Tips for traveling to Tibet
The first of tips for traveling to Tibet and that we already gave when we made the trip to China in 25 days, it refers to the visa processing to China.
You have to keep in mind that to travel to Tibet you must first process the visa to China and then through the agency (you have to remember that you cannot enter Tibet by free and it is necessary to do so with a travel agency that provides you guide and driver), manage the permission to visit Tibet.
Depending on your residence, you can apply for a visa to China in Madrid or Barcelona. In the first option you can process it online or in person and in Barcelona only in person.
The price difference is quite considerable, being in Barcelona 60 euros and in Madrid 175.35 euros for the visa of an entry, two tickets or multiple entries in ordinary regime (urgent service is more expensive), which includes the price of transport, both back and forth.
The price difference is due to the fact that in Barcelona it is processed directly at the Consulate while in Madrid the procedure is done by a external company identified by the Chinese Embassy or Consulate to handle the daily work of visa procedures.
We, although we have Barcelona only 60 kilometers away, being a face-to-face procedure and that can only be done on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., entails going there and losing one morning, both procedure as for the collection, we have decided to manage it as we did on the trip to China by free in Madrid and by mail.
The first thing that we recommend, before doing anything, is to enter the official website and read all the points that refer to the processing.
Once you have read the entire application process and frequently asked questions, you can enter the option "Quick access"and from there access the application form of the visa process to China.
The most advisable thing is to fill in each of the 4 pages, always saving at the end of each one of them, so that they provide you with an application number with which you can make inquiries afterwards or modifications for 30 days, provided you have not submitted the Official request in the offices or by post.
Us for this trip to Tibet we have requested a "single entry" visa, since we will enter China through Shanghai and leave through Lhasa, making a stopover in Chengdu.
Something very important is to know that if your travel itinerary includes a visit to Hong Kong, but then return to China to continue the trip or catch a flight, you have to request a double entry visa, since Hong Kong is not China.
Once you have completed the form you just have to print it and attach it in an envelope with the following documentation:
- Passport with 6 months validity and 2 empty pages
- Photocopy of the page where the passport data comes out
- Passport photo format
- Visa application
- Air tickets, hotel reservations ... etc or failing the Letter of Invitation from the Travel Agency. (Important: Read next tip !!)
- Sheet with the data where you want the passport to be returned
All this you have to put in an envelope and send it by Seur, or another carrier, to the following address:
Chinese Visa Application Service Center in Madrid
C / Agustín de Foxá, 29, 4th floor
28036 Madrid
Phone: 0034-913145918
Fax: 0034-917321959
Email: [email protected]
In case you want to go personally to this center of Madrid the schedules are:
Monday to Friday (closed official holidays and weekends)
Application delivery: 9: 00-15: 00
Payment and visa collection: 9: 00-16: 00
The price of an envelope per Seur is 13 euros and once they receive all the documentation in Madrid and manage it, they send you an email indicating the total amount (visa + fees + service + return transport) that more or less they are about 175.35 euros per person (almost 50 euros more expensive than in 2015), and that you must pay by credit card or bank transfer so that they can return the passport with the visa.
Keep in mind that the visa expires after 3 months, so it is recommended apply for a visa to China more or less with a month or month and a half before the trip, since the procedures by mail are usually about 10-15 days. If the procedure is face-to-face, the management period decreases to about 5 or 6 working days.
The Total Chinese Visa price in 2017 was 175.35 euros per person:
60 euros visa + 66.55 management service fee + 26 euros transport + VAT
* Before managing anything, we recommend that you read the official pages carefully since this type of procedure can vary greatly over time, so it is essential to have updated information.
** The advice we give is always based on our experience, in which we manage a tourist visa for only entry to China.
Something very important: We have read many opinions and experiences about the need or not to communicate at the time of visa process to China the visit to Tibet.
In our case and after our experience is that if you have a flight to enter or leave directly from Tibet, as is our case at the exit, we fly from Lhasa to Chengdu, from there fly through Amsterdam to Barcelona with KLM, the best It is not to miss the visit to Tibet, since in the process they will ask you for the flights and therefore, they will perfectly see that they have planned the visit to Tibet.
