Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
four of Asia's mightiest rivers flowed. The legend, which had percolated as far afield as
Japan and Indonesia, was largely ridiculed by Western cartographers. However, in 1908
the Swedish explorer Sven Hedin returned from a journey that proved there was indeed
such a mountain and such a lake, and that the remote part of Tibet they occupied was in
fact the source of the Karnali (the northernmost tributary of the Ganges), Brahmaputra
(Yarlung Tsangpo), Indus (Sengge Tsangpo) and Sutlej (Langchen Tsangpo) Rivers. The
mountain was Kailash and the lake, Manasarovar.
Permits
Foreigners require a fistful of permits: an Alien Travel Permit, military permit, Tibet Tour-
ism Bureau (TTB) permit, foreign affairs permit… Your travel agency will organise all of
these for you but give them at least a month. You may need to stop in Shigatse to process
your Alien Travel Permit and may further need to get this endorsed in Darchen or Ali, de-
pending on the direction of travel. This is particularly true if you wish to visit off-the-
beaten-track places like Gurugyam Monastery. As you travel through the region your
guide will need to register you with the Public Security Bureau (PSB) in some towns (such
as Tsochen).
Note that Ngari is a politically sensitive area and periodically closed to foreigners: reas-
ons include political unrest or potential unrest on the Mt Kailash kora (which could simply
mean the year is a popular one for mountain pilgrimages); military tension along the con-
tested borders of China, India and Pakistan; or other reasons known only to Chinese offi-
cialdom.
In short, it's prudent to always be prepared for your trip to be cancelled, even with little
to no notice. Do not blame your agency when this happens: they have no control over the
situation and Tibet is not the sort of place where a few dollars can grease the wheels of
bureaucracy (at least not with respect to permits).
The official announcement each year for opening Ngari is made in March or April. If
your trip is cancelled you can expect a full refund from your agency though it is good to
get this in writing beforehand as deposits are now quite hefty (80% in 2014). Airfares are
another matter so consider cancellation insurance.
Itineraries
