Frequently Asked Questions about Tibet Tour

1.       General Information:

1.1.    When is the best time to visit? – We highly recommend to the clients to travel in Tibet from April to November while the best time is May to September. However, if you can bear the cold weather and already have acclimatization, winter time is not only wallet – friendly but also you can avoid the crowds.

1.2.    How to get into Tibet? - Tibet, consist between in the south and Kunlun Shan in the north, summons images of blue skies, flapping prayer flags and red-cheeked Tibetan monks. Officially Tibet is called the Tibet Autonomous region by Chinese, or Xizang, pronounced “she-Zhang” which means Treasure House of the West. There are many ways to get into Tibet, by air, by highways, by railways. The most convenient way is to by air from Kathmandu in Nepal or Chengdu in China. The second choice is by Friendship highway from Nepal to Tibet or Trains from mainland China. Although, there are some documentations to be prepared before entering Tibet from Nepal and mainland china. Travelling in Tibet independently is not possible, you will be processed everything by the help of travel agent. So that it is recommended to find the reliable agency to make your tour smooth and easier. Tibet International Travels could help you arranging any kind of Tibet tours and treks. Please see no. 2 for the further information.

1.3.    What to bring if I travel to Tibet? – For the clothing, we basically suggest casual style and layered clothing because temperatures in Tibet vary greatly within a day. Down jacket is necessary if you go beyond Lhasa and some remote areas, e.g. the Everest Base Camp, Mt. Kailash, Namtso Lake, etc. In day time you may need just a t-shirt or a thinner Jacket but at night you need a warm and thick jacket or coat. Sun Glasses, sun blocking cream, moisture cream is very necessary to be in your packing list.

1.4.    Is independent tour allowed to Tibet? – Independent tour is strictly prohibited in Tibet. You must go through the local travel agent and the local travel agent arranges the whole tour as a packaged program.

1.5.    What currency do I need to bring and are there ATMs available? - Foreign currencies cannot be used directly; they have to be converted into Renminbi (RMB) at all banks, bank branches or hotel at the exchange rate quoted on the foreign exchange marker on the day. The bank of China in Tibet is the bank which specializes in handling money exchange. Regarding the ATMs facilities, you won’t have any problems finding an ATM in Lhasa, Gyantse and Shigatse, although you probably won’t be able to find in remote areas or the smaller towns. However, this situation is changing, and ATMs are gradually spreading out across the land.

1.6.    What medication should I bring for the high elevation? – Medicines like cold and flu tablets, throat lozenges, nasal decongestant, aspirins, Diamox and multivitamins will prove to be very useful during your tour/trek in Tibet. Or else you can consult with local doctor here in Tibet. The locals have very much experience of the altitude sickness; the garlic soup they prepare is very effective and always helpful to you.

1.7.    Does this tour have insurance coverage? – No, we strongly recommend to the clients to have their insurance before they travel Tibet. The tours operated by the local companies do not have insurance coverage.

1.8.    What is Tipping, how much should I tip? – Tipping is not a custom of Tibet as the tourism grows in Tibetan people professional like guide, driver, waiter and hotel staffs except tips. If you satisfy with their service, a few dollars tip will please them but, this is not mandatory.

2.       Travel Documents:

2.1.    What document do I need before planning to travel Tibet? -  Of course, you are required to have minimum 6 months valid passport, valid Chinese Visa (if you enter from Mainland China), Tibet Travel Permit issued by Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB).

2.2.    Do I need Chinese visa to enter Tibet? – Yes, of course! You need to have Chinese valid visa in order to visit Tibet from Chinese cities. You need to send your Chinese visa copy via email, so that the agent can process further for the Tibet travel permit.

2.3.    If I travel via Nepal to Tibet, do I also need Chinese visa? – Well, there are some requirements in order to get China/Tibet Visa. Firstly, you are required to have Tibet Travel permit and Tibet Group Visa to inter Tibet. This can be only possible by the help of your local travel agent. And the other hand, if you have been issued Chinese visa prior to your arrival in Kathmandu, the visa will be cancelled and replaced with a visa granted by the consular section from the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu. This will be a paper-visa instead of a visa attached to a page on your passport. We therefore, advise you not to grant Chinese individual visa from your country which will be canceled in order to get new Tibet Paper-Visa. This is also valid in Mainland China.

2.4.    How many days do I need to wait in Kathmandu in order to get Tibet group visa? Well, we mostly recommend your arrival in Kathmandu minimum prior a week as the agent needs to get invitation letter and should get the Paper visa from the Chinese Embassy which takes minimum a week ( 5 working days).

2.5.    Do I need double/multiple entry visa if I am intending to enter Tibet from China? -  No, as Tibet is also a part of China, if you enter from any other cities of mainland China, only single entry visa is required. For this, single entry visa is enough.

2.6.    What is Tibet travel Permit? – Tibet Travel permit is an official document that allows travelers to visit Tibet in a specified period. This is issued by Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB).

2.7.    How can I get Tibet travel permit? – Tourists can obtain Tibet travel permit easily through the local travel agent except diplomats, journalists and governmental officials, those should travel under the arrangement by the Foreign Affairs office of China Tibet.

