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Are you willing to join them?　2009 - 01 Name Nationality Age Date/ Arrivel Duration Via Persons / Children Tour Guide Status Karina Cornejo Peruana 31 12.01.09 15 Zhejiang, Taiwan, Beiging, Shanghai 2 \ 2 Spanish Open Imran Qaise Pakistani 28 10.01.09 15 Beijing 1 \ 0 English Open Onasis Rosely Ghanaian 24 10.01.09 14 Any 1 \ 0 English Open Sujata Indian 30 27.01.09 10 Beijing, Xian, Shanghai 2 \ 0 English Open Nurkarmelia Malaysian 27 04.01.09 4 Beijing 1 \ 0 English Closed Juana - 46 01.01.09 8 Suzhou, and other interestint ciyt near Shangai. 2 \ 2 Spanish / English Closed Tony & Kathryn - 45 23.01.09 3 Kunming 4 \ 0 English Open Ronald Goldstein Brazilian - 06.01.09 3 Beijing, Xi'an, Guillin 2 \ 0 Spanish / English Open

Lhasa Tour Guide

Map of Lhasa From Google

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Lhasa Weather Forecast

Tibet Travel Permits

There are two documents required for foreign tourists who want to travel in Tibet. One is the Chinese Visa, which you can apply for in Chinese Embassy in your country, one is Tibet Permit, which you have to obtain it in order to enter Tibet. We are able to assist you the process all of those above documents if you book a tour with us.

Passport & Visas

All individuals entering Tibet must hold a passport valid for at least six months. If you are entering Tibet from China, your Chinese visa will be valid, though only travelers with tourist visas (not business, resident or student visas) are permitted. Entering Tibet from Nepal, either by friendship highway or by air requires a separate visa valid for Tibet from the Chinese embassy in Katmandu (30-60 day visas are the norm and it normally takes 2 week days to obtain it.). You may apply for a group visa from us (minimum of two people in a group and you must leave China with this person unless you can change the visa inside China).

Tibet Permit

What's Tibet Permit?
Tibet Permit, also known as Tibet Tourism Bureau (T.T.B.) Permits, is necessary for entry to Lhasa or any other part of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, and is obtained as part of tour arrangements for travel to Tibet. It is issued by Tibet Tourism Bureau for restricting the number of foreign tourists traveling in Tibet.

How to apply for it?
We can facilitate to obtain it for you if you could submit your personal information to us beforehand by providing your Full name, Sex, Birth Date, Nationality, Passport Number, and Occupation. Journalists, Diplomat, and monks are forbidden to entering to Tibet. After receive your information, we will start to work with the T.T.B to applying for the permit for you. It normally takes 2 week days.

Tips for applying for a China visa: It's better not to mention Tibet as your travel destination when you are applying for a visa to China. Because you may be refused by stating that you will go to Tibet. However, it will be much easier if you travel to Tibet after you have got a valid China visa after you entering China.

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the first to link Tibet to the rest of China, starts in Xining, in Northwest China's Qinghai Province and ends in Lhasa. Before the opening of the 1,956-km railway, tourists could only reach Tibet by air or road. Since the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway on July 1 last year ,Tibet has witnessed a rapid growth in tourism. In the first quarter of this year, it received 116,000 visitors, up 15.8 percent on the same period last year, Tourism income has grown up 16.5 percent on the same period year on year.

The palace's opening hours will be extended from July to September, and the tickets must be booked in advance.

Lhasa also plans to build a replica of the Potala Palace in miniature.

Prior to the opening of the railway, the palace received an average of 1,400 tourists a day. During last year's peak season, however, that figure rose to 6,000. Tibet hosted more than 2.51 million tourists last year, of which 154,800 were from overseas. They spent 2.77 billion yuan in the region and the region expected to host 3 million tourists and bring in 3.4 billion yuan this year.

Taboo in visiting Tibet: Some basic etiquettle rules that should be followed when inTibet.

Include:
1.Never touch the head of a Tibetan, the head is considered a xacred part of the body.

2.Show proper respect in the temples, do not weae noisy shoes, drink alcohol, smoke or make unnecessary noise.

3.Do not put your arms around someone's shouldersl.

4.When visiting a temple, follow the pilgrims and circle the temple clockwise, never counterclockwise.

5.Never touch, sit on or walk over any religious items such as prayer glags or texts.

6.Do not kill any animals or insects in monasteries.

7.Do not be intrusive during religious ceremonies, this means be respectful when taking photos.

8.Do not harm animals wearing red, yellow or green cloth.

9.Do not step on the threshold of Tibetan homes.

10.Do not spit in front of people.

11.Do not throw garbage into a fire.

12.Do not engage in strong displays of public affection.

13.Dress modestly.

