Tibet travel, tours and Vacation packages

A short guide about Tibet

Tibet is a land of beautiful snow-capped mountains and green rolling hills-with yaks and nomads wandering over them. A land of exotic sounds, sights and smells, Tibet (Xizang) is a culturally, religiously, ethnically, linguistically and geographically distinct region located to the north of India, with an area of 2.5 million square kilometres. The earth's highest mountains, a vast arid plateau and great river valleys make up the physical homeland of 6 million Tibetans. It has an average altitude of 13,000 feet above sea level and for some people Tibet is the Shangri-La for travellers.

When travelling here you must take into account the political situation, which means you need a special permit and you should be careful of expressing any political ideas. Since 1951, when China invaded Tibet, it has been fully incorporated into the Peoples Republic of China. This pretty much forced the exile of the Dalai Lama. Many Tibetans will ask tourists for pictures of the Dalai Lama, however you would be putting them danger if you were to distribute his photo.

The best starting place is the capital Lhasa; here you can find the famous Potala palace. The Potala Palace has thousands of rooms filled with incredible artefacts and beautiful murals. Also in Lhasa is the Jokhang Temple; the most sacred place in Tibet and pilgrims come from all over to pay homage. Visit the Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery, which are close to Norbulingka Park, the site of the Dalai Lama's Summer Palace. Yamdrok Lake is one of the three holy lakes in Tibet, and its breathtaking scenery includes Mount Nojin Gang Sang. The altitude here is about 5000 metres above sea level.

Rongbuk Monastery is a close walk to the Base Camp of Everest or 'Quomolangma' in Tibetan and spectacular views of the Himalayas can be seen when crossing the Pang La Pass, Lalung La and Nyalamu Passes. Tourabout has a number of tour packages that range from Religious Events or festivals to Trekking from Kathmandu via the Friendship Bridge across the Himalayans into Tibet. Just remember that altitude sickness can ruin your trip so be sure to drink enough and eat many sweets.