Tibet Travel Planning Guide

You’re Here! Welcome to the Tibet Travel Planning Guide!

You’ve come to the right place to get a step-by-step action plan to make your dream of traveling to Tibet a reality!

Before you jump in, be sure to white list the YoWangdu email address — yowangdu@yowangdu.com — so that our emails to you, with Tibet travel news and updates, don’t go to your spam or promotions filter! (How to white list emails in Gmail, Yahoo, etc.)

STEP 1. DECIDE WHERE TO GO

Mount Kailash and major Asian river sources on a map of the Tibetan plateau.

What you Need to Know about the Tibetan Autonomous Region (T.A.R.)
Some key facts you need for planning whether you will go to the T.A.R. or the non-T.A.R. areas of Tibet.

Helping you Choose Where to go

Helping you Choose Where to Go
There are so many things to think about when you’re deciding where in Tibet to go. Here’s a handy chart that puts the main issues all in one chart, color-coded red, orange, yellow and green to help you decide what will work specifically for you.


STEP 2. DECIDE WHEN TO GO

roof of the Jokhang Temple

At a Glance: When to Travel to Lhasa
A summary of the factors that will impact your decision of when to go to Lhasa: weather, festivals, closures, and our personal pick for the best time to go.

Roofs at the top of the White Palace

Chart: Month-by-month breakdown: When to go to Lhasa
Deciding when to go to Lhasa can be confusing. Here, we have made a month-by-month chart breaking it all down by weather, rain, festivals, tourism and closures. 


STEP 3. CHOOSE A RELIABLE AGENT FOR ETHICAL TRAVEL

Yarchen Gar nun

How and Why to Choose a Good Tibetan-Owned Agent
Nothing is more critical to your Tibet travel than the agent you choose. Here’s how to get a good one.


STEP 4. PREVENT ALTITUDE SICKNESS

How to Know and Avoid Altitude SicknessSickness
To give you a head start on altitude sickness prevention, check out our altitude sickness toolkit, in two formats.


STEP 5. LEARN ABOUT TIBET

Include in your trip planning a little bit of time to start learning about the amazing culture you will be visiting soon.

Gyatso la Pass Prayer Flag

Learn More About Tibet Before You Go
Here’s a page full of great books, movies, videos, websites and social media accounts that will get you even more excited about Tibet!


STEP 6. MANAGE TRIP COSTS AND BUDGETS

Top 5 Tibet Tours

Actual Prices for Tibet Trips
See how much a Tibet trip really costs with this list of Tibet trips taken in 2016, with the actual prices paid by each traveler.

Altitude Sickness

Actual Prices for Tibet Trips
See how much a Tibet trip really costs with this list of Tibet trips taken in 2016, with the actual prices paid by each traveler.

Ganden Prayer Flag

How to Cut Costs on a Trip to Tibet
Here’s a short post with some pro tips on the least expensive ways to travel to Tibet.

Tibetan Money

How Much Does it Cost to Travel to Tibet?
In this post, we’ve put together for you a quick summary of sample costs of some common Tibet tour packages.


STEP 7. MANAGE VISAS AND PERMITS

“Tibet Visa”
In the current circumstances, there is actually no such thing as a “Tibet Visa.” One needs to get aChinese visa, and then an additional Tibet travel permit to travel to the Tibetan Autonomous Region.

The Tro La Pass is an icy-cold

Tibet Travel Permit 
A printable checklist of the exact packing list we have used for our trips.


STEP 8. PREPARE FOR A HEALTHY TRIP

Travel Doctor

Chart: Video: Consult a Travel Doctor
This video gives you some quick pointers about medical consults before your trip to Tibet, and a walkthrough of a helpful website related to travel medicine and clinics.


STEP 9. RESERVE INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS

Yushui Airport

Pro Tips for Booking Your International Flight
Take advantage of our lessons learned over the years of international travel.


STEP 10. BOOK YOUR TOUR, DOMESTIC FLIGHTS AND TRAINS

Lhasa Train Station

Booking Flights and Trains to Tibet
In this post we give you recommendations for domestic flights and trains to the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR), with an arrival in Lhasa.


STEP 11. BOOK HOTELS IN CHINA AND TIBET

Hotels

How to Book Hotels
In this post we give you options for booking your hotels for your trip to Tibet, both inside Tibet and for when you first arrive in China.


STEP 12. APPLY FOR CHINESE VISA

Chinese Visa
Sample of a Chinese Visa in a US passport.

How to Apply for a Chinese Visa
A step by step guide to applying for a Chinese visa through a visa agency.

Video: How to Apply for a Chinese Visa Through an Agency
In this video, we show you exactly how to apply for the visa through an agency. 


STEP 13. CONSIDER GETTING TRAVEL INSURANCE

Yungbulakang in Central Tibet

Travel Insurance
In this post we give you options for booking your hotels for your trip to Tibet, both inside Tibet and for when you first arrive in China.


STEP 14. HOW TO PREP AND PACK

back pack

What to Pack for Trip in Tibet
A quick introduction to packing for your Tibet trip.

suit case

Packing List
A printable checklist of the exact packing list we have used for our trips.


TIBET TRAVEL AND CULTURE HIGHLIGHTS

We want to share with you some Tibet highlights and special bonuses to begin to share with you the epic, fascinating beauty and grandeur of Tibet!

BONUSES

White Tara: Itineraries for Preventing Altitude Sickness in Tibet

Your Guide to Buddhist Etiquette
Here’s a quick list of guidelines and common practices for Tibetan Buddhism that may help you from making cultural mistakes when you travel in Tibet.

TALK TO US: WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST HEADACHE WITH TIBET TRAVEL? 

What is really causing you worry or stress as you plan for your trip?  We will take your questions and requests very seriously — we want this to be an awesome guide for you! You can add comments on this page, or reply to one of our emails.

Cheers,
Lobsang and Yolanda

Updated on December 26, 2020. First published on May 15, 2016.

Your Tibet travel advisors, Lobsang and Yolanda

Most people who want to go to Tibet don't know how to get there or who to trust for help. We’re Lobsang Wangdu and Yolanda O’Bannon, and we help make Tibet travel more simple, safe and ethical so you can feel peace of mind about your trip. Learn more about us and YoWangdu here.