Every self-respecting traveler must visit Tibet at least once. This is a special area with unique people and their worldview. Tibetan philosophy is now changing and moving away from its origins. Despite this, a trip to Tibet is simply necessary, but for this you need to know some of the features and subtleties of tourism to these distant lands.
What is Tibet?
Perhaps not everyone knows, but since 1950, such a country has ceased to exist on the world map. Starting from the middle of the last century, this area passed under the control of China, and now it is called the Tibet Autonomous Region. However, not all of Tibet’s territory passed to China, some lands are located in the territories of Nepal and India.
Most often, tours to Tibet involve a visit to its historical part, namely Kailash and Lhasa. These places have become the most popular among tourists precisely because of the large number of myths. It is worth noting that they are well warmed up by marketers who promote tourism in this area.
If you want to see the real culture of Tibet, not spoiled by tourists and money, then in this case it is best to visit the Buddhist regions in Nepal. Tibet is located on a huge mountainous territory, the highest point of which is Mount Gungashan with a height of 7,590 meters.
What you need to know before traveling
It is immediately worth noting that it is not possible to get to the historical territory of Tibet on your own. To visit this zone, you need to hire a special guide who will accompany tourists. That is why it is necessary to book a tour to Tibet, as well as get a Chinese visa.
Of course, there are desperate travelers who made their way to these lands on their own. However, it is better not to tempt fate, because they are here illegally. Moreover, the Chinese government is constantly tightening the rules for finding foreign citizens in the Tibetan zone.
At the entrance to the TAR there are a large number of roadblocks with the military and police. They carry out round-the-clock control so that foreigners do not cross the border. Many people ask locals to help them and get into Chinese Tibet, but this is also a violation of local law.
If an independent tourist is found on the territory of the TAP, then at best he will be deported with subsequent blacklisting, which entails the inability to obtain a visa to many advanced countries.
Clearance Permissions
The easiest and cheapest option to get to Tibet is to apply for a visa to Nepal. Then you should get to the border zone, where a smiling guide and strict soldiers of the customs service will be waiting for the group. Another advantage of traveling through Kathmandu is the incredibly beautiful “Friendship Road”, believe me, such a beautiful nature is very difficult to find in the whole world.
Since the Chinese government regularly tightens the rules for crossing the TAR border, a number of requirements have now appeared for tourists who plan to visit Tibet through Nepal. The following people are prohibited from entering China:
- citizens of Kazakhstan;
- people who have visa stamps in Afghanistan, Turkey, Pakistan, Israel, Iran and other Middle Eastern countries in their passport.
If you fall into this category of citizens, then in this case it will be possible to get to Tibet only through China with a preliminary visa application to this country.
To get to the TAR through the PRC: features, price of the tour
Previously, a citizen of another country must apply for a visa to China. Then, depending on the tour, you should get to the destination where the guide will meet you or the bus with tourists will be waiting at the airport. After this, you should go through the border zone of the autonomous republic.
The cost of traveling to Tibet is relatively low, but the flight to this country is very expensive. You can find a tour from 1,700 dollars (107,000 rubles) per person. It should be borne in mind that plane tickets will cost the same, so in total the trip is quite expensive.
What can be seen?
A visit to Tibet with a tourist group accompanied by a guide suggests a standard route. Here you will be shown only classic sights, while communication with local residents is practically reduced to zero. Tourists from other countries can see:
- Lhasa and surroundings;
- Shigatse;
- various mountains of Tibet;
- famous lakes Manasarovar and Rakshas;
- Kingdom of Guge and Shamshung;
- Chinese Everest Base Camp.
By and large, this is all that tour operators offer to see in TAP. At the same time, tourists may not be allowed into any of the above places, as foreigners very often hold various protests. A few years ago, a group of foreign citizens tried to arrange a rally right near the base camp of Everest and stretched out the flags with the words “Free Tibet”. That is, they called for the disconnection of the TAP from the PRC, but this action was very quickly suppressed by law enforcement officials in China. Such cases are not isolated, and that is why Tibet is quite closed from visiting tourists.
Traveling in eastern Tibet without a group or guide
It is impossible to legally enter the TAP without a guide and a group. At the checkpoint you will definitely be asked about this. In some cases, an individual visit to Tibet is possible, but only with a guide. When a foreign citizen enters this autonomous region, he can quietly disappear from the guide's field of vision and begin an independent journey, but in this case one must be extremely careful.
There are areas where you do not need additional residence permits, namely:
- Admo;
- Kham;
- a significant part of Qinghai.
Here, the tourist is in relative safety, and he is rarely asked about Perm and the tourist group. Lhasa is also considered to be an area where additional permission to stay is not required, but when visiting the main attractions you will definitely be asked about the availability of permits and a guide. Otherwise, the foreigner is threatened with deportation and blacklisting.
It is also worth noting that in a large territory of the autonomous region there are a large number of dressed up Chekists who perform their work with sufficient quality. Therefore, an independent trip to Tibet can end much earlier than previously thought.
Note! It’s only possible to escape from the guide in the case of an individual tour. When a group of people is traveling, all of them are obliged to pass roadblocks together, in the absence of one person, his searches immediately begin.
Group visa briefly
Having received a group visa in the PRC, tourists, in addition to Tibet, can freely move throughout China. However, the following factors should be considered:
- maximum visa validity is 30 days;
- all members of the tourist group must enter the territory of the People’s Republic of China together, as well as collectively cross the TAP checkpoints and within the republic, all group members must leave Tibet at the same time;
- further movement in China is possible in free mode.
It's important to know! The group visa indicates the place of arrival, for example, the documents indicate that you are arriving in Chengdu and you have arrived in Lhasa. Even this is already considered a violation of the law, so it is likely that you will be deployed back to your homeland.
Travel to Tibet: reviews
If you are not afraid of all this bureaucracy, there is a willingness to make a visa and follow all the established rules, then in this case you should pay attention to the reviews of tourists who have already visited this area. A sufficiently large number of travelers simply do not calculate their strength, and for them this trip becomes unbearably difficult, because all the main attractions are located in the mountains of Tibet at an altitude of about 4,000 meters. Already at this altitude, many develop mountain sickness, so you should immediately go down.
People who like comfortable travel conditions also often leave negative reviews, because here there is quite simple food and a primitive way of life. It is also very difficult for many tourists to cope with local temperature differences. There is hot sun during the day, and at night the air temperature drops well below zero.
Despite this, there are a large number of positive reviews. Here, incredible nature, special people, most of whom live according to ancient laws.
Conclusion
In general, a trip to Tibet is quite complicated and costly, but if you are really seriously interested in history and local culture, then this place is a must to visit. You should also be aware that it is strictly forbidden to transport various literature and symbolism with images of the Dalai Lama to the territory of the TAR.