How to Travel in Tibet for the First Time?

Tibet is such a wonderful and mysterious place that isolates from the outside world for centuries on the world’s highest plateau. How to travel in Tibet for the first time? What to prepare for your first trip to Tibet? Where to visit as you have never been to this land before? Here is useful information for you to arrange your first travel to Tibet.

First of all, Get Your Tibet Travel Permit in Advance

Most customers asked us whether they can travel to Tibet with their Chinese Visa only. In fact, for first-time travelers to Tibet, you need to notice that a Chinese Visa and Tibet Travel Permit are different things, but both are required for a Tibet tour.

Make Sure You Already Have the Chinese Visa

The first thing you need to have for a Tibet tour is your Chinese Visa. You can get it from the Chinese Embassy in your country. Or, if you don’t have a Chinese Visa and plan to travel to Tibet from Nepal, you can apply for a Chinese Group Tourists Visa through the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu. Once you get your Chinese Visa, then you can apply for your Tibet Travel Permit.

How to Get Tibet Travel Travel Permit

Issued by Tibet Tourism Bureau, Tibet Travel Permit is another required travel document for your Tibet tour. It can be only applied through a travel agency that offers you a tour service in Tibet.

Once you book your Tibet tour with us, you just need to provide a scanned copy of your valid passport and Chinese Visa to us. We will apply for the permit on your behalf.

After we got the issued permit, we will send it to your address in the mainland of China so that you can board the flight or the train to Tibet with the permit.

Tibet Travel Permit is the necessary document to enter Tibet

Where to Travel in Tibet for First-Time Travelers

Tibet covers an area of over 1.2 million square kilometers, but not many places are well known. For those who have never been here before, what are places worth visiting in this wide region? Here are the recommended destinations to visit in Tibet for first-time travelers.

Lhasa (4 to 5 Days )

The first stop for all travelers to Tibet is Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. Here, you can visit the holy Potala Palace, the Jokhang Temple, and Barkhor Street in the old town of Lhasa to experience the life of Tibetans now.

In the suburb of Lhasa, there are also many things to do, like seeing the Monks debating in Sera Monastery and visiting a local Tibetan village.

A classic Lhasa city tour takes about 4 days. To the nearby attractions like Gandan Monastery and Yamdrok Lake, you may need to arrange a 5 days trip.

Visiting the Jokhang Temple is a must-do for all first-time visitors to Tibet.

Everest Base Camp (8 Days)

Most of our customers came to Tibet to visit Everest Base Camp. If it is also your purpose to Tibet, then you will not miss the 8-day Lhasa to Everest Base Camp tour.

Traveling from Lhasa to Everest Base Camp, you can visit all the best from the capital Lhasa to Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet. On the way, you can visit the holy Lake Yamdrok, the Palkor Monastery, and Karola Glacier.

In Shigatse, you can visit the Tashilhunpo Monastery, the ancient temple for all Pachen Lamas, and Skaya Monastery, which is also called “the second Dunhuang”.

The distance from Shigatse to the Everest base camp is 343 kilometers and it takes around 6.5 hours by car. Before arriving at the base camp, you can enjoy a panoramic view of mountains over 8000 meters at Gawula Pass. Once you arrive at the Everest Base Camp, you can spend one night there, enjoy the sunset and sunrise at the top of the world, and visit the world’s highest monastery, the Rongbuk Monastery with hundreds of years of history.

This is the best travel route for your first-time trip during which you can see all the essentials of Tibet in just one go.

Visit Tibet Everest Base Camp for your first time in Tibet

Mount Kailash (10 to 15 Days)

For pilgrims who visit Tibet for the first time, the trip to Mount Kailash is no doubt the best choice.

Located in the wild west of Tibet, Mount Kailash is over 1200 kilometers from Lhasa. The epic overland journey from Lhasa to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar takes 15 days with an overnight stay at Everest Base Camp. If Mount Kailash is the only purpose for you, you can shorten the trip to 10 days without visiting Mount Everest.

For pilgrims, it is a life-time journey to visit Mount Kailash.

Lake Namtso (Extra 1 to 2 Days)

If you have one week in Tibet, it is also recommended to travel to Lake Namtso for your first time in Tibet, especially when you travel during April to October.

Surrounded by Nyenchen Thangla Mountain Ranges, Lake Namtso is praised as the place next to the Heaven. You can walk along the boundless lakeshore of Namtso and enjoy the sparkling sapphire lake surrounded by endless snow-capped mountains.

In addition, Lake Namtso is also an excellent cycling destination in Tibet. If you are a cycling enthusiast, a cycling tour from Lhasa to Namtso Lake is also a good choice.

If you have enough time, don't miss the trip to the holy Lake Namtso.

Best Time to Travel to Tibet for the First Time

The best time to visit Tibet is from April to October, among which April, May, September, and October are the best months with the most pleasant weather. It is also the best time for trekking in Tibet.