We attach in addition to the flights, the Invitation Letter from The China Guide, with whom we will make this trip to Tibet, where an itinerary that included Tibet was specified, in order to avoid processing problems. When presenting an invitation letter, what we have not had to present have been the hotel reservations, which we attached on the trip to China in 25 days.
KLM
The second of tips for traveling to Tibet and that along with the need for special permission, we believe that it is more important is the need for travel to Tibet with agency. You have to keep in mind that today is impossible to enter Tibet for free.
This implies the need to hire an agency that, in addition to processing the special entry permit, will accompany you during your trip to Tibet, either only in Lhasa or throughout the tour, depending on the type of trip you have hired or want to make.
In our case, we have had the collaboration of The China Guide, an agency with which we collaborate in the trip to China for free, for the Trekking between Jinshanling and Simatai in the Great Wall of China and the Li River cruise, with whom we were very happy after demonstrating their professionalism and good work in the country. That has been one of the great reasons why we have decided to do the program with them The China Guide in Tibet and to live by his hand this dream traveler that we had for so many years.
Although this is a very personal assessment, we believe it is very important to know Tibet through the words and the hand of someone who knows what their true reality is. This is only possible if you have the company of a Tibetan guide.
Many agencies, having their headquarters in China, offer guide services in English or Spanish, in the latter case much less, but these are Chinese or Nepalese, not Tibetan.
As much as possible, we recommend you always look for the option of having a Tibetan guide, since this in addition to helping the community, will allow you to know the true reality of this magical place.
Taking into account that you can't travel to Tibet for free And you should have a guide, yes or yes, what better way to enjoy this place accompanied by someone who really loves and knows this land?
For go to Tibet You can do it directly by plane, landing in Lhasa, the most common destination, flying from any Chinese city, either direct or with a stopover or by train. The option of the plane is perhaps the most used, since it is the fastest. Keep in mind that flights to Lhasa from Beijing or Shanghai usually cost around 300 euros round trip, in addition to traveling by plane, you will reach 3650 meters of altitude directly, without prior adaptation, something that you force toto take things with more tranquility, especially the first few days, to adapt and avoid any symptoms of altitude sickness.
Lhasa airport
If you decide for travel by train to Tibet, you must buy the train tickets before.
You should keep in mind that tickets cannot be purchased directly, so you must do so through a Chinese company. In our case, they were reserved directly to us by The China Guide, greatly facilitating all the arrangements.
The sale opens 30 days before and if you want to travel in first class, that is, in soft bunk, it is best to buy them the first day, as they usually sell out very soon.
The Train of the Clouds to Tibet is one of the most incredible experiences that you can live, besides being a good acclimatization to the altitude, since during the 48 hours that the trip lasts, it is gradually ascending, going through several steps of mountain at more than 5000 meters and for several areas above 4000 meters of altitude.
If you are interested in this option to travel to Tibet, we recommend you to read the article "Train from Shanghai to Lhasa" where we explain how the tour was and several tips according to our experience.
1st class train from Shanghai to Lhasa
Another of the tips for traveling to Tibet more important, it is about altitude sickness.
Although the most important thing and what we always recommend is to see a doctor so that he can give you all the necessary advice, in the article "Tips for altitude sickness in Tibet", we tell you everything we did and how it was our experience traveling for 14 days above 3650 meters, reaching 5200 meters of altitude in Everest Base Camp.
Everest Base Camp. Tips for traveling to Tibet
In addition to everything discussed about altitude sickness, if there is something you should not forget on a trip to Tibet, or on any other trip, it is the travel insurance.
We have traveled insured with Mondo, a brokerage with which we have taken a totally adequate insurance to the needs that we were going to have.
In this trip to Tibet We have been above 3000 meters during the whole trip, just as it happened in Peru in the Colca Valley and in Chile in the Atacama Desert, this forced to travel with a extra insurance if we wanted to be calm and that the insurance would cover over 3000 meters.
