A Celestial Odyssey: Top Tips for Tibetan Travel

A Celestial Odyssey: Top Tips for Tibetan Travel
Apr 28, 2012 By Harriet Petty , eChinacities.com

Tibet... 'Land of Snows', 'Roof of the World', home to monks and monasteries, rich culture and a long, mysterious history... a dream for explorers past and present. Even if you're not planning a pilgrimage of prostration to circumambulate Mount Kailash or Mansarovar Lake, Tibet holds a kind of spiritual fascination for travellers worldwide. It's by no means a cheap travel option, with a number of expensive hoops to jump through before you even get there. But the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) has some of the most spectacular scenery, most intriguing cultural practises, and a colourful history which begs to be explored.

Lhasa is an absolute necessity for trips to Tibet. Whether as a pit stop for altitude acclimatisation, to get hold of travel permits, or as a base for exploring the surrounding area, chances are you'll spend a few days exploring this 'city of sunshine'. After you've toured the Potala Palace (布达拉宫), stopped by Jokhang Monastery (大昭寺), bustled with locals in nearby Barkhor Street (八廓街), gorged yourself on various yak products, sampled moma and tsampa, and guzzled countless cups of buttered tea (酥油茶), it may be time to move on from Lhasa to other areas in the vast TAR. Wherever you go, you'll meet with stunning scenery, colourful culture and experiences unattainable in other destinations.

Top 3 tours

Mount Kailash and Beyond - If your interests lie in the colourful, rich religious and cultural aspects of Tibet, head to Mount Kailash (岗仁波齐峰) and Lake Mansarovar (玛旁雍措), in the Ngari Region in Western Tibet. In addition to the area’s stupendous natural beauty, Mount Kailash retains considerable religious significance for followers of Buddhism, Hinduism, the Bon tradition, and Jainism. Thousands of pilgrims journey to Kailash every year, performing prostrations and circumambulating the peak for good fortune. Trips usually take a week or more encompassing stunning landscapes and a stopover at Mount Everest Base Camp before reaching the snow-topped peak of Kailash. From there you can easily continue to the ruins of the Guge Kingdom (古格王国) or even as far as Kashgar (喀什), in Xinjiang province.

Lhasa to Yunnan / Sichuan - Known for picture-perfect mountain and forest landscapes, this route allows travellers to see nature at its best: rivers, valleys, glaciers and mountains including Brahmaputra Grand Canyon (雅鲁藏布大峡谷) and the Lulang forest (鲁朗林海) stretch out before you, only broken by small Tibetan villages. Routes vary depending on the tour agency, as does comfort and price, but you'll be rewarded with incredible views, remote areas, and an introduction to the relatively isolated Kham Tibetan culture. It's also worth mentioning that Tibetan culture is very much alive in the Amdo and Kham areas in Qinghai, Western Sichuan and North Yunnan. These regions can be reached by public bus services from towns in Yunnan and Sichuan, without the need for additional travel permits.

Arrival and departure

Plane – Flying into Lhasa is perhaps the most convenient and comfortable option, with the added bonus that problems associated with altitude sickness are dramatically reduced. This option is most suited to those with limited time, and enough funds to warrant flying. Flights run regularly between Lhasa and many of China's cities. Check out China Eastern, Air China, and other smaller Chinese airlines for information.

Train – Great for travellers with more time to enjoy the journey. One train travels the 43-hour route every day from Beijing to Lhasa, steaming past mountains, glaciers, rivers, lakes and vast grasslands. The Qinghai-Tibet section of the railway can be reached from pretty much anywhere on the Chinese rail network, but the most common routes run from Chengdu, Xi’an and Beijing. During peak season (May - September), purchase tickets well in advance from reputable tour agencies to avoid disappointment. It can cost anything from 363 RMB for a hard seat to several thousand RMB from a ticket tout or dodgy tour group. I'd recommend a hard sleeper, which is both comfortable and affordable, starting at around 650 RMB.

Road (4WD) - Five main roads lead to Lhasa: the Yunnan-Tibet Highway, the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, the Sino-Nepal Friendship Highway, the Xinjiang-Tibet Highway and the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. Travel can be hard-going, with bumpy roads and long stretches of isolated rural areas. You will need to organise a 4WD and guide with a registered tour agency along with all necessary permits, and as such, this tends to be an expensive option. Unfortunately, independent travel is not possible anywhere in the Tibet Autonomous Region – you must have a tour guide in tow every day you're there. But that doesn't mean to say you can't shop around for someone who's going to be a help rather than a hindrance! If you're in the mood for adventure, have enough funds saved up and want a taste of more than Lhasa and the major tourist hotspots, hiring a 4WD to enter or leave Tibet is perfect.

