Trip Includes
- Accommodation on double occupancy basis
- Daily Breakfast at your hotel.
- All transfers and sightseeing by a private van or bus
- Sightseeing admission fees
- English speaking local Tibet guide
- Tibet Travel Permit
Trip Does Not Include
- Airfare
- Airport Taxes
- Chinese visa fee
- Lunch and dinner except as indicated
- Drinks, tip and other expenses of personal nature
- Travel & Health Insurance
- All extra costs caused due to nature or unforeseen events.
- Excess baggage charges
- Optional tipping to local staffs, hotels, etc.
Chinese visa and permits
Remaining validity of your passport must be a minimum of six months after your trip. Make sure you have enough blank visa pages for visa sticker, entry and departure seals.
You need to apply for a Chinese visa on your own and provide us a copy of the photo page of your passport and Chinese visa minimum 45 days before your trip date. Please, note that the Chinese embassy does not accept visa application by mail. You need to apply in person or entrust someone. For some good reason, DO NOT disclose your Tibet intention; otherwise, the visa procedure becomes tedious. We will obtain your Tibet entry permit in Lhasa and will ship it to your hotel in Chengdu (or Beijing) that you can collect when you check in hotel. You need to present this document to check in flight to Lhasa.
Where does the trip start and finish?
The trip starts and finishes in Lhasa. However, you are not able to buy a through airfare from the North Americas to Lhasa. You need first to book a ticket to Chengdu or Beijing where you need to spend at least a night and pick up your Tibet entry permit. You need a separate airfare to Lhasa that we can help you to book. Please, book Air China CA 4112 if you are doing it on your own.
The trip does not include the hotel and transfer services in the gateway city (such as Chengdu or Beijing). If you are in the town for only one night, then it's advisable to book an airport hotel that provides a free shuttle.
After the trip, you can exit to Chengdu or Beijing and connect with your international flight back home.
Accommodations and facilities
This trip includes seven nights hotel accommodation on a double occupancy basis unless you have paid for a private single room. We try to pair you with another agent, but if we failed, you are obliged to pay for a private room which costs an additional fee of $450.
The hotels on this itinerary are four-star hotels ( Lhasa, Shigatse and Tsedang, total six nights) and a three-star hotel ( Gyantse, one night). The ratings are as per local standard and are not comparable with western standard. They ensure most of the modern amenities such as en suite bathroom with running hot and cold water. However, the service level does not meet the western standard. Hotel staffs are local and friendly, but except the front desk and wait-staff, others may speak very little or no English.
Meals
Tour includes breakfast only. Hotel restaurants usually provide Chinese and Tibetan style breakfast. However, the hotels in Lhasa may have Indian or western style options as well. The trip does not include lunch and dinners, and so please, budget US$ 10 or 12 for a meal in a regular tourist standard restaurants and a few dollars more if you eat at your hotels.
Transportation
Tibetan roads are now much improved, and so 4WD vehicles are no longer required for most of the trips in central Tibet. We provide air-conditioned van or bus for all transfers and tours. Drivers speak little or no English.
Guide
You will be accompanied by an experienced and knowledgeable English speaking local Tibetan Guide throughout the tour. Besides, leading you on sightseeing excursions, your guide helps you check in hotel and buy admission tickets in the monasteries and deals with check posts and bureaucracies. Guide and driver are different persons.
Health Issues
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 go away within a few days. If the symptoms persist or worsen, please, seek medical help immediately.
Its strongly recommended that you start some physical exercises like jogging, swimming, cycling, hiking, and aerobics about several weeks ahead of the trip that helps you keep 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.
Travel Agent Eligibility
You must be an active travel agent selling land and sea tours. You must be an IATA or CLIA or ASTA or NACTA or TRUE code holder. We reserve the right to refuse your application. A travel agent is allowed to bring one non-travel agent companion.
Booking and Cancellation
We request an initial trip deposit of US$300 along with a completed registration form and passport scan. Balance payment is due 90 days prior departure. Payment by credit card attracts an additional 3.5% fee.
Cancellations
- Ninety days prior departure: Administrative fee US$ 150 per person.
- 60-89 day's before departure: US$ 250 or 25% of the land cost whichever is higher.
- Forty-five days to 59 days before departure: US$ 450 or 50% of the land cost whichever is higher.
- Thirty days to 44 days before departure: US$ 600 or 75% of the land cost whichever is higher.
- Less than 30 days: 100%
Travel Protection Plan
While we plan and do our best to make your trip smooth and seamless, there 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. that 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 get ill or involve in an accident when you are traveling in remote areas. Far & High’s Tour cost does not cover any of these expenses or losses, and so we strongly recommend you that you should protect yourself and your travel investment against those unfavorable conditions.