Information on Tibet

Important Travel Information for Tibet:

Tibet still remains one of the most remote & unknown regions of the world. It is not featured on the world tourism map because of the inadequate information & lack of proper tourism infrastructure such as hotels / motels, restaurants, roads etc. Journey to Tibet can be best enjoyed if viewed as adventure and not as, well-organized sight seeing tour. Tourists may have to deal with a lot of uncertainties on various occasions.  We hope the following information would be useful for your travel in Tibet.  

 

Visa & Documentation:

The passport should be valid for minimum 6 months after the completion of the trip. For issue of visa we need 3 Xerox copies of your passport, with 3-passport size photograph.  We request you to give all these details on confirmation of your booking. Indian Passport holders should have ECNR stamp.

Visa formalities are stringent for people having diplomatic passport/ official passport & for journalist, visa may be denied.    

Time:        

China has only one time zone; the local time everywhere is the same as Beijing time. Beijing local time is GMT + 08:00 hrs or Indian standard time + 02:30 hrs. We need to adjust our watch as per Beijing time as soon as we enter China to avoid any confusion.

 

Altitude Sickness:  

We would be traveling at an average altitude of 4500 m, highest altitude attained is 5630 m / 18470 ft at Dolma La, during our Parikrama. Minor altitude symptoms are experienced such as, mild headache, nausea, loss of appetite etc. One needs to take precaution to avoid acute mountain sickness. For further details please read note on high altitude attached herewith.   

 

Important Note:

All the tourism activities are strictly regulated & monitored by the Chinese Government authorities. The authorities may alter itineraries as they see fit & substitute hotels other than those mentioned in the itinerary. The Chinese guide is more of a liaison officer & he is the only communication links between the tourist, staff from Nepal, drivers, porters, yak men, other locals & government officials.

Most of the aspects are beyond our control & we cannot be held responsible for any delays, change in the itinerary etc. Any additional expenses on such account should be borne by tour members.   

 

Photography:

There are strict controls on taking photographs in the monasteries. Please check with your Tibetan guide before taking any photographs near a bridge or police / military check post. Also it is advice to take a prior permission of the locals before taking their individual photographs.

 

Restrictions:

Please do not carry any photographs, books of Dalai Lama or posters, T-shirts of free Tibet, or Tibetan flag, or any political magazine or book. Possessing such things may be considered as an offence by Tibetan / Chinese authorities.   

 

Currency:

Approximate exchange rate is  1 USD = 8 Yuan.

One can exchange currency at the border town of Zhangmu or Lhasa or Shigatse in China. 

 

Business hours:

10:00 hrs to 18:00 hrs is the normal office hours on all working days. On Saturdays the offices close in the afternoon  & on Sundays they are closed.

 

Customs:

Still cameras, Video cameras, tape recorders and radios are allowed, it needs to be registered with the customs on entry in China.  Customs regulation forbid the export of art objects prior to 1959 or souvenirs deemed to be excessive in numbers. Printed matters considered unsuitable by Government are prohibited.