Permits and travel restrictions

As most travellers are aware, to travel to Tibet, you must have a Tibet Travel Permit. With the exception of journalists, diplomats and governments officials, a Tibet entry permit is fairly easy to obtain, but you will have to go through a travel agency (and incur related costs) to do so. To travel in Tibet, you need four documents:

1) Chinese Visa

If you're not in China yet, get your Chinese Visa before making plans to travel to Tibet. It has been speculated (potentially just by bored netizens) that mentioning Tibet on your application might slow down or even stop visa procedures. Those of you already in China, you can skip this, assuming you haven't somehow managed to enter the Middle Kingdom sans visa.

2) Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB) Permit (or Tibet Entry Permit)

Tour operators all over China will be able to handle your application for a TTB Permit. While it's technically free, the cost comes from how much the tour operator feels like charging you for their services. Unless you're planning to clamber over rocks and traverse vast empty wilderness to avoid shelling out for a TTB (not recommended), you can't get into the TAR without it and you'll be hard pressed to find a hotel willing to house you once you're in. The China Tibet Tourism Bureau states that a permit usually costs around 200 RMB, but it can cost considerably more (tour agencies quote anything between 400-1500+ RMB, so shop around). This permit is only valid for travel to and within Lhasa. If you plan to travel anywhere outside of the capital, you'll need to get hold of additional permits listed below. It'll take around three working days to process, once you've submitted a scanned copy of your passport photo page (valid for at least six months), Chinese Visa and a tentative itinerary for your time in Tibet.

3) Alien's Travel Permit (PSB) (or Tibet Travel Permit)

A PSB is required if you plan to travel outside of Lhasa while in Tibet and visit so-called 'unopened' areas. It's issued by the Public Security Bureau (PSB), hence it's widely used acronym, and can be arranged once you're in Lhasa with any tour agency. It takes a matter of hours to arrange, and costs as little as 50 RMB. Provided you're in a tour group, with a registered guide, a PSB allows access to areas like Tsedang, Shigatse (including Mt. Everest), Gyangtse, Ngari Region (Mt. Kailash & Lake Mansarovar), Nyingchi Region and Chamdo Region.

4) Military Permit

Only necessary if you plan to travel to military sensitive or border areas in Tibet. (For example, Ngari Region's ruins of the Guge Kingdom, Mt. Kailash, travel overland from Tibet to Kashgar/ Yunnan.) Some companies require you to apply before you enter Tibet, up to a month in advance, while some offer speedy service via the Military Office in Lhasa taking only a couple of days and 100 RMB. Avoid difficulties by deciding on an itinerary in advance, find a tour company that offers the cheapest or most suitable deal and request that permits be included in the deal.

Before you go

Altitude Sickness - Understand the symptoms, have a good night's rest the day before your trip begins and take it easy for the first few days once in Tibet, allow your body time to acclimatise to the high altitude.

Pack suitable clothing - Frequent rainfall in summer, sharp drops in temperature, and the unpredictability of weather conditions in the various regions of Tibet mean that knowing what to pack can be difficult. Make sure you've got something waterproof, plenty of layers and something warm to wrap up in, even in summer. Decent footwear and a heavy down jacket (or similarly toasty attire) are essential for travel outside Lhasa and during colder seasons.

Vaccinations - The Lonely Planet provides a very useful rundown of the vaccinations you might want to think about getting before travelling to Tibet.

Useful links and contacts

www.snowliontours.com – Tibetan-run tourist company providing tours fitted to individual requirements which champions environmentally sustainable travel. The team pride themselves on providing 'off-the-beaten track' tours, exploring authentic Tibetan culture, and as with any travelling, it's always good to support local entrepreneurs.

www.thelandofsnows.com – Blog and invaluable source of information on all things Tibet, written by Losang, an American who has lived and worked in Tibet for the past 10 years.
 

Related links
How to Get a Travel Permit to Tibet
Lhasa City Guide
Top 10 Places for River Rafting in China

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