You can start a dialogue with us and we can walk through the steps. Or
If you know the trip or if you find one in our site that suits you, you can book online, e-mail request, fax or call us.
If you need a customized trip, you need to first decide on the approximate duration you wish to spend in Tibet , class of hotel you would like to stay and type of activities you are willing to take, then we can suggest you an appropriate trip.
Yes, you need a VISA to travel to Tibet Autonomous Region with a pre-booked trip only.
03. How can I get a visa to travel to Tibet ? Are there any countries from where I can get a visa? How long does it take?
China has two kinds of visa system. Visa on individual's passport and Group Visa for Tour Groups. People entering Tibet via Nepal must be on a group visa whereas via mainland China , they could have individual visa, yet they require Travel Permit. Group visa means-all the participants enlisted in one group visa must travel throughout Tibet together, including entry and exit.
In order to procure Group Visa or Travel Permit, you will have to provide us your passport details ( Name as on passport, current address, date and place of birth, passport no., date and place of issue, date of expiry and the profession) at the time we receive your booking. The details are forwarded to our Lhasa based representative who will process the visa and necessary permits. A copy of visa approval letter will be faxed to our representative in Kathmandu who will procure the actual visa from Chinese embassy.
Original passports have to be produced. Currently, Chinese embassy of Kathmandu accepts visa application only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 0930 am to 1100 am. Regular visa processing takes 3 working days but against payment of emergency processing charge, we can collect the visa on same day or the second working day. People entering Tibet via mainland cities, with prior arrangement, can collect a copy of Travel Permit at our representative offices in Chengdu , Xian, Shanghai and Beijing .
Besides there are numerous other permits like inner line permit, road permit, military permits etc. Warning! If you are planning to enter Tibet via mainland Chinese cities and if you want to procure an individual Chinese visa, you can get it from any Chinese embassies or consulate abroad but do not disclose that you also intend to go to Tibet . If you do, the authorities will insist you to go for a group visa which demands a lot formalities .
04. Can I travel on my own without booking the trip with travel agent in advance? Do I have to buy a tour package for traveling in Tibet ? Can I not travel on my own, choose any hotel I wish, plan my own tour itinerary as I go along?
All tourists to Tibet must travel in a pre-booked tour package. It is not to censor your movement but to manage tourism in a sustainable way, to grow sensibly without taxing on the environment and its rich and intact culture. Having paid for a package tour, you can be flexible in the tour program, change the tour to see or do what most interests you to an extent feasible and possible.
05. Can I decide on what I see in Tibet or do I have to go with a planned tour?
You can decide on what you want to see in Tibet and how you want to see it. You do not have to follow a planned tour strictly unless you are part of a group tour with a fixed itinerary. You will be provided with a planned tour itinerary, but once you reach Tibet you can have some flexibility with your guide, provided that there are no cost consequences due to the change.
06. Do I have to be physically fit? What about altitude sickness?
One with cardiac and pulmonary complaints is recommended to consult the physician before he or she decide to take up a Tibet Trip. If you are not doing regular exercises, you are recommended to start at least a month before your trip. Physical exercises will help you increase your respiration power and add stamina.
When you enter or land in Tibet , for the first couple of days, you will experience the mild symptoms of altitude sickness that includes headache, dizziness, breathlessness and loss of appetite. But you don't have to be overly worried. You will get acclimatized in 2 or 3 days, if you take proper rest. You will have to drink at least 4-5 liters of water everyday and eat energetic food to keep away the chances of getting the altitude sickness. Reading about the Altitude sickness, prevention and remedies always recommended.
07. How can I pay for my tour? What Currency do I have to pay in? Can I use my credit card? We accept deposit in form of Credit card.
The balance payments for the trip can be wired, Banker's Check or even personal checks are accepted if received 60 days before the departure date. Payments mostly accepted in US$ and Euro ..
08. How safe is the Bank Transfer Deposit? How can I be sure that my money is not lost in some distant account?
If you feel unsafe bank transferring to a distant account you have two options:
a) you may ask us for client references from your country who have traveled with us recently and or
b) you can also decide to bank transfer 15% of all payments upon confirming the tour and the rest to be paid upon arrival in Tibet or Nepal using Traveler's Checks in US$
People can travel in Central Tibet through out the year but the regular trips start from the first week of April and lasts in the end of October. Trekking trips, Everest Base Camp and Western Tibet including Mount Kailash trip are good only in Jul, Aug and September.
10. What languages are tours available in?
Tour guides are mostly English speaking. Tibetan Guides are reported to have good knowledge on local culture, religion and tradition but they are weak in English language. Contrary to this, Chinese Guides are more professional and have better command in language but their knowledge on local culture and religion is not upto the mark. There are a few of German, French and Japanese speaking guides available with an extra fee- usually for groups of 4 or more persons.
11 . How can I get to Tibet ? Can I travel overland from Nepal , Pakistan and India ?
You can get to Lhasa -the capital town of Tibet by Air from Katmandu and mainland Chinese cities like Chengdu , Xian, Beijing , Shanghai and Kunming . You can travel overland from Kathmandu to Lhasa . A standard tour from Kathmandu takes 5 days to reach Lhasa . You can enter Western Tibet via Ali and Kashgar of Pakistan but there is no road connection to Tibet via Indian Territory .
12. What kind of transport vehicles do you use?
For individual travelers we use 4WD Landcruisers , maximum 4 pax . For bigger group size, we can use Toyota Hiace , Japanese Coaster and Hino buses.
