Tibet Travel News

Tibet Travel News

Temples and monasteries around Lhasa city are re-opened

featured image

In accordance with the spirit of the Chinese Central Government, and according to the overall arrangement of the epidemic prevention and control work of the district and municipal party committees, after the Buddhist Association of Lhasa City fully solicited the opinions and suggestions of the temples and monasteries in Tibet.

it was decided that all temples and monasteries in the city and the main urban area except the Jokhang Temple has gradually been reopened from May 20, 2020 after more than four months closure since the Covid 19 was spread world wide even though Tibet does not have the cases of the disease.

After the temples and monasteries around Lhasa city are opened to the public, the local people are required to show ID cards to enter the monasteries or temples for worship and the tourists are required not only to show the ID cards or passports but also they should scan the QR code for the ID card and epidemic prevention and control itinerary to enter the temple for visiting.

Another important kind notice is that Please wear masks consciously when visiting temples and monasteries, and cooperate with the health workers and security guards for body temperature detection, disinfection and other prevention and control work.

The Buddhist association of Lhasa city also urges all the pilgrims and the tourists that Crowding, staying close to each other and gathering are strictly prohibited.

All temples and monasteries are required to strictly implement the overall prevention and control requirements for external input and internal rebound, strictly control the entrance to religious activities, and deepen the prevention and control measures such as temperature measurement, mask wearing, disinfection, and regular ventilation inside the temples and monasteries to ensure the safety and healthy environment of the visitors.

All temples and monasteries in the city are temporarily required not to hold any kinds of  religious activities with the participation of believers and also not allowed to have religious ceremony or monks chanting in the assembly hall.

Jokhang Temple is currently not opened to the public due to the implementation of the overall safety and renovation of fire immigration systems of the temple and the upgrading of electricity and the protection work of cultural relics.

Opening time of the Jokang temple to the public will be notified separately. After hearing this good news, I think slowly Tibet travel business will be picked up and there will be more FIT domestic tourists from mainland China.

We request the majority of pilgrims or tourists to give their understanding and support of this announcement.

Lhasa Buddhist Association

May 19, 2020

Visit Bharkor Bazzar in Lhasa Tibet

featured image

Visit Bharkor Bazzar in Lhasa Tibet, the bustling Lhasa market is one of the must visit during your Tibet tour and a very important pilgrimage circumambulation for local Tibetans.

Bharkor Bazzar is located around the Jokang temple in Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. Tibetan pilgrims believe that Bharkor Bazzar is one of the most sacred pilgrimage circumambulation which goes clockwise direction around the Jokang temple.

Jokang temple has been dedicated to the most sacred statue of Jowo Shakyamuni, which was brought to Tibet by the princess Wenchang of the Tang court in the 7th century as her dowry when the King Songtsan Gampo invited her to become his princess. 

The statue was built by the time when Buddha was alive and blessed the statue by Buddha himself with more than 2600 years history so the Tibetans believe that the statue is the most sacred object inside the Jokang temple and walk around Bharkor Bazzar to make a Kora around the Jokang temple.

For the tourists, to visit Bharkor Bazzar in Lhasa Tibet during their Tibet trip is a must because they can see lots of Tibetan pilgrims around Bharkor and in front of the Jokang temple and it is also the best place to buy souvenirs when you visit Tibet.  

After Corona Virus spread all over the world, since end of January till 28th April, Bharkor Bazzar was closed to both tourists and local people. All the shops inside Bharkor Bazzar were also closed till then.

April 28th 2020, Bharkor Bazzar was again opened and there are thousands of pilgrims queuing to go to Bharkor Bazzar. Everybody was very happy that they can go back to visit Bharkor Bazzar in Lhasa Tibet like before and do their ritual Buddhist practice in front of the Jokang temple. You can again see hundreds of people, doing prostration in front of the Jokang temple and doing meditation.

All the shops around Bharkor Bazzar are also opened and the owners of the shopkeepers are very glad that they can come back to their shops and do the business as usual. Lots of pilgrims and domestic tourists already begin to visit Bharkor Bazzar in Lhasa Tibet again and enjoy the beauty of Bharkor Bazzar.

