Planning to Visit Tibet? Check These 30 Useful Tips

Taking a journey to Tibet is a wonderful experience. But before your departure, you need to know some basic local taboos and travel precautions, to travel more smoothly. Check this article to get useful tips for your Tibet trip. 

1. The altitude sickness in Tibet is not a terrible thing. You don’t need to be afraid of it. A good state of mind is the best medicine to prevent altitude sickness. 

2. Before coming to the plateau, you can take some anti-altitude medications like Rhodiola oral liquid, to reduce the possibility of suffering from altitude sickness. 

3. Move slowly and don’t rush around during your first two days in Tibet. Also, eat less and drink more water. Moving too fast and eating too much will consume your oxygen.

4. Always apply lip balm to avoid dry and cracked lips, since Tibet has a dry climate. Putting a glass of water beside the bed at night can make your room moister. 

5. Never go to Tibet after catching a cold. Because this may make you suffer from pulmonary edema or an even more serious situation. Also, if you catch a cold while in Tibet, return to the lower-altitude regions.

Avoid catching a cold before you head to Tibet.

6. Bring more sun protection and skin care products as the sunshine in Tibet is quite strong. Also, bring a hat and a pair of sunglasses. 

7. Bring a thick down jacket even if you travel to Tibet in summer. You will pass through many beautiful mountain passes or high-altitude destinations, where the temperature is very low. Also, the nights in Tibet are cold. 

8. Tourists with severe high blood pressure and heart disease are not advised to go to Tibet. Consult with your doctor if you are physically fit to enter Tibet.

9. Diplomats and foreign journalists cannot visit Tibet. 

10. Please respect the customs and traditions of local Tibetans. Try not to offend anyone by mistake while you tour Tibet. 

11. Airport shuttle bus is available from Lhasa Gonggar Airport to downtown Lhasa. It is not necessary to take a taxi.

There are shuttle buses from the airport to Lhasa downtown.

12. Pay attention to the speed limit if you take a self-driving tour in Tibet. In many places, the speed limit is 100 km/h for small cars and 80 km/h for large cars.

13. Be sure to ask for the price when taking a taxi in Lhasa. The starting price for taxis in Lhasa is normally RMB 10, and RMB 2 per kilometer after that. It's normally just over 10 yuan downtown.

14. Don’t take the manpower tricycle if not necessary. 

15. It is not recommended to buy souvenirs at Barkhor Street if you are not good at bargaining. You can ask your tour guide to recommend the place for shopping. 

16. Drinking butter tea is helpful to relieve altitude sickness, despite the tea tasting salty. 

17. Don’t take a shower, drink alcohol, or do strenuous exercise upon your arrival in Lhasa. Or you may feel hard to adapt to the high altitude of the plateau. 

18. Tibet Travel Permit is a must for foreign tourists to visit Tibet. You need to contact a travel agency to apply for it on your behalf before you enter Tibet.

19. The starred hotels in Tibet are averagely equipped, compared to those of the same levels in the mainland. But the prices can be much cheaper.

Starred hotels are available in Tibet.

20. There are portable oxygen cylinders sold all over Tibet, so you don’t have to buy them in advance. Also you won’t be allowed to bring them on the plane. 

21. There is no internet access in many remote areas of Tibet, so be sure to bring some cash with you.

22. Many attractions will offer discounted admissions in the low season of winter months. If you plan your Tibet tour in winter, you can save a lot. 

23. Don’t step on the threshold with your feet when entering the tents or rooms of Tibetans. Nor do you spit in front of others. 

24. Do not enter the Buddha hall of the temple without permission, especially in some remote temples. Smoking is forbidden in the temple. No photographs can be taken without permission. 

25. You must not walk in a counter-clockwise direction at the prayer wheels and temples. And some tantric halls are off limits to women.

Pay attention to the etiquettes when visiting a temple in Tibet.

26. Donkey, horse, and dog meat are forbidden to Tibetans, and in some areas, fish is not eaten.

27. Do not spit, clap your palms, or fart behind or in front of Tibetans. Be polite while in contact with locals. 

28. Do not cross the religious implements and brazier when visiting temples. Do not cross the hanging prayer flags when climbing mountains in Tibet.

29. Do not touch the heads of local Tibetans even if you have been friends. Because they believe that touching the head is a sacred action.

30. Do not take away the Mani stones piled on the roadside. Mani stones and piles are used by the locals to pray for good fortune or to alleviate disasters, and have great importance in the eyes of the locals.

Conclusion

It can be helpful to learn some travel advice and tips before heading to Tibet. As the leading local tour operator with years of experience, we are glad to provide professional assistance to you. If you have any questions about traveling to Tibet, you can freely contact us for inquiries.