Tibet railway helps boost tourist numbers by 15%

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the first to link Tibet to the rest of China, starts in Xining, in Northwest China's Qinghai Province and ends in Lhasa. Before the opening of the 1,956-km railway, tourists could only reach Tibet by air or road. Since the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway on July 1 last year ,Tibet has witnessed a rapid growth in tourism.

In the first quarter of this year, it received 116,000 visitors, up 15.8 percent on the same period last year, Tourism income has grown up 16.5 percent on the same period year on year.

The palace's opening hours will be extended from July to September, and the tickets must be booked in advance.

Lhasa also plans to build a replica of the Potala Palace in miniature.

Prior to the opening of the railway, the palace received an average of 1,400 tourists a day. During last year's peak season, however, that figure rose to 6,000. Tibet hosted more than 2.51 million tourists last year, of which 154,800 were from overseas. They spent 2.77 billion yuan in the region and the region expected to host 3 million tourists and bring in 3.4 billion yuan this year.

Tibet Festivals

Tibetan New Year
The greatest festival in Tibet. In ancient times, when the peach trees were in blossom, it was considered the start of a new year. Since the systematization of the Tibetan calendar in 1027 AD, the first day of the first month became fixed as the new year. On the New Year's day, families unite, an "auspicious dipper" is offered, and the auspicious words "tashi delek" are greeted.

Sightseeing of Lhasa

Potala Palace: Potala Palace, a model of Tibetan architecture ,situated on the Hongshan Hill in Lhasa, means "the Sacred Palace of Buddhism" in Sanskrit. It was built in the 7th century by king Songtsan Gambo for his bride, the princess Wen Cheng of Han nationality, and was enlarged and renovated by the successive Da1ais. The 13 story palace, 117 meters high, 360 meters east-west, with an area of 130,000 square meters was constructed completely by stone and wood. It includes temple, seminary, chanting hal1, dormitory, moaning hall and yard. The eight moaning halls house the stupas of several Dalai Lamas, which are covered with gold 1eaf and studded with jewels. Enormous precious historical relics and frescos on various themes are kept in the building. Potala Pa1ace was the winter residence of Dalai Lamas. The imposing grand building was constructed on the slope of the hill, which demonstrates a combined style of T1betan and Han architecture.

Jokhang Temple: The Jokhang Monastery was built in the seventh century by Songtsan Gambo, the Tang Princess Wen Cheng and Nepalese Princess Bhrikuti. Its located in the center of the ancient city of Lhasa and a four story main building demonstrates a combination of the Han, Tibetan, Indian and Nepalese architectural styles, as well as a man - made world outlook of Buddhism. With the Hall of Amitayus Sutra as its center, the monastery symbolizes the nuclear to the universe. The Hall of Sakyamuni is the essence of the monastery. Jokhang is the spiritual center of Tibet, the Holy of Holies, the destination of millions of Tibetan pilgrims. Unlike the lofty Potala, the Jokhang has intimate, human proportions, bustling with worshippers and redolent with mystery. The outer courtyard and porch of the temple are usually filled with pilgrims making full-length prostration towards the holy sanctum. Its innermost shrine contains the oldest, most precious object in Tibet - the original gold stature of Sakyamuni - the historical Buddha, which Princess Wen Cheng brought from Chang'an 1,300 years ago. Every year, the Great Prayer Festival will be held in the Temple. The rites of Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas' initiation into lamahood are also held in the monastery.

Lhasa History

In 1271, Kublai, a grandson of Genghis Khan, conquered the Central Plain, founded the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), and made Dadu (today's Beijing) the capital. Kublai wrote finis to the centuries-long situation in which many independent regimes existed side by side, and formed a united country that brought Xinjiang, Tibet and Yunnan under its sway. During the Song-Yuan period, the "four great inventions" in science and technology of the Chinese people in ancient times-papermaking, printing, the compass and unpowder-were further developed, and introduced to foreign countries, making great contributions to world civilization.

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Lhasa Climate

Basically, the Lhasa’s climate is not as harsh as many people imagine it to be. The best time of year to be in Lhasa is from April to the beginning of November, after which temperatures start to plummet.

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Lhasa Transportation

Train T27 will start from Beijing West Railway Station at 21:30 and arrive at Lhasa Railway Station at 20:58 on the third day after 47 hours and 28 minutes' running.

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Lhasa Buddist

Tibetan Buddhism derives from the confluence of Buddhism and yoga which started to arrive in Tibet from India briefly around the late eighth century and then more steadily from the thirteenth century onwards. Indian Buddhism around that time had incorporated both Hindu yogic and tantric practices along with the classical teachings of the historical Buddha who lived around 500 BC. It acknowledged that there were two paths to enlightenment (complete transcendence of identification with the personal ego). One path was that taught in the sutras according to the historical teachings. The heart of sutra practice was based on morality, concentration, and wisdom (not identifying with the personal ego). The other path, which has become the cornerstone of Tibetan variations, was tantric. This practice blended the sutra teachings with techniques adapted from Hindu systems of yoga and tantra...

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