5G Network on the Everest

featured image

On April 20, China Mobile officially launched the “5G Network on the Everest” since April this year, which made substantial progress for both China Tibet Mountaineering and Tibet Travel to Everest. As of April 19, China Mobile has completed the opening of three 5G base stations in the 5300m Everest base camp and the 5800m Everest acclimatization Base camp.

It is expected to complete the construction and opening of two 5G base stations at Everest advanced Base camp at the elevation of 6500m before April 25 and all points, which will become the 5G base station with the highest altitude in the world.

At that time, the 5G signal of China Mobile will cover the whole climbing route of the of Everest and the summit of Everest from Tibet side.

“5G network on the Everest” launched by China Mobile plans to build five 5G base stations in Everest including the acclimatization Base camp at the elevation of 5800m and Everest advanced basecamp at the elevation of 6500m.

Therefore, China Mobile has sent more than 150 employee to take charge of building new 5G stations on the Everest and maintaining the internet transmission trunk line, covers of 177 km around the preservation area of Everest, and newly laid 25 km optical cable.

More than 40 yaks and 60 workers transfer 8 tons of network construction equipment and life support materials by carrying cattle on their shoulders; 12 network maintenance and optimization personnel stick to the 7 * 24-hour duty in the area above 5300 meters above sea level to ensure the smooth network and good performance in the Everest area.

In order to preserve the ecological environment of the core area of Everest, China Mobile does the construction in method of laying armored optical cables with least damage to the natural environment to ensure that no excavation and damage are carried out in the core area ,set up a living area during the construction, and centralized treatment of garbage.

 “5G network on the Everest” is not only an extreme challenge in the forbidden area of human life, but also a solid foundation for the later development of 5G Wisdom tourism which will give a great dedication to both trekking to the Everest Base Camp and climbing to the top of the Everest.

News about Corona & Tibet tourism vehicle company

featured image

According to the Tibet tourism vehicle company of Tibet Autonomous Region, it is said that Tibet Autonomous Region is going to re-open all the tourist scenic sightseeing spots from the 1st Of April 2020 including the Potala Palace and Jokang temple which have been listed in the UNESCO world heritage site. Tibet tourism Vehicle Company is a Lhasa government owned Vehicle Company and it is the largest Tibet tourism vehicle company.

After the Corona Virus has been spread in mainland China and the rest of the world, Tibet Autonomous Region closed all the tourist scenic spots in Tibet to the public in order to prevent the residents from this severed disease. By doing a great action against to this very bad virus, Tibet has got a great result of preventing from the Corona Virus and there is not any Corona virus case in Tibet now after Tibet has cured only one case of mainland China’s tourist who came from Hubei province.

Tibet tourism vehicle company announced today that they are going to re-start their company’s tourist vehicle transportation from 1st April and they are going to provide the tourist vehicles to the local Tibetan travel agency any time when there is a Tibet travel tour group booking.

At the same time, the government of Tibet Autonomous region is also convincing the local residents who own restaurants and hotels to re-open slowly and do business as usual so through a great effort and hard work of Tibet Autonomous Region, Tibet slowly will bring the life back to normal and will be ready to receive the tourists from the all over the world.

Tibet Shambhala Adventure, as being a local officially registered Tibetan travel agency, we are pleased to inform this good news to all our partners around the world and will be updating more information about Tibet tour and Tibet travel permits.

Travel Tibet & Visit Potala Palace

featured image

Source: The management bureau of the Potala Palace

Since the Corona Virus has spread all over the world and Tibet has got it’s single virus case confirmed in the end of January, travel Tibet & visit Potala Palace has totally been closed but luckyly after around 18 days medical treatment given to the patient by the number three people’s hospital in Lhasa, the patient was compeletely cured and sent back to mainland China. Since then Tibet does not have Corona virus any more. However all the tourists sites including the Potala Palace are still remained closed so the Potala Palace co-operated with Taobao flat form to show the live online visit to the Potala Palace. The Potala Palace will be the first webcast on Taobao Live

In order to actively respond to the guidance from the State Administration of Cultural Heritage on “continuing to use digital resources, and continuously enrich and improve the display and content through online exhibitions, online education, and online public courses, etc., to provide quality digital cultural products and services” as well as in order to slowly start travel Tibet & visit Potala Palace, there is a good Tibet travel news which says,  From 14:00 to 15:00 on March 1, 2020, the Potala Palace Management Office will open a live broadcast tour of the Potala Palace for the first time in the form of a Taobao Plat Form live which makes a new record to the travel Tibet history.

