Essential Travel Documents for Tibet Cultural Tour
Two essential documents-Tibet travel permit and Chinese Group Visa are necessary documents for Nepal to Tibet Tour. For this, Book your Tibet tour with us. Send a copy of your passport to us. Arrive in Kathmandu and hand over your original passport to us. Get the issued Chinese Group Visa.
Chinese Group Visa
The Chinese group visa is a single-entry tourist visa issued by Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu. A special group visa is required for foreign travelers to enter Tibet via Nepal Kathmandu.
Chinese group visa is a sheet of paper that lists all names of travelers in your tour group, their nationalities, dates of birth and passport numbers. Furthermore, the Chinese group visa valid for 30 days only, entering Tibet from Nepal. Additionally, if you and other travelers use one Chinese group Visa, you must enter or exit China on the same date.
Your Chinese visa will automatically become invalid when you obtain your Chinese group visa. Therefore, it is suggested to enter Tibet from mainland China if you already have a Chinese Visa. If you decide to enter Tibet from Nepal and do not want your Chinese Visa to become invalid, you can fly to Chengdu from Nepal and then proceed to Tibet from Chengdu.
Tibet Travel Permit
Whether you enter Tibet from Nepal or mainland China, the Tibet Travel Permit is the most necessary travel documents. Similar to Chinese group visa, the Tibet Travel Permit can only get through an authorized travel agency. The individual applications are not allowed. No worries, as a trustworthy international travel agency, we can help you get them successfully on your behalf. Only when you get a Tibet permit, you can board on the flight or train to Tibet.
All you need to do is to book a Tibet tour with us at least 20 days in advance and email a color copies of your passport and China visa. The processing takes around 8 to 9 working days. Once your permit is issued, we will deliver it by express from Lhasa to your hotel address in mainland China.
Processing Time for Permits and Visa
It normally takes 4 working days to process your China Group Visa at Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu. And handling an urgent group visa needs only 3 working days. The working days of the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu is from Monday to Friday.
For the Tibet Travel Permit, it normally takes 8-9 days. The permit issued by TTB, the Tibet Tourism Bureau. But it is suggested to send your passport copy to us at least 20 days before your tour departure.
Apart from the Tibet Travel Permit and Chinese Group Visa, the Aliens’ Travel Permit require to visit Mount Everest Base Camp, also, the Military Travel Permit and Foreign Affair Permit are also necessary for Kailash Tour.
Is Tibet Cultural Tour Safe?
Travel to Tibet is very safe. International tourist needs to join an organized tour, either in a private or group tour. Therefore, for solo traveler, you will be accompanied by your guide, or other group members during the trip. Even when you are alone in Tibet, you are relatively safe. The public security in Tibet is very good, and local Tibetans are mostly innocent and kind. You can travel to Tibet with confidence.
Also, there is no age limit to travel to Tibet. But, kids and senior travelers should pay extra attention. Tibet is in a high-elevation area, being cold and lack of oxygen, and the weather changes quickly, so people with poor health conditions will feel difficult to adaption.
But many seniors and young kids of our clients have had a pleasant and safe journey in Tibet. So it is suggested to listen to the advice of your doctor, and test a physical examination before you travel to Tibet. And it is recommended to visit some lower-altitude places in Tibet, like Lhasa, Shigatse, Nyingchi, and so on.
Accommodations on Tibet Cultural Tour
Tibet has a variety of hotels from luxury seekers to budget backpackers. Luxury 5-star hotels in Tibet offer first-rate amenities, such as spa treatments, gourmet cuisine, and personalized services.
Mid-range hotels cater to most tourists, offering comfortable rooms and basic facilities, such as Wi-Fi, hot water, and breakfast. Budget hotels in Tibet offer affordable rates and simple accommodations, such as dormitory beds or shared bathrooms.
Internet and Wi-Fi
In the digital age, internet and Wi-Fi is important for many travelers. Therefore, you should check if the hotel has free Wi-Fi or internet access, and if the signal strength is reliable. Some hotels in Tibet may have limited internet access or slow connection speeds, due to the remote location and technical difficulties.
Meals on Tibet Cultural Trip
Tibet offers a wealth of local restaurants and teahouses where you can enjoy delicious meals at significantly lower costs.
