Lhasa Travel Guide gives you all the details Information you will need for visiting Lhasa City and Lhasa Prefecture. Here we have all the Attractions, Hotels and Tibet Travel permit informtions you will need to know before coming to Tibet.
Lhasa literally means Place of God. Lhasa Prefecture is the area around Lhasa City. Its comprise the Northern Tibetan Highland to the Valley of Lhasa to the valley of Drigung. The Namtso lake is the Biggest lake in Lhasa Prefecture and the Nyenchen Tanglha Range is the highest Point the in the prefecture. It covers 29,274 square kilometers of sparsely populated and rugged terrain.
The city is the administration of the Local government of Tibet and economical hub. All the major travel agencies and international hotels are available in the city. Tibet Travel Permit is also issued here by Tibet tourism Development agency ( formerly known as Tibet Tourism Bureau).
While the river valley supports agriculture with crops like barley, wheat, and Vegetables. The highland areas of northern grasslands are used for grazing yaks, sheep, and goats. Wildlife is in the prefecture is rare but includes the snow leopard and black-necked crane. Lhasa city is the main city of the prefecture.
The Lhasa city act as the main gateway into Tibet for it Regular International flights from Kathmandu and flights from other regions of China, and the Regular train. The main attraction including the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Drepung Monastery, and the Namtso lake. Hence a Tibetan Travel Agency in Tibet are located in Lhasa.
Please scroll down for more on Lhasa Travel Guide.
Gallery
Travel Tips to Lhasa Prefecture
Getting to Lhasa
Lhasa is the gateway to Tibet and starting point of the majority of the tours in Tibet. You can visit it via a train ride from Other provinces of China, and you take flights from other areas of China. The Kathmandu to Lhasa Flight is the only international flight in Tibet.
Train to Lhasa
Every day there are six to seven trains to Lhasa from all the major gateway cities in China. Including Xining, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xian, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, etc. While most train ride takes about three days for the journey, But train from Xining to Lhasa will take only 24 hours.
Flights to Lhasa
There are 30 different daily flights from other parts of China to Tibet and two daily flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa. The flights are coming in from Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Xining, Shangri-la, Chongqing and Guangzhou to Tibet. The most number of flights are available from Chengdu to Lhasa.
High Altitude Sickness and Elevation
The Elevation of Lhasa City is 3656m above the sea level which makes it one of the lowest city in Tibet. While the average elevation of Tibet as a whole is 4500m. We also have some areas which are locate at lower elevated than the Lhasa city like Tsedang, and Nyintri area.
It is very common for travelers to suffer from the high Altitude sickness upon arrival in Lhasa. It might take a day or days to acclimatization in Lhasa. For some, it can be severe and for some, it could be little breathlessness while climbing the stairs.
Most Responsible travel agency in Lhasa would start all the tours from Lhasa, as it gives some days in Lhasa City to acclimatize before moving up to the higher elevation. Majority of the trip in Tibet will have three days in Lhasa to visit the sight in the city in additional with acclimatization process. With us, we provide Oxygen cylinder in the hotel room in an emergency, and 24X7 assistance from the hotel staffs and us ( The travel agency). You can always call us if you need help).
We would like to recommend visitors to leave the Lhasa city only after the proper adaptation. The City has the best medical facilities in the Entire Tibet and best transportation transit if you need to evacuate. Which is why it is best to stay in Lhasa until the proper acclimatization.
There are many locally produced Medicine for the high elevation; Some local Tibetan Medicine. But we always recommend all our clients to consult their doctors about the plans to go to Tibet and bring their own medicine. We want to suggest you the same.
Tibet Travel Permit for Lhasa Prefecture
Though we will take care of all the required Tibet Travel permit for Lhasa Prefecture. If you would like to know in detail about the permit requirement to Lhasa Prefecture. Here is the information.
If you are visiting the Lhasa prefecture, the only permit required is the primary Tibet Travel Permit. It usually takes about 12 days to make Tibet Travel permit. You will not need any additional permits to visit any regions in this prefecture if you are going further into other regions of Tibet. We will have to apply for the additional permit as per the place of the visit during your travel to Tibet.
But you must keep in your mind the permit situation is different as per the mode to transportation into Tibet as follow:
- If you are taking a train from other cities in China beside Chongqing. You have required only the photocopy of your Tibet permit. Hence we will send you a copy in email, and you can make the printout.
- For the train from Chongqing to Lhasa. The Train station in Chongqing will need to see your original Permit. For this, we will have to send you original permit to your hotel in Chongqing.
- Taking the flight to Tibet from any part of China, we will need to send your Original Tibet travel permit. Any airport in China will require to see your original Tibet travel permit before boarding into the flight.
- The permit will be at the border with your tour guide for all the travelers coming from Kathmandu to Tibet. If you are taking overland journey from Nepal to Tibet, you guide will be at the China custom at the border port with permit. For the flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa, your tour guide will be with the permit waiting for you at the China Custom counter in Lhasa Airport.
Scroll down for more Lhasa Travel Guide
Weather / Best Time
Lhasa prefecture valleys are roughly at an altitude of 3610. The central river valleys are warm in summer and in the coldest winter months, the temperature is above freezing during the sunny days. The climate is a semi-arid monsoon, with a low average temperature of 1.2 to 7.5 °C (34.2 to 45.5 °F). Average annual precipitation is 466.3 millimetres, with 85% falling in the June–September period. Typically there are 3,000 hours of sunshine each year. It is colder in the northern regions, warmer in the south.
LHASA WEATHERBest times to visit.
The best time to come to Lhasa prefecture in April to Mid June and September to November. During those days it is warmer and no rainfall on average.
