Hello, planning to go to t¡bet at least for 10 days this spring and need an uptodate information. There seems to be a lots of confusion what is acctually needed to enter.
How to buy tickets?(which airline or booking agent in Shanghai - there should be direct flight ex Shanghai every WED and SAT??)
Do I need visa or permit if I have residency permit in China?(where to apply if answer is yes?) As well is it neccessary to book a tour or independent travellers are OK. Anyone knows agency run by Tibetians in Shanghai? Would prefer to spend money for tours etc directly there..
Is it possible to book a flight and then just arrive to Lhasa and find accomodation by yourselve?
Movements restrictions in t¡bet, how bad is it? Foreigners shouldnt leave Lhasa without guide, how that work in practice.
Thansk a lot!

As far as I know, there has never been a direct flight to Lhasa. You always need to connect in Chengdu. In Chengdu you can get the paperwork(still necessary to get a permit) done and join a fake "group" tour, which is actually individual travel. Foreigners can only travel in t¡bet with groups, so you have to do it like this. If you wanna book things in advance, try www.chinayak.com

Good luck.

As far as I know, foreigners do need to get a permit any more.(I heard that when I came back from t¡bet last Summer, but I am not sure. [If you want to get the permit in advance, you need to do it in Beijing, there is no agency in shanghai, otherwise stay in chengdu for three days and do it there.])
You can travel alone if you have money to rent a driver (around 3-4rmb/km), or do bike tours (quite some people do that), otherwise you'd better go with a travel group, because foreigners are not allowed to buy bus tickets or get on the bus without a tour guide or a tour group.(I mean the PUBLIC buses which connect different cities) OF course there is no problem to travel in Lhasa. A lot of foreigners fly from Nepal, have a look at Lhasa and fly back to Nepal.
Also from my friends' experience, foreigners are not allowed to buy train tickets to t¡bet, but you may ask other Chinese to buy it for you. There is no direct flight to Lhasa, always need to swing by Chengdu, Xi'an or Chongqing.
Start from April, the hotel price will go up, you pay 400 in Summer but 100 in winter. it will be crowded but still possible to get a room. You may need to prepare yourself for the conditions there, my friend paid 50 rmb for one night there and the room stinks.

But you can be a group of one =P

We went last June/July and arranged the airfare/permit through the FIT Travel Office in Lhasa located in the Banak Shol Hotel via email fit0891@hotmail.com (you can call them at 0891-655-1841.) They are very friendly and will be able to answer any questions you may have. They have an all-Tibetan staff.

LP's Thorntree forum for t¡bet http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/categ ... untryId=90 is an excellent resource - the user Losang is reliable, accurate and helpful

one thing to keep in mind is if you want to get into the pοta⌊a you MUST arrange tickets in advance - this can probably also be done via the FIT office

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=308051

you do NOT need to go to Beijing for a permit - it can be arranged in Shanghai via email listed in the post immediately above or it can be easily arranged in Chengdu without needing to stay in Chengdu 3 days

when we went it was right before the train started running - hotel rooms were not that difficult to find and were not that expensive and we saw many cases of people arriving in Lhasa with nothing to arrange everything on the spot in town BEFORE the train started running- at the end of our trip when the train was running rooms had tripled in rate and were booked solid- I am not optimistic that conditions have improved and would strongly suggest pre-booking everything including the pοta⌊a tickets if so inclined

Thansk guys for usefull info. The t¡betan agent offer me to issue teh permit for 150 RMb and then he will fax it to me, could it work like that, you dont need oficial stamp in passport or something?? As well did anyone used travel agent called t¡bet Experts in Shanghai??

You don't need anything in your passport - you will receive two sheets of paper - one being the 'tour group list' with your name(s) and the second being the actual rather unimpressive looking permit. You will need both these sheets when you check in for your flights (plural because you cannot fly direct into Lhasa)

the permit cost, why so many variances? some paid 50, some paid 150, and some paid 200? Does it varies due to season? or just varies depending on how greedy is your agent?

I paid 450 here in shanghai, the cheapest I found, noone wanted to issue it without joing a tour. i think that acctual cost is close to nothing as its juts a piece of paper with stamp on it.

