Gateway cities to Tibet. When Tibet was open for tourist in the early 1980’s Overland journey from Nepal, Bus ride from Golmud and flight from Chengdu and Xian are only gateway cities to Tibet. So a visitor will have to take a lot of preparation, and reaching Lhasa is either expensive or take a tiring journey to get here.
Now thanks to the rapid development of infrastructure by the government and the booming domestic economy of China. You have more travel options to reach in Lhasa. You can choose to take flight, train or drive overland to Tibet.
In this post, we will discuss a few best gateway cities to Tibet. Additionally, we will discuss activities you can do, the mode of transportations and the Tibet permit situation from each city.
Travelling to Tibet from Kathmandu
Kathmandu is the only international destination where you can enter Tibet and the famous gateway cities to Tibet. Therefore, tourism in Nepal has always been complementary to Tibet tourism, and many travellers would plan their holiday in Nepal with their Tibet tour plan.
The only mode to transportation to travel to Lhasa from Kathmandu is either by taking flight to Lhasa or travelling overland to TIbet.
Visa situation
If you are travelling Tibet from Kathmandu to Tibet, it is mandatory to get a Chinese Group Visa from the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu. Chinese Group Visa is on a piece of two identical A4 size paper, unlike the usual Visa on your passport.
It will take three business days to get the Visa done. They will not entertain an individual applicant. Hence you will have to use a registered visa agent to apply on your behalf.
Please be aware that all the preexisting valid Chinese Visa on your passport will get cancelled as you are never allowed to have two valid Visa to the same country at a time. So you can either change your travel route to Tibet from a different city in China or let go of the Visa on your passport.
You can read more about the Chinese Group Visa here.
Tibet travel permit situation
When you book your tour with us, you will have to send us an image copy of your passport and deposit cash to our bank to apply for your Tibet travel permit. Since you are coming to Nepal to Tibet, there is no Chinese visa requirement as you will only get it in Kathmandu.
You will meet your tour guide at the China custom checkpoint on the border at Lhasa Airport or Land border port. She will have your Tibet Permit on her hand and help you check out at the custom.
Learn more about Tibet travel permit here.
Flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa
The only international flight to Tibet is from Kathmandu. In the summer month, there are two daily flights and one daily flight in winter.
When you book all your flights to Tibet online, you will be asked to submit your Tibet travel permit. Unfortunately, this document will be only available a week before you arrive in Lhasa. Hence, you can ask your travel agency or any other booking agency to make the booking for you.
Though it is not very frequent, sometimes the flight from Kathmandu will not land in Lhasa airport when it is very windy in Lhasa. In such time, your flight will continue to Chengdu, and you will be sent back to Lhasa on the alternate flight to Lhasa.
You will be most likely to arrive in Lhasa on the second day. Hence it is recommended to visit Potala Palace on the third day of the tour to ensure you will not miss it. We will have to make a booking for Potala Palace four days before your visit. Once you miss the booking date, we will only be able to book your next visit after a month. Therefore you will miss your visit to Potala Palace.
Read more about Kathmandu to Lhasa flight
Overland Journey to Tibet
Another popular route to reach Lhasa from Kathmandu by overland journey via the Sino-Nepal Friendship way.
Here, you can hire a jeep from Kathmandu to Kyirong. Kyirong is the town on Tibet, China side of the border. From Kyirong, you can choose to travel directly to Lhasa, which will take two days, or you can go to visit Mount Everest Basecamp and other attractions along the way and end your tour in Lhasa.
On this route, you will drive parallelly to the Himalayas for the first day. The landscape along the way is stunning, and you can ask your driver to stop to enjoy those stunning landscape.
Proper rest in Kyirong border town for acclimatisation to the high altitude of Tibet to prevent altitude sickness. It is also recommended to bring medicine for High altitude sickness from Nepal. Otherwise increase in height per day is incredibly high.
Travelling to Tibet from other cities in China.
Before we break down the post in individual cities in China, there some information that implies travelling from all the cities in China, hence, we will find all necessary information on travel to Tibet via any city in China.
It is often recommended to travel to Tibet via cities in China and continue to Nepal to visit the Himalayan kingdom. This is because visiting Tibet easier and more accessible from other regions of China as compared with Nepal.
Read more about how to travel to Tibet here.
Chinese Visa for Visiting Tibet
Usually, getting a regular Chinese Tourist Visa is not an issue. Most of our client would not face any obstacle in obtaining a Visa. But sometimes, they find it hard to get it.
It is always better to secure the Visa on your first attempt. For this, it is recommended not to mention any place in Tibet or Tibet as your travel destinations.
If you do, you will be asked to submit a visa invitation from the Tibet Tourism Bureau. This invitation will be only available in the last week before your departure for Tibet. There are many other drawbacks you can avoid by not mentioning Tibet on your application.
You can find details information about the Chinese Group Visa here.
Tibet travel permit situation
To apply for your Tibet travel permit, you will have to send us a copy of your passport, Chinese Visa, and Tours deposit on your official bank account addressed in Lhasa.
