Confusion about permits...Help greatly appreciated!!!

Dont be sorry because I'm sure this will be of interest to others.

Ganzi, and the Dala Gong Monastery, is outside of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, so you do not require a tour or guide to go there. Here is a little Lonely Planet entry on it -

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/china/travel-tips-and-articles/61915

If you click on the highlighted "western sichuan" in the article, it will open up a map that shows the boundary between western Sichuan, and the TAR.

TAR = Tibet. Any map showing Tibet will show the borders of TAR unless it shows areas occupied by ethnic Tibetans.

I assume you are asking about Tibetan parts of Sichuan, etc. Think of TAR or Tibet as a state with specific borders and Tibetan areas of China as the American south, a more ill defined area. Note that some parts of China with high percentages of Tibetan population are closed to foreigners - some due to the recent earthquake earlier this year and others for different reasons.

Ruth

I assume you mean Bhalhakang or Balagong or sometimes Lagong....it gets confusing out there!!

It is 100% open - TAR and the land of permits is miles away to the west. Just jump a bus to Kangding/Dartsedo from the downtown bus station in Chengdu. Overnight there then grab another bus out to Bhalhakang the next day. There's plenty of places to stay and plenty of restaurants. The grasslands area out there is incredible. Tibetan culture is alive and well out there - its most definitly the wild west as far as Sichuan is concerned. There is heaps to do in the area. Plenty of monastaries to explore. Heading out on a horse trekking trip is also highly recommended. Oh....and its yummy yoghurt season right now too....

:)

Thanks guys, it really is a help.....At the minute I have flow charts all over my bedroom wall with ideas and costs and stuff about the trip but the one thing I wasn't sure on was the whole Tibetan Sichaun thing.....It's strange though because although I was worrying about needing a permit I am considering seeing what groups need others to join them on a trip into Lhasa or somewhere (Where I know I need a permit lol) Just to know that I have been to Tibet and experienced the country to some degree!

But thanks guys....I hope this thread can remian open to help others understand what I failed to lol!

stooby - Tibetan areas of Sichuan are VERY Tibetan. If experiencing Tibetan culture is what you want then you can do that perfectly well in Western Sichuan - in some ways Tibetan culture is actually much stronger out there that it is in central Tibet. (especially if you want to spend time in monasteries, nunneries etc)