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Tibet Travel and Destination Guide
PRE-DEPARTURE INFO
Two earthquakes near Tibet's capital, Lhasa, killed at least 30 people according to news sources. The quakes struck on October 6, 15 minutes apart, just west of the capital causing damage to houses and buildings.
Travellers should avoid any large demonstrations in Tibet, particularly in Lhasa where the Chinese military has increased its presence. Travel restrictions were recently lifted by the Chinese government and tourists are once again allowed to enter - with the appropriate permission from authorities. The three-month closure followed a series of public gatherings and pro-Tibet demonstrations which descended into violence in March. Fatalities were reported, although the exact number was never verified. For information from travellers in the region, check out the Thorn Tree forum.
When to Go
Although the Tibetan climate is not as harsh as many people imagine, be prepared for sudden drops in temperature at night, particularly in western Tibet. The most pleasant time of year is between May and early November, after which temperatures start to plummet. However, in May and June there is a wind factor to consider and dust storms are not unusual. During July and August you may find roads temporarily washed out along the Friendship Highway to Nepal. These two months usually see around half of Tibet's annual rainfall.
October is the best time to make a trip out to the east. Lhasa and its environs don't get really cold until the end of November. Although winter is very cold, many restaurants are shut and snowfalls can sometimes make travel difficult, some travellers swear by these months. There are few travellers about and Lhasa, for example, is crowded with nomads and at its most colourful.
March is a politically sensitive month (the anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan uprising and flight of the Dalai Lama) and there is occasional tightening of restrictions on travellers heading into Tibet at this time. It's worth trying to make your trip coincide with one of Tibet's main festivals. Losar (New Year) is an excellent (although cold) time to be in Lhasa. Saga Dawa (April or May) is also a good time to be in Lhasa or Mt Kailash.
Visas Overview
There are three levels of bureaucracy you need to jump through to travel in Tibet: a visa to get into China, a Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB) permit to get into Tibet and an Alien Travel Permit to travel to certain regions of Tibet. The current regulations (which could change tomorrow) state that all foreigners wanting to visit Tibet must be part of a group (though a 'group' can be only one person!). Then you can obtain the TTB permit required to buy an air ticket into Tibet. During the high season (July to September) you may also need a return ticket to either Kathmandu, Chéngdū or Golmud, and perhaps a couple of nights' accommodation.
The reality is that most travellers buy a package through a budget travel agency. The cheapest way into Tibet is an air package to Lhasa from Chéngdū, which includes the flight, the semi-mythical TTB permit (which you'll never see) and, usually, transfer to Chéngdū airport. On arrival in Lhasa these temporary 'groups' disband. It is now also possible to fly to Lhasa from Zhōngdiàn in Yúnnán by first arranging the ticket and permits through a travel agency in Kūnmíng.
From Kathmandu, you will have to sign up for a tour to Tibet to get the TTB permit that will allow you to cross the border at Zhāngmù. Moreover, it's currently impossible to enter Tibet from Nepal on an independent visa, even if you have one in your passport. Travellers will have their Chinese visa cancelled and be put on a group visa, which comes as a separate piece of paper rather than a stamp in your passport. It is possible to get your own personal group visa (!), which is well worth asking for as you are then free to travel independently after the tour ends for the duration of your group visa, without the hassle of having to split from a group visa. It is possible to extend a group visa, and some have tried changing a group visa to an individual visa. However, you cannot do this in Tibet. For this you need to go to Chéngdū or Xīníng (possibly Kūnmi'ng), and even that might not work. Ah, the Chinese Catch-22!
Once in Tibet, entry to anywhere outside of Lhasa prefecture and the cities of Shigatse and Tsetang (ie to places such as Everest Base Camp, Samye, Sakya and Mt Kailash) requires you to procure a travel permit. To get a permit you again have to be a member of a tour group arranged through an authorised travel agency. At the time of research Shigatse's Public Security Bureau (PSB) was sometimes issuing travel permits to individual travellers for independent travel along the Friendship Highway to Nepal, but generally only if travellers fibbed a bit.
Electricity
220V 50Hz
Electric Plug Details
European plug with two circular metal pins
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