China: How to Visit Tibet

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If someone wants to travel to Tibet, it’s important to know how to get the permit to enter the country.

- Is still not possible to enter in Tibet as backpackers, so it needs the help of a Travel Agency of your country, or a Tibetan one (from Lhasa ), or a Chinese one (from Beijing or Chengdu for example) or from a Nepali/Tibetan one (from Kathmandu ).

To visit Tibet you must follow an organized trip and plan ahead of time.

- You’ll need a Chinese Visa and a Visa/Permit to visit Tibet.

It's easy visit Tibet from China. but it’s also easy to go there coming from Nepal by flight (China Air, Eastern, Soutern China. ). The route is amazing, passing over Mount Everest and others 8000. And it’s also easy to obtain the permit from Nepal. obviously through Travel Agencies.

In the south border of Tibet you can pass only trough one point by road: Kodari/Zanghmu (Nepal/Tibet border) there’s no open border by road that can be used by foreigner tourists.

If you decide to get the permit for Tibet in Nepal here the tariff and how to do:

Always by Travel Agencies:

- visa given in 1 day 85$ (ask visa in Friday morning and you’ll get in the evening. Saturday you can take your flight to Tibet)

- visa given in 3 days 65$ $ (ask visa in wednesday and you’ll get in friday. Saturday you can take your flight to Tibet )

- visa given in 5 days 50$ (ask visa on monday and you’ll get in friday. Saturday you can take your flight to Tibet )

In this way you can see also Tibetan culture in Nepal and then prepare yourself for what you’re going to see in Tibet .

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Every year Chinese Government add or remove rules maden to define how to enter in Tibet and how is it possible to visit. There’s no way to know in advance what China will decide about Tibet, so Travellers need to be open minded and need to know that everything can be good or maybe they can have difficulties to enter in the country.

For this reason all the updated news will be added above.

Rules 2012:

Chinese Government has decided that travellers will be admitted to enter in Tibet only if being part o an organized group composed by a minimum of 5 persons of the same nationality.

So to enter in Tibet you need to have:

-          Organized Trip through Travel Agencies that provide you permits and planned itinerary

-          Group of minimum 5 person of the same nationality (some travel agents now are providing tours also for group of two people of the same nationality, but the goverment rule of the 5 pax officially is not change)

It's really not possible to know if this rule will be removed next year or Tomorrow or when. Now it’s like this.

For others updates keep in touch here.

Rules 2013:

Tibet Travel Permit Update Released on Jan 22nd, 2013

This morning, all in a sudden, today the Tibet tourism bureau announced that the travel permit is stopped issuing at least until end of March and they will release an update of the permit in the end of March, so as before it may reopen in April.

- Tibet Travel Permit Update Released on March 25nd, 2013

After 2 months closure, finally there is formal notice from Tibet tourism Bureau this morning. Tibet will open to foreign tourists starting from April 1st At last the Travel Permit will be issued also for a minimum group size of two people and always of the same nationanity.

- Tibet Travel Permit Update Released on March 27nd, 2013

Solo travelers can get Tibet permit again! The policy requiring travelers to travel in a tour group with minimum two persons of the same nationality has been removed. Travellers are always required to do organized travels and permits through Travel Agencies.

- Tibet Travel Permit Update:

Tibet Travel Permits will not be issued from February, 20 to March, 31 2014. So the Tibet Autonomous Region will be close for foreigners visitors during this period.

Tibet Travel Permit update:

- in April 2014, resume issuing the Tibet Travel Permits. Any nationalities can be travelled together in a small or large group size through Travel Agencies

- Tibet Travel Permits have been abruptly halted for travel into Tibet beginning August 31, 2015. All tourists must be out of Tibet by this date. The exclusion period is expected (at this stage) to last for the duration of September. Advice received via email from  travel agency today.