How to go to Tibet from China? Travelling to Tibet from Other parts of China is easier and more convenient. Please read this post to learn how. We hope a post of ours would help travellers make an informed decision in planning their Tibet tour.
How to go to Tibet from China?
There are two popular travel routes for entering Tibet: traveling from Nepal and traveling from China.
Out of these two routes, here are the reasons why traveling to Tibet from China is easier and less time-consuming.
- This travel route is more economical and straightforward.
- From China, trains are available to Lhasa from all major cities.
- You can easily get into Tibet without any additional paperwork in China.
- You can take a transit flight to Tibet without wasting a single day in China.
- It is easier for your travel agency in Lhasa to make a Tibet travel permit.
Here are the details of why it is easier and more convenient to travel to Tibet from China
It’s more economical and straightforward.
You do not necessarily need to stop for a day in China. However, in the case of Nepal, you will need to stay for at least three days to obtain a Chinese Visa in Nepal. Keep this in mind if you are entering Tibet from Nepal. Travellers must get a group visa from the Chinese embassy in Nepal. Your visa, if you have one, would be revoked. To obtain a Chinese visa, you will need to spend an additional three days in Nepal.
There are only two general travel options from Nepal to Lhasa. But at the time of writing, there is only one option: a flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa, which is very expensive. Whereas from China, you have more travel options to Lhasa, Tibet.
From China, there is a train available to Lhasa from all the major cities
There are trains available to Lhasa from all the major cities in China. The train journey from Xining and Chengdu would cost about 120 USD per person. Train rides can take you to all the beautiful wildness of Tibet high land.
Suppose you are travelling on a train to Tibet. this could also save you from the nightmare of last-minute rust in permit delivery. You only need a copy of the permit to show it at the train station. You do not need the original permit. It can help save you some money in the process.
From China, there is a train available to Lhasa from all the major cities
There are trains available to Lhasa from all the major cities in China. The train journey from Xining and Chengdu would cost about 120 USD per person. Train rides can take you to all the beautiful wildness of Tibet high land.
Suppose you are travelling on a train to Tibet. this could also save you from the nightmare of last-minute rust in permit delivery. You only need a copy of the permit to show it at the train station. You do not need the original permit. It can help save you some money in the process.
You can easily get into Tibet without any additional paperwork in China
After your travel agency completes making your Tibet travel permit. If you are travelling to Tibet from China, there is an additional paper. Whereas if you are coming from Nepal, you will need to get a Chinese group visa.
The only thing you will need to do is fill out a form for the train journey.
You can a transit flight to Tibet without wasting a single day in China
Travelling from China can help travellers lots of times. Travellers need not necessarily have to get out of the airport premises. Your travel agency can help to send someone to deliver your permit to you in the air while you wait to board into Tibet flight. But it comes with an extra service charge for the delivery person.
We always recommend my clients take transit in Chengdu, as the city has a large Tibetan Community, and it is always easier to find someone to help deliver the permit. But most of the time, the branch manager would have someone in the office to deliver.
It is easier for your travel agency to make your Tibet travel permit
Your travel agency does not necessarily need to send you a visa invitation if you are coming from China. Making a visa invitation itself takes an equal number of days as it takes to make a Tibet entrance permit. And it a double work for us and even more confusing for the travellers.
Every Lhasa tour operator and travel agency always recommend travellers, not to mention travellers who plan to visit Tibet. If travellers can get the visa without proving anything about the China Visit, it saves lots of days and works.
But sometimes, authorities in the Chinese embassy would ask the traveller to submit the Details of tour itineraries, flights, other tickets, or hotel reservations in China to prove travellers plans in China.
In such a case, you will need to tell about your plans to visit Tibet. and if you do. Then, they ask you to get a visa invitation from the travel agency in Lhasa. Many travel websites are telling as if Tibet travel agencies could not make a visa invitation. That’s outdated information. The travel agency can send travellers a visa in invitations everywhere globally, but the travel agency has to have your passport copy and itinerary to make visa invitations. Please remember this, Visa invitation for Tibet has to be signed and approved by the Tibet tourism bureau. And it takes about 15 to 20 days.
Points to remember in travel to Tibet from China
If coming by flight
- You will need an original Tibet travel permit to board the flight to Lhasa, and Tibet permits are not supposed to be sent anywhere outside China’s domestic jurisdiction. This means your travel agency will have someone to deliver the permit to you at the transit airport.
- We suggest everyone take transit in Chengdu. It’s more convenient for you and your travel agency.
- Please try to send the visa and passport copy at least a month in advance of your actual tour date. Your agency requires a three- to five-day window period to ship your permit to the city of transit and arrange for delivery of the license to you.
- Once you receive your permit. Please verify the names and passport numbers of every group member. Sometimes, people make a mistake in delivering the permit to the right person, which could lead to havoc.
If coming by train
Would you mind checking if your arriving city has a train available to Tibet?
- Ask your travel agency to book your train ticket some months in advance. It is tough to get a train in peak season. Hence, you will need to book the tour at least two months prior.
- You do not need the original permit, but you will need to have a copy of the permit handy.
- The travel agency will send you a ticket purchase number, and you will have to go to the ticket counter at the train station to get your train ticket with you to permit a copy and your passport. Sometimes, some officers might ask you to show them the original Tibet travel permit. In such a case, proceed to the next counter to obtain your ticket. Those officers could be new.
- Click here to read about the train to Tibet.
Overall, things to Consider in travel to Tibet from China.
- Gmail doesn’t work in China, have an additional mail account to able your travel agency to send the permit at the Last minute. So we would recommend using either Hotmail or yahoo.
- If possible, try to have we chat installed on your phone. WeChat is a Chinese version of what’s an app, and it’s convenient. What’s App also works in China. But only on internet Connection on your mobile, not the Wifi.
- Have the contact number of your tour operator handy.
- Always check the second page of your permit for the names and passport numbers upon receiving it.
To understand why to travel to Tibet from China is better. So we think it would be nice if We would write something about travel to Tibet from Nepal.
- Only travel options are available in flight and the overland journey. both could cost way more money than the train
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.
