What do I need to know to enter Tibet (TAR) from Yunnan Province?

To travel on this route formally, you must book the trip with a travel agent, who arranges a 4WD with driver and guide. Tibet Travel Permit, Alien Travel Permit and Military Permit are required on this route. There are also flights from Zhongdian to Lhasa, for which a regular Tibet Travel Permit is required. We have heard of foreigners boarding local bus in Zhongdian to Lhasa without a permit and many of them being caught and fined during their trip