Korean Job Discussion Forums

[LikeFrostOnRoads]

I'm thinking of visiting Tibet for my week of vacation I've got coming at the end of July. It seems pretty complicated to get sorted out though.

My ideal trip would be to catch connecting flights from Seoul into Lhasa, visit around the area and catch a train to Shanghai, for the experience of it. Then maybe spend 1-2 days in Shanghai, if I have time.

According to Kayak, that plane ticket would only run me around $200 plus the train ticket (another $150), but I'm worried about the visa process and how it would work with the requisite tour guide. Could I just get the Tibet Entry Permit in Korea (on top of my Chinese visa) or do I need to spend time in mainland China first? And could I simply meet up with a tour group once I arrive in Lhasa, as opposed to flying in as a group?

[Hardy Boy]

Tibet can be done in 3 days or 3 months. Anything inbetween is a waste of time.

[RufusW]

I would check Thorntree lonely planet forums. Tibet is one of the more complicated places to travel to and the guys there will have the current information. I was there a couple of years ago and really that's too long ago to give advice.

You'll probably know where you want to go, Lhasa, that lake, Gyantse and Shigatse. You could probably get to Everest Base Camp, if you really wanted to, you would need to organise with a tour company because hiring a land cruiser yourself is too expensive.

Personally I would keep Tibet until you've got a little more time. You could then do one of the best routes in the world - the friendship highway all the way to Kathmandu.

[oldfatfarang]

OP. You need time, lots of time, to go to Tibet. Just acclimatising to the height takes time - and slow travel. Flying to those heights from Seoul you are asking for altitude sickness.

And if altitude sickness doesn't get you - the food probably will. You need to take into account time spent being miserable through food poisioning.

I entered Tibet years ago. I literally walked up over the mountains from Nepal - and entered Tibet on a Chinese Tourist Visa. I'd flown into Khatmandhu, and spent some time acclimatising - then bused to Khodhari (Nepal/Tibet border) - then walked up the mountain into Gangzhu (????) Tibet.

It took me 2 weeks to travel (hitching) to Lhasa, because the Chinese govt/ didn't want 'outsiders' in Tibet. They only wanted people on Chinese 7 days package tours. I was followed by a Chinese 'spy' and nobody would give me a lift. It was difficult just getting food, and Tibetans couldn't be seen talking to be (or they'd have been arrested).

Anyway, even though the regimes just as oppressive, travel must have changed a lot since then. Apparently, there's a train from China to Lhasa, and there's also a NIKE shop for the tourists (WTF?).

Whatever you decide, you need plenty of time to prepare for (and explore) Tibet.

I hope you have a wonderful time there. I'll never forget the quiet dignity of the Tibetans (and the overwhelming feeling of oppression from the Chinese colonists and army).