Tibet Travel Forum

I am planning to visit Tibet in April. I am wondering if foreigners are allowed to travel independently. Does anybody have updated information about restrictions and visa procedures? I can easily get a China visa, but what about the Tibet permit? I would like to travel by train(the new railway) and skip any Chinese travel Agency service, provided that they overcharge for their services.Is it still forbidden to entry Tibet except joining of a group?
Please advise
Marina

Book mark.

I went to Tibet in early June 2006 before the train was running. The Lhasa part of Tibet was independent travel. As you know, things had changes and I bookmark your post to see if they have changed back.

I think it's better for you going to chengdu first and contact the dream travel chengdu...they will arranged for your your permit and also your train ticket...I actually have a same planning like you do on april 2009...i already check for this travel agency..and he also have a guesthouse in chengdu...

You should know that travel Agents in China overcharge their services when you say tibet. It is an exploitation, because they know perfectly well the western tourists' passion for tibet. There is no need to buy train tickets through a travel agent , just go to the railway station.

We travelled Tibet with China visa this year. I am not sure if it was a special visa for Tibet region or not. We entered from Lhasa airport without problem. We were a crowded group, so I have no idea about travelling independently. But we were warned about having books of Dalay Lama, about his life, etc. can jeopardize your trip.

Another thing: Our two friends had "green Turkish passport" which actualy does not need a visa to enter China. Unfortunately the consulate in Istanbul rejected their passports' visa application because of that. At the end they couldn't enter Tibet with this special passport even they had all the rights.

I had previously attempted to buy train tickets directly and even a local can't do so without filling in pretty detailed paperwork. The person at the counter would not sell tickets to independent foreign travellers. You might not agree with the policy of China... if that's the case, don't come here.
BTW, it's expensive not just for foreign travellers. It's not cheap for Chinese either. Stop thinking the overpricing is aimed at you.

Hi Marina

It is not possible to travel to Tibet individually unless you join a fixed departure tour that are available on every saturdays . You will have to book train ticket in Kathmandu , & give the name of the places that you will visit in china , so that you can get the Group visa which will be valid

all the best
peacemind

Independent travelers are allowed in Lhasa and Shigatse or so. But those big cities have nearly lost all flavor because of the strong Chinese influence. To visit real Tibet you need a trip on its own, bringing you to the East (Shangri-La) or West (Tibetan Plateau, Guge, Kailash), and for this special permits are required (very expensive), group travel is mandatory and also recommended because you need reliable cars, to camp at night, enough food, most important a good crew! There are many checkpoints on the way, and even with all the permits you might end up with a corrupt policeman, in our case simply statimng our lorry was overloaded. He did not let us pass, but our crew had connections to the authorities, this guy received a phone call 5 Minutes later, became quiet and we could continue our journey.

Shangri-La (Zhongdian) is in Yunnan province, no need for any extra permits.

With Shangri-La I mean a trip from Zhongdiang to Lhasa. This area was completely closed to foreigners until recently.

"With Shangri-La I mean a trip from Zhongdiang to Lhasa. This area was completely closed to foreigners until recently."

I attempted an overland trip from Zhongdiagn to Lhasa in late May 2006 but had to turn back because of a rock slide taking out a road in Tibet. It was estimated it would a few weeks before the road would be open to vehicle again. The TTB gave me a little hard time on the way back because they said my papers were fake. They were not faked.

IMO, Zhongdiagn was renamed Shangri-La by the government to promote tourism.

I have read blogs of people taking the same trip about a year before me.

You are right concerning the promotional renaming. However the myth of Shangri-La is expected to be on the road I described, and turning south into rather hidden areas. I was lucky to complete the tour to Lhasa in 2003. We were among the first tourists allowed as "transit". Recommended book "In Search of Shangri-La" by Michael McRae