Travel Info Tibet

Geography

With a pride of great rivers, numbers of High Mountain of earth and huge dry upland, Tibet covers the 2.5 million sq kilometers of total land on earth. The average altitude of Tibet from sea level is 4,000 meters or 13,000 feet, therefore, it is also known as ‘Roof of the world’. Tibet is regarded as Central Asia, by Western sources (European and American) traditionally but modern maps show all of modern China, putting Tibet as a part of East Asia. It is surrounded by China, India, Bhutan, and Nepal. There are many high mountains some of them are Changtse, Gaurishankar, Cho Oyu, Mount Kailash, Makalu, Shisapangma, Jomolhari, North Col. And many others. Tibet is famous for The Potala Palace- Palace of Art, Jokhang Temple, Namtso and many others.

Capital

Lasha is the capital city of Tibet which has the second highly populated area after Xining situated at the height of 3,490 meters (11,450 ft.). Meaning of the word Lasha is “place of the gods”, it is also one of the highest cities in the world. Compared to sea level the air contains 68 percent of the oxygen. It also has the name like “Sunlight City “or “Sun City”. A population of Lasha is 400,000, of which 87% are Tibetans. Famous place of Lasha is Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Norbulingka, Barkhor Street, Sera Monastery, Drepung Monastery, Tibet Museum, Namtso Lake, Yangbajing and Ramoche Temple.

Currency

Tibet uses Chinese currency which is called Yuan. It comes in 100 Yuan, 50 Yuan, 20 Yuan, 5 Yuan, 1 Yuan, 5 Jiao and 2 Jiao.

Climate

The climatic condition of the Tibet is peculiar. Inadequate oxygen, extreme sunlight and lightweight air make the climate harsh. Because of the thin air, ultraviolet radiation cannot absorb or retain heat.  Different area of the Tibet has different weather condition. However, the average temperature of Tibet is July 58°F and January 24°F. The majority of people suffer from the altitude sickness and insufficient level of oxygen.

Language

It is evaluated that around 8 million people worldwide speak Tibetan dialects. Standard Tibetan alongside Mandarin Chinese is an official language of the Tibet; an autonomous region of the People’s Republic of China.

Population

The total population size of Tibetan is 6 million; 2.09 million live in the TAR and rest of them live outside of the Tibetan area. And many Chinese also live there but it is not authoritatively decided or settled. In addition, approximately 120,000 live in exile. 

Religion and culture

Citizens of the Tibet’s follow four religions namely Buddhism, Bon, Christianity, and Islam. But mostly Tibetan follow Buddhism (i.e. 99%).The architecture of Tibet reflects culture. Chinese and Indian influence, and reflects a deeply Buddhist approach. Tibetan culture has an impact of its neighbor countries (China, India, and Nepal). It is reached in natural resources like major rivers like the YarlungTsangpo

Is Tibet safe to travel?

Citizens of the Tibet are honest, trustworthily and friendly. In the perspective of crime take place, in Tibet crime are minor or opportunistic. Mostly ATM crime id is increasing now a day. It is better to use ATM when guide prefers you in daytime. Unnecessary display of wealth may cause the problem for you so, it should be avoided. Other than this traveling after risky, especially alone. In climatic aspect because of a tuff climatic condition, a traveler has to suffer some climatic disorder. This can be avoided by some considerations during planning and prevention method.

Tibet Visa

As per the law of People’s Republic China, except residents of Brunei, Japan, and Singapore, citizens of other countries must have a Tibet travel permit before entering Lhasa. You should likewise have one whole clear page in your passport for the visa, and also the validity of your passport of at least 6 months. Supplementary permits are needed in case you want to travel to unopened zones such as Mt. Everest, which should be affirmed by a few government offices.

Traveling insurance

A travel insurance framework to cover robbery, calamity and therapeutic issues is exceedingly upheld. Most procedures will manage costs on the off chance that you are obliged to cross out your visit in the context of flight cancelation, sickness, hurt or the passing of a near to relative. This can shield you from important catastrophes because of Tibet's prepayment conditions and overpowering cancelation charges.

Best trekking season

You can enjoy trekking mostly in April to May and August to October because there is no rainfall in this season which can affect your trekking tour. It is spring and autumn season going on in this period of time. If you mistakenly plan you’re trekking in the offseason you can suffer from sickness.

Flight cancelation

Due to limited airspace for civilian aircraft and poor weather condition, flights delays are very common in Tibet. Another major reason of flight delay or cancellation is Tibet is due to using of outdated traffic control. Thus, in case of emergency high-speed trains or road transport can be preferred.

Checklist equipment

CLOTHES

  • Sun hat or scarf
  • Polarized sun glasses
  • Thin inner and warm hiking wool socks
  • Hiking boots and sneakers
  • Lightweight and heavyweight gloves
  • Under garments
  • Hiking shorts
  • Lightweight along with thick woolen pants
  • T-shirt
  • Lightweight thermal tops
  • Jacket and windcheater

ACCESSORIES

  • Headlamp with extra batteries and bulb
  • First-aid kit
  • Large plastic bags
  • Water bottles
  • Toiletries (wash towel, toothbrush, toilet paper, soap, nail cutter)
  • Flights and Visa Availability in Nepal

Since the outskirt crossing is open at Gyring Port, there are two central ways to get from Nepal to Tibet i.e. marking down a flight to China and taking the train. Nepal is the only nation from where you can get the flights to Lhasa directly from the Tribhuvan International Airport based on Katmandu. Or you can even take a road transport (both private/public vehicles) with a professional guide from Nepal to enter the city of Lhasa via friendship highway. It might take 7-8 days to reach Lhasa from Kathmandu.

Tibet visa can be easily received from the Chinese Embassy in Nepal. Visa applicant’s passport will be needed for 3 full days by Chinese embassy along with other complementary documents must be submitted before 11 am on weekdays for visa processing. It will almost take 2 days for the visa processing to be completed.

Index Adventure is one of the renowned companies for trekking in different parts of the Tibet. Our only advice to you is to get away from your daily routine and explore the Tibet.