Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ultimate decision on whether you can visit a site, so you'll need a certain flexibility if
you're headed off the beaten track.
Organising a Tour
Given the nature of the current restrictions, almost all travellers arrange a tour for their
travels in Tibet. To arrange a tour you first need to pin down your itinerary. Some agencies
offer fixed itineraries, but you can also customise your own. Your itinerary enables your
agency to quote a firm price, which depends largely on the kilometres driven (roughly ¥4
per kilometre) not the time taken. It's a good idea to mention every place you intend to vis-
it at this stage. Once on the road your driver will probably have been prepaid for all the
kilometres, so will be very reluctant to detour even a little off route.
Many agencies give a price breakdown for the vehicle, guide, permits, postage fees and
transfers, which is very useful. Clarify whether the trip fee includes accommodation and/or
entry tickets. It should include food and accommodation for your guide and driver. Trans-
fers might be included or you might have to pay an additional ¥300 for airport pick-up.
Some agencies allow you to take the airport bus (¥25), but you'll still have to pay for your
guide's ticket (both ways). You can normally take public transport around Lhasa.
If you arrange your own tour, expect to pay around US$50 to US$100 per person per
day, depending on your itinerary, the amount of time in Lhasa (where 4WD rental is not
required) and the number of people in the group.
On top of the costs of this kind of tour, you'll have to figure in the normal travel costs of
accommodation, food and entry tickets etc, but these costs you can at least control. Some
agencies want to book your hotels and indeed can often get cheaper rates for midrange or
top-end hotels; others will let you arrange your own accommodation, which gives you
greater flexibility in changing hotels.
In Lhasa you currently need to visit the major monasteries (the Jokhang, Drepung, Sera
and Ganden) with your guide, but beyond that you can generally explore the city yourself,
if you don't mind paying for a guide you don't use! The quality of guides varies consider-
ably. Some are great, many are next to useless and a few actually cause more headaches
than they solve. Having a Tibetan guide ensures you'll get a Tibetan perspective on mon-
asteries and is highly recommended.