The Potala Palace is a world cultural heritage site and is loved by tourists at home and abroad so it is an ideal place for travel Tibet & visit Potala Palace. The Potala Palace administration or management office said “ We sincerely invite the majority of tourists to visit the Potala Palace in a panoramic way through Taobao’s online platform live show to get a more unique and interactive experience. At the same time, Taobao’s live show will also bring new development directions to the digitalization of the travel Tibet and the Potala Palace’s touring. Until the Corona Virus was gone away from us, The Potala Palace will keep on this live broadcast Potala Palace tour and hope that the majority of tourists and Tibetan pilgrims like this. At the same time, we are willing to have your valuable feedback through the interactive platform. We will further enhance the experience of online tours’’.

We wish you all a pleasant visit! Tashi Delek!

 Potala Palace Management Office

February 29, 2020

Tibet travel & Corona Virus

featured image

There is a good news about Tibet travel today after the Corona Virus has been spread. It has been more than twenty days since the Corona Virus been spreading all over China. Tibet was really hoping and trying it’s best not to happen this bad Corona Virus disease in Tibet but sadly, 18 days back, Tibet had to report it’s report of first Corona virus case confirmed. A tourist who came from Hubei province in mainland China where the Corona virus came from and where it has very badly spreading. Tibet has been trying it’s best to control the Corona virus spreading and it has closed all the tourists since Tibet has got this first and last Corona Virus case.

Today, there is a very good news for Tibet that the person who has been effected by Corona Virus has successfully been cured and discharged from number three people’s hospital in Lhasa after 18 days medical treatment. The patient was very happy and thankful to all the members of the number three people’s hospital. The patient went back to Hubei province by train today.

Tibet is a high plateau region in China and most parts of Tibet are at the average elevation of over 3600mts and usually Tibet does not get any kinds of strange disease or virus like this in the history. In the one hand, people believe it is because Tibet is on a very high plateau and Tibet has a very strong sunlight all the time. It is said that many virus has been killed by the strong sun light. In the other hand, people say that Tibet does not get any kinds of strange disease like Corona Virus because Tibetans don’t eat any kinds of strange sea food or wild lives. Instead of eating those animals and insects, Tibetans are very compassionate to them and don’t kill any kinds of wild lives.

The Chinese government has been trying their best to control the virus and recently the Chinese top medical experts recently said on news conference that the Chinese government will control the Virus completely in the end of March and will try their best to bring every thing back to normal in the end of March so it is a very good news for Tibet travel since today, the first and last case of Corona Virus in Tibet has been cured and discharged from the hospital and the Chinese government also says that they are going to try their best to control the Corona Virus in the end of March therefore we are hoping to bring everything back to normal and can start our Tibet travel in the beginning of April.

Traveling to Tibet in Winter

featured image

Tibet has another name known as land of snow or the land that is surrounded by snowcapped mountain. Lhasa is thecapital city of Tibet and it is one of the lowest altitude places in Tibet. It is a must visit place during your traveling to Tibet in winter.

During the winter in Tibet, the early morning and late evening is very cold and in the higher places of Tibet like Ngari, the western Tibet and Qangthang, the northern Tibetan plateau. Both places are at the average elevation of 4600mts above sea level and it falls heavy snow quite often but the city like Lhasa has been a pretty long time that did not have a heavy snow fall and the winter has been very dried.

While all the residents in Lhasa have been waiting for a snow fall. 18th December 2018, Lhasa had it’s first day winter snow fall and the temperature drops down but better and more fresh air. Lhasa had snow fall of 5-centi meters thick and the entire city covers with beautiful snow as if the city is offering a white scarf.

