Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
walking aid, but also as a defence against dog attacks. Tibetan dogs can be particularly
large and brutal, and they roam at will in nearly every village and herders' camp. Bring
your walking stick or pole from home, or purchase trekking poles in Lhasa.
Petrol for camping stoves is widely available in towns and cities but is of fairly poor
quality. To prevent your stove from getting gummed up you will have to clean it regularly.
Kerosene (
méiyóu
in Chinese;
sanum
in Tibetan) can also be obtained in cities. At the time
of research there was a ban on selling petrol in portable containers. To get around this re-
striction ask your tour drivers to siphon fuel for you.
Nowadays, there are scores of shops in Lhasa selling trekking equipment.
SAFETY GUIDELINES FOR WALKING
Before embarking on a walking trip, consider the following points to ensure a safe and en-
joyable experience:
Be sure you are healthy and feel comfortable walking for a sustained period.
Only undertake treks that are well within your physical capacity and level of experience.
Obtain reliable information about the terrain and current conditions along your intended
route from local inhabitants.
Be aware of local laws, regulations and customs about wildlife and the environment.
Maps
There are numerous commercially available maps covering Tibet, but very few of these
maps are detailed enough to be more than a general guide for trekkers.
The Chinese government produces small-scale topographic and administrative maps,
but these are not for sale to the general public. The US-based Defense Mapping Agency
Aerospace Center produces a series of charts covering Tibet at scales of 1:1,000,000,
1:500,000 and 1:250,000. The most useful of the American 1:500,000 references for
trekking in Tibet are H-10A (Lhasa region, Ganden to Samye, Tsurphu to Yangpachen),
H-9A (Kailash and Manasarovar) and H-9B (Shigatse region, Shalu to Nartang, Everest
region).
Old Soviet 1:200,000 topographic maps can be consulted in many large university lib-
rary map rooms. Buying them has become easier with commercial outlets in the West
