*** Backpack to Tibet ***

[bigbears]

Anyone did that before? care to share itinerary?

 

[belgarathc]

Officially, you need to join a tour to get into Tibet. By Tibet, I am assuming you are referring to TAR - Tibetan Autonomous Region because I believe one can visit other Tibetan areas in Sichuan and Qinghai freely.

 

[bigbears]

Officially, you need to join a tour to get into Tibet. By Tibet, I am assuming you are referring to TAR - Tibetan Autonomous Region because I believe one can visit other Tibetan areas in Sichuan and Qinghai freely.

wah, need to join tour ah? so controlled ah? i only know potala palace in Lhasa and Lhasa. dunno other places of interest. ya, been to Chengdu, Sichuan. in fact, went to JiuZaiGou from chengdu F&E. JiuZaiGou is populated with Tibetans. think of trying their 青藏鐵路 but i can't sleep onboard transportation. also worried of pickpocket. see how. consider first.

 

[beanstalk6]

You can visit www.sgtravelcafe.com. There has been discussions on visiting Tibet F&E.

 

[tycosiao]

You can visit sgtravelcafe. There has been discussions on visiting Tibet F&E.

I highly doubt a foreigner (Singaporean) can travel in Tibet free & easy.

Only Chinese citizens are allowed to do so.

Foreigners must join tour groups and must obtain permits.

It's a real hassle and look for other alternatives?

Maybe this website can give you a headstart, China is a great place to backpack.

Backpacking Western Sichuan: China's Other Tibet | China Travel

 

[beanstalk6]

Last year when I visited Chengdu's 武侯区武侯祠横街, 西藏街区(Wuhouci Cross St., Wuhou District). I was approached by Tibetans who offered to take me to TAR by road. In the end my party opted to visit the Kham region of Sichuan.

 

[gerdhold]

If you just want to experience Tibetan culture and himalayan landscape then can try going to northern reaches of India instead. The gompas and stupas there were never destroyed and rebuilt like most of them in China and cost a lot less as well and the money you spend goes directly to the tibetans and not to the chinese government. In India you can see pictures of the Dalai Lama everywhere which makes the whole place feel much more authentically tibetan particularly the monasteries.

Went to Shangrila recently and wasnt impressed at all. Monastery was rebuilt, ripoff entrance fees, inside monks busy counting big buckets of money, people everywhere making lots of noise. totally overrated.

 

[flyinrain]

there are several different routes to enter tibet; either from Xinjiang, Qinghai, Yunnan, Sicuan, Nepal, Lanzhou etc, and there are several ways to enter tibet ( bus, car, train, air), so from which route and by what you wanna enter tibet? foreigner are restricted to enter tibet without entrance permit.

 

[thefernwehronin]

wah, need to join tour ah? so controlled ah? i only know potala palace in Lhasa and Lhasa. dunno other places of interest. ya, been to Chengdu, Sichuan. in fact, went to JiuZaiGou from chengdu F&E. JiuZaiGou is populated with Tibetans. think of trying their 青藏鐵路 but i can't sleep onboard transportation. also worried of pickpocket. see how. consider first.

Bro,

Care to share your itinerary for Chengdu and JiuZaiGou? I have intentions to go to chengdu visit zhugeliang's tomb, Le Shan, Qing Cheng san. but i saw the airfare to jiuzaigou is really expensive. any other alternatives?

please advice

cheers,
tfr

 

[beanstalk6]

The previous post is 2 years old. I doubt you will get a reply.

You need not fly to Jiuzhaigou.
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/sichuan/jiuzhaigou/transportation/air.htm It is better if you get on a local land tour to visit Jiuzhaigou when you are in Chengdu. The other sites in Chengdu are very easy to visit, especially now that the MRT is operational. City buses are also cheap and easy to use. Leshan and Qingchenshan require long distance coach. Of these, Qingchengshan requires at least an overnight stay. Another destination from Chengdu you can consider is Dujiangyan. There is also HSR connection from Chengdu to this town, Qingchengshan and Leshan.

 

[johnsonheng]

What......

 

[ktee]

Need tour agent to bring you to TAR (Lhasa, etc) coz only agent can apply for Tibet Travel Permits.

I joined SG tour last year. A must see.

