If you are planning to travel to Tibet this holiday, you would require a permit or a visa to explore this beautiful place on the top of the world. The Tibet travel permits are arranged by the tour operators with whom you have booked your treks and tours of Tibet. However, below are some details about the Tibet travel permit, China visa and what you can expect.
The entry permits of Tibet might vary depending upon where and when you are traveling, or what is your entry point. Although a part of China, the Tibet autonomous region would require a special permit called the ‘Tibet entry permit’, which needs to be obtained by the international travelers to visit Tibet.
This entry is issued by the Tibet tourism bureau for simple trips within the Tibet autonomous region, such as the Lhasa city tour, Everest Base camp tour or the cultural tour of Tibet. The tour operators can obtain these permits within 15 days or less, thereby helping you to crossover peacefully into Tibet.
However, there are certain special permits and entries which need permission from the Foreign affairs office or the Military Lhasa head office and so on. These permits, such as those given for the Mount Kailash tour or the Eastern Tibet tour come with special permissions. These are tours which require multiple permits.
The point of mention here is that the whole thing is highly organized and arranged by the local tour operators at the time of booking your trip.
So, why do you need a tour operator to travel within Tibet?
For one, they are the experts who can help you with the trip within Tibet. Unlike other countries, Tibet is unique, both with its beauty and the very extreme climatic conditions. The roads, alleyways, the rugged paths, and the plunging valleys all are fascinating and yet might require suitable guidance for safe and secure travel.
Every visitor who comes into this enchanting world of llamas and Palaces and Monks need someone for the initial (or complete) handholding. This is very impressively done by the local tour operators. They take care of your trip from beginning to end. Here is what they do:
- When you book your trip to Tibet, you approach them for the kind of tours they organize. So, be it the Mount Everest base camp tour or the Ganden-Samye trek, or the Festival tour of Tibet, they will provide you with some very interesting options.
- When you pick a tour from their kitty, they will take care of further things such as permits, Visas and special entry tickets to anywhere within Tibet where you will be visiting. For instance, there are Train tours of Tibet or the special treks which might need extra Tibet travel permits. All these will be arranged by the tour operators. While the whole process might take about one week to 10 days, your tour guides will ask you to keep a timeline of 20 days before travel for all the permits to come in.
- One needs to remember that there is one more permit called the P.S.B permit that is to be made when you move out of Lhasa and enter the interior part of Tibet. All this again is the responsibility of the tour guide.
- You can then book your plane tickets, and decide your entry point – either directly landing in Lhasa or enter from Nepal border or the China side. The travel agents will be waiting at these entry points with your permits to help your trip from then on.
- The other things, such as the stay, food, and medical emergencies are the responsibility of your local tour guides. While they do the work, you can relax and have a fabulous holiday in this magnificent part of the world.
So, if you are planning to experience the delights of Tibet and its beauty, contact the best tour operator in place to have a fabulous holiday this season!
