Visa for Tibet
 

My son (16) is in China studying. I will go visit and we would like to go to Tibet. What is the best way to d o it? Tour? Also, how can he get a visa if he is already in China?

The visa for China includes Tibet, which is within the political boundaries of modern China. What is needed is an extra permit, amounting to little more than a tourist tax. These permits are generally sold by agents also selling plane and bus tickets to Tibet, and so are available at gateways, typically in Chengdu, Kunming, Dunhuang, and Golmud. There are also flights to Tibet from Beijing (where one agent only is said to deal in these permits), and from Guangzhou and Xi'an, so the permit ought to be available there, too.

Whether or not you should take a tour depends largely on how much time you plan to spend in Tibet, and how much you want to see in that time. Most independent travellers leave it until arriving in Lhasa to make arrangements to join minibus tours or share jeeps to other destinations. There are many reports of problems with tour operators, however.

Peter N-H
http://members.shaw.ca/pnhpublic/China.html

In addition to the above cities, there are nonstop flights to/from Chongqing 3 times per week. We chose to prebook a tour in Chengdu and had no problems, everything went very smoothly. If you're just staying in Lhasa, the city and immediate surroundings are easy enough to do on your own. Lhasa is fairly compact and you can walk/bus/taxi to sights. For travel outside of Lhasa, you'll need to make some sort of transportation arrangements either in advance or upon arrival.

I just returned from Tibet about a week ago. Most people stop overnight in Chengdu and make arrangements for their travel permit there. I chose to prearrange my trip with an in-country operator who was terrific - Tibet Windhorse Adventure Travel. They are extremely reliable and will take care of everything. It was about 1/2 the price of what it would have cost me to arrange with a US travel company.

They have contacts in all major Chinese cities and can arrange for the permit. I was flying in from the US so their Chengdu operator simply met me and gave me my papers and I was on my way. However, be aware, they are not a shoe string "back packer" operation.

Even if you stay only in Lhasa, it was very nice to have someone show you around and explain the history, etc., especially if you have limited time. If time permits, I would take several side trips outside of Lhasa. They have some of the best quality Land Cruisers which is very important in Tibet!

If you have any other questions, please let me know and I'll try to answer them.

Even if you stay in Lhasa

Is it ridiculous to visi there in the winter? I am a northerner used to cold weather.

People are often surprised by how moderate the winter weather is in Lhasa, but that's one of the lowest inhabited places in the whole region.

Have a look at www.weatherbase.com for details of Tibetan weather, month by month and city by city.

Peter N-H
http://members.shaw.ca/pnhpublic/China.html

My guide told me that it only snows about twice during the entire winter in Lhasa. He said it is a great time to visit because their are virtually no tourists -- and, there are some interesting Buddhist festivals.

He also mentioned that you can get really low hotel rates, but that some of the shops might be closed during the winter.