Trip Includes
- Five nights in mid-range hotels in Lhasa and Tsedang and six nights camping.
- Breakfast only in the cities and full board during camping.
- All transfers and sightseeing by private van and supporting vehicle for gears and supplies for group size four persons and above.
- All camping gear and kitchen equipment, including camp set up and breakdown services.
- English speaking local guide.
- Local Tibetan cook. There are additional helpers provided for group size of four persons and more.
- Pack animals with an animal driver.
- Tibet entry permit and all other necessary permits for the trip.
- Sightseeing admission fees.
Trip Does Not Include
- International and internal airfare into and out of Lhasa.
- Airport Taxes.
- Chinese visa fee.
- Lunch and dinner during hotel portions of the trip.
- Travel & health insurance.
- Medical Immunizations.
- All extra expenses caused due to nature or unforeseen events. Excess baggage charges.
- Optional tipping to local staff, guides, drivers, etc.
- Items of a personal nature (beverages, laundry, telephone, etc.).
Chinese visa and Tibet permits.
Chinese visa and Tibet Permits are not as complicated as they sound to be. If your travel begins in Nepal, we will pre-process your visa well before time. But final visa work will be done in Kathmandu once you arrive in Kathmandu. We will take care of all the visa process. If your travel begins in Bangkok or Hong Kong or any other mainland Chinese cities, all you have to care about is obtain a Chinese visa on your own. You can do it from the nearest Chinese embassy or consulate in your home country. And provide us a copy of the photo page of passport and Chinese visa a month ahead of your travel. Then, leave the rest of the things to us. Make sure your passport will have validity for more than six months at the time of your trip and that they have enough blank pages for entry and exit seals.
Accommodation in Tibet
Our preferred properties in Lhasa are Tibetan managed mid-range hotels that are in the Barkhor area. We use Gyangyen, Denkang, Yak best wing, Dhodgu, and Kyichu hotels, which has friendly local staff and rooms have Tibetan décor. In Tsedang, we use Tsedang hotel, which is the only best hotel and recently upgraded to a 4-star standard. We will have en suite bathrooms with running hot and cold water. Hot water may be available only certain hours of the day alone and sometime may be disrupted due to an electric outage. For trekking, we provide complete camping gears that include two persons sleeping tents, kitchen tent, dining tent, toilet tent, camping chairs, and tables. There will also be mattresses and kitchen utensils. On request, we can also provide sleeping bags, but usually, we recommend bringing your own.
Meals:
Our tour features breakfast only when you are in the hotels. Breakfast can be western or Chinese or Tibetan style. There are choices of restaurants in the cities serving western, Chinese, Indian, and Nepali dishes. You can expect to spend US$ 8-10 per meal in regular restaurants. Meals in hotels can be expensive. During trekking, there will be a special cook and some helpers (depending on group size). They will prepare three tasty, plentiful and nutritious meals daily with a variety of local and Western dishes. At the start of the day, breakfast consists of a choice of porridge, muesli, and cereal, followed by omelet, fried, or scrambled eggs with chapattis or bread. Lunch is generally a selection of salad, cooked vegetable dishes, pasta, and traditional foods. After a long day on the trail, dinner is a hearty 3-course meal - soup, followed by a variety of vegetables, meat, rice, and pasta dishes and completed with a simple dessert.
There will also be Tea, coffee, and hot chocolate provided at all meals. We use as much fresh produce as possible, and our cooks and kitchen crew maintain exceptional standards of cleanliness and food preparation hygiene. They can always cater to special dietary requirements, if any. Besides, it's advisable to bring on your own some dry fruits, energy bars, chocolates, supplement vitamins, etc. to eat on the way.
Guide and Crews
Right upon arrival at Lhasa airport, we will meet our guide who will accompany you throughout the trip. We pick knowledgeable, friendly, and flexible guides who are also recommended by our former clients. The guide, besides working as an interpreter and giving a valuable insight into the Tibetan way of life, he helps you check in the hotel, co-ordinates with drivers and other crew. And the guide also deals with local bureaucracies as and when required. Your guide carries all necessary documents needed for check posts or hotels during your trip. On trekking trips, we will also have a special cook and additional help depending on group size. During trekking, pack animals transport the gears and supplies, and animal drivers drive these animals. The drivers and animal caretakers may or may not speak English, but you will be impressed by their sense of hospitality and service.
Transportation in Tibet
There might be rehabilitation works going on in Tibetan roads. So, at times, it can become quite rough and impassable for many vehicles, so, for this reason, we use Land cruiser 4WDs (Toyota 4500). These vehicles are incredibly reliable and will make the journey as comfortable as possible. As for the trekking trips, depending on the duration of the trip, we might require to hire additional vehicles, usually, a truck to transport gears and supplies to the trailhead and again bring them back from the finish point. As road condition is not so good, we might come across flat tires or other mechanical issues. The driver will fix it while you are engaged in capturing the scenes or chitchatting.
