| Travel Tips
Tibet is the land of overwhelmingly beautiful landscape,
rich culture, ancient religion, amazing myths and gorgeous
mountains. Renowned as the last Shangri La in the world,
Tibet is isolated by the high Himalayas and is one of
the least developed parts of the world. Facilities are
being upgraded and professionalism is still underway.
So travelers are warned that they should not expect
a luxury and a full fledge professionalism in Tibet.
Its extreme remoteness, harsh weather, and difficult
geography makes the journey challenging
Accommodations
Hotels/guesthouses have basic facilities and even a
hotel in Lhasa may not meet your expectation. We always
try to provide our clients a twin room but it may not
always be possible. Sometime, because of weather factor
or road condition, we may not be able to bring you to
the hotel of our contract or rooms may be already sold
out due to delay arrival and we may have to request
you to adjust in whatever accommodation available at
that moment. In Lhasa, Gyantse and Xigatse, you can
expect twin room with attached toilet/shower but other
places; you will have to adjust with common restroom
facilities.
Electricity and hot water supply may be disrupted although
the hotels of cities promise them.
Transportation
From Kathmandu, you will be transferred by a van/coach
to Kodari (Tibet border 116 km) accompanied by our escort
and from Tibet border onwards, Tibetan crews will drive
you all the way to Lhasa. In the event of landslides
or road blockade by any reason and service of porters
are required to carry your luggage or hire another means
of transport between the two landslides or for onward
journey, you will be asked to contribute a nominal sum
of money.
During the change of vehicle in the border, you are
requested to help yourself about your luggage.
Guide
Tibetan guides are reported to have limited English
and you may not expect a fluent explanation about culture
and religion or any other academic topics. He will serve
more as a geographical guide and will be responsible
for dealing with bureaucracies on the way. However,
we will try our best to assign you the best guide available
though.
Clothing
The weather is cold, harsh and dry. You will need enough
warm cloths , tennis shoes, suntan cream, sunglasses,
hats, scarves, lip guards etc.
Food
Your trip includes only breakfast. So, you may want
to carry with you energy bars, dry foods like chocolates,
cookies etc to eat on the way. Restaurants in Lhasa,Gyantse
and Xigatse
serve varieties of cuisines ranging from Chinese to
Continental but in other places, you will find basic
Tibetan foods.
Money
In China, you will have to use RMB (Chinese money).
Saturday and Sundays, banks are closed but in the border
sides, you may encounter with a moneychanger everyday.
Travelers' cheques or credit cards are not accepted
in most parts of Tibet. So, you may want to carry about
100 dollars in cash for lunch/dinner and for small souvenirs.
Tipping
Guides and Drivers would be happy to receive tip and
in fact it motivates them to work harder and provide
better service.
Altitude Sickness
Travelers to Tibet are reported to exhibit mild symptoms
of altitude sickness. So, some measures of precaution
and remedies should be taken. Complaints of headache,
fever, loss of appetite, uneasiness, stomach disorder
etc can come up before acclimatization. Travelers with
heart, lungs and blood diseases should consult with
their doctors before they sign up for a trip.
Consumption of enough liquid food (not a liquor!) and
enough rest is recommended if you notice the symptoms
of sickness. |