You may try this site, they seem have a good rate for the permit from Chengdu, Beijing and Shanghai... www.windhorsetour.com

Some feedback from my travel around t¡bet for whoever might need it!!!
Firstly try to avoid joining tours at all cost, not needed in Lhasa at all and if you buy tour directly there is much cheaper!!
Get permit from any FIT agencies in Lhasa, try fit0891@hotmail.com (you can call them at 0891-655-1841) . They will fax you copy of the permit, which is enough(noone acctually realy look on it anyway!) I got permit thru agency in Shanghai(novawoo@hotmail.com - Avon) for 450RMB, if you get it from FIT above it shoudl be only 150. Make sure you will book permit and tour with one agent only, as I had really hard time to get new tour with local agent in lhasa as I didnt have teh contact details of teh one teh agent in Shanghai used.
Once there its easy to get bus from airport to Lhasaa dn find accomodation directly there. We stayed in double room right next to Jokhar temple for 70 RMB only, shared baths but very nice. tehy ahve teh best rooftop restaurant in Lhasa with exellent view. Dont have their phone number but try to search for Namchen House.
With the tour, you should buy it with teh same agent who made the travel permit for you. We payed 8000RMB for 5 days tours for 4 people so 2000RMB each. 3 full dasy of trekking, one day drive there and fifth day back. Price included guide, jeep for 2 days, 3 horses and all gear_tent sleeping bag/mat/ cook+plates. We had one horseman adn one guide. You can get simillar price for all major trekking areas, one agent offered us the same money incl cook and food!
Very big problem is teh attitude. Dont do anything at least for 2-3 days otehrwise you will finish with big headache. The same for teh trekking all routes are above 4500, take it very, very easy. Its Ok in the morning but evenings and night can be very painfull!!!
Godo luck with your trip!!

Some feedback from my travel around t¡bet for whoever might need it!!!
Firstly try to avoid joining tours at all cost, not needed in Lhasa at all and if you buy tour directly there is much cheaper!!
Get permit from any FIT agencies in Lhasa, try fit0891@hotmail.com (you can call them at 0891-655-1841) . They will fax you copy of the permit, which is enough(noone acctually realy look on it anyway!) I got permit thru agency in Shanghai(novawoo@hotmail.com - Avon) for 450RMB, if you get it from FIT above it shoudl be only 150. Make sure you will book permit and tour with one agent only, as I had really hard time to get new tour with local agent in lhasa as I didnt have teh contact details of teh one teh agent in Shanghai used.
Once there its easy to get bus from airport to Lhasaa dn find accomodation directly there. We stayed in double room right next to Jokhar temple for 70 RMB only, shared baths but very nice. tehy ahve teh best rooftop restaurant in Lhasa with exellent view. Dont have their phone number but try to search for Namchen House.
With the tour, you should buy it with teh same agent who made the travel permit for you. We payed 8000RMB for 5 days tours for 4 people so 2000RMB each. 3 full dasy of trekking, one day drive there and fifth day back. Price included guide, jeep for 2 days, 3 horses and all gear_tent sleeping bag/mat/ cook+plates. We had one horseman adn one guide. You can get simillar price for all major trekking areas, one agent offered us the same money incl cook and food!
Very big problem is teh attitude. Dont do anything at least for 2-3 days otehrwise you will finish with big headache. The same for teh trekking all routes are above 4500, take it very, very easy. Its Ok in the morning but evenings and night can be very painfull!!!
Godo luck with your trip!!

