US Dollar
Euro
GB Pound
CA Dollar
AU Dollar
Swtz Francs
HK Dollars
Tibet Travel Tips
- Updated:
- Sep 26, 2009;
- by:
- China Highlights;
- Reviews:
- 0
- Clicks:
- 98;
Tibet was reopened to foreigners on June 25th, 2008. Many foreign tourists are now planning to revive their plans to travel to Tibet. Here are some of the tips.
- The only way to enter Tibet is to travel in a group. No individual travelers are allowed to travel to Tibet at the moment. China Highlights provides two group tours to Tibet from which you can choose to join in.
- A Tibet Permit is required for any foreigners to enter Tibet. China Highlights will arrange the Tibet permit for our customers who book their Tibet tours with us. Do bring the permit with you when in Tibet. The government will ask you to show your permit at any moment, especially at Airports, Trains Stations, Bus Stations, Tourist Sights. All tours must be booked in advance by a Chinese travel agency. Your whole tour within Tibet must be accompanied by a licensed tour guide.
- All hotels must be booked in advance. Not all hotels in Lhasa have the right permits to allow foreign travelers. All hotel reservations must be made at hotels that officially allow foreigners.
- Book the tour at least 15 days in advance. It normally takes 2-3 days to confirm the hotel bookings and about 10 days for the Tibet Tourism Bureau to issue you the Tibet permit. It would be wise to leave enough time to prepare for the trip in advance.
- All the members in a group are required to provide the following information to their travel agency before applying for the Tibet permit: a), a copy of China Visa; b), a copy of your passport(must be clear and high resolution); c), full names; d),your birthday, ; e),your current profession; f),your nationality ; g), your gender. All the information must be true. Your travel agency will need to submit your information to Tibet Tourism Bureau who will strictly review before issuing the permits.
- Some of the attractions in Tibet are still closed to foreign tourists. They are Drepung Monastery in Lhasa, Ganden Monastery in Lhasa, Samye Monastery in Shannan. Tibetan Family visits are also closed to foreign tourists. Mt. Everest was opened for tourism from July 15th.
- The toilets at the attractions in Lanzhou and Tibet and along the way are very dirty. They charge 0.5 yuan to 2 yuan per person.
- At some Tibetan attractions, tourists will be asked to pay 5 yuan per person after they take photos of some steles.
- Speed limits of 40 km/h, 60 km/h or 80 km/h are in place on the way from Lhasa to some attractions or cities around, such as Yamdrok Lake, Gyangze, Namtso and Nyingchi after a serious traffic accident happened in 2007. There will be policemen monitoring speed on the way. Therefore the journey will be slower than in other places.
- Taking photos of Buddha statues are not allowed in the majority of Tibetan monasteries. In some monasteries (such as Tashilhunpo Monastery), tourists can take pictures of the Buddha statues after paying some money.
Besides, you still need to be aware that to avoid any political issues and to respect Tibetan custom when you are traveling in Tibet, some of them are:
- Do not talk about sensitive topics like politics when in Tibet.
- Do not try to talk with some lamas about their lives and religions.
- Walk clockwise around the Barkhor Street, especially during the rush hour of pilgrimage from 9 am to 6 pm.
- Ask permission first before taking pictures of other people in the Barkhor areas. Sometimes they will ask you for money but most of time it is ok to give them a little gift.
