In this post, we will discuss how to get to Tibet for the international tourist. Yes, Tibet is open for all international travellers and can easily visit.
There are two gateways to Tibet. You can travel from other areas of China or from Nepal.
The Travel Permit procedure and the Chinese Visa requirement are different in the above mention travel routes.
Information here are base on our operational wisdom of working in tourism for over two decades. If there are any changes, we will update this post as soon as possible.
We hope the information’s here are helpful for those planning to visit Tibet. You can contact us for Free travel consultation and tours services. Please read our complete Travel Guide to help you better plan your visit to the roof of the world.
Tibet Travel Regulations
There are a few essential travel regulations you will need to know before visiting Tibet.
All the tours in Tibet should be a guided tour and arranged with a local travel agency. Your local travel agency has to arrange a Tour guide, Private vehicle and Tibet travel permit for you.
No international travellers can visit Tibet without these arrangements.
Group Tours Vs Organise tour to Tibet
We know there are many travel website stating you will need to join a group tour to visit Tibet. It is wrong information. You are only required to arrange a tour with a local travel agent.
Deciding on joining a group tour or doing the tour in private is your choice. In the group tour, you are sharing the guide and the touring car with other members. In this way, it is cheaper as you share the price of a guide and car with others. The tour plan in a group tour is fixed and can’t be changed.
You will have your private car and private tour guide on a private tour, which will be more costly. Yet, it can be very flexible.
Getting to Tibet from other parts of China
The more accessible and convenient way to get to Tibet is to travel from other parts of China. Travelling on this route would be more economical, has a broader option and arranging Visa is easy.
Chines Visa
All those coming to Tibet on this route can get their regular Chinese Visa from the embassy in their home country. If you have any pre-existing Chinese Visa, You can use those to come to Tibet.
Suppose you are applying for a new Visa. It is better to get a Chinese Visa without mention their plan to visit Tibet. You might have to submit your hotel booking and flight booking detail with your Visa application.
You will be asked to get a Visa invitation from Tibet tourism Bureau if you mention Tibet as your travel destinations in China. This Visa invitation has its drawbacks.
Chinese Group Visa
Suppose you are asked to get the Visa Invitation from Tibet. All the travel agency in Tibet can help to get such a visa invitation. But this visa invitation comes with its limitations as follow.
We need to have a minimum of four people to list on the Visa Invitation. The Visa you will get with such an invitation is called Group Visa. It is on a sheet of paper, not on your passport.
All people mention on the group Visa are only allowed to enter and leave China together. This type of Visa cannot be extended. Therefore it is always better to get a Regular Chinese Visa on your passport.
Tibet Travel Permit
Tibet travel permit is mandatory for all international traveller to Visit Tibet. Without it, no one can enter into Tibet Autonomous Region.
It is issued in Lhasa by Tibet Tourism Bureau, and only a travel agency in Tibet can apply it. You will have to send us your copy of your passport and Chinese Visa to apply for a Tibet travel permit.
If you are taking a flight to Lhasa, you need to have the original permit in hand while boarding a Lhasa flight. We will send it to your hotel in China. For those taking the train to Lhasa, you will only need a copy of the permit. Therefore we will send you a copy in Email, which you can print.
Read more about getting a Tibet travel permit here
Transportation
There are more choices in the mode of transportation from China. You can choose to take a flight, train and travel overland in a car.
There are regular flight and Train to Lhasa from all the major cities in China. Yet permit policy is different in flight and train to Lhasa.
If you are travelling overland, you can only hire a car from Lhasa to either pick you up in a departing city in China or at the Tibet Autonomous region’s border.
Getting to Tibet from Nepal
Nepal is the only international destination that has access to Tibet. From the kingdom, you can either take a flight or travel Overland. For travelling to Tibet from Nepal, you have to get a Chinese Group Visa from the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu. A standard Visa in your passport is not good enough to enter China.
Chinese Group Visa
We will have to send your Visa invitation to the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu.
When you arrive in Kathmandu, you will have to use a local visa agent to apply for your Visa. We will send our agent to your hotel to fill the form and pick up your passport.
It takes three business days to get the Visa. You can travel on the fourth day. If you already have a Chinese Visa on your passport, it will get cancel upon applying for the group Visa.
Tibet Travel Permit
For those planning to Travel to Lhasa from Nepal, you will have to send us only a copy of your passport. We will apply for the travel permit with it. When you arrive in at the border, You will meet our tour guide at entry into China. He will have your permit with him.
Transportation
From Nepal, you can either choose to take a flight to Lhasa or Travel Overland through the land port at Kyirong. If you take a flight, you will meet the tour guide at the Lhasa airport. For those travelling overland, you will meet the tour guide as you enter the China border. At the entrance to China, you will need to show both copies of your group Visa. You will be not permitted into China if you don’t both the documents.
Conclusion
In reality, It is straightforward and convenient to Visit Tibet. Yet there are many travel website writing as if it is almost impossible to Visit here. We hope this post helps you while planning your journey to the roof of the world.
You can read more about the travel guide from this link or visit our travel agency website: https://itibettravel.com
Lastly, if you have any question about your travel plan to the land of snows. Let us know at [email protected]