Tibet
The information below is provided by Lonely Planet readers and is not verified by Lonely Planet. For the official lowdown, contact your nearest embassy or check out our Travel Links.
Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings
Visas for Tibet from Kathmandu: The Chinese goverment has recently changed (once again) its visa policy regarding Tibet. The new requirement is a minimum "Tour group" of two people. Now the trick is that you can't just separate once you enter Tibet, you have to enter and exit together. There is only one permit for both, so you just can't separate. However, there is way of deceiving the Chinese authorities. In Kathmandu you could sign in a travel agency two names, your name and a Nepali friend from the agency. You pay your Nepali friend's fee for the Tibet permit. However, no Nepali is going in that trip. Once you get to the Chinese border you claim that your Nepali friend was unwell and unable to come. You pay $32 penalty but you are left with the whole permit to yourself, and the chance to travel independently in the non-restricted areas of Tibet.
Hernan Corizzo, UK (Mar 05)
From Chengdu, I went to Litang province first. I'm not sure if you're aware but there are no permits required to enter Litang from Chengdu. If foreigners are put off by the permits then I think Litang is a great place to visit given that the highways are conveniently built while there is a tremendous sense of Tibetan culture just as in other places like Lhasa. The travel agent I used can arrange for people of Asian descent to sneak into Lhasa without a permit for an extra Y400, from what I've heard.
Tenzing Gyatotsang, USA (Jan 05)
Travel Tips
In order to get tickets to the Potala you have to come a day before, with your passport, to the ticket office. There, you will recieve a note that tells you when to come to buy the ticket in the next day (one person can register few people, as long as he has their passports). The ticket office for registering the visit opens at 17:00, expect to wait one or two hours at the queue. The next day, you can come at the hour you recieved and buy the ticket (we came one hour sooner, and it was OK).
Tali & Omer Gottlieb, Israel (Aug 05)
Finding budget accomodation in Lhasa has become a real problem during the summer peak season, since very high numbers of Chinese students are then visiting Tibet; some places are consistently fully booked as of the early afternoon, so that you have to try your luck at around 8 or 9am, when other people are checking out.
Filip Vandamme, Belgium (Aug 05)
Springs at Manasarovar lake are not hot at all! None of us four people who went for bathing has managed to get into a bath, as water was could have been just 20C warm, and air was too cold. Apart from that, visitors are charged an outrageous Y20 for the bathing - we had argued with local bathkeepers that this price was unfair, and paid only Y5 each; but it could have been wiser not to go at all!
Unlike that, Tirthapuri springs are very hot. Banks are covered with white clay, and it is hardly convenient to wash yourself there.
Pavel Luksha, Russia (May 05)
Moving About
Regarding traveling overland between Tibet and Nepal, it is a lot cheaper to travel from Tibet to Nepal than the other way round, especially in the winter. It is very easy (and inexpensive) to find travellers to share a rented jeep in Lhasa or Shigatse to travel to Kathmandu. However, the Kathmandu-Lhasa flight as well as the Kathmandu-Lhasa bus (USD85) are suspended in the winter from early November until the following spring, leaving one with only one option to travel into Tibet from Nepal: join an 8-day/7-night organized tour from Nepal. It is impossible to get a Tibetan Entrance Permit by oneself at the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu at the moment. I was told (by the Chinese embassy) that the only way was via a travel agent and I found no travel agent willing to get me just the permit without joining their tour (I was told this is a regulation set by the Tibetan Tourism Board!?).
YS Cheng, France (Nov 05)
Yecheng / Western Tibet:
The Tibetan-Antelope bus station/office is opposite the truck stop on the Yecheng-Ali-Road. Bus no. 2 goes there. The only place to stay for foreigners is the Chinese hotel right at the big Yecheng bus station. I did the journey to Ali in August 2005 and the price was 800 Yuan to Ali by Tibetan-Antelope-sleeper-bus. That included bribes for the officials on the way. Truck drivers asked for around 300 but were actually reluctant to take foreigners. The situation is indeed subbject to constant change. Just before I came to Yecheng, some travellers were interviewed by the PSB several times per day and at the end they were sent back to Kashgar. So the best thing is to say again and again to be on the way to Hotan, the next market town and keep a low profile.
Robert Schönfeld, Germany (Oct 05)
The drive from Xigatse to Xegar: No-one's fault this other than the Chinese government who are in the process of building a brand new Friendship Highway between these two places and in the process have completely destroyed the old one and 'forgotten' to tell anybody. Nothing roadlike there at all! Just miles and miles of ruts, and mud, and bulldozers. We've done some long, hard drives in India but this was unlike anything we'd experienced before. We heard stories of tourists, who had hired jeeps without local drivers, who had actually got lost and completely stranded for whole days at a time. And a Nepali Exodus tour leader told us that with his last group they had actually taken 18 hours to do the usual 10 hour trip.
What you do need to know that itā??s no longer possible to take a private vehicle i.e. Landcruiser, to Rongphu and onwards to Base Camp. All private vehicles now have to be left at Pasum, where you get in an 'Environmental Car' to take you the 40 kilomentres, one hour drive, to Rongphu. The 'Environmental Car' is in fact an overgrown minibus, ex-Chinese Telecom, which runs on petrol, but this rule does cut down on the number of Landcruisers whizzing back and forth to Rongphu and EBC which has to be a plus. Once at Rongphu the only way now to get to EBC is either by foot or by the horse drawn carts which have been introduced this year. Although fit enough to walk, we thought that slogging there and back along the road, which we were told was the only way of walking into EBC, was completely thankless so we opted for the horse. It gave the owner - a nomad - some money (it was the equivalent of six quid to take three of us there and back) and the hour's journey, just trotting alone soaking up the views, was really very pleasant. An hour's wait at EBC is included in the price which we found plenty long enough. The 'environmental cars' appear to run every half hour - the first one out of Rongphu in the morning is at 8.30 am.
