TIBET
- THE ROOF OF THE WORLD
Tibet, one of the extra-ordinary
destinations where indeed adventure lurks around every corner. Its name the
"Roof of the World" is not a mere statement. The valley bottoms of
Tibet are higher than the highest mountains elsewhere. Adventure on the road
is never short on the beautiful Trans Himalayan drive of over 970 km,
through four mountain passes, promising a panorama of a cultural and scenic
diversity unsurpassable anywhere. The Buddhist monasteries of Drepung, once
the largest; the Jokhang - a spiritual centre, and the awesome palaces of
the Dalai Lama - Norbulingka (the summer Palace) and the Potala (the
traditional seat) are some of the highlights of visit to Tibet.
Lhasa,
11,850 ft) was and still is the religious, cultural and economic centre of
Tibet. The famous Potala Palace, the 13 storey, 1000 rooms palace of the
Dalai Lama; the monasteries of Drepung and Sera; the Summer Palace of the
Dalai Lama- Norbulingka; the Jokhang - the holiest shrine in Tibet are some
of the places of interest. The circular Barkhor Street has innumerable shops
and wayside peddlers, who inter-mingle with devotees, walking clockwise
around the Jokhang.
Gyantse,
13050 is a small agricultural town famous for its wool carpets and the
Palkhor Choide Chorten. At the Lamasery and the fort there is a unique
structure built in 1414 of the five stories representing the five steps of
enlightenment, topped by thirteen rings which symbolize the stages of
achieving Buddha hood. There are 108 halls inside, each with frescoes and
Buddha shrines. Before 1959 traders coming from India used to enter Tibet
through Yadong and on through Gyantse to Lhasa.
Xigaze,
12600 ft is most famous for its Tashihunpo Monastery, the seat of the
Panchen Lama. The monastery built in 1447 by the First Dalai Lama contains
the relics of Sakyamuni, the Hall of Maitreya and a mind boggling "free"
market at the foot of the ruins of the Xigaze fortress where one can buy
local handicrafts embedded with coral and turquoise is another great
attraction.
Lhaze, 13100 ft is situated at the crossroads
from where the road turns westwards towards Mt. Kailash and Mansoravar Lake.
During the short summer, the whole valley is covered with green barley
fields and bright-yellow mustard meadows, a welcome change after the barren
lands of the Tibet Plateau. Close-by, there is also a small hot water
spring.
Xegar, 13800 ft is a new Chinese commune built 7
km off the highway, at the food of the ruins of Xegar Dzong. With a
population of barely 3000, it is the centre of a large and remote country
and also the base from where expeditions to Mt. Everest and other peaks are
launched. Zhangmu, 7000 ft better known by its Tibetan name, Khasa, is a
small settlement climbing to a hillside 10 km inland from the Friendship
Bridge across the Bhotekosi. After closure of the China-India border from
Gangtok (Sikkim), Zhangmu has become the major trading route between Tibet
and Nepal. The hills around Zhangmu are heavily wooded with innumerable
waterfalls in the summer and frozen 'icicles' during winter.
Tours
ex-Kathmandu :
Season:
April to November
Best
Season:
May
to August
Clothings:
May to September : Light
Clothings
October-November : Warm Clothings
Others: A warm jacket
or sweater, sunglasses, chap sticks, sun tan lotion, Swiss knife, water
bottle and a small medical kit, torchlight with batteries are recommended.
Flight Operations :
Kathmandu-Lhasa-Kathmandu : Every
Tuesday & Saturday
Airfare :
Kathmandu-Lhasa or
Lhasa-Kathmandu : USD 273 per person on Economy
Booking
Conditions:
At least 4 weeks prior to your tour with Full Name as
per Passport/Gender/Nationality/Date of Birth/Passport
No./Validity/Occupation and full payment of the tour. Passport should be
valid for next 6 months from the date of entry into Tibet.
Minimum
Group Size :
As per the Chinese regulations, a minimum of 5 pax is
required to operate a tour. However, individual clients will have option of
joining others individual to form a group of 5 pax. Tibet
Visa:
All Chinese visas issued by Chinese Embassy Overseas have to be
endorsed by the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu to be valid for Tibet. The cost
for such endorsement will be same as the Visa Fee. Chinese Embassy requires
minimum 4 days to process visa. Therefore, clients opting to visit Tibet
must arrive in Kathmandu atleast 4 days prior to their travel date and
should carry two passport-sized photographs.
Emergency Visa
Fee:
Should the clients not arrive 4 nights prior
to their schedule departure for Tibet, the visa can still be obtained by
paying an Emergency Visa fee of USD 40 per person.
Altitude
and Health Tips: While most visitors have minor effects from the
altitude, the people with known heart or jungs or blood diseases should
consult their doctor before travelling. Mild headache, fever, loss of
appetite or stomach disorder can take place in a process of acclimatization.
Our advise is to drink 4-5 lites water daily and do not exhaust yourself so
much and breathe deep for first 1-2 days to get acclimatize.
Accommodation
in Tibet: The hotels in Xegar, Zhangmu, Gyantse and Xigatse are
rather simple, cold cement buildings. All hotels provide in each room a
thermos of hot water for tea, comfortable beds with lots of warm blankets.
Although the hotels are wired for electricity, power in some hotels are
limited to few evening hours. Comparatively, Lhasa Hotel (formerly Holiday
Inn Lhasa) is a luxury.
Guides: The Chinese guide
provided may not speak much English and even may not know much about the
local monastery. Tibet Hand Book by Victor Chan is an ideal book to take
along.
Time: China Time is 2 hours 15 minutes ahead
of Nepal time in Winter and 3 hours 15 minutes in Summer.
Daylight does
not begin until 8 a.m.
Click
Here for Reservation 
