Can Indians Travel to Tibet

China Tibet is a beautiful and mysterious place to Indians, and there are many Indians who want to travel to Tibet and climb Mt Everest. To Indians, there are 3 problems: can Indians travel to Tibet, how should Indians travel to Tibet and how to get to Tibet from India. Here we would like to answer this 3 questions for you.

 

Can Indians Travel to Tibet

Indians can travel to Tibet, but Indians are not allowed to travel alone in Tibet, and shall be accompanied by tour guide or shall travel with a Tibetan travel agency, though it would be a bit troublesome in the procedure.

► Tibet. Indians are allowed to travel to Tibet, as long as you have legal materials like Tibet Entry Permit(Tibet Travel Permit), Foreigner Travel Passport(Alient’s Travel Passport), Military Permit, valid passport, and Chinese mainland visa.

► Lhasa and its surrounding areas. Indians want to visit Lhasa, Shigatse, Shanna and Nyingchi, and there won’t be a big problem, but special permits, like Tibet Entry Permit and Foreigner Travel Passport are required.

► Ali prefecture( Nari prefecture). Indians are allowed to visit Ali prefecture as pilgrims, with 2 special places Mountain Kangrinboqe( Mount Kailash), and Lake Manasarovar, through special ways. All travel agencies in China are not allowed to bring Indians to visit Ali. For visiting Ali prefecture, Indians should contact this two organizations: Foreign Affairs Office of Tibet, and the non-governmental pilgrimage reception centre. Moreover, you could book a Ali trip through a Nepal travel agency or Indian travel agency which are the authorized partners of this two organizations.

► Out-of-bounds areas. Foreigners including Indians, are not allowed to enter places like military bases and Zayu County.

How Should Indians Travel to Tibet

► For Indians who want to visit Tibet, including Mount Everest, but not Ali prefecture, you need to apply for Tibet Entry Permit, Foreigner Travel Passport, and Military Permit.
 

(Tibet Entry Permit)
 

• Step 1, contact a travel agency in China and join a tour group or book a private tour.
   
•  Step 2, apply for Chinese mainland visa, and make  your Tibet itinerary, including time for visiting, places to visit, and hotels to stay.
   
• Step 3, provide photocopies of your passport and Chinese mainland visa, or scan it to the travel agency which will apply for Tibet Entry Permit and Foreigner Travel Passport for you. The application would take 8-9 weekdays.
   
• Step 4, the original copies of Tibet Entry Permit and Foreigner Travel Passport would be sent to the hotel where you stay before heading to Tibet. And the original copies are needed when boarding a flight or a train to Tibet.

► For Indians who want to visit Ali prefecture as pilgrims, please contact the Foreign Affairs Office of Tibet, and the non-governmental Tibet-India Pilgrimage Reception Centre. The Pilgrimage Centre is located in Tuanjie New Village of Lhasa. As official Indian pilgrims, you will make pilgrimages to Tibet through Nathula Pass according to the pilgrimage route.

Attention: please plan your Tibet trip and prepare related materials to apply for the permit at least 1 month before your visiting time.

How to Get to Tibet from India

► Travel to Tibet, China from India by Flight:
 

Option 1:  India-Katmandu-Lhasa

Connecting flights: fly to Katmandu, then transfer to Lhasa.

A nonstop flight from Katmandu to Lhasa is available every day, and the flight takes off at 11:30 AM Nepal Time and arrives Lhasa at 15:05 PM China Time, and the flight journey is about 1 h and 20 min.
 

Option 2: India-a city in China-Lhasa

From India to China, it is very convenient, because it is only several hours by flight. Everyday, there are many nonstop flights available from India to China.



Get to China from India
 

• Cities in India with nonstop flight to China: Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata.
   
• Cities to land in China from India by flight: Kunming, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Beijing.
   
• The shortest route from India to China: Kolkata-Kuming-2 h 30 min.
   
• The best route from India to China: Delhi-Beijing-6 h 5 min
   

Get to Lhasa in China
 

• Direct flight to Lhasa in China: Lijiang-Lhasa(1 h 30 min), Xian-Lhasa(2 h 50 min), Xining(2 h 15 min), Beijing(2 h 20 min), Chongqing(2 h 50 min), Chengdu(2 h 20 min).
   
• Train to Lhasa in China: Xian-Lhasa(31 h), Chongqing-Lhasa(35 h 43 min), Xining-Lhasa( 21 h), Beijing-Lhasa(40:45 h).
   
• The best flight route to Lhasa: from Xian to Lhasa, from Chengdu to Lhasa.
   
• The best train route to Lhasa: from Xian to Lhasa.

► Travel to Tibet, China from India by Road:



Get to Tibet China from India by road:  India → Katmandu→ Gyirong Pass→ Shigatse→ Lhasa:
 

• 1. Take train from India to Katmandu. Indian passport holders could go to Nepal without Nepal visa.
   
• 2. Take bus to Gyirong Pass, and then enter Tibet through Gyirong Pass.

In Gyirong Pass, you need to present Chinese mainland visa, Tiber Entry Permit, valid passport, and other papers.

From Katmandu to Gyirong Pass, the distance is about 100 km, but the fast time for this journey is about 6-7 hours by SUV. If you take bus, it would 8-9 hours, because the rough mountain road is not so friendly for driving.

From Gyirong Pass to Shigatse, the road is much better for driving, but it still takes about 12 hours by bus from Gyrong Pass to Shigatse. The bus ticket is about 200 RBM.

From Shigatse to Lhasa, you could take train. The train from  Shigatse to Lhasa takes 2.5 h-3 h, and costs 111.5 RMB for a hard sleeper and 40.5 RMB for a hard seat.
 

About Kodari- Zhangmu border crossing, it hasn't opened to tourists yet since its closeness in 2015 due to earthquake. But in the future, it may be available to travelers.

(Yamdrok Lake)

Tibet has welcome travelers from all over the world, including Indian travelers. Travelling to China from India is not a hard thing, as long as you apply for the required papers and abide by the law of China. For getting to Tibet, Indian travelers could take flight(by air) or take bus(by road).Moreover, it is pretty convenient to fly to Tibet, China from India.

For your Tibet tours, here we also recommend some popular Tiber tour packages to you:
 

• 13 Days Trip to Tibet and Panda Wonderland( Beijing-Xian-Lhasa-Chengdu-Shanghai)
   
• 8 Days Tibet Group Tour to Mt. Everest Base Camp(Lhasa-Shigatse-Tingri-Mt. Everest Base Camp)
   

If you are interested in China tours and Tibet tours, please feel free to contact us, and we would love to help you make itineraries and quotations.