Tibet Travel Forum

We're planning a trip to Lhasa (via train from Beijing- Xining - Lhasa), and were thinking that to save money, we could find a travel agent willing to get us the train tickets and travel permits, but hire our own guide just for a couple of days, staying without a guide in Lhasa itself. Does anyone know if this is feasible? Is it legal to travel in Lhasa city without a guide?

On a side note, Any hotel rec's for Lhasa, Xining, Chengdu, Dunhuang, or LanZhou? We've got too many places we'd like to visit! Trying to decide which are the must-see, kid-friendly places in this part of the country (Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu, & Tibet). Many thanks for any advice you can give us. Have a great day!!

Hi everyone,

I'm arriving in Chengdu in the middle of July next and plan on going to going to Lhasa as soon as I can. I'm looking to spend a little while in Tibet, but then take the Friendship Highway to Kathmandu. Does any one have any recommendations for the best way to get into Tibet?
I am in touch with Sims Cozy guesthouse as I will be staying there, while in Chengdu. They have told me that at the moment you need a guide, a permit and be part of a tour at all times in Tibet. Is this true? Has anyone had any dealings with them? Really I'm looking for something inexpensive-but safe and reliable. Im wondering what should I be paying, and do I really need to pay for a guide?
Can I book when I get there or should I organise a trip before I leave?
I wold be really grateful to hear about experiences from travellers who are currently in or just returning from Tibet, so I can figure out what's best to do.
Thanks very much!

i recently saw a documentary on Tibet and i want to ask some questions about entering and travelling inside Tibet

According to the documentary it is not premitted for foreigners to travel into Tibet. Also i heard another story saying that you can travel there, but only by special permission of the Chinese governmen. Is this true? you cant just on your owm travel into Tibet by your self?
According to the documentary it is not allowed to travel around in Tibet by your slef. You need special permission and guides to travel and trekking in the country. Is that true?

Hi out there,

I'm looking to book a private deal with Great Tibet Travel but wanting confirmation they are a good company. Can any one recommend a company , this or other please

Cheers

We plan to take the train from central China to Lhasa in mid August, spend a day or two in Lhasa, and then take the Friendship Highway and cross the border into Nepal. We only have 3-4 days to get from Lhasa to the Friendship Bridge as our Chinese visas will be nearly expired.

Given that you need to be on a tour to get a permit, how possible is this plan? Could we, for example, organise a one day tour in Lhasa to get the permits, and then travel independently with a driver to Nepal?

Does anyone have good experience and references of reliable local Tibet guides/tour operators? I am organizing a trip there with my family this summer (late July). I have been there a couple of years back and know exactly where I want to go visit again and what to avoid. My hope is to hire a local guide (English speaking) with a 4x4 vehicle for a week. It will fit perfectly with our family of 4.

Any recommendation will be greatly appreciated.

Hi all,

I'll be in Yunnan (Lijiang) till April 15, and am keen to head over to Tibet to explore.

Want to check if there're any travellers interested in travelling together. I'm extremely flexible on timing and costs, and am easygoing and adventurous.

Thinking of spending anywhere from 9-12 days in Tibet, so prob can't hit all the sights, but would love if could get together with like-minded travellers for part or all of the Tibet leg.

Hi

A friend and I are planning a trip to Tibet... in the initial stages, so we're considering possibilities now.

My preference is to travel overland for better acclimatization... and because i'm guessing the scenery will be breathtaking.

Would appreciate your tips on:
(1) which overland route is good - I'm inclined towards Kathmandu - Lhasa because we haven't got that much time, but there are so many agencies advertising online... recommendations and actual travel experience would help.

(2) also contemplating the Yunnan (Zhongdian) - Lhasa route, but have no contacts for that at all and no idea about costs

(3) also, wondering about safety for these overland routes.

(4) other helpful information - e.g. costs, must-sees, to-avoids, etc.

Thanks so much!

Hi Everyone,

I forgot to post these questions in my last posting.

Has anyone ridden the train from Beijing to Lhasa?

How long is the train ride and how much does it costs? My trip is in September.

Also, does anyone have any tips on how to deal with high altitude sickness?

Thank you

Hi everyone,

This is my first trip to Tibet, and, as with any trip, one has to budget time. I've browsed my Lonely Planet Guide Book. I have one to two weeks to spare.