Tip:

1. If you are going to board the Qinghai-Tibet train, they have a custom inspection at the railway station! Which means:

No weapons! Even small knife, swiss army, etc are not allowed. You can't put in your luggage... coz your luggage travel with you! Hence, don't bring any at all.

2. Buy medical insurance. The high attitude sickness will strike anyone... It cost about SGD150 to cure (dripping). Hong-gin-tian wont help much. The highest altitude we went to is the Namtso Lake, Tibetan for 'Heavenly Lake' - about 5K meters. No joke. We went in June n still cold n super windy.

3. China only allows foreigners to visit Tibet from early April. Best is go during Summer time. The rest of the year is too cold and the air too thin for ppl to live there. Even mainland Han Chinese return to mainland fr Oct to March...

4. If your tour has Mt Everest trip, JOIN! I regretted not joining coz not enough time...

5. Ppl there are friendly and there are nightlife in Lhasa. The scenery is unforgettable!!!

In my opinion, joining SG tour is v gd. China tour is cheaper but might bring you to Holland...

 

[seowbin]

ya man, you need a permit to enter for foreigner.

i wonder if local , how they check? just give IC can liao? If so, my friend might be able to get me one

went on a road trip in june last year, will post some pics when i have time later. i went to some tibetian area outskirt of sze chuan.

obviously, china gov still very scare of tibetian rebel. When i'm there, in certain area my sg line can't make international call and receive international call. Can only make local china call.

When back in sg then i called starhub kpkb, they said that china put a restriction in those area.

 

[hawkwind]

I also joined local tour agent for Tibet tour. It's probably the safest option due to the unpredictable nature of altitude sickness. On the QingHai train, we had a young European lady who fainted and wouldn't understand why since she was very fit. In fact, it seems the older you are, the less you will be affected. Only two persons were affected in my group but at least eight in an adjacent group in our hotel.

The local agent will put you in hotels which are manned around the clock by medical staff and all the coaches we travelled in had oxygen tanks which some people needed when we reached the highest point at Yamdrok Lake.

 

[HenrikCWT]

Tibet

Any new updates for travelling in Tibet for Singaporeans?

I am planning to enter Tibet from Nepal and leave TAR to Qinghai.
Is it possible to get the travel permit for TAR while in Nepal?

Also, has anyone travel in Tibet during the winter season?
Are transport still accessible?

Thanks

 

[g_t2006]

Any new updates for travelling in Tibet for Singaporeans?

I am planning to enter Tibet from Nepal and leave TAR to Qinghai.
Is it possible to get the travel permit for TAR while in Nepal?

Also, has anyone travel in Tibet during the winter season?
Are transport still accessible?

Thanks

You need an organized tour. You need to arrange a private vehicle and guide to meet you in Tibet. Nepal/Tibet border is now closed. No idea when it will reopen.

Overland via the friendship highway.

 

[HenrikCWT]

You need an organized tour. You need to arrange a private vehicle and guide to meet you in Tibet. Nepal/Tibet border is now closed. No idea when it will reopen.

Overland via the friendship highway.

I heard the latest news is that the friendship highway will be reopen within the next 2 to 3 weeks. Anyway, I won't be in Nepal, Tibet so soon since I am travelling in Myanmar & India before heading towards that direction. Keeping my fingers crossed it will be opened by the time I reach Nepal.

 

[thefernwehronin]

The previous post is 2 years old. I doubt you will get a reply.

You need not fly to Jiuzhaigou.
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/sichuan/jiuzhaigou/transportation/air.htm It is better if you get on a local land tour to visit Jiuzhaigou when you are in Chengdu. The other sites in Chengdu are very easy to visit, especially now that the MRT is operational. City buses are also cheap and easy to use. Leshan and Qingchenshan require long distance coach. Of these, Qingchengshan requires at least an overnight stay. Another destination from Chengdu you can consider is Dujiangyan. There is also HSR connection from Chengdu to this town, Qingchengshan and Leshan.

Thanks! I went elsewhere this year because the air tickets to jiuzaigou was quite pricey and buses there takes about 8 hours from chengdu, may stick to chengdu for my next year's trip.

 

[Ibodnano]

Joining guided tour is a must for visiting Tibet, what are the recommended guided tours?

 

[dilphinus]