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Tibet

Tibet - The Last Shangrila


No land has captured man's imagination for its remoteness & almost mystical aura as TIBET, the forbidden kingdom on the roof of the world. Captivated by Tibet's mystic charm & ruggedness great explorers & adventurers of the century have ventured into this holy land rendered inaccessible by the hostile natural conditions & bandits that waylaid them across through the Himalayas.

Tibet houses four out of fourteen highest mountains in the world exceeding 8000m. This vast land is also the cradle of great rivers like the Yangtze, Mekong, Yarlong Tsangpo (Brahmaputra), Indus, and Ganges. Tibet also offers awe-inspiring scenery of heavenly lakes and valleys.

Despite untold ravages brought about during the Cultural Revolution, Tibet's past grandeur, majesty, magic & mystery still remains undiminished. One can still see nomads herding their yaks, pilgrims worshipping at sacred shrines & the expansive, striking & enduring Himalayan topography. Tibet is truly an `adventurers' paradise'. Tibet borders with India, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Burma in south and is bounded by Kashmir on the west.

Lhasa and Shigatse offer the most accessible religious monuments and tourist attractions. As the most important cities of Tibet, Lhasa and Shigatse feature most of the religious monuments including the Potala, the Jokhang Temple, Tashilunpo Monastery and Kumbum.
Western Tibet is a vast barren plateau where the sacred lake (Manasarovar) joins the sacred mountain (Mt. Kailash). It is a holy pilgrimage destination for both Tibetans and Hindus, and offers popular treks.

Tibet factCapital: Lhasa

Official Language: Tibetan (various dialects) and Putonghua (Mandarin)
Religions: Tibetan Buddhism. It is very difficult to estimate the number of adherents to this religion
Voltage: 220 Volts. Sockets come in at least four designs – three pronged angled pins (as in Australia), three pronged round pins (as in Hong Kong), two flat pins (American style but without the earth wire) or two narrow round pins (European style). Conversion plugs are worth bringing along.
Population: 2,7 million.
Time Zone: 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (+8 GMT). Daylight Saving Time is not observed.
Telephone Codes: 86
Weather: Tibet experiences extremes in weather, but the climate is not as harsh as many people imagine. Even so, weather conditions may vary considerably during your tour and even more so during a trek.
Lhasa is generally mild from May through October and overall, spring and autumn are considered the best seasons to travel. Due to the altitude the sun can be quite harsh during the day in summer however temperatures can fall considerably at night. July and August also see the highest rainfall in most parts of the country which makes for a much greener environment and the possibility of roads being washed away.

The following chart shows minimum and maximum daytime temperatures for Lhasa (in degrees Celsius) :

Jan Feb March Apr May Jun
-9/9 -5/9 2/13 2/17 7/22 10/24

Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
10/23 10/21 9/21 2/17 -4/11 -9/6


2. preparing to go (Visas) For China - Tibet, we arrange these for you as part of the service for all tours including the fixed departures, but we begin the paperwork one month before the tour, so send us your details early.
We need a copy of the details page of your passport. Most convenient is a scan saved as a JPEG file of around 100kb size. If you book less than one month in advance there is an additional $25 fee.

For Tibet tours starting in China: Two separate visas are required by all nationalities travelling from China to Tibet: A Tibetan group tourist visa, which is organised by our agents upon your arrival in China (and is included in your tour cost); and a China tourist visa, which you will need to purchase in advance. Note: It is extremely important to avoid stating on your application for a China visa that it is your intention to visit Tibet even if it is included on your itinerary.
Please always consult us about visas for China and Tibet as this a difficult process to go through.

3. travel permits We arrange all travel and trekking permits in Tibet once we have received you passport details. No land has captured man's imagination for its remoteness & almost mystical aura as TIBET, the forbidden kingdom on the roof of the world. Captivated by Tibet's mystic charm & ruggedness great explorers & adventurers of the century have ventured into this holy land rendered inaccessible by the hostile natural conditions & bandits that waylaid them across through the Himalayas.
Tibet houses four out of fourteen highest mountains in the world exceeding 8000m. This vast land is also the cradle of great rivers like the Yangtze, Mekong, Yarlong Tsangpo (Brahmaputra), Indus, and Ganges. Tibet also offers awe-inspiring scenery of heavenly lakes and valleys.

Despite untold ravages brought about during the Cultural Revolution, Tibet's past grandeur, majesty, magic & mystery still remains undiminished. One can still see nomads herding their yaks, pilgrims worshipping at sacred shrines & the expansive, striking & enduring Himalayan topography. Tibet is truly an `adventurers' paradise'. Tibet borders with India, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Burma in south and is bounded by Kashmir on the west.

Lhasa and Shigatse offer the most accessible religious monuments and tourist attractions. As the most important cities of Tibet, Lhasa and Shigatse feature most of the religious monuments including the Potala, the Jokhang Temple, Tashilunpo Monastery and Kumbum.

Western Tibet is a vast barren plateau where the sacred lake (Manasarovar) joins the sacred mountain (Mt. Kailash). It is a holy pilgrimage destination for both Tibetans and Hindus, and offers popular treks.