About our Trekking Trips in Tibet
Our qualified and experienced crew from Tibet caters all our trekking trips, led by an experienced English speaking Tibetan Guide. Depending on group size, we may also hire professional Nepalese Sherpa crews who are well renowned for organizing trekking trips.
A typical trekking day begins with a hot cup of tea or coffee served at your tent early morning. You are provided a bowl of hot water for washing. You will pack up your stuff and appear in the breakfast table by 7 or 7.30 am. We leave the campsite usually from 8 to 8.30 am for days trekking. Porter carries your luggage or pack animal. And all you need to take is a small daypack containing a water bottle, camera, sun cream, hat, rain-jacket, and a warm jumper, just in case. The afternoon's walk is generally shorter, and we arrive at camp in time for a nice cup of tea. The remainder of the afternoon can be spent exploring the nearby villages, doing a bit of washing. Or simply relaxing with a good book or give hands to the kitchen crews to add your taste. You will have dinner is usually between 6 and 7 pm, and after dinner, the evening is often spent playing cards or talking with the crews. If it’s a large group, the crews might take the initiative in singing and dancing before turning into the tent for a well-earned sleep.
Health Issues
There are no mandatory vaccinations required to travel to Tibet. But you may consider vaccination against rabies, and Hep A. Travelers with cardiac-pulmonary issues or any other medical conditions are recommended to consult their physician before you sign up a trip to Tibet. The primary health consideration in Tibet is altitude-related illness or Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). You may experience some mild symptoms initially, such as headache, lethargy, nausea, and sleeplessness, but these should lessen within a few days. We also carry a Portable Altitude Chamber (PAC) on all our Tibet treks. We also carry basic first aid kit, but it’s good to bring your own as well. Doctors will also be available on call.
Based on our experience, less than 1% percent of our clients got altitude sickness, but that was nothing serious. In case of a severe illness or a casualty, which generally does not happen, a land cruiser shall drive you to the nearest Nepal border or flown out of Lhasa. We recommend you bear valid travel insurance covering emergency medical transportation
You should start some physical exercises like jogging, swimming, cycling, hiking, and aerobics about several weeks before the trip. It helps you keep you fit and lessens the chance of getting altitude sickness. You should have a good sleep the night before you fly to Lhasa and take complete rest on the first day. It's also advisable to drink 3-4 liters of water daily and consume liquid food.
Best Time to Trek in Tibet
You can undertake trekking trips from April through late October, May, June, September, and early October are the best periods. High Himalayas blocks the monsoon cloud, and Tibet is generally dry during summer, but there is still some chance of rain during July and August. Trekkers must be prepared for the extremes in climate, even in the middle of the summer. Weather can change very quickly and unexpectedly. Night temperatures at 4500m (14,760 ft.) and above can fall below freezing even in July and August, and it’s very much windy on high passes.
Clothing
During the day, a light shirt or jumper and lightweight pants will be suitable, but we recommend a warm fleece or down jacket for the evenings. Below are the general clothing and equipment list for trekking in Tibet.
- Down jacket or warm fleece top.
- Thermal underwear (top and bottom).
- Cotton shirts (short and long-sleeved).
- Warm and cotton trousers.
- Sun polarized sunglasses.
- Beanie or warm woolen hat and gloves.
- Scarf (to keep out dust as well as cold).
- Sandals (flip-flops).
- Towel.
- Sleeping bag (for camping/trekking).
- Rain jacket.
- Potent sun cream and lip protector.
- Moisturizer.
- Water bottle.
- Camera (and plenty of films and spare batteries).
Note on Itinerary
Although we will do our very best to adhere to the itinerary schedule as listed, it is subject to change for numerous reasons beyond our control.
Booking and Cancellation
When you are sure you are traveling, please don't delay in booking. The internal flights are the key factor in determining whether your trip can be realized or not. We request a deposit of US$300 on land, plus the cost of domestic airfares along with the complete trip application form and passport copies.
Balance Payment
Balance payment is due 90 days before your departure. Depending on the number of applicants, we may set an early payment date.
Cancellation
- Ninety days prior departure: Administrative fee US$ 150 per person.
- Sixty-Eighty-nine days before departure: US$ 250 or 25% of the land cost whichever is higher.
- Forty-five days to Fifty-nine days before departure: US$ 450 or 50% of the land cost whichever is higher.
- Thirty days to Forty-four days before departure: US$ 600 or 75% of the land cost whichever is higher.
- Less than Thirty days: 100%.
Travel Protection Plan
We plan and do our best to make your trip smooth and seamless. But there still may be chances of unforeseen events and conditions such as illness, accident, inclement weather, and flight cancellation or missed connection or loss of baggage, etc. It may cause interruption or delay or total cancellation of your trip, putting your hard-earned travel investment in jeopardy. It’s also possible that you may need medical assistance, emergency evacuation, or medical transportation when you are traveling in remote areas. Our trip does not cover any of these expenses or losses. So we strongly recommend you that you should protect yourself and your travel investment against those unfavorable conditions.