The situation of Tibet travel permit is entirely different as compared with travelling from Nepal. When you travel Tibet from various cities in China to Tibet, you will need the Original permit or its copy on your hand. Without it, you will not be able to enter Tibet.
If you are taking the flight to Lhasa from Cities in China, you will need the original permit in hand to step into the flight bound for Tibet. We can courier your permit to your hotel in departing China.
Suppose you don’t plan to book a hotel and connect to a Lhasa flight with a stopover. However, we can only arrange your permit delivery to Chengdu airport. Hence it is recommended to transit your flight in Chengdu with 2+ hours to meet our agent.
If you take a train journey to Tibet, you will only require a printed copy of the permit. We will send the scanned image of your permit to your email address, and you can print it out as soon as possible. You will need this copy to get into the train bound to Lhasa.
Read more about Getting Tibet travel permit here.
Chengdu to Lhasa
Chengdu is the most popular gateway cities to Tibet. However, most travellers visiting Tibet via other regions of China prefers Chengdu for its proximity and accessibility. Another reason would be a Visit to Panda breeding centre and Leshan Giant Buddha before travelling to Tibet.
Activities in Chengdu and Sichuan
It is an excellent idea to spend few days in Chengdu to rest and get a good vibe before continuing your journey to Lhasa. Chengdu is internationally known for its Panda breeding centre, where you can volunteer and Leshan Giant Buddha.
There is a vast portion of Tibetan Inhabitat regions in Sichuan province where you enjoy authentic Tibet experience without requiring any permit. In addition, Tibetan areas in Sichuan is so beautiful that many Tibetan would prefer to visit for their holidays.
We can arrange your visit to both these sites in addition to your Tibet tour arrangements.
Flights from Chengdu to Lhasa
On average, on a day, there are more than dozen of flight from Chengdu. Hence this makes Chengdu central hub for taking a flight to Lhasa.
The flight journey between Chengdu to Lhasa takes almost 2 hours. Most Chinese domestic airline operates on this route.
Find more information about flight between Chengdu and Lhasa here.
Overland Journey from Chengdu to Lhasa
You can travel overland from Chengdu to Lhasa via Sichuan-Tibet Highway G318. This 2,142km long highway journey could take between 7 to 15 days, depending on your preferences.
This land route is known its notorious for lousy road and sharp hairpin turns. However, you will drive over to some of the most beautiful unexplored regions of Tibet and Sichuan.
You can either hire a private car from us in Lhasa to pick you up in Chengdu or drive your vehicle on this route. We will help you with all the required documentation and paperwork to allow this journey at ease.
Train Journey from Chengdu to Lhasa
There is one train available in two days from Chengdu to Lhasa. The journey will take 42 hours to reach Lhasa city covering 3070 kilometres and five Chinese Provinces. You will reach Lhasa at the prime time at 9:55 am, giving you enough time to rest for proper acclimatisation in Tibet.
You can learn more about the train journey from Chengdu to Lhasa here.
Xining to Lhasa
Xining is the biggest city on the Tibetan Plateau and the main city of China’s Qinghai province. It is the main gateway cities to Tibet, if you are taking a train journey to Tibet.
Qinghai also homes to a big chunk of the Tibetan Inhabitat region outside the Tibet autonomous region. Hence, there is a considerable possibility to experience the Tibetan nomadic lifestyle and ultimate trekking routes in the area.
Train from Xining to Lhasa
Xining is the most popular gateway to Tibet if you are taking the train to Tibet. The city has the most option with six different trains each day. All the train from other parts of China to Lhasa will merge to Qinghai-Tibet Railway line from Xining city.
The train journey between these two cities will take 22 hours, covering 1972 km. You will reach Lhasa on the second day. It is recommended to take the late train to enjoy the beautiful landscape of the Tibetan Plateau.
Learn more about Xining to Lhasa train here.
Flight from Xining to Lhasa
There are more than four flight from Xining to Lhasa each day. All these flights are stop over the flight from cities further away in the mainland like shanghai and Beijing. The flight will take over 3 hours to Lhasa from Xining.
Learn more about Xining to Lhasa flights here.
Overland Journey from Xining to Lhasa
When Tibet was first open for international visitor in early 1980, the cheapest route to reach Lhasa is by taking a Public bus from Golmud. Golmud is the last place to the plateau connected with the China Railway grid at the time.
Now Lhasa is connected to the China railway grid with the Qinghai-Tibet Railway line. Currently, Public service from Golmud to Lhasa is off limited to foreigners. The only way to travel overland from Xining to Lhasa is by hiring a private vehicle from us in Lhasa or a self-driving journey to Lhasa.
Conclusion of Gateway cities to Tibet
Above mentions, three cities are the most popular gateway cities to Tibet for international travellers. Yet you can also travel to Tibet from all the major cities in China like Shanghai and Beijing with minor hiccups, like a very long journey on train and confusion in getting a Tibet travel permit to take a flight to Lhasa.
For free travel consultation to visit Tibet, You can write to us at info@lamamanitours.com