Some feedback from my travel around t¡bet for whoever might need it!!!
Firstly try to avoid joining tours at all cost, not needed in Lhasa at all and if you buy tour directly there is much cheaper!!
Get permit from any FIT agencies in Lhasa, try fit0891@hotmail.com (you can call them at 0891-655-1841) . They will fax you copy of the permit, which is enough(noone acctually realy look on it anyway!) I got permit thru agency in Shanghai(novawoo@hotmail.com - Avon) for 450RMB, if you get it from FIT above it shoudl be only 150. Make sure you will book permit and tour with one agent only, as I had really hard time to get new tour with local agent in lhasa as I didnt have teh contact details of teh one teh agent in Shanghai used.
Once there its easy to get bus from airport to Lhasaa dn find accomodation directly there. We stayed in double room right next to Jokhar temple for 70 RMB only, shared baths but very nice. tehy ahve teh best rooftop restaurant in Lhasa with exellent view. Dont have their phone number but try to search for Namchen House.
With the tour, you should buy it with teh same agent who made the travel permit for you. We payed 8000RMB for 5 days tours for 4 people so 2000RMB each. 3 full dasy of trekking, one day drive there and fifth day back. Price included guide, jeep for 2 days, 3 horses and all gear_tent sleeping bag/mat/ cook+plates. We had one horseman adn one guide. You can get simillar price for all major trekking areas, one agent offered us the same money incl cook and food!
Very big problem is teh attitude. Dont do anything at least for 2-3 days otehrwise you will finish with big headache. The same for teh trekking all routes are above 4500, take it very, very easy. Its Ok in the morning but evenings and night can be very painfull!!!
Godo luck with your trip!!

Some feedback from my travel around t¡bet for whoever might need it!!!
Firstly try to avoid joining tours at all cost, not needed in Lhasa at all and if you buy tour directly there is much cheaper!!
Get permit from any FIT agencies in Lhasa, try fit0891@hotmail.com (you can call them at 0891-655-1841) . They will fax you copy of the permit, which is enough(noone acctually realy look on it anyway!) I got permit thru agency in Shanghai(novawoo@hotmail.com - Avon) for 450RMB, if you get it from FIT above it shoudl be only 150. Make sure you will book permit and tour with one agent only, as I had really hard time to get new tour with local agent in lhasa as I didnt have teh contact details of teh one teh agent in Shanghai used.
Once there its easy to get bus from airport to Lhasaa dn find accomodation directly there. We stayed in double room right next to Jokhar temple for 70 RMB only, shared baths but very nice. tehy ahve teh best rooftop restaurant in Lhasa with exellent view. Dont have their phone number but try to search for Namchen House.
With the tour, you should buy it with teh same agent who made the travel permit for you. We payed 8000RMB for 5 days tours for 4 people so 2000RMB each. 3 full dasy of trekking, one day drive there and fifth day back. Price included guide, jeep for 2 days, 3 horses and all gear_tent sleeping bag/mat/ cook+plates. We had one horseman adn one guide. You can get simillar price for all major trekking areas, one agent offered us the same money incl cook and food!
Very big problem is teh attitude. Dont do anything at least for 2-3 days otehrwise you will finish with big headache. The same for teh trekking all routes are above 4500, take it very, very easy. Its Ok in the morning but evenings and night can be very painfull!!!
Godo luck with your trip!!

Some feedback from my travel around t¡bet for whoever might need it!!!
Firstly try to avoid joining tours at all cost, not needed in Lhasa at all and if you buy tour directly there is much cheaper!!
Get permit from any FIT agencies in Lhasa, try fit0891@hotmail.com (you can call them at 0891-655-1841) . They will fax you copy of the permit, which is enough(noone acctually realy look on it anyway!) I got permit thru agency in Shanghai(novawoo@hotmail.com - Avon) for 450RMB, if you get it from FIT above it shoudl be only 150. Make sure you will book permit and tour with one agent only, as I had really hard time to get new tour with local agent in lhasa as I didnt have teh contact details of teh one teh agent in Shanghai used.
Once there its easy to get bus from airport to Lhasaa dn find accomodation directly there. We stayed in double room right next to Jokhar temple for 70 RMB only, shared baths but very nice. tehy ahve teh best rooftop restaurant in Lhasa with exellent view. Dont have their phone number but try to search for Namchen House.
With the tour, you should buy it with teh same agent who made the travel permit for you. We payed 8000RMB for 5 days tours for 4 people so 2000RMB each. 3 full dasy of trekking, one day drive there and fifth day back. Price included guide, jeep for 2 days, 3 horses and all gear_tent sleeping bag/mat/ cook+plates. We had one horseman adn one guide. You can get simillar price for all major trekking areas, one agent offered us the same money incl cook and food!
Very big problem is teh attitude. Dont do anything at least for 2-3 days otehrwise you will finish with big headache. The same for teh trekking all routes are above 4500, take it very, very easy. Its Ok in the morning but evenings and night can be very painfull!!!
Godo luck with your trip!!