This aspect is something that we had not initially considered until Mondo let us know. Luck of that, but we would not have been covered in any case, since normal insurance does not cover over 3000 meters.
Also, just for being a Street Travelers reader, you have a 5% discount.
Another of the tips for traveling to Tibet most important is the issue of internet connection in China, especially if you have to work or need a connection.
As we did in the previous trip we made to China and we explained in the tips to travel to China, in the special article "How to connect to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in China", in this case, we have also hired a VPN, VyprVPN , one of the most stable.
In our previous trip to China in 25 days we did not acquire any free SIM to be able to connect to the internet, so we could only connect via Wi-Fi.
On this occasion, The China Guide, with whom we have made the trip to Tibet in 19 days, have provided us with 2 SIM cards with which we have been able to connect whenever there has been a connection during the trip, allowing us to update the blog and social networks to through the VPN that we mentioned previously.
Although it may seem a lie, during most of the 48 hours we spent in the Cloud Train, we had connection and even in the accommodation at Everest Base Camp, we had moments when we could connect without problems.
How to get money in China: One of the first things we should keep in mind on a trip to Tibet is planning or knowing how to get money in China, since although it seems easy, there are some details that make it different from other countries.
- Before traveling to China, it is advisable to notify your bank, as there are some entities that must activate debit / credit cards so you can both pay and get money in China, since this option is blocked up default.
- This same operation must be done if they have to pass a charge to your account from China, for example to pay for a service with the travel agency. This is because some banks block transactions that come from China, so it is worth checking with your bank about the status of payments and cards to travel to China.
- In our case we always recommend taking money directly from the cashier in the country of destination, since this is a way to avoid the high commissions that sometimes add exchange houses, thus obtaining the exact change of the day. Although we must bear in mind that our bank will probably charge us a commission for these refunds. In our case in China we have been charged 13 euros for each cash withdrawal we have made.
- Based on our experience, if you do not want to pay commissions and always have the current change, we recommend using the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
- ATMs in China, at least those that we have used, have only allowed us to withdraw 5000RMB in each operation, so if you need more money, you will have to make more withdrawals.
How to get from the airport to Shanghai - Hotel Shanghai Fish Inn East Nanjing Road
From Shanghai Pudong International Airport (50 kilometers):
- Taxi: Journey of more or less an hour. Price: 200RMB (From 11 at night to 5 in the morning a 30% surcharge must be added）
- Subway: Take subway line 2 to East Nanjing Road Station.
You can also take the Maglev train, to Long Yang Road Station (40RMB) and then connect with subway line 2 to East Nanjing Road Station.
- Airport Bus: Another option is to take the Airport Bus Line 2 from Pudon Airport Station to City Terminal Station (城市 航站楼 站). From here you must walk to JingAn Temple Station and take Metro Line 2 to East NanJing Road Station. (Exit through exit 2 or 6). This would be the longest option, taking about 2 and a half hours.
- Private Transfer: The most convenient and quick option would be to hire a private transfer service between the airport and Shanghai.
Maglev train How to go from the airport to Shanghai
Metro in Shanghai:
Contrary also to what it may seem, both the structure of the lines of subway in Shanghai As the process of buying tickets, it is very intuitive and easy.
- Something important before going to buy tickets is to know a little the subway lines and above all, know the stop where you are and where you should get off.
- Ticket purchase process: In all the stations, before going down to the platforms, you will see the ticket vending machines. The first thing is to select the "English" language, then you will see a map with all available metro lines.
The ticket you must buy is based on the number of stations you need to travel, so you need to know at the station you are and what will be your destination. Once you have this clear, you must count the stops between the origin and the destination and select the number on the screen. Then you select the number of tickets, enter the money that you mark (coins or tickets) and you will already have your metro ticket.
- The maximum number of stops is 9 and the minimum 3, which corresponds to 9RMB and 3RMB (1RMB per stop). If there are more than 9 stops between the origin and your destination you have to select the option of 9 which is the maximum. And if they were less than 3 stops, the minimum to pay is 3RMB per person, so this number would be the minimum selection and the minimum amount to pay.
