15 Dos for a Wonderful Visit to Tibet 2024/2025

What are the things you should not miss in Tibet? If you are planning a trip to Tibet, you can take a look at the following things to do in Tibet from our Tibetan experts. Just make the most of every minute of your precious Tibet tour and feel the real Tibet with the following experiences.

1. Do have been in the mainland of China for at least 90 days

Tibet tours are recently only reopened to expats tourists in the mainland of China. As a condition of the current Tibet Permit application, you need to stay in the mainland of China for at least 90 days (no entry and exit records). So if you plan to travel to Tibet in 2024/2025, please make sure you can get to the mainland of China first.

2. Do apply for Tibet Travel Permit in advance

Tibet travel permit, a must for entering Tibet, can be only applied through a licensed local travel agency.

To apply for the Tibet permit, you first need to confirm your Tibet travel itinerary and book the tour with the travel agency. Then, you need to provide the required documents to the agency and let them apply for the permit on your behalf.

Tibet Travel Permit is the necessary document to enter Tibet

It takes time to communicate with the travel agency to determine the Tibet travel itinerary. And the general Tibet permit application progress takes about 8 to 9 working days. Once we get your permit issued, we will deliver it to your address in the mainland of China. It takes another 4 to 5 days.

To ensure you get the permit in time, it is highly suggested to apply for your Tibet travel permit at least 20 days in advance.

3. Do depart from the low-risk area with the nucleic acid test within 72 hours

As the only destination that hasn’t found any single illness during the last two years, Tibet is one of the safest travel destinations in China, even in the world.

To protect the holy land, tourists coming to Tibet need to have the green healthy code, the 14-day itinerary code without an asterisk, as well as the negative nucleic acid test within 72 hours.

Do remember to prepare these certificates when you apply for the Tibet Travel Permit. In other words, you can’t travel to Tibet from mid-risk and high-risk provinces right now.

Just contact us for the latest policy to get your Tibet travel permit.

4. Do visit Tibet at the best time

The best time to visit Tibet is from April to October, especially April, May, September, and October. But in fact, Tibet is a travel destination to visit all year round. You can choose the best time to go according to your requirements.

For sightseeing tourists and those who want to visit Everest base camp or trek in Tibet, the best season to go is spring and autumn, during which the weather is perfect so you can have more chances to see the mountain peaks.

Visit Tibet in the best time to enjoy a better view of the mountain peak.

For those who want to experience Tibetan festivals, summer is a good time to go. The famous Shoton Festival, the largest event in Tibet, is held in early August every year. Also, there are many horse racing festivals held in August in different regions of Tibet. Pilgrims would like to travel to Tibet and visit Mount Kailash during the Saga Dawa Festival, which is always held in May in the Gregorian calendar. So if you are eager to experience unique Tibetan culture, do check the Tibetan festival calendar when you plan your trip to Tibet.

Most tourists may think of winter as a bad season to visit Tibet for the cold weather. However, winter in Tibet is not as cold as you think. The average temperature of Lhasa at day time is around 7℃ ~ 9℃. There are more than 28 sunny days a month in winter, allowing you to fully enjoy the winter sun in Tibet. As the low season of Tibet tourism, winter is also the best time for a budget Tibet tour, during which you can get more discounts on hotels, transfers, and attraction fees.

5. Do ask yourself whether you want to see the top of the world – the Everest in Tibet

According to our experience in the past decades, many customers come to Tibet to see Mount Everest. Is that also your dream to get to the Everest Base Camp?

If coming to Tibet is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for you, then don’t miss the opportunity to visit Everest Base Camp in Tibet.

The base camp in Tibet is located 5200 meters above sea level on the northern side of Mount Everest. It is the highest point of Mount Everest that ordinary tourists can reach.

At the base camp, you can see that the top of the world is just in front of you. Both the sunset and sunrise from the peak of Everest could be a lifetime memory for you. Also, you can visit the Rongbuk Monastery, the world’s highest monastery.

Do not miss the chance to visit the Everest Base Camp in Tibet.

6. Do stay in Lhasa for a few days to adapt to the high altitude in Tibet

No matter where you plan to visit in Tibet, it is recommended to arrive in Lhasa first and stay in Lhasa for a few days so that you have enough time to adapt to the high altitude in Tibet.

Since the average altitude of Tibet is around 4,300 meters, it is easy to get high altitude sickness when you arrive in Tibet from other lower places in a short time.

Therefore, you can arrive in Lhasa first and stay for a few days to give your body enough time to adapt to the altitude of Tibet, and also to have a brief understanding of Tibetan culture in the center of Tibet.

7. Do start your Tibet tour from the Potala Palace

Almost every Tibet tour starts from Lhasa, and among all attractions in Lhasa, the Potala Palace is always the first to travel.

As the landmark of Tibet, the Potala Palace is now a museum opened to the public to get to know the culture and history of Tibet, the mysterious land on the plateau. It is best to start your Tibet tour from the Potala Palace, where you can have a glimpse of Tibet.