During the traveling to Tibet, It is a great welcome of the winter and gives the great fresh air to the residents of Lhasa city and the dried weather turns into fresh, wet and more oxygen. Traveling to Tibet in winter becomes more beautiful and unique. The Potala Palace is covered with a very beautiful snow and the tree leaves in the Lukang park are full of white snow. The surrounding mountain of the Lhasa city is fully covered by snow which gives Lhasa another different beautiful view.

Tibet Travel Permit

featured image

At Tibet Shambhala Adventure, we organize Tibet group tour for more than three hundred Tibet groups coming from different parts of the world. Tibet Shambhala Adventure is an officially registered under the administration of Tibet tourism Bureau for our China inbound tour license and under the administration of China National Tourism Board for our outbound tours so with our many years of experience and effort in arranging Tibet travel permit and Tibet group visa, we can guarantee your Tibet travel permit on time.

As a tourist who is planning a trip to Tibet through online, We think it is essential for the travelers to check online that the so-called Tibet local agencies whether they have official Tibet travel agency certificate or not, which has to be given by the Tibet Tourism Bureau with the exact company registered name and website name.

For Example, Tibet Shambhala Adventure Co. Ltd is our officially registered name and our name as Tibet Shambhala Adventure is in our certificate with the stamp of China National Tourism Board and our website name is also the same as our certificate name. So when we make the Tibet travel permit, we are working directly with Tibet Tourism Bureau and other related government office departments, in this way, we can guarantee you to get Tibet travel permit and can update you with any kinds of new information relating Tibet travel permits and Tibet group visa.

Be careful when you book a Tibet tour online because many of the websites who sell Tibet tours are not registered Tibet travel companies. These websites buy the Tibet tour permit from the registered Tibet travel companies. So be aware when you make a Tibet tour booking with these type of sites, it is hazardous and risky for you. Therefore, it is essential to ask them to provide you with the Tibet travel company certificate which is written in English. If the name of the document is different than the website, they are surely not a registered company, and in this case, you need to be very careful.

Getting Tibet group visa is for the tourists who are coming from Nepal to Tibet. If you first fly to Nepal and then plan to travel to Tibet, you must get a Tibet group visa from the Chinese embassy in Nepal. You should not obtain the China visa from the Chinese embassy in your own countries. When we mention Tibet group visa, you might get confused that you might need more than five people to join with you for Tibet tour, but actually, it is not necessary to have that many people to get Tibet group visa. You can get Tibet group visa and Tibet tour permit for a single person as well. Why it is called Tibet group visa is because it is given on an A4 paper, not on your passport.

Many tourists are confused with Tibet travel permit, and Tibet travels visa. When you travel to Tibet from any cities in mainland China, you are compulsory to obtain your China visa first from the Chinese embassies in your own countries, and it is called China visa, not Tibet travel visa. Since Tibet is also under China, the same China visa can be used for your Tibet travel. Once you get a China visa, you need to send it to your Tibet local agency to get your Tibet tour permit or Tibet travel permit. It is not called a Tibet travel visa. There is only one China visa for both mainland China and Tibet.

Namtso lake tour in Tibet

featured image

Because of global warming and climate changes, Tibet also had lots of rain this summer and Tibet has earlier snow fall and the weather becomes colder than usual so this year, we get earlier snow fall around Namtso lake and other northern plateau of Tibet which gives lots of work and extra services to the travel agents since the tourists could not take Namtso lake tour as it was planed.

Because of an earlier and very heavy snow fall in the beginning of October during Chinese national holiday around Damxiong county where Namtso lake is. It is not possible to have Namtso lake tour for almost two weeks from National holiday. Thousands of tourists have waited at the entry gate and in Damxiong county for a few days in order to get a chance to take Namtso lake tour but because of continuous heavy snow fall around northern plateau of Tibet, the road from Damxiong county to Namtso lake at the distance of 60km has completely been closed since the road was completely blocked by heavy snow and it has been frozen and iced on the road.

