet are saffron crocus, aweto, glossy ganoderma, gastrodia tuber, musk.

Money & Exchange

Tibet, it is always practical to pay in local currency of Chinese Yuan or known as Renminbi (RMB). The banknote is commonly used while coins are not acceptable in Tibet. Foreign currency cannot directly used here, but it and traveler's checks can be exchanged in the Bank of China by holding your passport while in Tibet. Some 4-5 star hotels also provide money exchange facility but only available for their guests. If you are traveling out of Lhasa, remember to bring sufficient cash incase there is no bank to withdraw money. Credit cards currently are still not popular way of payment that is accepted only at major banks, hotels, restaurants and big business houses. ATM is not widely available.

Photography

Photography at airports, bridges and government buildings are not allowed in some areas. Violators of these rules may be penalized and your camera equipment seized. Some monasteries and temples will allow you to take pictures inside them and may demand fees for the same.

Tipping

Guides and Drivers are generally expected and pleased to receive a tip if you are satisfied with their services and hard works, though it is not compulsory.