Chinese visa and permits

Remaining validity of your passport must be at least 6 months at the time of your travel and make sure you have enough blank pages for visa sticker, entry and departure seals.

Traveling via mainland China

Apply Chinese visa in your country and provide us a copy of the visa and photo page of the passport at least 45 days prior your trip date. For some good reason, DO NOT disclose your Tibet intention otherwise visa procedure becomes tedious. We will obtain your Tibet entry permit at Lhasa and will ship it to your address (e.g. hotel) at the gateway city in China.Tibetan tourism does not allow shipping permits to the foreign address.You will need to present the original permit to get on the flight to Lhasa.Besides Entry Permit, there will be a few other permits that your Guide will be holding for you.

Travelign via Kathmandu, Nepal

If you are traveling to Tibet via Kathmandu, Nepal, you don’t need to do anything at your end.In this case, the Tibet Tourism regulation requires that we apply your Chinese visa in Kathmandu. We will obtain Visa Invitation Letter for you from Tibean Tourism Bureau at Lhasa and submit this document with your passport and completed visa application forms at Chinese embassy in Kathmandu. Chinese embassy accepts visa application only on Monday, Wednesday and Friday only. Regular processing takes 3 business days but we can obtain the visa and passport back the same day evening by paying urgent processing fee. While this sounds complicated,we will take care of all these process, leaving you free for sightseeing.Please,bring one passport size photo.

Accommodation

In Lhasa, our preferred properties are Kyichu, Gyangyen, Denkang, Yak best wing, Gorkha, and Thangka hotels which are mid range hotels, managed by local Tibetan families and provide true Tibetan hospitality.We use the best available accommodations in Gyantse and Shigatse which are 2-3 star properties by local standard.All rooms have private bathroom with running hot and cold water but at times, hot water supply may be disrupted due to electric outage.While you will have basic amenities such as toileteries, air conditioning,heating, phone, tv etc, you may still miss 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$ 8-9 per meal in regular tourist standard restaurants and few dollars more if you eat in your hotels. 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 you with 4500 model Toyota Land cruiser or Japanese made micro or minibuses for all tours and transportation (depending on your group size).Now, the road conditions are much better with asphalt top.Drivers do speak little or no English but they are experienced and know the Tibetan roads.

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.

Its strongly recommended that you start some physical exercises like jogging, swimming, cycling, hiking and aerobics about several weeks ahead of the trip that helps you keep fit and lessen 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

When you are sure you are traveling, please don't delay in booking. The internal flights are the key factor in determining whether your trip can be realized or not. 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

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.
Cancellations
• 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.