Which monasteries are must see and which ones I could skip? The monasteries in question are Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery, Ganden Monastery near Lhasa and Shalu Monastery and Sakya Monastery near Gyantse.

Furthermore, if I have to choose between Lake Nam-tso or Lake Yamdruke-tso, which one should I pick?

Any suggestion and opinion would be helpful.

Thank you

Am I right in saying that if you get the train to Lhasa from Beijing, it doesn't stop anywhere that you can get out to break up your trip? How many hours is it please?

Where do you get the tibet travel permits in Beijing if you want to go as an independent traveller? Where can you travel as an indepedent traveller in Tibet? Which cities?

And where do you buy the train tickets? Ellyse mentioned in another thread that there is a lot of paperwork to fill out...does anyone know how long you have to wait for the permit? And can you get it for a friend (saves them the time waiting in Beijing for it?!)

Thanks for any answers you can help with me! I'm just trying to get all this info for a friend who will visit Beijing and Tibet in September and I found that even the most basic of questions, I did not know the answers to :( When I went a few years ago it was set up by the group I went with.

If they wanted to visit places like Shigatse and Gyantse, would you recommend they do it all with a guide? When I went I was very glad to have it sorted out for me as the distances seemed far from Lhasa and I don't think I would have known where to go in Lhasa to get a guide!

Sugarpuff.

I plan to visit Tibet at this summer, but just today I just read the news it said China is tightening its grip on Tibetan areas in the western part of the country by banning foreigners from the region ahead of the politically sensitive 50th anniversary of a failed Tibetan uprising. Is is true?

Hi all,

I'm intending to do a 4-wheel-drive trip starting from Chengdu into Lhasa. Would anyone know how long this would take, and can recommend any local tour agents or guides who would be able to do this kind of trip? Language is not a problem, as I understand Mandarin. Thanks!

Is there any way to get from Tibet to Sikkim by land?

I saw a similar que posted previously but that was in 2005. Hopefully things have changed for the better nowadays?

Thanks for feedback.

BaoShu

Hello,
I am an American Buddhist student.
I have been asked by my Lama (Buddhist teacher)
To spend the summer with him in the Surmang Valley in Kham Tibet.

It looks like it will be easy to get my 90 day tourist china visa.
Does anyone know what other permits I may need?
I was told Surmang valley is just outside of the T.A.R.

My Destination
Tibetan: Surmang Valley, Kham
Chinese: Xiao Zormang, Quing-hai

I will be leaving the USA, May 30, 2009
Flying to Beijing, then to Xi-ning and then flying into Yushu (Tibet) then driving to Surmang

Any help would be great,
Thanks,
William

Hi,

I'm looking for a low-cost tour group to join up with coming from Kathmandu and going to Tibet. I'm looking to spend a little while in Tibet, but then catch the train to Beijing. Does any one have any recommendations? Really I'm looking for something inexpensive, no frills, but safe and reliable

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

Hi. I plan to go to Tibet April 09. So far it seems that the most convenient thing to do is to sign up for a tour. However, I am thinking of joining a Lhasa tour from Nepal but I am thinking of going on to the rest of China and take the train back east. Has anyone done this, and is it feasible? I am also looking for travel partners for this trip --- I am generally going solo but I have two more friends who haven't made up their minds yet.

Tibet route to Kyrgyzstan via Xinjiang?

I am planning a Tibet trip in late June/early July, and afterwards, (depending on what kind of Chinese visa I get in Kathmandu, or Lhasa), I'd like to continue into China proper, and visit Xinjiang, and maybe even Qinghai.

My question is what kind of transport is there from Lhasa to Xinjiang? What's the website for the Chinese train that goes from Lhasa north? Does it stop in Urumuqi, or do I have to backtrack through Xining?

Another question is what route do I take to enter Kyrgystan (from China)? I choose Kyrgyz because Canadians get visa on arrival. I am also interested in entering Kazakhstan from China, but then I need to pre-arrange a visa, but where in that part of Western China, I don't know.

Tajikistan also borders Xinjiang, but I am not sure if foriegners are allowed to cross here?

I am planning for a trip to Lahasa and Everest Base Camp during April 09 and looking for travel mate for us to share the costs that are prohibitively expensive for a single travller. If interested, please drop me an email.

