Cost Includes
- Accommodation on twin sharing.
- Daily Breakfast.
- All transfers and sightseeing by a private air-conditioned car or coach.
- Sightseeing admission fees.
- English speaking Tour Guide.
- Tibet Travel Permit
Cost Does Not Include
- International and internal airfare.
- Airport Taxes.
- Chinese visa fee.
- Lunch and dinner except as indicated.
- Drinks, tips, and other expenses of personal nature.
- Travel & Health Insurance.
- 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.).
Passport and visa
Your passport should be valid for at least six months more at the time of travel, and there should be enough blank pages for entry and departure seals. You will apply for a Chinese visa at your nearest Embassy. But do not disclose your Tibet intention, or they will direct you to apply for a group visa, which has more disadvantages than advantages. Chinese visa validity is usually 90 days from the date of issue, which means you have to enter China within 90 days from the date of issue. And they will allow 30 days stay from the date of entry. We advise you to apply for a Chinese visa at least one and a half months ahead of the trip. And provide us a clear scanned copy of the passport and visa in the mail or by email at least a month ahead of the trip for smooth Tibet permit processing. We will provide you a copy of permits by fax or e-mail about 7-10 days before your travel date. Or you can collect it from our contact person in Beijing or Chengdu. Your Guide will be holding all other necessary permits required for this trip.
If you are entering Tibet from Nepal, then you don’t have to worry about Chinese visas, and Tibet permits as we will take care of this. We will pre-process a Chinese visa and Tibet permits, and we will do final work once you are in Kathmandu.
International and Internal Airfares
Flights to Lhasa come from Kathmandu (Nepal), Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xian, Chongqing, and other major Chinese cities. We can book airfare into Lhasa for you, and airfare bill that separately.
Accommodations and facilities
There are all kinds of accommodations in Lhasa but limited in Tsedang. We use the best hotels in each category. We offer hotels in three variations. Variation A hotels are 3-star hotels by local standards. We offer 4-star and 5-star hotels in variation B and C, respectively. All hotels provide an en suite bathroom with running hot and cold water. The hospitality industry in Tibet is still underway, and so Tibetan hotels do not meet the western standard.
Food
The trip cost includes breakfast only. The hotels offer Chinese, Tibetan, Indian, Nepali, and western-style breakfasts. There will be no lunch and dinners included in tour cost. You can expect to spend US$ 8-10 per meal in regular tourist standard restaurants. There are wide ranges of Chinese, Tibetan, Nepali, and Indian and Western dishes served in the restaurants. You may want to bring some dry fruits, chocolates, energy bars, vitamin supplements, etc.
Transportation
Based on the group size, we use Buick or Hyundai minivans and minibusses for all transfers and sightseeing. Vehicles are good conditioned, clean, and have heating and cooling options.
Expert Local Guides
You are escorted by a local Tibetan Tour Guide who will be knowledgeable, experienced, and professional. Besides showing you wonder you'd never find on your own, he or she will make sure that everything goes smoothly and safely without a hitch. The guide makes sure that you have all the permits for the trip, and he will deal with local check posts and bureaucracies. By the way, you should know that, unlike in some countries, the driver and guide is a different person.
Trip Activity Level
The trip is mostly motor vehicle-based sightseeing with optional hikes and village visits. When we are driving, we drive about 4-6 hours daily. The itinerary is slow-paced to allow you plenty of time for independent exploring.
Altitude and Health Concerns
There is no mandatory vaccination 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. 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. Doctors will also be available on call.
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 lessen the chance of getting altitude sickness. You should have a good sleep the night before you fly into 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.
Clothing
During the day, a light shirt or jumper and lightweight pants will be suitable, but we recommend a warm fleece or sweater for the evenings and mornings. Night temperatures can fall below freezing point even in summer.
- 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.
- Rain and windproof 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 day's prior departure: US$ 250 or 25% of the land cost whichever is higher.
- Forty-five days to Fifty-nine days prior departure: US$ 450 or 50% of the land cost whichever is higher.
- Thirty days to Forty-four days prior 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 trips do 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.
You can get a quote and purchase the policy online via Travel Insured.