Some feedback from my travel around t¡bet for whoever might need it!!!
Firstly try to avoid joining tours at all cost, not needed in Lhasa at all and if you buy tour directly there is much cheaper!!
Get permit from any FIT agencies in Lhasa, try fit0891@hotmail.com (you can call them at 0891-655-1841) . They will fax you copy of the permit, which is enough(noone acctually realy look on it anyway!) I got permit thru agency in Shanghai(novawoo@hotmail.com - Avon) for 450RMB, if you get it from FIT above it shoudl be only 150. Make sure you will book permit and tour with one agent only, as I had really hard time to get new tour with local agent in lhasa as I didnt have teh contact details of teh one teh agent in Shanghai used.
Once there its easy to get bus from airport to Lhasaa dn find accomodation directly there. We stayed in double room right next to Jokhar temple for 70 RMB only, shared baths but very nice. tehy ahve teh best rooftop restaurant in Lhasa with exellent view. Dont have their phone number but try to search for Namchen House.
With the tour, you should buy it with teh same agent who made the travel permit for you. We payed 8000RMB for 5 days tours for 4 people so 2000RMB each. 3 full dasy of trekking, one day drive there and fifth day back. Price included guide, jeep for 2 days, 3 horses and all gear_tent sleeping bag/mat/ cook+plates. We had one horseman adn one guide. You can get simillar price for all major trekking areas, one agent offered us the same money incl cook and food!
Very big problem is teh attitude. Dont do anything at least for 2-3 days otehrwise you will finish with big headache. The same for teh trekking all routes are above 4500, take it very, very easy. Its Ok in the morning but evenings and night can be very painfull!!!
Godo luck with your trip!!

Some feedback from my travel around t¡bet for whoever might need it!!!
Firstly try to avoid joining tours at all cost, not needed in Lhasa at all and if you buy tour directly there is much cheaper!!
Get permit from any FIT agencies in Lhasa, try fit0891@hotmail.com (you can call them at 0891-655-1841) . They will fax you copy of the permit, which is enough(noone acctually realy look on it anyway!) I got permit thru agency in Shanghai(novawoo@hotmail.com - Avon) for 450RMB, if you get it from FIT above it shoudl be only 150. Make sure you will book permit and tour with one agent only, as I had really hard time to get new tour with local agent in lhasa as I didnt have teh contact details of teh one teh agent in Shanghai used.
Once there its easy to get bus from airport to Lhasaa dn find accomodation directly there. We stayed in double room right next to Jokhar temple for 70 RMB only, shared baths but very nice. tehy ahve teh best rooftop restaurant in Lhasa with exellent view. Dont have their phone number but try to search for Namchen House.
With the tour, you should buy it with teh same agent who made the travel permit for you. We payed 8000RMB for 5 days tours for 4 people so 2000RMB each. 3 full dasy of trekking, one day drive there and fifth day back. Price included guide, jeep for 2 days, 3 horses and all gear_tent sleeping bag/mat/ cook+plates. We had one horseman adn one guide. You can get simillar price for all major trekking areas, one agent offered us the same money incl cook and food!
Very big problem is teh attitude. Dont do anything at least for 2-3 days otehrwise you will finish with big headache. The same for teh trekking all routes are above 4500, take it very, very easy. Its Ok in the morning but evenings and night can be very painfull!!!
Godo luck with your trip!!

Is it usual for this travel office (FIT Travel Office) to ask for deposit to be paid in USD via Western Union ?

Never heard about it, but rules could change!

...Having a bit of a Crisis. A family friend/govt official was meant to be arranging a train ticket/permit to t¡bet on the 12th but that seems to have fallen through.

Is there any possablility of arranging a flight/permit now?

Scribble wrote:...Having a bit of a Crisis. A family friend/govt official was meant to be arranging a train ticket/permit to t¡bet on the 12th but that seems to have fallen through.

Is there any possablility of arranging a flight/permit now?

Scribble contact the FIT Travel Office in Lhasa located in the Banak Shol Hotel via email fit0891@hotmail.com (you can call them at 0891-655-1841) - since using them last year quite a few friends/colleagues have used them as well with very satisfying results- they should be able to help you

Cheers!