Tibet - anyone been?

[Deleted]

DH and I have a group of friends who are interested in taking a trip to Tibet. I've been designated as the researcher and planner so far. 

We definitely want to take the train for the last leg into Tibet - has anyone done this? 

Any recommendations on things we must see or do? 

Thanks!

[katfco]

Yes! Dh and I spent about 10 days there. It was almost 10 years ago, but I'll help if I can.
1. You have to go to Everest base camp, if you have time. It's an absolute must. There are several businesses from which you can hire a car and driver. You can choose the length of your trip. Ours was, IIRC about 4 days. We were able to visit different towns on the way. Granted, you're kind of at the mercy of the driver in terms of where to stay, but at least you have a decent chance of a reputable place.

2. Potala Palace, if you can. Because of altitude sickness and asthma, we weren't able to try to go until almost the last day. I say "try" because we had to stand in line to get tickets for a couple of hours and by the point we got to the ticket office, they didn't have any for the right day. From what I understand, it's worth the hassle, but leave extra time in your schedule.

3. We did go see Norbulinka Palace, in Lhasa, which was pretty cool.

[Brit]

I went to Tibet, but I was pregnant, so my activities were kind of limited. I blogged about it here:

eatrunbrit.com/2011/11/07/an-evening-in-kathmandu/

eatrunbrit.com/2011/11/09/exploring-the-kathmandu-valley/

I thought there were more posts, but I can't find them...

[Captain Serious]

Yes. We flew into Lhasa from Kathmandu, and spent 10 days there. Since the law requires you have to travel with a group, our "group" consisted of my husband and me, along with our guide and driver. This was awesome, because we were given a lot of free time to just wander around alone when we were in towns/cities and didn't have anything else planned.

We spent 3 days in Lhasa acclimatizing, and then slowly made our way through Tibet towards Everest Base Camp, touring monasteries and other cultural sites along the way. We were at EBC on the last day before we took the trip over the pass and down the mountains, back into Kathmandu by car. The scenery was stunning, but do yourself a favor, and don't go in November like we did. It was the coldest I've ever been, and I'm a person who loves winter!

Potala Palace was awesome, as were the other sites in Lhasa. Our guide secured our tickets, so we didn't have any idea of a wait or demand. Of course, in November, there weren't many tourists, either.

One thing I highly recommend: please try to use only ethnically Tibetan guides and drivers, if you can. They have so much pride in their heritage, and for lots of reasons, I believe it's so important to let this realm belong to only them.

[katfco]

Also, if you plan to go to Everest, take motion-sickness pills. The serpentine roads are not fun without them.

[Deleted]

Feb 18, 2014 21:15:25 GMT -5 Captain Serious said:

Yes. We flew into Lhasa from Kathmandu, and spent 10 days there. Since the law requires you have to travel with a group, our "group" consisted of my husband and me, along with our guide and driver. This was awesome, because we were given a lot of free time to just wander around alone when we were in towns/cities and didn't have anything else planned.

We spent 3 days in Lhasa acclimatizing, and then slowly made our way through Tibet towards Everest Base Camp, touring monasteries and other cultural sites along the way. We were at EBC on the last day before we took the trip over the pass and down the mountains, back into Kathmandu by car. The scenery was stunning, but do yourself a favor, and don't go in November like we did. It was the coldest I've ever been, and I'm a person who loves winter!

Potala Palace was awesome, as were the other sites in Lhasa. Our guide secured our tickets, so we didn't have any idea of a wait or demand. Of course, in November, there weren't many tourists, either.

One thing I highly recommend: please try to use only ethnically Tibetan guides and drivers, if you can. They have so much pride in their heritage, and for lots of reasons, I believe it's so important to let this realm belong to only them.

Do you remember the name of your guide? 

As you mentioned, I want to book with Tibetan guides/drivers to support their culture. So far I've found Explore Tibet and Tibetan Shaman Tours that both appear to be run by Tibetans and have lots of reviews on various travel sites. But if you can recommend one that you used that would be helpful as well. 

Also, were there any particular monasteries on the way to EBC that you would absolutely recommend? 

[Captain Serious]

To be honest, I don't. We didn't book the guide until we were in Kathmandu, and it was all handled by a travel agent there, including our entry visas (back in 2010). I might be able to find something if I check my old file....

As for the monasteries, after seeing the first few in Lhasa, they all seemed to run together. The art was spectacular, and some of them housed the most amazing Buddhas, but I couldn't tell you what we saw in each location, because in many ways, they are so similar. To be honest, the trip for me was as much about the beauty and starkness of the landscape as it was the culture. I loved seeing where the monasteries were located, often in the midst of the most empty stretches of land on earth.

Another suggestion, get prescription medicine from your doctor before you go that will increase your red blood cells, so you can function better at altitude. It will make a huge difference in your ability to manage your trip. We stayed at EBC and never needed oxygen, and neither of us was very fit. Our guide said she almost always has to bring people off the mountain because they can't spend the night there and she was surprised that we didn't need the oxygen.