The Lhasa altitude of 11,975 feet/ 3658 meters puts it among the highest cities in the world, and makes altitude sickness prevention a key part of staying healthy on your trip to Tibet.
Failing to take basic steps to prevent altitude sickness can result in miserable days in Tibet, and in much more serious consequences.
2023 Travel Advisory: Great news! Tibet travel is now open to everyone!
After 3 years of closures, Tibet travel permits are now being processed for all international travelers, no matter if you are traveling from outside China, or if you currently live and work in China.
To travel to Tibet you must have both a Chinese visa and a special Tibet travel permit, which you must get from an official Tibet travel agency. Ask us for an introduction to a reliable Tibetan travel agency here, at no cost to you.
There is SO much ignorance and misinformation out there, and a lot of needless suffering and risk.
We don’t say this to scare you. We are just committed to raising the level of altitude sickness prevention awareness for EVERYONE who travels to Tibet, so that you can have an amazing time without suffering.
On this page, you will learn some quick facts about altitude sickness prevention in Tibet, and then take a deeper dive into key topics like knowing the symptoms of altitude sickness, and discoveries some itineraries that help you acclimatize to high altitude, like our favorite Safer Everest Base Camp Tour.
ALTITUDE SICKNESS Q&A
Are young, fit people less likely to get altitude sickness than older or unfit people? No! Age and physical fitness have no impact on your risk of getting altitude sickness.
What is the Lhasa altitude in meters and feet? 11,975 feet/ 3658 meters. Lhasa sits in a valley on the Tibetan Plateau, and is at one of the lower elevations on the Tibetan Autonomous Region!
Will the train ride to Tibet acclimatize me to Lhasa’s altitude ? Mainly, no. For various reasons, the train ride helps a bit but is not enough. (Learn why in this post.)
Is there any way to know if I will get altitude sickness in Tibet? Unfortunately, no. If you have gotten altitude sickness before, you are more likely to be sick again, but not always.. Also not getting sick on one trip doesn’t guarantee that you won’t fall ill on following trips.
Is there anything I can do to prevent altitude sickness? Yes! You need to: ascend to high altitude slowly, consider taking medication, know the signs and symptoms, never go higher if you have symptoms, and descend if the symptoms become worse at rest at the same altitude. (Learn more about prevention here.)
Avoiding Altitude Sickness: Complete Beginner’s Guide
In this comprehensive guide, you will learn: 1) Three simple rules that could save your life 2) Myths about altitude sickness 3)High altitude dos and don’ts, and much more… Read more
Altitude Sickness Prevention for Tibet in a Nutshell
In this post we offer you a summary of the most effective tips for altitude sickness prevention, gathered from our growing collection of posts on this topic Read more
How Bad are the Symptoms?
In this post, we aim to give you some essential facts about the symptoms for altitude sickness, to help protect you from getting seriously ill on a trip to Tibet
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Itineraries for Altitude Sickness Prevention
Did you know that most of the popular itineraries for travelers to Tibet put you at high risk of getting altitude sickness
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Safer Everest Base Camp Tour
We are so pleased to introduce a safer Tibet Everest Base Camp tour!
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What is My Risk of Getting High Altitude Sickness?
Since the Lhasa altitude is just shy of 12,000 feet, almost everyone has a substantial risk of getting altitude sickness. In this post we offer you a practical way to reduce your risk of getting high altitude sickness when you travel to Tibet (or any other high altitude destination.
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The Tibet Train and Altitude Sickness
While researching the Tibet train (the Qinghai-Tibet Railway) as a way to travel to Lhasa, we have learned a lot, which we would like to share with you to save you making some common mistakes.
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How to Avoid Altitude Sickness in Tibet
Our goal in this post is to give you practical tools and strategies for how to avoid altitude sickness when you travel to Tibet
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Videos: How do You Feel at High Altitude in Tibet?
Are you concerned about getting altitude sickness in Tibet? Do you wonder how you will feel at high altitude?
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Lhasa Altitude and Altitudes of Places in Tibet
On this page you will find Tibet altitude information, and some of the common variations for Tibetan place names.
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7-Day Lhasa Highlights Via Xining by Train
If you only have a very short time in Tibet, you could take this tour rather than the high-risk fly in to Lhasa. (To tell the truth, if you think you can only get to Tibet once in your life, it’s worth saving up the time and money to make a longer trip of at least two weeks.) Read more
