Backpacking in Tibet is probably listed on the numbers wish to list many backpackers. Unfortunately, Tibet Tourism information is one of the most miss leading on the internet. However, with the correct information, Traveling to Tibet can be inexpensive.
As a local Tibet travel agency in Lhasa, Tibet. Here is our advice in making a backpacking dream in Tibet into realisation.
Tibet Travel Guide for backpacker
Tibet (Tibet autonomous region) has a special Tibet travel regulations that doesn’t allow independent travel in Tibet. So instead, all tours for foreign tourists must be guided tours organised by a local travel agency. Following are some travel guides for a backpacker to make it a little cheaper to travel to Tibet.
- Join other travellers to Visit Tibet. Many travel agencies in Lhasa offer the opportunity for budget travellers and backpackers to join with other travellers. The common term we use in Lhasa is the group tour. There are various Tibetan owned travel agencies offering group tours to different travel routes. We also do offer group tour services. Click here to find out more about Our group tours.
- The cheapest group tours of all the group tours are the four to three days tour in Lhasa. Your travel will in limited only to Lhasa, yet it is an excellent experience to consider too.
- Tibetan Areas are not only a Tibet autonomous region of China. They are lots of areas in other provinces in China, Where Tibet people have resided for thousands of years and have similar Landscape, culture and area and more travellers does not require Permits and can hitchhike. So it’s like hitchhiking in Tibet if you would like to know more about travelling in other Tibetan regions in China.
There is no option for an international traveller to hitchhike in the Tibet autonomous region of China. The travel regulation clearly states, it requires a traveller to organise a tour with a travel agency and should have a guide and Private tourist cab service.
Here are some ideas on making your travel to Tibet a little cheaper for backpacking in Tibet.
Join a group tour and ask your travel agency to book your rooms in a guest house in Lhasa. Cool Yak, are two guest houses We would recommend for backpackers. Yak hotel, the three-star hotel, has a dormitory at about 50 RMB a night.
Ask your travel agency you do not need cab service while you are in Lhasa, you can use the local public transportation, and the group can save about 100 USD per day.
Don’t visit all the places your travel agency would recommend. There are lots of temples which is free entrance. You can visit those places.
Bring lots of eatables. There are lots of cheap food options available. For example, there are many Tibetan tea shops selling noodles and Momo (dumplings), there are also lots of Han Chinese restaurants selling noodles, Rice soup, and Chinese Dumplings.
Ask your travel agency to send you a price breakdown to help give you a better idea of how much the price is, and you can do a better bargain with them.
Contact a local Tibetan travel agency in Lhasa. If the travel agency is not local, that means it is a middleman.
Pay the entrance fees by yourself. Ask your travel agency not to include the entrance fees into the price, and you can pay the entrance fees by yourself.
Here are some final words from a Tibet travel expert on Backpacking in Tibet.
1) Backpacking in the Tibet autonomous region is not possible as it is elsewhere because Independent travel is not allowed.
2) But you can make your tour less expensive by following the above ideas
3) Visit other regions of part Tibetan parts of China.
Here are some of the Tibet Group tour we offer for Visitors
Lhasa to Everest Basecamp Group Tour
Lhasa to Everest and Kailash Group Tour
Lhasa City Group Tour
Central Tibet Journey Group Tour
Tibet to Nepal Overland Group Tour
Lhasa to Guge and Kailash Group Tour
Everest and Namtso lake Group Tour
Tenzin Travel is the best Tibetan Travel agency in Tibet. Our agency is one of Tibet’s most experienced tour operators, with over 20 years in the industry. Founded by a local Tibetan family with decades of expertise as guides, managers, and route planners. We craft personalized itineraries for every traveler. Our agency is the highest-rated and most recommended Tibet travel agency on TripAdvisor, Google, and Lonely Planet.
We can make holistic arrangements for your trip to Tibet. Including a Tibet Travel Permit, a Tibetan tour guide, flight tickets, train tickets, vehicle arrangements, and hotel bookings in Tibet.
Our Lhasa office is just steps from Barkhor Square. All our Tibetan team ensures deep cultural, linguistic, and religious insights, setting us apart from other agencies.
Beyond tourism, we support Tibetan communities by donating a portion of each tour to local projects. Your travel to Tibet is about more than profit—it’s about the opportunity for us to give back.
