Getting in and out of Tibet

Via Kathmandu
Only Air China operates flight between Lhasa and Kathmandu 4 times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturdays and Sundays) during Spring and Summer and two flights a week ( Saturdays and Tuesdays) during winter. Flight schedule may change depending on demand.

If you choose to fly via Kathmandu , please allow at least two days in Kathmandu for Chinese visa works. Although we pre-apply your Chinese visa and Tibet permits, final visa work is completed once you arrive at Kathmandu.Please, do not apply Chinese visa on your own as the Chinese Tibetan tourism regulation requires that travelers entering Tibet via Nepal must apply Chinese visa at Kathmandu through a booked tour. Estimated roundtrip airfare is US$ 800 between Kathmandu and Lhasa.

Via Chinese Cities:
Most convenient Chinese cities to depart for Lhasa are Chengdu and Beijing. You can also depart from other major Chinese cities but you need to change plane in Chengdu. Please allow sufficient time in the gateway city for you to collect Tibet Travel Permit whcih will be shipped to your contact address or hotel. Chinese regulation does not allow copying the permit or ship it abroad. You need to present the original copy of the permit to board on the plane. Airfare between Beijing and Lhasa costs approximately US$ 800 and between Chengdu and Lhasa US$ 540. ( Subject to change)

Chinese visa and permits

Passport should be valid 6 months or more at the time of travel to China/Tibet. You should apply Chinese visa in your country itself. For some good reason, DO NOT disclose your Tibet intention otherwise visa procedure becomes tedious and complicated. Once you have Chinese visa done, we need a copy of it and we will take care of rest of the formalities. Passport and Chinese visa copy should reach us minimum a month before your travel date.

You will collect Tibet Entry Permits at our contact offices in gateway cities: Beijing or Chengdu before your flight to Lhasa. Your Guide will be holding all other necessary permits required for this trip. If you are traveling to Tibet via Kathmandu, Nepal, you don’t have to obtain Chinese visa in advance. We will apply Tibet permit and Chinese visa for you in advance but final visa work is done upon your arrival in Kathmandu. So, you should allow a few days in Kathmandu for visa works before you depart for Lhasa.

Accommodation

We use the best available accommodations in Tsedang, Gyantse and Shigatse which are 3 star standard or higher. In Lhasa, our preferred properties are Kyichu or Gyangyen, Denkang or Yak Hotel best wing which are conveniently located in old Tibetan town. These properties are managed by local Tibetan families and provide Tibetan hospitality at the best.All rooms have private bathroom with running hot and cold water but at times, hot water supply may be disrupted due to electric outage. Toiletry supplies are limited and your rooms may not have hair dryers or iron and ironing board. Hotels are staffed with friendly locals but except receptionists and wait staffs, others may speak little or no English. Our hotels have restaurants serving Tibetan, Chinese and Western foods.

Food

Tour cost includes breakfast only. Hotel restaurants cater Chinese, Tibetan, Indian, Nepali and western style breakfasts. Lunch and dinners are not included and so you should allow US$ 10-15 per meal in regular tourist standard restaurants and a few dollars more if you chose the restaurants at your hotel. We can arrange set meals for groups on your request. Restaurants in town cater wide ranges of Chinese, Tibetan, Nepali, and Indian and Western dishes. You may want to bring some extra foods like dry fruits, chocolates, energy bars, vitamin supplements etc.

Transportation

We provide Japanese made good conditioned vehicles for all transfers and sightseeing.
2-3 travelers: 4500 model Landcruisers.
4-5 travelers: Toyota Jinpei Van
6-10 travelers: Japanese Coaster Bus

Guide

You will be accompanied by an experienced and knowledgeable English speaking Tibetan Guide throughout the tour. Besides guiding you on tour, your guide helps you check in hotel and buy admission tickets in the monasteries and deals with check posts and bureaucracies. Guide and driver is not the same person.

Health Issues

There is no mandatory vaccination required to travel to Tibet but you may consider vaccination against rabies and Hep A. Travelers with cardiac-pulmonary issues or any other medical conditions are recommended to consult their physician. The main health consideration in Tibet is altitude related illness or Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). You may experience some mild symptoms initially, such as headache, lethargy, nausea and sleeplessness, but these should lessen within a few days. A supply of bottled oxygen is carried in the vehicle at all times should it be required. Hotels in Lhasa are equipped with oxygen. Doctors will also be available on call.You should start some physical exercises like jogging, swimming, cycling, hiking and aerobics about several weeks ahead of the trip that keeps you fit and lessens the chance of getting altitude sickness. You should have a good sleep the night before you fly in to Lhasa and take complete rest on the first day. Its also advisable to drink 3-4 liters of water daily and consume liquid food.

Clothing/Checklist

During the day a light shirt or jumper and lightweight pants will be suitable, but a warm fleece or sweater is recommended for the evenings and mornings. Night temperatures can fall below freezing point even in summer.

• Warm fleece top
• Thermal underwear (top and bottom)
• Cotton shirts (short and long sleeved)
• Warm and cotton trousers
• Sun polarized sunglasses
• Beanie or warm woolen hat and gloves
• Scarf (to keep out dust as well as cold)
• Sandals (flip-flops)Towel
• Rain and wind proof jacket
• Strong sun cream and lip protector
• Moisturizer
• Water bottle
• Camera (and plenty of film and spare batteries)

Note on Itinerary

Although we will do our very best to adhere to the itinerary schedule as listed; it is subject to change for numerous reasons beyond our control.

Booking and Cancellation

In order to secure your place on the flights and hotels, its advisable to initiate reservation as soon as possible.A deposit of US$200 on land plus the cost of internal airfares is requested along with complete trip application form and passport copies.Balance payment is due 60 days prior to your departure. Depending on the number of applicants, we may set an early payment date. If balance of payment is not received by the requested date, we reserve the right to cancel your booking without prior notice.

Cancellation
• 90 days prior departure: Administrative fee US$ 50 per person.
• 60-89 day's prior departure: US$ 250 or 25% of the land cost whichever is higher.
• 45 days to 59 days prior departure: US$ 450 or 50% of the land cost whichever is higher.
• 30 days to 44 days prior departure: US$ 600 or 75% of the land cost whichever is higher.
• Less than 30 days: 100%

Highland Asia Travel

We are an active adventure travel company, based in Minneapolis, USA with destination management offices in Kathmandu, Thimphu and Lhasa. We are BBB acredited business and an active member of American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA). We have set the standard for adventure travel and have a strong reputation for excellence that we do everything we can to maintain. Our managers and guides have more than 15 years of experience in organizing and leading adventure trips in the highlands of Asia. For us travel is not just a business, but a way of life.

Travel Protection Plan

While we plan and do our best to make your trip smooth and seamless, there may be chances of unforeseen events and conditions such as illness, accident, inclement weather, and flight cancellation or missed connection or loss of baggage etc. that may cause interruption or delay or total cancellation of your trip putting your hard earned travel investment in jeopardy. It’s also possible that you may need medical assistance, emergency evacuation or medical transportation when you get ill or involve in an accident when you are traveling in remote areas. Highland Asia’s Tour cost does not cover any of these expenses or losses and so we strongly recommend you that you should protect yourself and your travel investment against those unfavorable conditions.