Transport & Customs

By Overland & Organised Tours :
An approach that has great appeal for hardy and adventurous travelers is to enter or leave Tibet by road (8 Days Tibet Overland), following the footsteps of explorers who for more than a century tried (and usually failed) to reach Lhasa overland. The distances are huge and recommend taking the Organized tours. In fact one is not allowed to travel. Nominally, organised tours must be arranged before you enter Tibet. Moreover to get into Tibet from outside Tibet from Chengdu or Kathmandu you have to book a so - called 'tour.' Travellers who want to undertake a tour organized by us please see the Cultural Tours, Trekking & Fixed Departures.

By air : A twice-weekly flight operates between Kathmandu and Lhasa from the beginning of April through October and sometimes till November depending upon the weather conditions. The 55 minute flight offers spectacular views of the Himalayas and the southern Tibetan plateau. At times on Thursdays, the airline operates additional flights during the months of July, August & September depending upon the load factor. There are two flights daily from Chengdu to Lhasa & vice versa. A new flight has been introduced between Hong Kong & Lhasa which operates once a week.

Customs
Art objects and antiques in Tibet fall under special restrictions forbidding their export. Anything made before 1959 is considered an antique. Rugs may be bought and exported, so may the small religious objects that are sold in open markets, providing only one or two are taken as souvenirs. Customs officials have been known to confiscate jewellery or other objects if they consider that a tourist has purchased 'too much'.

  Climate Of Tibet

Trekkers must be prepared for extremes in climate even in the middle of summer. A hot sunny day can turn cold and miserable in a matter of minutes, especially at higher elevations. Night temperatures at 4500m and above routinely fall below freezing even in July and August! At other times if the year it gets colder. In midwinter in north-western Tibet, minimum temperatures reach minus 40oC. Yet Tibet is a study in contrasts, and in the summer months a scorching sun and hot blustery winds can make even the hardiest walker scurry for any available shade. Between the two extremes the Tibetan climate is ideal for walking - cool and dry - but always be prepared for the worst.
 

  Currency Of Tibet

Renminbi (RMB). The basic unit is the yuan.The exchange rate is about USD 1 = 8.278 CNY (approx.) Banks in Tibet/china are closed on Saturday & Sunday. So, you are kindly requested to carry about Few Hundred USD per person in cash over and above the tour cost to cover your extra expenses for main meals and others enroute until Lhasa. If it is cash dollars, even local people help you to get them exchanged in Chinese yuan. Travellers cheques & credit cards are very difficult to be cashed outside the banks especially outside Lhasa.

  Major Festivals

Tibetan cultural heritage took such a hammering during the Cultural Revolution that traditional festivals, once important highlights of the Tibetan year, are only now starting revive. Tibetan festivals are held according to the Tibetan lunar calendar, which usually lags at least a month behind our Gregorian calendar. We have included forth coming dates for some of the festivals listed, but you will need to ask around for the exact dates of many festivals because these are often only fixed by monasteries a few months in advance
 

2006 © nepal-himalaya.com
All Rights Reserved.