2.8.    Where can I go with the Tibet travel permit? - Tibet tourism bureau (TTB) only allows tourists to enter Tibet, to stay in Lhasa and some other towns such as Gyantse, Shigatse and Lhatse. If you want to travel beyond or further, you are required to prepare PSB permit for which Tibet International travel could help you to apply.

2.9.    How can I get the permit or how can you send me? – Well, if you are in Mainland China, we can email your permit by attachment or we can also send you by postal service; your full address is required in such cases. On the other hand, if you are entering via Nepal, your presence is a must as you need to submit your original passport, Application form and other necessary supporting documents in order to get the Tibet group visa.

3.       Tour booking information:

3.1.    What kind of tours do you offer mostly? – At the moment, due to some limitations made by TTB, we do have only private tours in operation. Well, if you still want the people to join with, you may visit our website regularly for the recent updates or post message to the travel forums.

3.2.    What is private tour? - It represents your own made itinerary, private guide, private transportation and accommodation. You will not be joining with other people throughout the tour.

3.3.    How can I get the different itineraries? – Well, you can get the different itineraries for the various destinations or also can direct consult with our travel advisor by email. Also, you can send us your own-tailored itinerary but we need to discuss with our advisor whether it is possible or not.

3.4.    How do you quote the cost? – The tour cost may vary because of your tour itinerary, number of people, travel time, standard of hotel, standard of vehicle and etc.

3.5.    Apart from sightseeing in cities, do you also offer some other programs? – Yes, of course! We offer adventure trekking, long time adventure tours, hiking during the sightseeing tours, mediation, etc. During the trekking, we also provide Yak & Yak man, cook and Sherpa to serve you besides the guide.

3.6.    What methods of Payment do you accept? - Well, we accept major credit cards, bank wire transfer, etc. But, some extra bank charges can be added on the total cost. However, you are advised to consult with your travel agent before you send the payment.

3.7.    Who will be responsible if our tour cancel due to some unusual reasons? - Please refer our page in Terms and Conditions.

3.8.    What is your cancellation policy? - Please refer our page in Terms and Conditions.

4.       Food and lodging:

4.1.    What are the hotels like in Tibet? – There are different categories of hotels in Tibet. However, numbers of 4 star hotels are quite limited. In order to protect history and environment of the ancient city, good new hotels have been built out of the city centre. Most of the hotels have central heating system in the winter season and cooling system is rarely in the summer. However, we would still alert our clients that the services and facilities may not be as you expect from the hotel with this rating in the other part of the world. The central old hotels have good location but may not have the level of comfort comparing the new hotels outside of city and may not have central heating. Level of service and facilities may be quite basic and staff would probably not speak much English. Hotel in small towns and Everest base camp are very basic with dormitory rooms and you may have to share the bathroom as well.

4.2.    Does the hotel have access of internet? – Well, Government of China has been developing communication system very well even in remote areas. Big cities and towns have internet system with WIFI in most of the hotels; however, some small towns may not have such a system. But, there are still some cyber cafes with good internet connection in the town.

4.3.    Is there 24 hour hot water running? – Due to basic condition in Tibet, water flow may small sometime with the poor pressure. Water sometimes is not hot but just warm. The condition in remote areas can be even worse.

4.4.    What kind of food we eat in Tibet? – In Lhasa and some other big cities, you can choose different kind of Chinese food, Western food, Nepalese food and Tibetan food as well. But, during the off season, the choice can be very limited as many of the popular restaurants remain closed. In the remote towns and areas, choices are very limited, Tibetan food or Chinese food is the best.

5.       Transportation and flights:

5.1.    What are the baggage regulations when flying to Lhasa?

Carry-on Baggage: The maximum carry –on baggage allowance for each economy class passenger is 5 kg. First class passengers can have two pieces of carry-on luggage. All other passengers can carry only one piece. The size may not exceed 20×40×55 cm. Carry-on baggage in excess of the limit is subject to an excess baggage fee and must be carried as checked baggage.

Check- in baggage: Adult and children are entitled to a free checked baggage allowance of 40 kg, for first free baggage allowance is granted to infants.

Groups travelling together are able to combine their baggage allowance if they check in together.

Prohibited items: the following items are prohibited and cannot be carried in checked or carry-on luggage such as; flammable, explosive, corrosive, poisonous, radioactive and magnetized materials. Passengers are forbidden to carry arms, sharp or lethal weapons during flight.

5.2   Can we fly to Lhasa without any permit form Mainland China or Kathmandu? – No. This is strictly prohibited to issue the air tickets without the evidence of permit or visa issued by the consular section of Chinese embassy. However, your agent will help you arranging air/train ticket to Lhasa.

5.3   Is it easy to purchase train ticket to Tibet? – Well, the popularity of train travel now become huge demand of train ticket and thousand of internal tourists visit Tibet every day. So that, it is very difficult to get the train tickets on their own. Therefore, you are advised to purchase the tickets by the help of your local tour agent.

5.4   What vehicle do we use in Tibet? - It also depends on number of travelers, mostly minivan, Hiace, Buses are used around Lhasa as the road condition in Lhasa is pretty good. If the road covers the bad condition in some part of the Tibet, we offer 4WD Land cruiser.

For the further detailed information if you need, please do not hesitate to send us email or call to our hotline numbers mentioned in the webpage  (http://www.tibetintl.com) or (http://www.traveltreknepal.com)