Short 2 weeks in China- Hoping to visit Tibet

Hello all,

FINALLY managed to get some time off work. BUT only 2 weeks. Hoping to fly into HK and head into GZ to start my trip. Will be heading there late OCT to early NOV. He is the prelim plans.

1) Fly into Lhasa. Spend a week around the Lhasa area- from the post and LP book- the Tibet permit is needed but nothing extra because i won't be leaving the main areas. Visa is easy to attain when booking a flight to Lhasa from GZ.

2) Train to Chengdu- after a week in Lhasa, take the 48 hr train (heard it is quite amazing and shouldn't be missed) to Chengdu to EAT!!.

3) Fly back to GZ for 3-4 days and then out of HK to fly back to Vancouver.

Question A- Any one buy plane tickets from GZ, wanted confirmation that it is easy to buy last minute and also confirm that main permit to Tibet is easy to get.

Question B- Train to Chengdu- is it worth it, given my short vacation.

Question C- any suggestions to change the plan if there is a MUST SEE that i am missing is also appreciated.

cheers! chung

The LP book is out of date with current restrictions. And even though you can go round most of Lhasa on your own, there are places like the Potala where you wont be able to go without a guide.

It is impossible to obtain the Tibet Travel Bureau permit without arranging a trip. You will need a guide and driver just to get to/from the airport or train station. You won't get the permit without arranging for these services and you can't even take some public transport or enter some monasteries without the guide.

You need to contact companies now about arrangning your Tibet travel. You need to allow some time for the porcessing of the permit.

You won't save any money trying to arrange just to stay in Lhasa since you won't have anyone with whom to share the costs of the obligatory guide and driver.

Rethink your plans.

Ruth

Fly to Xining and catch a train there if you have limited time. It is less 24 hours train ride from Xining to Tibet instead of 48 hours from Chengdu.

Lhasa itself is enough for a one-week long visit, plus Namtso, which is only a few hours drive from Lhasa. EBC is too far away for a short visit.

BTW, Chengdu's first metro line will be opened on September 27, 2010.

here Yaohua2000 gave a good suggestion.
Fly to Xining, take train here to lhasa, then one week in lhasa including Namtso lake.
Take train is better to acclimatize the high altitude.
For the permit, u need to ask a company to help u arrange it. Ur info is out of date.
No permit only after 2008 year.
For the train timetable, u can check here

Train might be better but OP only has 2 weeks so the possibility of having to maybe wait for train tickets isnt really feasible.

Follow my trip report, no need to "wait" for train tickets at all: http://www.yaohua2000.org/2010/20100911/0.html