If you’ve been dreaming for years of taking a once-in-a-lifetime Tibet trip — to have an amazing, authentic experience in the Land of Snows, support the Tibetan people, and get home safe — you’re in the right place.
2026 Travel Advisory:
Tibet Travel Permits: As always, you need a special Tibet permit in addition to your visa to enter Tibet (If you are from a visa-free country, you still need the permit). But permits are being processed faster than ever before. We still recommend allowing 3 weeks. For the permit, you need the help of an official Tibet travel agency. (You can get connected here.)
Nepal border: The Nepal-Tibet borders at Kyirong and Dram are both open for overland crossings. Note, it is never recommended to travel overland from Nepal to Tibet due to altitude concerns. Traveling in the Tibet to Nepal direction is okay.
Visa update: Special Chinese Group Visa no longer required from Nepal. Individual visa from your home country now works. Tibet travel permit still required via an official agency.
Need help? We’ll connect you – for free – with an official, Tibetan-owned agency we trust.
We’re Lobsang Wangdu and Yolanda O’Bannon, a Tibetan-American couple, and your Tibet travel experts. We’ll show you exactly how to plan for your Tibet trip — get your visa and permits, find a reliable agency, choose either the “sky” train or a flight, and avoid getting altitude sickness in the breathtaking heart of the Himalayas. Equally important, we offer you practical guidance about Tibetan food and Buddhism, to help you travel with respect and a deeper understanding.
Explore the page below for all your Tibet travel basics. And if you want to shortcut the process, and get step-by-step Tibet travel planning help, you can sign up now for instant access to our free online Tibet Travel Planner.
Top Tibet Tours
Tibet at a Glance
- Lhasa: The fabled “place of the gods” holds many of the cultural and spiritual treasures of Tibet, including the twin hearts of the Tibetan world, the Jokhang Temple and the Potala Palace.
- Mt. Kailash: Joining Tibetan pilgrims on the three-day route around this most sacred of Asia’s mountains is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
- Everest Base Camp: The best views of breathtaking Mt. Everest are from the Tibet side, and you don’t need to trek to get there.
- Shigatse: Walking the scenic kora path above the great Tashilumpo Monastery is a quintessentially Tibetan experience.
- Kham/Amdo: Outside the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) are some of the most beautiful, culturally preserved areas of Tibet, in the Kham and Amdo regions. No special permit is needed for travel in these areas.
Planning Your Tibet Trip
- Best 100 Tibet Travel Tips An easy-to-use collection of all the very best tips we’ve gathered over the years.
- Where is Tibet? To put it simply, Tibet sits in the heart of Asia, right between India and China. A geographically spectacular area, the Tibetan Plateau is surrounded by range upon range of extreme high-altitude mountains which provide the sources for many of Asia’s great rivers.
- What is the Tibetan Autonomous Region? (TAR) You may wonder why sometimes “Tibet” is referred to as the “Tibetan Autonomous Region (T.A.R.).” Actually, they are quite different things. In this post we will explain the difference, and at the end of the post let you know the main points you need to grasp for travel purposes.
The easiest way to learn the critical elements you need for a simple and safe trip to Tibet is to sign up for our free Tibet Trip Planning Guide. You can also explore our Tibet travel pages for a wealth of tips and tools that will help make your trip a million times easier.