- Something you must remember is that the ticket must be validated in the access area. Then, at the exit of the subway station, you will have to dial it again, so do not throw it away, as it is necessary to exit the subway.
Shanghai Metro
In China the most common is to find a thousand people with you, in the same place and at the same time, wanting to take the same photo.
Do not despair. The best, in addition to getting up early, is to take it easy, not to give up your site (no matter what) and wait for the right moment to take the picture.
Many times they ask us how we take photos without people. Even sometimes we have accused of using editors to eliminate people. Nothing further from reality. In addition to getting up early, we always wait for the perfect time to shoot the camera.
Bund Shanghai
Photo after making a dent ...
In Shanghai we can only recommend you not to miss the most impressive acrobatics show we have ever seen: the ERA aerobatic show at the Shanghai Circus World.
We do not even want to explain what it is. Just tell you that although they warn that they can not take pictures or video and that there were people doing it, we do not succumb to temptation, especially with regard to artists.
In addition, we wanted to take only the memory in our retinas and leave here the firm recommendation that you come. We assure you that in addition to liking you, it will change you as a show.
ERA acrobatic show
In Lhasa, you have to take into account that the Potala Palace cannot be accessed with liquids or lighters and you must also carry the permits and passport to enter.
In the whole enclosure there are only two places where you can buy water (5RMB small bottle), one at the beginning of the tour and another in the highest part of the Potala that is visited.
Taking into account that you have to climb 400 steps at the beginning, at more than 3600 meters of altitude, it is worthwhile to get water at the first point of sale.
Access stairs to the Potala Palace
One of the most symbolic places in Tibet is without a doubt the Potala Palace. As we already advise, there is nothing better than spending 4 or 5 days in Lhasa, in addition to acclimatizing to the height, being able to visit the city in peace.
One of the things to do in Lhasa that you can not miss is to travel the points from which you have the best views of the Potala Palace, we assure you that you will not regret it.
Potala's palace. Tips for traveling to Tibet
If, in addition to visiting Lhasa, you make a route through Tibet by car, something you should keep in mind is that car trips are quite long. As we have described in the travel guide, on many occasions and in many sections there are speed controls in which you are forced to perform 30 kilometers in 60 minutes, for example, even if the road is good.
Although the landscapes are incredible and you are constantly going through small cores of traditional houses, which make you can not get out of the window, it is worth taking a book or some entertainment to make the routes more enjoyable.
You will probably hear and read that in Tibet hotel and restaurant infrastructures are quite precarious and that you should not expect luxuries. In a way that is true, but nothing that can not be "put up with"or go to overshadow the trip.
Most hotels are prepared for the western public. While it is true that the concept of "cleaning" in many of them is not 10, in all you can sleep and shower without problems.
Another story is public toilets. 95% of restaurants do not have a bathroom and those in the streets or at certain points of the road are latrines to use.
It is best to always carry toilet paper or wipes, since none will be found.
Baths in Namtso Lake
In all hotels, no matter how basic they are, there is a water heater, and in the majority some teabag.
If you like coffee do not forget to take a soluble package. It was great for us to take it at night and in the morning, before breakfast.
The menu of meals in the restaurants, in general, will be in Chinese, so it is worth it if you are going to have dinner on your own, without the guide, bring a dish that you like written in Tibetan or Chinese to make homework easier
The guide will usually take you to places where there is food that you like or suits the western style a bit, but outside of Lhasa, do not expect hamburgers or pizza at all. Despite this, we have to tell you that Tibetan cuisine is quite extensive and yak meat, momos, fried rice or fried noodles, which you will find almost everywhere, are delicious.
Fried yak momos in Tibetan Family Kitchen
If your trip passes through Everest Base Camp, you have several options to stay:
- Rongbuk Monastery Guesthouse: With shared, double or triple rooms, it is open all year round and is managed by the Rongbuk Monastery, located just opposite.
