Lhasa (ལྷ་ས་) is the cultural and religious center of Tibet (བོད་). All Tibetans hope to one day make it to Lhasa on a pilgrimage in order to visit all of the famous monasteries and temples that are in the area. Over the past 20 years, Lhasa also has become a popular destination for travelers from around the world. With the completion of the train link to Lhasa, getting there is easier than ever. Trains depart daily to Lhasa from the cities of Beijing, Chengdu, Xining (ཟི་ལིང་), Lanzhou, Chongqing, Guangzhou and Shanghai. The train is a great way to see some of the amazing scenery of the Tibetan Plateau. In addition to the train, there are daily flights from most major Chinese cities to Lhasa.
Lhasa is the starting point of the Friendship Highway which links Lhasa to Kathmandu, Nepal. This is one of the most popular travel routes to take it Tibet and has some of the best scenery that Tibet has to offer including lakes, rivers and the Himalaya Mountains. From Lhasa, the high elevation lake of Nam Tso can easily be visited in a day trip.
If you have any questions regarding travel, culture or history of Tibet, please send an email to [email protected]
Great article! Love the pics.
Posted by: Singing Bowls | December 03, 2009 at 01:03 AM
Great article. Thanks for the info.
Posted by: Singing Bowl | October 07, 2009 at 06:17 AM
excellent info with quite beautiful pics...tibet is really blessed with natural beauty by god..
Posted by: Akshay | September 23, 2009 at 01:33 PM
Tashi delek!
Could you please tell me whether they might be difficulties involved in coming to Tibet with a Tibetan U.S. citizen and two Caucasian U.S. citizens? Is travel outside of a government sanctioned tour group a possible for a small independent group?
Thuk je che,
Grayrider in Oregon, USA
Posted by: Grayrider | June 15, 2009 at 02:54 AM
Hello,
I emailed and posted here already -- sorry to bother you!
I'm wondering if I can get a permit to Tibet quickly. I'm in India now and want to take the train from Lhasa to Guanzhou. My plan is now to fly from Delhi to Chengdu and then from Chengdu to Lhasa. Can I get a permit at some point in the next couple of days? I only intend to stay in Lhasa for a day or two and then take the train to Guanzhou.
Posted by: Jessica | April 26, 2009 at 05:02 PM
Japhy...Currently, all of your travel plans for the Tibet Autonomous Region need to be made BEFORE you arrive in Lhasa. So if you want to travel outside of Lhasa, you will need to arrange that once you make your initial plans to go to Lhasa.
Posted by: Losang | February 14, 2009 at 08:14 AM
Is it possible to obtain permit with Lhasa guide for two or three days and then make arrangements for further travel with tour company in Lhasa?
Posted by: JaphyR | February 05, 2009 at 07:59 AM
Yes I just got back from there.
Posted by: Tibetan Singing Bowls | December 12, 2008 at 01:52 PM
Jenny...send a request to [email protected] and a reply will be given to you as soon as possible. Thanks!
Posted by: Losang | October 03, 2008 at 08:58 PM
how much are we looking at for a trip to the north base camp of Everest? also what about your nomad camping tours in tibet?
Posted by: jenny | October 03, 2008 at 08:23 PM
Sanjee...We can try and send all your paperwork into the Tibet Tourism Bureau and see if they will issue you a permit as a solo traveler. It may work, it may not.
Posted by: Losang | September 01, 2008 at 05:53 PM
I suppose no one has heard of an update to the rules (having to be in a group of the same nationality). I'm from Sri Lanka. What are the chances of finding another traveling to Lhasa on the same dates! :(
Also the tour group part - I was planning on taking the train in and then most likely picking up a air ticket to Katmandu and back - I suppose all that should be pre-arranged now.
p.s. thank for the great info on the site
Posted by: Sanjee | August 26, 2008 at 09:25 PM
ferroever
**That is such a bummer that you have to arrange a complete tour. Takes the 't' out of 'travel'.
I guess I'll wait a while before visiting Tibet. Sod China! **
why dont you sod yourself mate ?
tinyurl.com/4exmzm
Posted by: denk | August 17, 2008 at 12:40 PM
Finnaly. Even with all the restriction finally we can come and visit. It took a long time but now I am able to stock up on Tibetan Handicrafts, which are among the most skilled works available.
Posted by: Tibetan Handicrafts | July 03, 2008 at 04:18 AM
This is great news!!!
Tibet is open again!
Yippee!
Posted by: Annie | June 29, 2008 at 01:19 PM
That is such a bummer that you have to arrange a complete tour. Takes the 't' out of 'travel'.
I guess I'll wait a while before visiting Tibet. Sod China!
Posted by: ferroever | June 28, 2008 at 07:41 PM
That is such a bummer that you have to arrange a complete tour. Takes the 't' out of 'travel'.
I guess I'll wait a while before visiting Tibet. Sod China!
Posted by: ferroever | June 28, 2008 at 07:40 PM
Many thanks for the latest info on the travel situation in Tibet. Well I see things are back to square 1 again! Shame about everyone in a group having to have the same nationality, I'll have to find someone with a British passport to travel with me as all my friends have French passports!!!
Keep up the good work
Nickie
Posted by: Nickie | June 26, 2008 at 11:22 PM