Passport and visa

Your passport should be valid for at least 6 months at the time of travel and there should be enough blank pages for entry and departure seals. You will apply Chinese visa at your nearest Embassy but do not disclose your Tibet intention, or they will direct you to apply for a group visa which has more disadvantages than advantages.We advise you to apply Chinese visa at least two months prior to travel date and provide us a copy of the visa as well as photo page of the passport minimum 45 days prior to your trip date. We will mail you the original copy of the permit to your hotel or contact address in the gateway city. You are required to produce the original copy of the permit to board on the flight to Lhasa.

If you are entering Tibet from Nepal, then you don’t have to worry about Chinese visa and Tibet permits as we will take care of this. Chinese visa and Tibet permits will be pre-processed by us and final visa work is done once you are in Kathmandu.

International and Internal Airfares.

You will book your international airfare to the gateway cities (e.g Beijing or Shanghai or Chengdu or Kathmandu) and we will take care of the internal airfares into and out of Lhasa.

Accommodations and facilities

There are not many choices of hotels in Tibet and we use the best one, where choices are available. We will pick the best available hotel in Tsedang which is a 4 star standard hotel. In Lhasa, our preferred properties are mid range hotels with Tibetan management and staffed with friendly locals. In Bayi and Nang County also, we will pick the best available accommodation which are of 3 star standard. Although hotels promise 24 hours running hot and cold water, hot water supplies may be disrupted due to electric outage. Please, do compare Tibetan hotels with western hotels. Toiletries and supplies may be limited. They may not have hair dryer or iron and ironing board in the room.

Food

The trip cost includes breakfast only. The hotels cater Chinese, Tibetan, Indian, Nepali and western style breakfasts. Lunch and dinners are not included in tour cost. You can expect to spend US$ 7-10 per meal in regular tourist standard restaurants. There are wide ranges of Chinese, Tibetan, Nepali, and Indian and Western dishes served in the restaurants. You may want to bring some dry fruits, chocolates, energy bars, vitamin supplements etc.

Transportation

We provide 4500 model Toyota Land cruiser or good conditioned van driven by an experienced Tibetan driver for for entire transfers and tours. Guide and driver is not the same person unlike in many countries. Driver may speak little or no English but he knows the Tibetan roadways and make sure that your trip is smooth, safe and sound.

Expert Local Guide

You are escorted by a local Tibetan Tour Guide who will be knowledgeable, experienced and professional. Besides showing you wonder you'd never find on your own, he or she will make sure that everything goes smoothly and safely without a hitch. Guide makes sure that you have all the permits for the trip and he will deal with local check posts and bureaucracies By the way, you should know that, unlike in some countries, driver and guide is different person.

Trip Activity Level

The trip is mostly motor vehicle based sightseeing with optional hikes and village visits. When we are driving, we drive about 4-6 hours daily. Normally, we start tour after breakfast around 8:30 am to 9 am. We will have lunch break between 1-2 pm and be back to the comfort of the hotel in the late afternoon. The itinerary is slow paced to allow you plenty of time for independent exploring.

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

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 about your travel plans, it’s wise to put your reservation in line. The internal flights may affect the itineraries if we don’t reserve it in time. A deposit of US$200 on land plus the cost of internal airfares is requested along with booking application 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.

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 accredited business and an active member of American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) and Nepal Association of Travel andTours Agents (NATTA). 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 do our best to make your trip smooth and seemless, 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.