It has the basic services and the bathroom is shared, without showers, only turkish bath. This is the option that we chose and although it is not an example of hygiene in the rooms or in the bathroom, being able to sleep or eat, overlooking Everest is something that is priceless.
- Everest Tent Guesthouse: Only open in the summer months, although when the climbing season begins, usually in April, it is usually already open.
- Zhufeng Hotel: Located on the way to Everest Base Camp. Open in high season.
Views of our accommodation at Everest Base Camp from Rongbuk Monastery
We have traveled in the month of April and in most of the places we have visited, we have had temperatures of about 10-15 degrees, except for the highest altitude places, such as Lake Namtso, at 4700 meters, where we were at temperatures below zero. That also happened to us at Everest Base Camp.
For these days, it is convenient to wear several layers of clothing, including some thermal garment and for example in Everest, sleep dressed to spend less cold and also, when you wake up make less efforts, since being at 5200 meters, the less efforts, much better .
Namtso Lake in Tibet
In addition to everything discussed above, it should be carried:
- Hygienic wipes, both for the train and for Everest Base Camp, where there are no toilets.
- Glasses, sunscreen and cocoa lips. Although it seems that it is not sunny, being at this altitude, even on cloudy days, the sun is very strong.
- Layered warm clothes, the best option to fight the cold in Tibet.
- Make sure the agency you travel with carries oxygen in the car. You will be several times above 5000 meters and you may need it.
Also in Lhasa, in pharmacies they sell about 23RMB small oxygen boats. It doesn't hurt to take one in case you need it at some time at night and you don't want to call the guide to go find the biggest tank. These boats also saw that they were sold at some position of Lake Namtso at 4700 meters.
Pharmacy oxygen
On any route through Tibet with a guide in Spanish or English, be sure to always carry your passport and permits with you. They will ask you or your guide, on multiple occasions, including hotel records. It is best to always carry them by hand to save time.
In our case, both Pasang and Tre were always attentive to our having water. We took 3 boxes in the car during the days we were on the road through Tibet and at each stop they were giving us so that we did not forget to drink and thus alleviate the symptoms of altitude sickness.
Keep that in mind and ask before leaving if you will take or have to buy it yourself, since being hydrated is one of the most important things to alleviate the symptoms of altitude sickness.
Our car The China Guide in Tibet
Although in Lhasa in the Barkhor area, there are many shops and many items that you can buy as a souvenir, we find much more interesting things in Shigatse, in the market and shops around the Tashilumpho Monastery and in the stands that are in the stops that usually make tourists on the route through Tibet, in viewpoints, bathrooms ... etc
Barkhor Lhasa
In Tibet you have to haggle in everything but restaurant and hotels. The price is usually up 75%, in high season. However, in low season, prices tend to be much tighter, so if you see that they do not fall further, when you leave the store, assume that you have already arrived at a fair price.
Of course, keep in mind, as we always say, it is not necessary to squeeze. What a euro means to us, we have to think what it means to them.
Remember that any foreign traveler who wants to travel to Tibet must do so through an agency (IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO TRAVEL TO TIBET FOR FREE), either by adding to a group or privately and having, before entering Tibet, a fixed route, that the agency will have submitted and must be approved by the Chinese authorities.
To obtain the visa and all permits, it is necessary that this itinerary be approved by the authorities. It is also not possible to modify the itinerary on the fly, something very important to keep in mind, as it will force you to be clear about what you want to visit from the first moment, since based on that, the agency will manage the permits.
In our case we have traveled with The China Guide, who managed all the permits after designing a personalized itinerary together, with a guide in Spanish and that has led us to enjoy as we had never imagined this magical place.
Remember that any foreign traveler who wants to travel to Tibet must do so through an agency (IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO TRAVEL TO TIBET FOR FREE), either by adding to a group or privately and having, before entering Tibet, a fixed route, that the agency will have submitted and must be approved by the Chinese authorities. We cannot finish this series of tips for traveling to Tibet Not to mention the blog Photographing Travel, which gave us to know Tibet before going, plus some wonderful photographs, which moved us there many times.
