Tibet Travel Guide: The Roof of the World

Tibet sits on a plateau averaging over 4,500m, and nearly every practical question about traveling there — permits, altitude, how you get in — flows from that one fact.

Permits

Independent travel isn't permitted in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Every visitor needs a Tibet Travel Permit arranged through a registered agency, and some routes (including the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage) require additional permits arranged well in advance.

Altitude

Lhasa itself sits at 3,656m. Build in at least one full acclimatization day on arrival before any strenuous activity, and know the early symptoms of acute mountain sickness (headache, nausea, disturbed sleep) — the only real treatment is descent.

Getting there

• By air — direct flights connect Lhasa to Kathmandu, Chengdu and several other Chinese cities; this is the fastest option but skips the gradual altitude gain overland routes provide.
• By rail — the Qinghai–Tibet railway from Xining is one of the highest rail lines in the world and gives a full day of gradual acclimatization en route.
• By road — overland from Kathmandu via the Friendship Highway, weather and border conditions permitting.

What to pack

Layers matter more than any single heavy item — daytime sun at altitude is intense, but nights drop well below freezing even in summer. Sunglasses rated for high-altitude UV and a good lip balm are easy to forget and hard to improvise once you're there.