Summer is the peak season for Tibet tours since many domestic travelers would like to visit Tibet during the summer holiday. If you plan to visit Tibet in the summer, please make your reservation as early as possible.

For budget travelers, winter is the best time to go. As the low season for Tibet tours, there are great deals offered by hotels and flights to Tibet. You can save a lot on traveling to Tibet in winter. And you don’t need to worry about the weather. It is not as cold as you thought in Tibet in winter. The average daytime temperature of Lhasa in winter is around 14°C, which is even warmer than Beijing.

Once you have a general idea about Tibet weather, you can then find the best time for best experiences in Tibet.

Take a Flight or Train for Your First Tibet Tour

For most first-time travelers to Tibet, how to get to Tibet is always a problem. It is highly recommended to take a train to Tibet and a flight back, or vice versa.

There are only seven cities that offer trains to Tibet, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Xining, and Lanzhou. The shortest train journey to Tibet is from Xining to Lhasa, which takes around 22 hours, while the longest is from Guangzhou to Lhasa, which takes over 54 hours.

If you want to experience the Tibet train, you can take a train to Tibet and then take a flight out of Tibet after your tour. In some cases, especially in peak seasons, when it is hard to get a Tibet train ticket, you can take a plan B instead, as to fly to Tibet and take a train from Lhasa.

Taking a Train to Tibet is a popular way among most first-time travelers to get to Tibet.

Tips for Getting Tibet Train Ticket and Tibet Flight Ticket Successfully

No matter whether you take a flight or a train to Tibet, please make sure you get the Tibet Travel Permit before you go. Without a permit, you can not board the flight/train to Tibet.

If you plan to visit Tibet in the peak season, especially in the summer holiday or the Golden week at the beginning of October, you need to make your reservation as early as possible since both flight tickets and train tickets are sold out quickly.

If you can’t get a Tibet train ticket from your departure city, you can get to Xining first, and then take a train to Tibet from Xining. Since all Tibet trains stop at Xining Railway Station, you may have more chances to get a train Ticket. Also, for our customers who book a Tibet train tour with us, we can guarantee a Xining to Lhasa train ticket.

Safe Tips for Your First Tibet Tour

Protect Yourself while visiting Tibet during Post-pandemic Era

Without further travel restrictions on COVID-19, you can travel to Tibet as free as before. However, there is something different about a tour during the post-pandemic era.

You need to wear a mask in a public place. Bring some alcohol-based hand rub with you and wash your hands frequently. And try to keep a physical distance (1 meter) from others in public.

Pay Attention to Altitude Sickness

Altitude sickness, also known as AMS (acute mountain sickness), always scares many tourists who travel to Tibet for the first time. You should be aware of the risk of high altitude illness before entering Tibet, you may take some medicines in advance, experts also say that black sugar may help avoid high altitude sickness in Tibet.

Tips for Traveling to Tibet Alone

Tibet is a safe place to visit, even for solo female tourists. You don’t need to worry too much about safety in Tibet since you will visit Tibet with a local travel guide. Just don’t go outside by yourself at night. And for solo travelers, you can join a small group tour in Tibet so that you will not feel alone and can share happiness with like-minded travelers from all over the world.

Joining our Tibe small group tours is a best choice for your first time travel in Tibet.

More Things to Prepare for Your First Tibet Tour

Pack Proper Clothes

Please pay attention to the local climate in Tibet before departure. No matter when you travel, even in summer, you need to bring a warm and windproof jacket. Because the Tibetan plateau has a large temperature difference between day and night, you need to pay attention to wind protection and warmth.

Sun Protection Product

Tibet is located on a plateau with an average altitude of over 4,000 meters. The air here is thin and the ultraviolet rays are relatively strong, so you must pay attention to sun protection when traveling in Tibet. It is recommended to use sunscreen with SPF30 or above. And don’t forget sunglasses and a hat.

Physical Fitness

For most tourists, traveling to Tibet does not require any special physical preparation. If this is your first time traveling to such a high altitude, make sure your body is ready for high-altitude activities. Most of the scenic spots in Tibet need to be visited on foot. In addition, if you plan to come to Tibet for hiking, cycling, and other outdoor sports, it is best to make physical preparations before you go.

Cash and Credit Card

Renminbi (RMB) is used in Tibet. Credit cards are accepted in some high-end hotels, restaurants, and shopping malls in Lhasa. Domestic online payment methods, like Alipay and WeChat, can also be used in Tibet. If you travel to some remote places such as Mount Everest Base Camp or Mount Kailash, you can only use cash or online payment methods(Alipay or WeChat). So please have some cash before your first travel to Tibet.

Conclusion

Traveling to Tibet for the first time must be full of anticipation and tension. Whether it is Tibet Permit application, destination planning, or travel time and transportation selection, we provide you with professional information, hoping to help you fully prepare for your Tibet tour. When you choose us to serve you for your Tibet tour, you will be able to enjoy a worry-free itinerary. Of course, there are also some safety tips and travel tips to be aware of before heading out.