Without a doubt, the most complete information to travel to Tibet that we found.
In Shanghai it is not always easy to find restaurants / stores at tight prices where there is a menu in English. The most recommended is, if you do not want to eat anything, go looking at the different places that are there, at the doors, where on many occasions they put the cards with photographs, something that will help you choose the dish you want, since even if you are not sure what it takes, you can see more or less find out what it is.
As you eat dishes that you like, it does not hurt that you take pictures or write your name, to be able to order them in other restaurants.
We did this on several occasions, such as at Waya Restaurant, where we had dinner the day we arrived from the airport to Shanghai, where we ordered a plate of dumplings, prawns, a lacquered duck and some squid, plus two sodas for 132RMB.
Having dinner at Waya Restaurant
If you are in the Bund area in Shanghai and you feel like eating in a good Italian, you cannot miss Goodfellas, considered the third best restaurant in the city among more than 16,000 restaurants in Shanghai.
We ordered as a starter a tuna tartare plus two pasta dishes, a beer and a water and 2 espresso coffees for 520RMB. All great and highly recommended.
Goodfellas Shanghai Restaurant
In China, as much as they tell you that the food is not spicy, repeat as many times as possible "no spicy"In addition, put what you put on the letter or whatever they say, any dish that is redder than normal, assume that it will be spicy ...
Supposedly a plate of spicy meat ...
If you are going to see the impressive ERA aerobatic show at the Shanghai Circus World we recommend you to have dinner before at a Shopping Center that is right next door, where there are many dining options.
We opted for the Blue Frog where we ordered a hamburger, some quesadillas and 2 Coca-Cola for 196RMB.
Dinner at Blue Frog
In Shanghai you can not miss trying, at least once, the dumplings of Yang's Dumplings, which they say are one of the best dumplings in the city and that are next to People's Square.
The purchase process is quite simple. First you have to get in line at the checkout, place the order and pay. With the ticket they give you, you go out to the street and you get in the queue of the counter where the dumplings are served and once with them, you can go inside and sit down to taste them or go directly to some place nearby to taste them.
Yang's Dumplings
Although there are 5 dishes to choose from, we have opted for the most famous It has six dumplings: 2 vegetables, 2 meat and 2 prawns. They are quite large, so to eat, at least we have had enough with one tray for each. And the unbeatable price: the plate of 6 is 16RMB, that is, two euros and little and you have a tray of one of the best dumplings in the city.
Yang's Dumplings
In Lhasa you can not miss the restaurant Tibetan Family Kitchen, considered the number 1 on TripAdvisor.
Access is through a small aisle of a store, and then access a residential patio and go up to the first floor, where after passing through the kitchen, you find two small rooms, with shared tables.
We, after the recommendations of the waitress, decided for a few momos of yak, the specialty of the house, a plate of meat plus water and coke for 84RMB.
Tibetan Family Kitchen
Eating at Tibetan Family Kitchen
All great and at a price more than adjusted.
Another of the restaurants in Lhasa we were in and that we can only recommend is the Phomdha Tsang Restaurant, former home of a teacher from the current Dalái Lama, which is next to the Tashitakge Hotel Lhasa, where we stayed, and has a patio Super nice. We ordered a yak steak and a yak pizza, plus soda, beer and two coffees for 162RMB.
Dinner at Phomdha Tsang Restaurant
On Danjielin Road, there is what is considered the fourth best restaurant in Lhasa, the Tashi I, which is located at the beginning of the street, just before the hotel Shambala.
Tashi I Restaurant
We ate a yak steak, some fried momos, a beer and a soda for 86RMB. And although we have to say that everything was very good, especially the fried momos, we liked the Tibetan Family Kitchen more.
Eating at Tashi I restaurant
The last of thetips for traveling to Tibet What we want to give you and is the most gastronomic, is that contrary to what it may seem, in Tibet you eat much better than you can expect. In most restaurants you will find yak meat, momos, rice and noodles, in addition to many other dishes that we are sure, you will love it.