8. Do get up to the rooftop of the Jokhang Temple

The Jokhang Temple is the most important monastery for Tibetans. While visiting this great monastery, you will not miss the chance to get up to the rooftop of the Jokhang Temple.

On the rooftop, you can closely see the beautiful decorations of the golden roof of the Jokhang Temple. Also, you can have a great view of the Potala Palace from the roof of the Jokhang Temple. Just look down upon it, you can see the local pilgrims prostrating in the front yard.

Seeing the Potala Palace from the rooftop of Jokhang Temple

9. Do take a Barkhor Kora as the Tibetans do

Barkhor Street is a circled street around Jokhang Temple in the old district of Lhasa city. It is not only a shopping street where you can find many local worships and restaurants, but also a holy ritual walk path of local pilgrims.

The locals walk around the Jokhang Temple with prayer wheels turning in hand. Also, devoted pilgrims are prostrating all along Barkhor Street. Following the locals to do the Barkor Kora is a way to experience Tibetan culture.

10. Do enjoy a cup of butter tea in a local Tibetan teahouse

Drinking butter tea or sweet tea is a significant Tibetan culture. It is easy to taste authentic Tibetan butter tea in a local teahouse.

The Tibetan teahouse is not only a place for butter tea, local drinks, and local snacks, but also an important social place for the locals. You can taste the most authentic Tibetan butter tea, Tibetan noodles, or Tibetan dumplings in the teahouse. Surrounded by the locals, it is the way to see the real Tibet.

11. Do visit Sera Monastery in the afternoon for the Monk Debating

Sera Monastery, one of the great tree monasteries of the Gelu sect of Tibetan Buddhism, is famous for the unique Monks debating. It is a must-see experience for all Lhasa tours.

Every Monday through Friday, from 3 to 5 p.m., there will be monks debating in the yard of the Sera monastery. So if you want to witness the special way that Tibetan monks discuss Buddhist knowledge, you need to visit Sera Monastery in the afternoon.

12. Do go out to enjoy the nightlife in Lhasa

Have you ever imagined what the nightlife of Lhasa is like?

Bars and pubs can be found in Lhasa nowadays. If you want to enjoy Tibetan folk dances and music, you can go to a Langma Hall, which is a Tibetan-style nightclub for local people. You can enjoy traditional Tibetan dancing and singing over beers in the Lhangma Hall with both local Tibetans and tourists from all over the world.

To enjoy a night view of the Potala Palace is also a special experience. At night, the Potala Palace is illuminated by lights to show a different quietness from the day.

If you are enthusiastic about Tibetan culture, you will not miss the Princess Wencheng Musical Stage Show. It is a huge outdoor live-action performance that shows the Chinese and Tibetan history when the Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty married Tubo King Songtsen Gambo.

13. Do visit at least one holy lake in Tibet

The alpine lakes on the Tibet plateau offer different scenes. Most of the lakes in Tibet are wide and have a beautiful blue or green color in the sunlight, like a gemstone. If it is your only chance to travel to Tibet, then don’t miss a chance to visit a lake in Tibet.

For Tibetans, lakes also have their own spirits. Almost every lake has its own legend and is regarded as a sacred lake by the nearby Tibetan Normand who come to worship it. Therefore, when you visit the lakes in Tibet, you can not only enjoy the unique beauty of the highland lakes, but also feel the different Tibetan culture from the Mani stone piles or flying prayer flags on the shore.

Namtso Lake is the most popular holy lake in Tibet.

The most famous Holy lakes in Tibet include the Namtso Lake in Ngaqu, the Yamdrok Lake on the way from Lhasa to Gyantse, and the Manasarovar Lake near Mount Kailash.

Recommended Tibet Lake Tours

• 5 Days Lhasa and Yamdrok Lake Tour
• 6 Days Lhasa and Namtso Lake Tour
• 15 Days Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar Tour

14. Do take a visit to a Tibetan family

There is no better way to experience the real Tibet than visiting a local family. You can either choose to visit a nearby village or just have a family cooking class in Lhasa city. To see what a Tibetan family is like and enjoy the homemade food with them, your trip to Tibet will not just be a visit as an outsider, but as a participant in the local life.

15. Last but not least, do visit Tibet without waiting for ‘someday’!

Some people think that a trip to Tibet is a trip that requires a lot of thought and preparation before you can leave. But in reality, traveling to Tibet is a lot easier than you might think.

As the largest travel agency in Tibet, we provide you with the latest travel information and customize the most suitable itinerary according to your needs, and have a one-on-one travel consultant to help you apply for all required travel documents throughout the process. It is promised that every customer who meets the requirements can get a 100% guaranteed Tibet Travel Permit.

So once you get the idea to travel to Tibet, just feel free to contact us. Let us show how easy you can fulfill your Tibet dream.