Tibet cow?
Entering Tibet you feel as though you’ve entered an entirely different world. As much as the Chinese government maintains its policy of cultural assimilation and autonomy, Tibetans try to preserve their unique heritage.
Isolated Tibetan autonomous prefectures found in Qinghai, southwest Gansu, western Sichuan and northwest Yunnan provinces along with the Tibet Autonomous Region form the Greater Tibet region of China. These areas outside the Tibet Autonomous Region are culturally, historically and linguistically Tibetan to various degrees.
When to go
Generally, it is best to visit Tibet from May to July, and September to October.
Lhasa, Tsetang and Shigatse are suitable for tourism throughout the year. It is not recommended to visit the Everest Base Camp area in winter – October to next April. During the winter, roads might be blocked by heavy snow in east Tibet and Ngari. Frequent rainfalls in August make road travel more difficult.
Although winter is very cold, many restaurants are shut and snowfalls can sometimes make travel difficult, some travellers swear by these months. There are few travellers about and Lhasa, for example, is crowded with nomads and at its most colourful.
The average temperature in January is -2°C.
Lunar to Gregorian calendar conversion.
Online Chinese Lunar to Gregorian converter
I will be probably in late December:
- 1st December = 4th of the 11th lunar month
- 31st December = 5th of the 12th lunar month
Event calendar for that dates. Yet another calendar (PDF).
November
- Lhabab Dhechen (22nd of the 9th Lunar month) Nov 3 2008
- Palden Lhamo Festival (15th of the 10th Lunar month) Nov 26 2007
December
- Gaden Nga-Choe (25th of the 10th Lunar month) Dec 7 2007
- Ling Parinirvana () Dec 18 2008
- Tsongkhapa Parinirvana () Dec 21 2008
January
- Tibetan New Year (Losar) (1-3 of the 1st Lunar month) Jan 26-29 2009
Getting in and out
Seems like going from India or Nepal, through Tibet, and then inland (Sichuan) is not possible.
To go to Tibet you have to go as a group from the same nationality (3 people can be a group) in a tour.
All foreign visitors to Tibet need one or more permits. The basic one is the Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB) permit, which can be issued to you by Chinese travel agencies that handle trips to Tibet, or (if overseas and arriving via Nepal) by the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu on proof of purchasing a package tour (there is no way around this). If you buy an expensive package tour, the TTB permit will only cost you US$6, but if you just want train/plane tickets, the travel agency will inflate their cut accordingly and you’ll need to fork out up to US$50-70. For land crossings (including the train), you’ll get a physical permit that will be checked; for plane tickets, the permit may just be an annotation on your ticket record.
Some parts of Tibet also require an Aliens’ Travel Permit (ATP), which is issued by the Public Security Bureau (PSB) in major Tibetan cities like Lhasa, Xigatse and Ali. The list of regions that require ATPs changes constantly, so enquire locally. Lhasa’s PSB has a poor reputation, while Xigatse and Ali are said to issue permits without any unnecessary difficulties. If your papers are in order, the permit can be issued in several hours for Y100.
Tibetans tend to rely on prayer to facilitate a safe arrival – you might consider doing the same once you see the conditions.
Lonely planet
Leaving by train to Sichuan
Train from Lhasa to Lanzhou to Shanghai. 2 days. $100-$150
Train from Lhasa to Chengdu. 1 day 21 hours. $80-$120
Map of trains in China.
Leaving by plane to Sichuan
Flying out of Lhasa is considerably easier and cheaper than flying in. No permits are necessary – just turn up to the Civil Aviation Authority of China office (CAAC; Zhongguo Minhang; tel: 683 3446; 1 Niangre Lu) and buy a ticket. Lonely Planet
Plane from Lhasa to Chengdu (Sichuan): winter schedule. Y1200
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