Tibet Nepal Border officially reopened after closure for two and a half years. Now all the international visitors can do Tibet overland Journey between the Tibet Autonomous Region and Nepal through the friendship highway.
After being closed for the last two and a half years since April 2015 earthquake in Nepal, the Border port for Overland crossing Nepal and Tibet was finally reopened to international visitors on 28th August 2017 with the announcement made by Tibet Tourism Development Committee, formally known as Tibet Tourism Bureau. So from now on, foreign visitors can enter Tibet or exit from Tibet by the overland route. So now one of the most astonishing overland travelling routes on the planet is open for travellers. Before the closure, the overland journey from Lhasa to Kathmandu and the Mount Everest Base camp and Journey from Lhasa to Kailash and into Nepal are the two most popular travel routes.
Kyirong Port ( The New Port)
Before the Earthquake in Nepal and Himalaya regions in Tibet, China. The port town of Zhangmu (Dram འགྲམ།樟木) in the Nyalam Country in Shigatse prefecture is the Main port border crossing between the two nations. However, due to major damages, the town suffers from the earthquake. Therefore, the Government has shifted the borders port to the County of Kyirong (སྐྱིད་གྲོང་吉隆县). The New port is located 547 Kilometers from Shigatse city and 325 Kilometers from Rongbuk Monastery or the Mount Everest North BaseCamp. The new border port will serve as the main port between Tibet and Nepal for all, including international visitors. The roads are Paved and New.
The Town on the Nepal side is called Rasuwa Gadhi. It is located 130 Kilometer north of Kathmandu. The Road on the Nepal side is 80% paved, and the travel time from Rasuwagadhi to Kathmandu would take 6 hours. There are Private jeeps and buses each day to take travellers to Kathmandu. We can also arrange a private pickup service from Kathmandu.
Nepal to Tibet
Suppose you are taking the friendship highway from Kathmandu to Lhasa. Here are a few guidelines. Read more about coming from Nepal to Tibet.
You must apply for the Chinese Group Visa from the Chinese Embassy in Nepal.
It is mandatory for everyone coming to Tibet from Nepal to Get a group visa from the Chinese Embassy in Nepal. If you already have a Chinese Visa, your existing visa will be cancelled and issued a new group visa from the Embassy.
A Travel agency in Tibet will send your visa invitation to an approved travel agency in Nepal. That agency will apply for the group visa on your behalf.
Visa takes three business days to process. So you will have to at least stay in Nepal for three business days. Read More here
Progressive altitude is higher per day if coming from Nepal to Tibet.
If you are coming from Nepal to Tibet, the escalation of altitude per day is higher than the opposite route. Therefore, we do not recommend any travellers incoming from Nepal to Tibet on this overland journey.
Here is the Altitude of places in Nepal Tibet Overland Journey
Kathmandu = 1300 meters
Rasuwa Ghadhi: 1777Meter
Jilong SheQu: 2797 meters
Gyirong County: 4134 Meters
Tibet to Nepal Overland through Friendship highway
If you are taking the overland journey from Lhasa to Nepal. Followings are some guidelines
Tibet travel permit
The travel agency in Tibet will make a Tibet travel permit. For the permit, you will have to send them your passport and visa copy. When applying for a Chinese Visa, it is best not to mention Tibet. Yet all the major Travel agencies in Tibet can send you a visa invitation. If your visa is not an L category visa, you will also need to submit a letter from your host (Institution or family).
Train to Lhasa
Taking the train from other parts of China is a better option. There are many trains from all the major cities in central China. You will need to book a well-advanced train ticket. The last-minute train ticket is nearly impossible to get. I would recommend you for booking a train ticket with China Highlight. They are excellent and effective. Xining is the best gateway for taking the train to Tibet as all the trains to Tibet merge into the Qinghai-Tibet railway line. And there is a major possibility of getting the train ticket. Taking the train to Tibet does not require you to bring the original permit. Hence the travel agency will send you the scanned copy of the Tibet travel permit. It is better to make a few copies of it.
Flight to Lhasa
Suppose you are taking flights to Tibet. The best gateway flight to Lhasa is from Chengdu. Each day there is over 13 direct flight from Chengdu to Lhasa. However, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of China, No foreign visitor can broad into a flight to Tibet without an original Tibet travel permit in hand. So you will need to talk to the travel agency about how they will send your permit to Chengdu.
Normally, We would send the permit to the hotel in Chengdu. However, if you are not staying in Chengdu and taking a consecutive flight to Lhasa, we offer a Permit delivery service at the Chengdu Airport with a service charge.
Tour Recommendation
We recommend a ten-day overland journey from Lhasa to Nepal and Our 7 Days overland group tour to Kyirong.
We are pleased to announce that Tibet Nepal Border officially reopened after closure for two and half years.
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