Tibet

The allure of traveling the fabled overland route across the highest plateau in the world is one that many travellers cannot resist. For sometime this mystical country was locked away from the world and off limits to travellers. Nowadays Tibet is a boom tourist destination, readily accessible from Nepal and main land China, thanks to the opening of the new high altitude train form Beijing.

Tibet as a country is steeped in a Buddhist history that stretches back through the ages, it’s famed as a gentle and peaceful kingdom that sits nestled on the top of the world. A journey to Tibet is a breath taking passage beyond the Himalaya, over snow covered passes and ice falls, past emerald lakes and through isolated yak pasture’s, into quaint daub and thatch villages, magnificent monasteries and imposing forts, it is, surely a journey outside of our time and existence, that leaves the modern world temporarily behind, before rolling into Lhasa, a city of contradictions.  The ancient and the new all mingle, fighting for supremacy in the highest city in the world.

The capital of Tibet is the city of Lhasa, an amazing place sitting in a river valley. This city is dotted with monasteries, criss crossed with cobbled lanes and scented with incense and butter lamps. Towering above the city is the imposing Potala Palace, the one time home to the spiritual Buddhist leader the Dali Lama. As you tour around you feel lost in time as you rub shoulders with maroon clad monks and burly nomads dressed in heavy yaks wool jackets, its truly one of the most splendid places on earth. To reach to Lhasa you must cross the world highest plateau, a simply incredible place of rolling yak pastures, hemmed by the snow capped peaks of the Himalaya, a breath taking journey that you will never forget.

The Visa

For many people planning a trip to Tibet, the visa seems to be a daunting and confusing issue with the ever changes rules and stances of the Chinese government. When you join a tour with GRG's, just give us your passport and we will arrange the permit and visa for you, no hassle, no worries. To make your visa you need to be in Kathmandu two days prior to the trips departure. If you plan on traveling through to china, we don’t recommend you to make your Chinese visa first as this can be cancelled when gaining the Tibet permit.

The seasons

The best times to travel in Tibet are from March to the end of June and from September to the end of November. Be aware that the later season is very cold at such high altitudes. Technically, with the improvement of roads it is now possible to travel in Tibet all year round, but you can expect snow in December and January and you cannot always be guaranteed a group to join, GRG's will run tours out of season, however, the tour will be priced according to passenger numbers and seasonal rates.

Highlights of Tibet

• Potala Palace - One of the world’s most imposing buildings, the spiritual home of Tibetan Buddhism and the Dali Lama.
• Derpung Monastery - Once home to 10,000 monks it is considered as the worlds largest of its kind.
• Sera Monastery - Spend some time watching the colorful display of debating monks.
• Rongpuk and Everest Base Camp - Rongpuk is a tiny Monastery that marks the entrance to Everest Base Camp.
• The Bharkor - Amidst the old and new of Lhasa’s rambling streets you can find the Bharkor square and the Jokhang Temple.
• Yamdroktso Lake - Situated between two of the worlds highest road passes, this lake is a striking feature in the barren landscape.
• The Kumbum and Palkhor Chode Monastery - A spectacular Stupa  whose name means “Palace of a Thousand Images”.
• Mount Kailash - The home of lord Shiva and one of the holiest mountains in the world.
• Landscapes - This, vast rolling wonderland is blessed with some of the most unique landscapes in the world.