Tibet Overland Tour

Departure Dates

Special Note: On our trip you are able to schedule your own departure dates. We are able to depart our trip every day (only Nepal). So kindly choose your own date as per your convenient. Contact us to schedule your own departure day.

• Departure Dates for 2017
• Departure Dates for 2018

Tour Group

This overland tour is a group tour to Tibet, so the group size depends on how many are signing up at a given time. Usually in our group, the minimum number will be 2 persons and the maximum number will be 15 persons or more upon request. We do also organize the trip with single-traveler options but it is suggested to join this tour in any of our fixed group departures, as we can depart each tour only 2 times a week, Tuesday and Saturday.

Physical Requirements

This overland Journey to the Lhasa is not difficult, and it does not involve any walking/hiking as this tour is designed to be completed by way of comfortable four-wheel drive. However, this tour drives up to elevations of 4350m, so it is essential that you have moderate levels of health and moderate levels of fitness before planning this tour. Previous hiking or trekking experience is not necessary; however it is an additional benefit if you are experienced in taking extended walks.But over all, what is really required is a positive attitude and a strong determination to make it the trip. We advise especially that guest(s) with known heart, lung, or blood diseases to consult their doctor before traveling on this tour, and request these clients to report these details to us while booking the tour. This will help ensure your safety.

Our Tour Staffs

For this tour, there will be one Tibetan tour guide and driver during your visit. Our Tibetan tour guides are professional and experienced but note that Tibet is a China-dominant country so sometimes your Tibetan guides are not as talkative or personable as your Nepalese guides. However they having a very good knowledge of the tour you will be undertaking and will treat you well during your entire journey. Our tour guide is trained, certified and licensed from TTB (Tibet Tourism Board).

Pre-trip meeting

We will have a pre-trip meeting withyour entire Tibetan tour group a day earlier than the beginning of your tour, which starts from Kathmandu. The meeting will be at 5:00 PM at our central office located in Kathmandu, Nepal. All the trip briefings and remaining payments for the trip will be settled around this same time.

Meals and Accommodation

This tour includes bed and breakfast accommodations. While on tour, we provide twin-sharing accommodations. Your accommodation in Lhasa and Gyantse will be deluxe, Sighaste hotel is a tourist-standard hotel and accommodations at Nylam and Lhatse will be in basic guest houses. We are taking a transit route to Lhasa, so the first two nights’ accommodations are relatively poorer than other days, as they are the only options available for touring groups on this part of the route.

Our entire Tibetan tour includes breakfast. You do have to take care of lunch and dinner by yourself, but no worries, there are lots of Tibetan/ Chinese restaurantswhere you may purchase fresh foods, and at every place you stay overnight, you may have different choices of foods as well. You can estimate approx US$-15 to 20 dollars for your lunch and dinner per day.

Your hotel in Kathmandu is not included in the tour, but you may ask us to reserve hotel rooms for you and we will assist you in booking your hotel in Kathmandu as per your preferred budget on additional cost.

Clothing and Equipment

For your travel to Tibet, it is most essential to know what to bring with you and what the essential clothes and pieces of equipment will be during your adventure. Basically, we suggest bringing clothes based on the season and altitude. During the trip you'll needed down, medium fabrics and good hiking shoes. Please find the equipment list below for your personal use during your travel to Tibet with us:

A pair of light hiking/trekking boots depending on your season and altitude, a pair of sandals, 2 pairs of woolen socks and some hiking socks, 1 medium poly pro shirt, 1 pile jacket, 1 down jacket, 1 woolen hat , a pair of sunglasses, a pair of gloves with liner, a pair of woolen gloves, one day bag, sunscreen lotion SPF 10 to 25 and sunscreen stick SPF 10 to 30, some reading books (optional), a device for listening to music (option), a one liter water bottle, 1 flash light with a few sets of batteries, 1 sleeping bag (-5 to -20) depending on your season and altitude, a few t-shirts and a few long and warm trousers, one pair of wind/water proof trousers, a rain poncho, nail clippers, Swiss Army knives, etc. are the recommended items to bring with you. Most of the aforementioned equipment can be bought orrented in Kathmandu.

Acclimatization

Our Tibet tour is designed specially to prevent high altitudes from presenting any sort of health problems, so do not worry. However, as always, it is recommended that you drink plenty of water throughout your adventure. This will help with the change in altitudes as well.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is most essential for traveling to Tibet; good insurance will protect your financial securities and compensate your lost property while also providing emergency medical services, if needed. Please make sure that you bring a copy of your travel insurance and show it to us during the pre-trip meeting at our head office in Kathmandu before the tour starts on following morning. Travel insurance should cover any emergency evacuation, trip cancellation and medical expenses for your Tibet trip.

Climate and Weather

Climate in Tibet is totally different than climate in Nepal. As Tibet is a rain shadow part of the Himalayas, the Tibetan climate is not as harsh as many people imagine it to be. The best time to travel to Tibet is from March to the beginning of November, but among them, August and September are the most recommended. But if you only stay in Lhasa, you can go there any time of the year. Sun radiation is extremely strong in Tibet. The sunlight in Lhasa is so intense that the city is called the Sunlight City. The thin air can neither block off nor retain heat, so temperature extremes can be met in both the daytime and nighttime respectively in Tibet.

Passport and Visa Requirements & permit

Before you traveling, check your passport and validity date. You require a valid passport to visit Tibet. Passports must have at least 6 months validity after finish date of your trip. We require a copy of your passport details either thought fax or scanned images, sent to our email during the trip booking process.This way, we can obtain your Tibetan traveling permit in advance.

For obtaining your Chinese visa/Tibet visa; the Chinese embassy requires your original passport to have the Chinese visa, which we do for you upon on your arrival in Kathmandu.Even if you have already obtained a Chinese visa from your homeland, this visa will not work when traveling to Tibet from Nepal, so we will have to get you a new Tibet/China visa no matter what, and your previously existing visa will be cancelled. Recently, the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu is providing visas on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so you should arrive at least two days prior to Kathmandu before departing for your Tibet tour.

Your Tibetan traveling permit and your Chinese visa will be valid for approx 2 weeks to 21 days and at some point within that timeframe, you must exit the country. Please do write us if you choose to travel to mainland China,because then you would require a longer visa. Individual visas to Tibet are not possible if you are not taking any tours; your Tibet/Chinese visa is a group visa along with everyone else in the group. Always keep your passport with you and check your original visa while entering to Tibet and leaving this beautiful country after your tours ends.