How to visit Tibet

When you plan your trip, you will have questions in your mind about how to visit Tibet? Any traveller who is planning a trip to the Tibet autonomous region (TAR) must aware of which port of departure and what visa you will need.

About Tibet

Emerging from humble origins as local tribe leaders in Lhasa’s Yarlung Valley, the Tibetan Kings gradually came to conquer and control much of the geographic feature we know today as ‘the Tibetan Plateau’ (the largest and highest geographical feature on the planet). In the process, they traded and skills, conquered and absorbed surrounding cultures, and adopted cultural knowledge from other powerful empires. Today, we often refer to ‘Tibet’ as the geo-cultural area conquered during the Golden Age of the Tibetan Empire, yet in the final years of the 10th century, internal struggles and religious persecution brought an end to one of Eurasia’s most impressive cultural kingdoms. In the years that followed, Buddhism experienced a massive revival, becoming the defining and distinguishing characteristic of ‘Tibetan Culture’.

Visit Tibet? What Visa Do I Need?

There are only two ways to enter the TAR. Most importantly, you should know the different visas from Mainland China or from Nepal. Read the following to understand what visa you have to process.

Visa from Kathmadnu, Nepal

Visa from mainland China

Visa from Mainland China:

This is the easiest way to take train or flight from any convenient cities from mainland China. To get to China first, you have to process Chinese Visa from the Chinese embassy to your country. Chinese visa is also processable in any countries if it isn’t available in your country. Travel agencies in Lhasa are not responsible in any matters of getting your visa. Once you get Chinese visa, A Tibetan travel agency process your permit by submitting your documents (copies of your passport and Chinese visa) to Tibet tourism bureau (TTB). This process usually takes two weeks to visit Tibet.

Visa from Nepal:

You can take direct flight to Lhasa or booking a tour from Kyirung border to Lhasa. However, you are required to process Tibet Group Visa (some call it Tibet visa) from Chinese embassy to Kathmandu. Nepal is the one an only country where you will get Group visa for Tibet. You do not need Chinese visa from your country accept a visa for Nepal. To get Tibet group visa from Kathmandu, you have to book a tour with a licensed travel agency in Lhasa who is responsible to send you an invitation letter. You can not get group visa along with yourself but a partner travel agency in Kathmandu who will handle this procession successfully within 3 working days.

The partner travel agency will need your original passports along with the invitation letter to get the visa. At arrival by overland or by flight, tour guide will be at the border or airport to receive you with your travel permit, and help through all checkpoints. Contact our reliable parted travel agency in Kathmandu to process all this for you.

Outward Tibet

Outward is also very important. Your Tibet travel permit already included your inward and outward departures information too. For example, your outward destination is to mainland China, you can not got to Nepal at end of the tour.

Visit Amdo And Kham: (Tibetan cultural areas in Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yun’nan provinces)

Tibet Travel Permit is not needed for Tibetan cultural areas outside of the TAR, (most of Kham and Amdo). These areas can be visited with most regular, valid, Chinese Visa.

Certain areas to visit Kham and Amdo are subject to closures and for select areas, an overnight stays may require an ATP or a Military Permit. Please check our ‘Tours to Amdo’ and contact us directly to find out if the area you are interested in has special requirements. To read more about how to get to Tibet of our Tibet travel guide page to understand all.