Susan Gandar, UK (Oct 05)
The Ganden-Samye trek: There is no problem to get a yak at Ganden. As soon as you get off the bus in Ganden, there are people that
will check if you need a yak for the trek. The yak can reach only Nyango (The local people don't let the yaks pass). From there
you should take a tractor, or carry your own stuff.
Getting to Nam-tso: As soon as you get down in Damxung from the public bus, many local drivers will approach and ask to take you to the
lake (It should cost around 50Y per person). It will be wise to bring your own food, since all four resturants in Nam-tso are overpriced and not really good.
Currently, the frienedship Highway is under heavy construction. The way from Shigatse to Tingri is very bumpy and bad. It takes a local-bus/truck about 8 hours
from Shigatse to Lhatse, and the same from Lhatse to Shegar. Land Cruisers are doing the same way in half time (we did both ways three times, both in local
buses and in Land Cruisers).
Tali & Omer Gottlieb, Israel (Aug 05)
Mount Everest: Just back from a fantastic trip to Tibet, which included Everest Base Camp. The journey from Tingri and Shegar is no longer as outlined in the Tibet guide and on the web. Now, for the last approximately 27 kms, the 4x4 vehicles cannot be employed. Instead, 20kms is by 12-seater minibus, and the last 7kms by horse-drawn cart. (Total 2 hours) Not sure how payment is organised, but the entire operation is intended to cut down on pollution - and no doubt increase local revenue. Nevertheless, quite incredible, but the road Shigatse - Tingri - Shigatse was quite treacherous during the monsoon period.
Sandra Noel, UK (Aug 05)
I managed with some difficulty to get from Lhasa to Everest and back on my own, by a mixture of bus, hitching and walking. It was difficult mainly because at the moment they're not letting foreigners board buses heading south from Shigatse. I would say though, I know its a risk, but don't bother buying an individual travel permit from the FIT in Shigatse. They are issuing 7 day permits at the moment, but you'll waste a day getting it, plus between about 50-200 yuan depending on their mood, and then youll find that no-one accepts individual permits. Showing them to bus drivers gets you a blank look, and even when trying to hitch a ride with a land cruiser group the driver will generally find some reason why your permit isn't good enough for him, so you might as well save the money - I wish I hadn't bothered with the permit. Still, things change pretty quickly there, but at the moment thats my opinion..
Madeline Lasko, UK (Jul 05)
There is now a direct bus from Lhasa to Samye, that crosses Yarlung Tsangpo by the bridge near Tsetang (no more ferry crossing, it seemsā?¦) Return morning buses depart around 7am, and they are usually full - it makes sense to buy your ticket in advance, as soon as you arrive to Samye. The return midday bus also took us to Tsetang monastery and to Yumbulagang; so it seems there are opportunities to get to Yumbulagang other than walking from Trandruk.
Also, since the morning bus from Lhasa arrives to Samye around 11.30am, and midday bus leaves Samye at 2pm, it is possible to accomplish the whole trip in one day. But this would be exhausting!
Pavel Luksha, Russia (May 05)
Scams & Warnings
People in Kathmandu should be very aware of the risks of AMS before travelling to Tibet. You can become very sick and the first days is it not possible to arrange other transport like a jeep. Travel agencies just want you to book a tour and don't inform people well. I think it is safer to fly in to Lhasa from Kathmandu instead of going overland. Overland is cheaper, but I hardly enjoyed it because I never felt so terrible in my life. Doing some high trekking in Nepal is probably good to do before you go to Tibet.
Annemarie Dijk, Netherlands (Jul 02)
Gems, Highlights & Attractions
It is possible to do a great hike from Drepung Monastery that climbs to the summit of Gambo Utse (5200m). You can walk from Drepung up to the Ritu Hermitage (2 hours) and from there to the ridge of Gambo Utse (1 hr) and from there to the summit (1 hr).
The summit has views of Lhasa, the surrounding mountains, and the Himalayan chain in the south-west. The views are stunning and the mountain - the site of a huge annual pilgrimmage every year in mid-June which used to feature the Dalai Lama riding up it on a white yak - is covered in thousands of Buddhist prayer cairns. The sunrise and sunset views are extraordinary.
You can do this as a day trip from Drepung Monastery. Much better is to do it as an overnighter and see the sunrise from either the ridge or summit of Gambo Utse. Spend the morning and early afternoon seeing Drepung, then walk up to Ritu in the afternoon.
From the left (west) side of Drepung Monastery, take the kora path up. The kora path eventually makes a sharp right near the top of the monastery. At this point, another wide path continues straight up along the right bank of the stream. The wide moderate path continues up and eventually passes to the left of a large boulder. Just above this boulder there is a huge obvious outcrop of rock. The trail makes a sharp right here and then winds way off right across the mountain. Ritu Hermitage is reached in 1.5-2 hours. The Ritu monks can provide beds, some blankets and hot water (but not food - bring some noodles or other munchies). You can spend the night here and donate Y20 or so. The monks can show you where the path to Gambo Utse goes - it is about 50m past Ritu before the large yak herders; compound. Ritu has a small but beautiful gompa and the monks are friendly.
The path contiunes up from Ritu to the ridge and thence to the summit. Being there at sunrise is well worth the early wake-up.
Chris Stolz, Canada (Jun 05)
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