Is it recommended to travel to Tibet (Lhasa) for just under 20 days and with a low budget?

7/15/2017 12:17:34 PM

From personal experience, for easy access to Tibetan culture, as you describe, it is more convenient to travel to Kathmandu and Dharamsala.

Alternatively, you could visit the Tibetan cultural areas within provinces of China that are not the Tibetan Autonomous Region. Specifically, I would recommend Western Sichuan (known in Tibetan as Kham). Fly into Chengdu and stay in the Tibetan quarter there. Then travel up through Kangding and Garze to Dege and as far north from there as your time and budget allow.

10/2/2012 2:39:56 PM

Friends who have been in Tibet and Lhasa told me that it is quite difficult to get to Tibet, as you mentioned. They had to travel in a group lead by a tour guide. The larger the group the less likely it is that you get trouble with the police about visa stuff (ie. small groups are controlled more frequently, and you’ll always need a guide). I was told that there is a minimum group size of five to get in, but unfortunately I don’t know on what they based that number, might have been the tour operator’s claim..

One more thing you should consider is the altitude of Tibet. As you get above 3500m some people start to get altitude sickness / mountain illness (feeling drowsy, pressure in head and/or stomach, and nausea). This can be life threatening. So my advice would be to acclimatise to the height slowly and watch each other for any signs of altitude sickness. You might experience that it is more tiring to run around and do day to day activities due to the pressure change and lower oxygen density. Do consider this in your plan and plan for an escape route in case you do get ill.

As for Tibet itself, I heard that the locals are extremely friendly as soon as you spend some time and effort to communicate properly with them. Meaning that China is pumping more and more Chinese businessmen into Tibet in order to make the Tibetans a minority. Many temples have been destroyed in Tibet itself. So the locals are often a bit more reserved towards strangers/tourists (naturally, I’d be too!).

So here is my recommendation, if you are worried about all the paperwork and access complications, but want to get to know Tibetan culture with less hassle: go to Nepal, specifically into the Mustang mountain range. Here many Tibetans fled when China marched into their land and they are still living in the mountains. So there are many original Tibetan Buddhist temples which are well maintained and inhabited by Tibetans.

Perhaps you could go to Nepal first, checking it out and also experiencing the altitude (it is not as high as the Himalayas, so a good starting point for further expeditions), and if you want to experience how Tibet is nowadays, you could still go from Nepal to Tibet with a tour, like my friends.

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Hello,My name is Aparna Patel,I’m a Travel Blogger and Photographer who travel the world full-time with my hubby.I like to share my travel experience.

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