The traffic office in Damxiong county officially closed the road to Namtso lake since beginning of Oct and it has still been remained closed so there is no chance to visit Namtsok lake at the moment. When you have this kind of disaster, it is very important to have a very strong and responsible local Tibetan travel agent based in Lhasa like Tibet Shambhala Adventure. Tibet Shambhala Adventure is the right Tibet travel agent who can change your program for another destination even if it is difficult to manage with permits. Tibet Shambhala Adventure changed programs for many groups from Namtso lake to Tsetang and Samye by adding those places in the permits which is not easy to do do. If the snow fall did not continue around the Namtso lake, then there will be chance to open the road to Namtso lake and start your Namtso lake tour again.

When you have this

The Shoton Festival in Tibet 2018

featured image

The Shoton Festival is one of the most revered and anticipated events in Tibet that attracts the attention of thousands of tourists that plan their trip to attend this festival every year. The festival is one of the most eminent features of the Tibetan culture and is rooted deep in the traditions and history. The name of the festival stems from the Tibetan word ‘shoton’ which means yogurt – which is why it is also called the Yogurt Festival.
The History
The history of the Shoton Festival dates all the way back to the 16th century and even before that when it was practiced as an annual religious custom. Tsongkhapa master, the Buddhist saint had initiated a spiritual practice for monks to indulge themselves in secluded meditation in monasteries between May and June according to the Tibetan lunar calendar which is the middle of the summer in Tibet and referring to the western calendar, it is the July and Aug usually. The Gelukpa monasteries made this kind of monastery rule is because during the middle of the summer, there is full of small insects and worms on the grassland which are very difficult to see when you walk over.
The purpose was to avoid walking on the grassland where there is insect and worms which can be killed by your step on it, instead, in order to get rid of all other sins, pray and repent for their ill-doings. The discourse of meditation spanned several weeks, and when it was over, the monks would come out of seclusion, and local Tibetans would serve them yogurt and perform traditional Tibetan opera.
When is it celebrated
The Shoton Festival is celebrated in midsummers, on July 1st of Tibetan lunar calendar – which is why the date changes every year on the solar calendar. This year, the Shoton festival started on 11th August and end on August 18th, 2018.
Highlights of the Festival
The inclusion of a number of rituals, customs, and practices, over the course of time has made the shoton festival a lot more interesting and exciting. The preparations start weeks ahead of the festival, and as the date draws near, flocks of tourists start landing in Tibet from across the world.
The festival begins with a massive gathering of thousands of Tibetans gathered donned in ethnic Tibetan attires, all around the Drepung and Sera monasteries. Lamas and monks holding the giant Jampa Thangka, Matreya, the future Buddha or the Thangka of Buddha Shakyamuni, display on the western hill of Drepung monastery and as the sun rises from behind the hills, the loud sound of sutra bugle start echoing in the valley. The giant Jampa thangka is hung at the Drepung and Sera monastery, and this marks the official start of the festival.
The festivities continue for days, and hundreds of Tibetans take participate in it religiously every year. Regardless of whether you are a kid or an adult, a Tibetan or a tourist – there are a variety of activities for everyone.
The main highlights of the Shoton festival every year include Tibetan opera performance at Norbulingka Palace, an excellent display of stunts by skilled equestrians, yak racing, and other traditional sports. The itinerary of the festival also includes the ritual of Sangsa, in which Tuja leaves, butter, and Tsampa are burned together to get rid of evil, and the mob throws white Khada on the giant Thangka to catch blessings.
Nowadays, the Shoton festival goes on a week period of time and during this period of time, all the government officials are on holiday and not only thousands of tourists come from different places in the world, but also thousands of thousands Tibetans also come from different regions and they come to watch Tibetan opera in Norbu Lingka and Lukhang garden which is behind the Potala Palace. There is different Tibetan opera every year which is held by different Tibetan opera players from different regions in Tibet.
Facilities for tourists
The Shoton Festival takes place in pleasantly mild weather and is a good option for people looking to spend their summer holidays exploring ancient cultures and traditions. The government, tour operators as well as the local Tibetans make special arrangements to facilitate the tourists and make them feel at home and have more authentic experience of Tibetan culture. However, since there is a high influx of tourists in Tibet during the season, you may get difficult to find hotels and other arrangement of your trip if you don’t book in advance. Therefore, it is suggested that you reserve your trip to Tibet in advance through a reliable local Tibetan tour agency to make bookings on your behalf.