Planning a trip to Tibet seems impossible. With the many restrictions on foreign travel in Tibet, it can be challenging to get around all the necessary red tape. This is like visas, permits, tour guides, etc. However, it is easier than it may seem at first.
Thousands of foreign tourists travel to Tibet every year, and here at Explore Tibet, we are on hand to make sure that your journey to the roof of the world is planned out to the finest detail and takes place without a hitch.
Traveling to Tibet cannot be done independently and requires a registered Tibetan tour operator. Explore Tibet is just such a tour operator, with ten years of experience in Tibetan travel for foreign tourists. We have planned hundreds of thousands of trips for our international clients and can help you plan yours too.
Contact a tour operator
Tour operators are required for Tibet trips. Chinese regulations state that independent travel in Tibet is prohibited. All foreign tourists must use a tour operator to plan and execute their trip, as well as provide the required tour guide, driver, and private vehicle. The tour operator is also the one that applies for all the required permits for your tour.
Deciding which tour operator to use can be difficult. This is where the internet comes in. Websites such as TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet are the top sites in international tourism around the world. They are very helpful resources for finding a reliable Tibetan tour operator. The sites work by allowing their members to post reviews of companies that are listed in their databases as tour operators, travel agents, and local businesses from around the world.
These reviews are not computer generated, they are made by real people that have traveled where you want to travel. The reviews are honest and reliable. While there may be a few skewed reviews on almost all sites, nobody is perfect. Even the most excellent companies can get it wrong sometimes. By looking at the available reviews, you can get an idea of how competent the company is. You can also see whether the services they provide are adequate for your requirements.
Explore Tibet has been the recipient of the TripAdvisor Award for Excellence for several years now. It is rated as one of the top Tibetan tour operators according to customer reviews on TripAdvisor. They are also the top Tibetan tour operator listed in the Lonely Planet Guide to Tibet. Lonely Planet not only has a website with reviews of tourism businesses but is also the publisher of the premier travel guide for tourists worldwide. So if you want to know how trustworthy a company is, check out their TripAdvisor pages and Lonely Planet reviews.
Decide on your itinerary (where to visit).
Following your decision that Explore Tibet is the right company for your trip, you will need to plan the route you wish to take around Tibet. Including where you want to travel, what you want to see, and whether you want to visit Mount Everest. Here at Explore Tibet, we have a professional and caring staff that can help you decide on your itinerary for the trip. They can also make other suggestions as to what you might like to see in Tibet, based on your answers to their questions. All our staff is Tibetan experts in their fields, with a wealth of knowledge about the Tibetan landscape, the people, and culture.
Once you have decided on your itinerary, our helpful and friendly staff will keep you updated on the details. And the progress of your trip, including applications for permits and how the applications are progressing. And they are always on hand to answer any questions you may have.
Find out the most convenient time to visit Tibet
Knowing when to travel is half the battle when planning a trip to another country. This is especially true if that country is on another continent with different or unique weather systems. While Tibet is in Asia, it has a very different climate from every other Asian country that surrounds it. Lying on the high-altitude Tibetan plateau, with an average elevation of around 4,800 meters, Tibet’s climate and weather are unique.
For most people, traveling to Tibet is best done in the summer months, which are also the peak months for Tibetan tourism. The weather is at its warmest. While the plateau is subject to the southwest monsoon in Asia, there is very little rain and what does fall normally happens in the evenings and overnight. Summer is also the time when Tibet’s oxygen content is higher in Tibet, making acclimatization much easier.
Spring and autumn are pleasant times to travel to Tibet, with pleasant temperatures and almost no rain. The skies are clear, and the sunshine makes the temperature warmer during the day. However, it can get very cold at night, so you should prepare warm clothing for the evening. It is also the most ideal time for those wanting to trek around Mount Kailash or Mount Everest, or even in the Gama Valley, as the weather is favorable for high-altitude trekking.
Despite what many people think, winter is also a good time to travel to Tibet. It is not as cold as you might think. Temperatures can drop to minus 25 degrees in Tibet’s remote regions at night. But for the most part, the temperatures during the day are pleasant, and it is actually possible to get sunburn in the winter. And it is not all heavy snow and blocked roads in the winter. From December to January, it is still possible to visit Mount Everest, often with just a bit of snow on the ground.
After all of this is done, you can sit back and let us handle all of the details of the tip. This includes your permits and passes for Tibet. And the tickets to the various attractions you will visit from your hotel and guesthouse accommodation. In addition, your private driver, vehicle, guide, and even your train tickets to Tibet from mainland China if you need them. All you have to do is travel to Tibet and enjoy your tour.