Usually, a Tibet tour package price includes breakfast in the hotel. You need to pay for lunch and dinner by yourself. If you’re looking for the cheapest food and drink, it price 5 to 10 USD for a basic Tibetan restaurant meal, like Tibetan noodle soup, Tibetan momo, dried yak meat, and a beverage such as sweet tea, butter tea, and refreshing Lhasa beer.
Higher-priced dining will cost you around 15 to 20 USD at a more high-class establishment. In Lhasa, you may enjoy a wide spectrum of Tibetan, Nepali, Indian, Western, and Chinese cuisines.
As you hit the road for the day-to-day tour beyond Lhasa, you can only find some simple dishes like egg-fried rice, Tibetan soup noodles, rice with yak meat and various veg food.
While you are not obliged to tip the guide and the driver in Tibet, it is a great way to support their families if you are satisfied with their services. It is advised to tip your guide and driver at the end of the tour, about 50 RMB (about 7 USD) per person per day. For some special activities or private tours that involve strenuous efforts and extra care, more tips are also believed to be reasonable.
Money Matter
Nowadays, mobile payment methods such as Alipay and WeChat Pay are also very common in Tibet. Credit cards can only be used in hotels and some large shopping malls and restaurants in Lhasa. It is also possible cash out from ATM machine in Lhasa and Shigatse. When you visit Everest or Mount Kailash, it is recommended to carry a certain amount of cash.
Packing lists for Tibet Tour
For all Tibet tours, there are some basic items to carry. The prime purpose of this list is to make your trip easy and comfortable.
Documents
Passport
China Visa or China group visa
Flight/train bookings
Boarding passes
Hotel bookings
Itinerary
Photocopies of passport/visa/ID/medical/insurance cards
Photocopy of your eye wear prescription
Optional: 2-4 extra passport-style photos
Financial
Money belt/Neck wallet
Cash
Credit/debit cards
Photocopy of credit/debit cards
Digital or verbal passwords for your credit/debit card institution
Outerwear
1 Pair of hiking boots, hiking shoes, or comfortable walking shoes (depending on your trip)
Rain jacket
Down jacket or ski-type winter jacket
Warm fleece or wool hat
Gloves
Optional: Rain pants
Optional: Scarf
Clothing
3-5 quick-drying t-shirts
1 Lightweight long sleeve shirt
1 Midweight long sleeve layer (maybe a zip-up fleece)
2 Pairs of jeans or hiking pants
1 Pair of warm but light fleece or sweat pants for your room.
Thermal shirts or long underwear
5-7 Pairs of socks
3+ Pairs of underwear
Women: 1 extra bra
Sun Protection
Wide-Brimmed Hat or baseball hat
Sunscreen- SPF 30+
Lip protection SPF 30+
Sunglasses
General Travel Gear
Lightweight sleeping bag liner/sleep sheet
Small flashlight
Travel towel (1 small and 1 medium)
Travel lock for your bags
Travel size anti-bacterial hand cleaner
Ziploc plastic bags
Optional: Sleeping Bag
Optional: Swiss Army Knife
Toiletries
Shampoo
Conditioner
Shower gel or soap
Deodorant
Lotions, creams
Disposable face towelettes
Disposable wipes for when you can’t bath.
Shaver or razor and shaving cream
Nail clippers
Comb/Brush
Toothbrush/toothpaste/floss
Hair thingies
Women: Feminine products
Medical/Health
Travel medicine prescriptions and/or altitude sickness medication (Consult a doctor)
Glasses
Vitamins
Iodine tablets
Small first aid kit, with plastic gloves
Pain relievers
Diarrhea medicine
Laxatives or a fiber like Metamucil
Contact lens preparations, eye drops
Motion sickness medicine
Allergy medicine
If applicable: Personal prescription medicine
If applicable: Mouthpiece
If applicable: Birth control
Optional: face mask
Electronics/Communications
Smart phone/charger (note high altitude limits)
Camera, batteries, chargers and memory cards (optional: UV filter)
Earphones for phone or music device
Travel adapters and converters
Optional: Portable charger
Optional: Laptop/tablet with power adapter (note high altitude limits)
Recommended but optional
Personal thermos/flask
Small lantern
Compact umbrella
Light bag to carry as a day pack
Purely optional
Solar charger
Travel clothesline
Travel sewing kit
Steri pen
Water bottle to fit a steric pen
A book to read
Food from home (Energy bars, jerky, dried fruit and nuts, tea, instant coffee)
