Travel Kathmandu to Tibet

Replies: 2 - Last Post: 31-Jul-2007 06:44 Last Post By: SoulfulC

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ilta

20-Jul-2007 22:50
Posts: 1

Travel Kathmandu to Tibet

Hi There,

I have just booked a 3 week trip arriving in Kathmandu. I want to go overland into Tibet and fly back from Lhasa. I want to leave as much of the organisation as possible to when I arrive in Kathmandu but realise there will be some things i'll need to do before I get there, ie. visas etc. I know there is a wealth of information on the net about travelling into Tibet, getting permits, whether to take a tour etc etc. But i was hoping someone would be able to give me a concise little summary to give a general idea before I go out and find out more!

I guess the things I would like to know are:
1) Do I need to get a chinese visa before I arrive in Kathmandu (i.e in Australia where I'll be coming from)
2) Do I need to join a 4WD tour to get into Tibet from Kathmandu? and if I do, is this easy enough to arrange in Kathmandu?
3) I would want to fly back from Lhasa to Kathmandu, can this be booked in Kathmandu easily? i.e. how much time in advance do you need to book a flight? Would I be better off booking this flight before I leave Australia?
4) How many days does a 4WD tour take from Kathmandu to Lhasa?
5) How much time is a good amount for a round trip from Kathmandu - Lhasa (fly one-way) with some time in Tibet to explore outside Lhasa also?
6) If I went on a tour to get to Lhasa, do I then have to remain with the tour while in Tibet, or do you generally organise other things once in Lhasa?
7) Is it easy to get the relevant permits for Tibet once I get to Lhasa?
8) What is the approx. cost of a trip from Kathmandu - Lhasa and a return flight?
9) Any recommendations of good tour operators in Kathmandu?

Greatly appreciative of any info. anyone has and also anything else I'm not yet aware of would be great as well!

Thanks a lot!

vistet

21-Jul-2007 02:00
Posts: 2,282

1)No. All standard tourist visas will be scrapped when entering from Nepal ,you can only enter on a group visa.
2. Yes. Show up in Thamel with a shiny backpack and show a moment of hesitation , and you´ll find yourself in a jeep a 4000+ a couple of days later.
3. Return by flight is a a standard package offered, no idea how heavily booked these are in high season.
4) Usually around five days , stops in Nyalam, Lhatse , Tingri, Shigatse on the way.
5) "some time in Tibet to explore" - two days to a lifetime. Stay in Lhasa bare minimum three nights before moving to higher elevation.
6) We didn´t , a visit to the Potala was included and this is good since it´s expensive and other wise you may have to wait in line for a ticket the next day. A good guide can be worth a lot , but in Ktm you will have no idea of who/what kind of a guide you´ll get. I left the group whenever I wanted along the way.
7) Hard one - lot´s of rumors and some change for the worse recently.
8) Dunno - jeeped both ways.
9) Not ours ;-) , not appalling , just mediocre.

With three weeks on your hands you should be able to get the most important thing right before setting out : get some time at higher elevation (no , Ktm doesn´t count) before setting out for Lhasa. The standard tour puts you first night in Nyalam at 3800 meters , higher than Lhasa. This is a problem in itself , but the next night lands you even higher.
Langtang - no first hand experience - is a eight hour bus ride away from Ktm.

high road to ..

SoulfulC

31-Jul-2007 06:44
Posts: 17

Hi There

Sorry to Hi-jack you post Ilta, but you have asked a lot of similar questions to the ones I have about our trip. We are husband and wife traveling late Nov this year. We are looking to travel one way from KTM to Lhasa and are looking for the best way to do it.

We are fit but not trekkers and would like to know best suggestions for tour destinations to look out for when booking as the altitude sickness factor is a concern and would like the best possible chance of arriving in Lhasa suitably prepared.

This question has been answered in a hundred different ways I'm sure, but so I'm clear can anyone tell me what happens visa/travel pass wise once we arrive in Lhasa when we want to continue our travel into China? Our plan is to take the Qingzang Express from Lhasa to Beijing.

Any info, hints, tips and pointers greatly appreciated and welcome

Thanks

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