If you would like to enjoy Tibet without many tourists. Winter is an excellent time to come to Lhasa.
Scroll down for more Lhasa Travel Guide
Where to Stay
Boutique Hotels in Lhasa Prefecture
Tibetan Mid Range Hotels in Lhasa Prefecture
Yak Hotel
Gang-Gyan Hotel
Ramoche Grand Hotel
Five Star Hotels in Lhasa Prefecture
St. Regis
Shangri-La
Intercontinental
House of Shambhala Restaurant
Tashi no 1
Kyichu Restaurant
Dunya Restaurant
Lamo-Tsang
Cafe in Lhasa
Summit Cafe
Gamqiong Teahouse
Packing List
Clothing
- Comfortable, broken-in hiking shoes or hiking boots with Spare laces
- 3 or 4 pairs of hiking pants ( at least 1 pair of waterproof/windproof hiking pants
- *1 pair of comfortable tennis shoes, flip-flops or croc-style sandal to wear
- 2 or 3 pairs of cotton socks
- 3 or 4 pairs of wool socks
- 4 to 6 pairs of underwear (*trekker should bring some spandex or non-chaffing underwear)
- 1or 2 sets of thermal underwear (tops and bottoms)
- 1 set of warm pajamas for overnight
- Mid-weight or heavyweight winter coat ( down recommend for treks and any Tibet Travel in the month from October to April)
- Lightweight hooded rain jacket for treks and any travel done from April thru October
- Warm Hat
- Warm gloves
- Scarf (Optional)
- Sun Hat with the wide brim
- 2 or 3 fleece tops
- 4 to 5 T-shirt (Mixture of short and long sleeved. *Wicking shirt should be used for treks.)
Accessories
- *1 lightweight, quick0drying towel
- *Gaiter (optional for trekkers)
- *bandana (optional for trekkers)
- *mid to heavyweight sleeping bag of -12°C to -18°C (10°F to 0°F)
- Sunglass with UV Protection
- Protection small flashlight (torch) or headlamp with extra batteries
- 1 liter Nalgene bottle
- Small thermos for tea/hot water
- *day pack that is 30L to 40L in size ( Only if you are trekking)
- *2 durable trekking poles ( Only if you are trekking)
- 1 or 2 small plastic bags for dirty clothes, etc
- Personal Hygiene and Toiletry items
- Sunblock/ Sunscreen that is SPF 35 or higher
- Lip balm that contains sunscreen
- Skin moisturizer (optional)
- Anti-Bacterial hand sanitizer
- Small hand-held mirror (Optional)
- Deodorant
- Feminine products
- Shaving products
- Travel size Soap and Shampoo
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Wet wipes
- 2 to 3 rolls of toilet papers
- Nail clipper
- Band-Aid and moleskin for blisters
- Earplugs
- Cotton buds/Q-tips
Medicines
- Medicine to treat travelers Diarrhea
- Anti-biotic ointment for minor cut or blisters
- Personal Tylenol, ibuprofen, cold medicine, antihistamine, etc
- Diamox / Acetazolamide (Optional….contact your doctor for details)
- Medicine if you are prone to motion sickness (optional)
- prescription drugs (contact your doctor)
Extras
- iPod/iPad/Kindle(optional)
- Batteries for personal items (Camera, Flashlight, etc)
- plenty of memory cards for your camera
- passport/ money holder
- extra copy of your passport and Chinese Visa (Make an Extra copy of your travel permit in Tibet)
- Protein bars, Chocolate, dried fruit or Other snacks of your choice.
- Electric outlet adapter for China
- Small notebook with pen
- 3 to 4 small zip-lock bags
Places to visit in Lhasa Prefecture
Our Special Arrangments
For maximum exposure to Tibetan Culture, religion, history, and crafts. We have extensive special arrangements to give you good cultural and traditional experiences. Read more about Tibet Travel and Tibet Tours. Please visit our blog: Nomadictibet.com
Conclusions of Lhasa Travel Guide
Here, we have made out best effort to give all the information about Lhasa travel guide. If you have any questions or you would like more information about Lhasa Travel guide. Please email us and we will surely come back to you with better informations. For find more information about Tibet Travel here.
I Tibet Travel & Tours is a local travel agency in Tibet that offers unique and authentic experiences to travelers from all around the world. As a leading tour operator in Tibet, we provide high-quality Tibet Travel services that are tailored to our clients’ needs and preferences.
Our team of experienced and knowledgeable professionals strives to ensure that our clients have a hassle-free and memorable Tibet Tour. We specialize in various types of tours, including cultural tours, trekking and hiking tours, and adventure tours.
Our commitment to providing exceptional service has earned us a reputation as one of the best local travel agencies in Tibet. Contact us today to plan your unforgettable trip to Tibet.
Explore Tibet with a local Tibetan Travel Agency
If you’re looking to explore Tibet, starting your journey with a reputable Tibetan travel agency in Tibet is crucial. Tibet Travel & Tours is a great choice to begin your adventure with their extensive knowledge of the region and commitment to responsible tourism.
Their Tibet tour packages cater to a range of interests and budgets, making it easy to plan a trip that suits your needs. Before embarking on your tibet tour, it’s essential to have the right Tibet travel information and necessary documents, including a Tibet travel permit.
The Tibet Travel Planner provided by i-Tibet travel is an excellent resource to plan your trip, including tips on what to pack, where to stay, and what to see.
For beginners, the “About Tibet” guide provided by i-Tibet travel offers a comprehensive overview of the region’s history, culture, and top attractions. So, start your Tibet travel plan here with i-Tibet travel and discover the magic of Tibet for yourself.