Tibet Travel, need permit without group

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Tibet Travel, need permit without group
Jun 17, 2004 22:01
ASTROGUY Points: Join Date: Jun 17, 2004 Status: offline	Want to travel through Tibet for 18 days. I am USA guy and have a Chinese (mainland) travel companion. We are hoping to travel on our own, not on a stupid group tour. How can I obtain the Tibet permit without the expensive and unwanted tour guides? The permit process seems confusing. Thanks for any response.

Jun 18, 2004 00:48

GMS
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Join Date: Jun 18, 2004
Status: Offline

I am in the exact same boat as you. (That is, USA guy with
Mainland travel companion wanting to travel in TAR without
costly travel agent.) I have heard that, after a group tour ends, it
is possible to get individual travel permits from Lhasa Police, but
I don't know if it is true. Then, the question remains, how do
you get to Lhasa without a travel guide... ??? I don't know. If
you find anything out, could you forward that to me; I am new to
this forum and don't know how to check my mail.

Jun 18, 2004 09:47

CYNTHIAA
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Join Date: Apr 7, 2004
Status: Offline

Good question. Really is one make many confused. It is said that now offices which originally can issue travel permit in chengdu has been cancelled. So far, you can only get the permit through those in Lhasa before you took you flight. No other way than take a tour to obtaining it. Your saying that once you take a tour at ends with an extra travel permit is not credible. Do not try it.

Another choice is you can enter Tibet from china-bordered kathmandu in Nepal. To enter Tibet from a China-bordered country, travelers need to get the Letter of Confirmation issued by the Chinese embassy in that country (Note: Do not mix it up with Tibet Travel Permit). For example, if you want to fly from Nepal to Tibet, you need to get the Letter of Confirmation from the Chinese Embassy in Nepal (http://www.chinaembassy.org.np/ ) in addition to your visa and passport. Travelers can either have it done through local travel agencies or by themselves.

Jun 18, 2004 14:14

VISITTIBET
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Join Date: Jun 16, 2004
Status: Offline

I also prefer to travel independently, nevertheless it seems impossbile so far to travel in Tibet for foreign tourist.

"Foreing tourist" here refers to the people who do not have a Chinese ID card. Although Hong Kong and Taiwan are part of China, these citizens still require a Tibet Entry Permit (TEP).

In YOUR case, your chinese companion can freely travel by his or her own without TEP,unfortunately you have to obtain TEP prior to your entering Tibet.

Generally, most of individual toursists turned to travel agencies to deal with the required procedures. Then, once the TEP obtained, you may travel in Tibet as you like, certainly you have to follow some other local regulations in travel.

Well, I hope above information would be helpful to your planning trip. If you have any more inquires, you may contact me by mail to tom.com|visittibet, or visit my website: www.visittibet.com.

In the end, don't forget to share your experience here when you are back from Tibet.

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