A Tibet tour offers one of the best once in a lifetime experience on the planet. With its incredible alpine environment, majestic mountains, beautiful lakes, unique and very interesting culture and the mystic atmosphere of Tibetan Buddhism, it will be a v
A Tibet tour offers one of the best once in a lifetime experience on the planet. With its incredible alpine environment, majestic mountains, beautiful lakes, unique and very interesting culture and the mystic atmosphere of Tibetan Buddhism, it will be a very satisfying experience. But the harsh environment as well as the document requirements by Chinese government makes it important for you to prepare well and also work with people experienced in Tibet tour.
Booking Group Tour
Booking Group Tour 
Chinese government strictly controls tourism in Tibet. International tourists cannot travel alone in the autonomous region. Except the Chinese visa application, all your Tibet paperwork must be prepared through a reliable travel agency. One of such agency is Tibet Vista, which is the first and largest Tibetan local tour operator running join-in small group tour, private tour and Tibet train tour itineraries. Tibet Vista is experienced in Tibet travel permit application and promises hassle-free Tibet Permit Application Service.
How to Get Tibet Travel Permit via your travel agency?
Tibet Visa or Tibet Travel permits are needed for international tourists visiting Tibet. Foreigners are usually required four different documents in their Tibet visit (actually you may need more than four if you visit some military or culturally sensitive areas).
A foreigner first need to have a Chinese Visa to enter the country.Also, you need to apply for Tibet Permit a.k.a Tibet Visa issued by Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB). You will need this document to enter Tibet. As most tourists, you will need to obtain this document from your Tibet tour operator.
You need this document before buying your Tibet air ticket. In Tibet flight check-in or Tibet train check-in, you will need to produce Tibet Permit. If you are going to Tibet as a group, your Tibet tour operator also will arrange this document. After you get your Chinese Visa, you should send photo copy of your passport and Chinese Visa to your tour operator at least 20 days before your Tibet tour starts. Your Tibet Travel Permit usually takes 2-5 working days to be approved after your documents are submitted to Tibet Tourism Bureau.
The Alien’s Travel Permit is issued by police, Public Security Bureau. If you are planning to go out of Lhasa City and visit places in “unopened areas” like Shigatse, Samye Monastery or Everest Base Camp, you need this document.
If you are traveling alone, you cannot go to unopened areas alone and you need to join a tour group. For tour groups, travel agency guide will apply for it, usually when you in Lhasa. You will need to give your passport and Tibet Permit to the guide and he will submit it to Foreign Affairs Division of the PSB for the Aliens’ Permit. The process costs only 50 Chinese Yuan and takes a few hours.
The last permit type is Military Area Entry Permit. Mount Kailash in Ali and Rowok Lake in Chamdo are such areas and you need this permit if you need to visit military sensitive areas. In fact, sensitive borders like Mt. Kailash and eastern Tibet not only require a Military Area Entry Permit, but also a Foreign Affairs Permit.
The best time to travel in Tibet
Although you can visit Tibet anytime in the year if you are planning to only visit Lhasa, the period between May to October is the most suitable time for your visit, August being the top of the Tibet high tourism season. During this period, summer sunshine melts the snows and roads and high passes are free to traverse. For budget Tibet tour, you can choose off-season travel time to Tibet, from November to February.
For activities like trekking and biking, generally, between April and May in spring and August to October in autumn are the best times. These are the mostly rain free times and also not too hot to walk or ride bike. July and August are great months also but it rains a lot. For mountaineering, April to May and September to October are the best times to visit.
The best season for photography in Tibet is July and August months. Although these months are rainy, the clouds and the colours of the lakes and mountains are best in these months.
It is also worthwhile to coincide your visit with a colourful Tibet festival. During these times, Tibet is very colourful and cheerful and a Tibet festival is a unique experience. July and August are months when a lot of grand festivals are celebrated, such as Shoton Festival, Choerchor Dhuchen Festival, Nagchu Horse Racing Festival, and so on.
Although it is cold, you can still visit Lhasa in winter. There are some advantages of visiting Lhasa in winter. Himalayan snows create magical scenes and the off-season prices are low.
Other Tips
Flying to Lhasa is not the only and the best way to arrive to Tibet. Tibet train is an equally popular alternative with many advantages over flight. A Tibet train ticket is usually cheaper, this railway on the top of the world offers magnificent Tibet scenery and you will have a better opportunity to acclimatize to avoid altitude sickness. On the other hand, Tibet train can take anywhere between 24 hours (if you are taking it just from the edge of Tibet Plateau, Xining) to 50+ hours while a flight will be much shorter. There are also different classes in the Tibet train and hard sleeper and hard seater classes can be less comfortable.
While in Tibet, pay attention to altitude sickness and take acclimatization seriously. Try not to exert excessive power (like climbing stairs of Potala Palace fast or even standing up fast from a crouch for a photo shoot).
