TIBET - THE ROOF OF THE WORLD

Tibet, one of the extra-ordinary destinations where indeed adventure lurks around every corner. Its name the "Roof of the World" is not a mere statement. The valley bottoms of Tibet are higher than the highest mountains elsewhere. Adventure on the road is never short on the beautiful Trans Himalayan drive of over 970 km, through four mountain passes, promising a panorama of a cultural and scenic diversity unsurpassable anywhere. The Buddhist monasteries of Drepung, once the largest; the Jokhang - a spiritual centre, and the awesome palaces of the Dalai Lama - Norbulingka (the summer Palace) and the Potala (the traditional seat) are some of the highlights of visit to Tibet.

Lhasa, 11,850 ft) was and still is the religious, cultural and economic centre of Tibet. The famous Potala Palace, the 13 storey, 1000 rooms palace of the Dalai Lama; the monasteries of Drepung and Sera; the Summer Palace of the Dalai Lama- Norbulingka; the Jokhang - the holiest shrine in Tibet are some of the places of interest. The circular Barkhor Street has innumerable shops and wayside peddlers, who inter-mingle with devotees, walking clockwise around the Jokhang.

Gyantse, 13050 is a small agricultural town famous for its wool carpets and the Palkhor Choide Chorten. At the Lamasery and the fort there is a unique structure built in 1414 of the five stories representing the five steps of enlightenment, topped by thirteen rings which symbolize the stages of achieving Buddha hood. There are 108 halls inside, each with frescoes and Buddha shrines. Before 1959 traders coming from India used to enter Tibet through Yadong and on through Gyantse to Lhasa.

Xigaze, 12600 ft is most famous for its Tashihunpo Monastery, the seat of the Panchen Lama. The monastery built in 1447 by the First Dalai Lama contains the relics of Sakyamuni, the Hall of Maitreya and a mind boggling "free" market at the foot of the ruins of the Xigaze fortress where one can buy local handicrafts embedded with coral and turquoise is another great attraction.

Lhaze, 13100 ft is situated at the crossroads from where the road turns westwards towards Mt. Kailash and Mansoravar Lake. During the short summer, the whole valley is covered with green barley fields and bright-yellow mustard meadows, a welcome change after the barren lands of the Tibet Plateau. Close-by, there is also a small hot water spring.

Xegar, 13800 ft is a new Chinese commune built 7 km off the highway, at the food of the ruins of Xegar Dzong. With a population of barely 3000, it is the centre of a large and remote country and also the base from where expeditions to Mt. Everest and other peaks are launched. Zhangmu, 7000 ft better known by its Tibetan name, Khasa, is a small settlement climbing to a hillside 10 km inland from the Friendship Bridge across the Bhotekosi. After closure of the China-India border from Gangtok (Sikkim), Zhangmu has become the major trading route between Tibet and Nepal. The hills around Zhangmu are heavily wooded with innumerable waterfalls in the summer and frozen 'icicles' during winter.

 

Tours ex-Kathmandu :

Season:
April to November

Best Season:
May to August

Clothings:
May to September : Light Clothings
October-November : Warm Clothings
Others: A warm jacket or sweater, sunglasses, chap sticks, sun tan lotion, Swiss knife, water bottle and a small medical kit, torchlight with batteries are recommended.

Flight Operations :
Kathmandu-Lhasa-Kathmandu : Every Tuesday & Saturday

Airfare :
Kathmandu-Lhasa or Lhasa-Kathmandu : USD 273 per person on Economy

Booking Conditions:
At least 4 weeks prior to your tour with Full Name as per Passport/Gender/Nationality/Date of Birth/Passport No./Validity/Occupation and full payment of the tour. Passport should be valid for next 6 months from the date of entry into Tibet.

Minimum Group Size :
As per the Chinese regulations, a minimum of 5 pax is required to operate a tour. However, individual clients will have option of joining others individual to form a group of 5 pax. Tibet

Visa:
All Chinese visas issued by Chinese Embassy Overseas have to be endorsed by the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu to be valid for Tibet. The cost for such endorsement will be same as the Visa Fee. Chinese Embassy requires minimum 4 days to process visa. Therefore, clients opting to visit Tibet must arrive in Kathmandu atleast 4 days prior to their travel date and should carry two passport-sized photographs.

Emergency Visa Fee:
Should the clients not arrive 4 nights prior to their schedule departure for Tibet, the visa can still be obtained by paying an Emergency Visa fee of USD 40 per person.

Altitude and Health Tips:
While most visitors have minor effects from the altitude, the people with known heart or jungs or blood diseases should consult their doctor before travelling. Mild headache, fever, loss of appetite or stomach disorder can take place in a process of acclimatization. Our advise is to drink 4-5 lites water daily and do not exhaust yourself so much and breathe deep for first 1-2 days to get acclimatize.

Accommodation in Tibet:
The hotels in Xegar, Zhangmu, Gyantse and Xigatse are rather simple, cold cement buildings. All hotels provide in each room a thermos of hot water for tea, comfortable beds with lots of warm blankets. Although the hotels are wired for electricity, power in some hotels are limited to few evening hours. Comparatively, Lhasa Hotel (formerly Holiday Inn Lhasa) is a luxury.

Guides:
The Chinese guide provided may not speak much English and even may not know much about the local monastery. Tibet Hand Book by Victor Chan is an ideal book to take along.

Time:
China Time is 2 hours 15 minutes ahead of Nepal time in Winter and 3 hours 15 minutes in Summer.
Daylight does not begin until 8 a.m.