I would also like to know train and plane fare between Lahasa and Changdu/Beiging.

Thanks in advance

Hi guys,

I'm wondering if the restrictions are still in effect for foreingers going to Tibet now?
I plan to go in early December. Can anyone lead me in the right direction to find train tickets/schedules from Shanghai to Tibet?
Also, can a person go individually or do they need to be part of a tour group?
If anyone knows a decent place to stay in Lhasa that would be great too.

Thanks,
The wanderer.

Hi,
I'm considering a trip to Tibet next autumn, travelling upwards step by step from Kunming/ Lijiang/Dali/Zhongdian to Lhasa, Shigatse and Gyangtse.
What bothers me, is the fact, that I'm not sure, whether I and my wife will be ablr to cope with the high altitude.
I'm in the late 60ies, as is my wife, but in a rather average to good shape, working out 3times a week, a little overweight,with a well treated light hypertension.
Are there any VTers in my age-range, who have already done a trip to Tibet and could please let me participate in their personal experiences!
I'm of course aware of the usual altitude-problems, but would appreciate very much to learn from first hand experience, whether I could dare to take this trip or not!
Thank you so much for your highly appreciated opinions !

What about going overland from Zhongdian to Lhasa in a rented Landcruiser? Is it possible now? With Driver and guide of course.
I plan to do that in April 2009.
Has anyone done it in the last few weeks? Or planning to do it next time?
Thanks!

Spoerle

Anybody been recently? I need some suggestions as I've been reading a lot of BAD experiences
in fact one woman was on a Viking 5* cruise and said she stayed in a sh!thole they arranged..... name on request...

A true 3* would be great...!

I plan a trip from Shangha to Kashgar via Tibet using China Youth Travel Service which also uses name My Tibet Travel.
Does anyone have experience of using this company and how do you rate them?

I will be working in Kathmandu starting late september and i was wondering if someone could help me out. I am am taking the train from Beijing to Lhasa then wanted to travel onwards to Kathmandu, either overland or by plane. Does anyone know whetehr the direct bus link is open to travellers or would i have to go on one of the expensive overland tours? If i took the flight option, how much is a one way to Kathmandu from Lhasa and how often do they fly?

Cheers

I'm currently in Xi'an, China, and I'm looking on organizing a tour to Lhasa by train for a few days, then going overland to Nepal. I've been looking around left and right, and this type of tour IS POSSIBLE, the lowest I've been quoted is around 5000 Yuan per person. If we get more than two people together, the price is sure to drop.

It's tough as nails to go independently these days. You need a guide and an itinerary to even get in. So, unless you want to hitchhike, it looks like all us Tibet travellers need to band together. Anybody interested? Send me a message.

(Note: I'd be happy to start in Chengdu. If you're in Beijing, perhaps we should meet in Xining? I hear trains are easier to catch over there.)

Joe Lalli, USA

Hello,

in 3 week we will hopefully visit Tibet & then we will go to Shanghai. Concerning the visa, our travel agent sais that he can provide us beside Tibet permit also an extension of visa to Mainland China, the visa released by the Chienese embassy will be cancelled in Kathmandu. Is that true ? If by this time Tibet will be close again, can we easily obtain a viasa in Kathamndu for China ? Or would it be safe to get a visa here in Belgium, in order to avoid problems ?

Thanks
Dolores

Hi All,

My quests are never easy, but then my life was never meant to be!

After Spending 9 months exploring China in 2004, the itch has returned part way through renovating my newly purchased wreck of a house.

My plan is to scource some old querky tables, chest, cabinets, drawers etc for two bedrooms, a dining room and a hallway.........I've tackled the export and import angle yet have no experience transporting goods across china.

Does anyone have any ideas of how i could transport items cheaply across this stretch - I dont think a man with a van could safely cross with terrain, but now the train is set up, could a two pronged attack be more viable?

Any help would be really appreciated
Regards Jonathan

Hi,

I think it's been announced that Tibet is safe for tourists to visit again and I'm thinking of going to Lhasa next month. Anyone got any updates on visas / travelling / best points of entry? Also, I'm thinking of going on my own - anyone got any tips on joining a tour group or travelling alone?

Thanks!