How to travel to Tibet from Bangkok, Thailand?

Welcome to travel to Tibet from Bangkok,Thailand! Based in Lhasa, Tibet Travel Expert Service know very well that each year, lots of Thailand travelers travelled in Tibet and most of them are via Bangkok. 

Here Tony from Tibet Travel Expert Service shares the important Tibet travel information with distinguished travelers from Bangkok and other cities in Thailand.

1) How to get to Tibet from Bangkok?

As all people know that, to enter Tibet, you have two destinations options to travel to before entering Tibet. One is China and another one is Nepal. Lots of our Thailand travelers enter Tibet via China because the Nepal Tibet Nepal airfare is very expensive (especially after the border closure after the strong earthquake in Nepal in April 2015). And there are daily flights between BKK and Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, etc. Further more there is good discounted airfare between Bangkok and Chengdu, or Guangzhou, etc. It is very convenient to fly to Chengdu. And from Chengdu it is fairly easy to extend the trip to Tibet by train (every other date) or flights (8-15 flights a day)

Well to fly from BKK to Kathmandu,Nepal and travel to Tibet from Nepal is also good option. If travelers enter Tibet from Nepal, Chinese individual visa will be no use, but local Tibet travel agency must help apply a “Tibet Group visa” in Chinese consulate in Kathmandu, Nepal. To apply this, normally 2 working days in Kathmandu will be necessary to avoid any urgent cases.

2) Both Private tour or Group tour for Thailand travelers are optional.

For travelers from Thailand to Tibet, you do not have to join a group tour, as you can have your own private tour if you prefer. Even one person can book a tour of Tibet. And since 2015, there is no more restriction on travelers nationality and group size. However group tours of Tibet are more economical way considering the expensive transport in Tibet.

3) For Solo Thailand travelers to Tibet

For Solo Thailand travelers, you can also get Tibet permit, but be sure you will be part of an organized tour. It does not mean you have to book everything with travel agency. E.g you can book your own hotel in Lhasa, you can have your own free days in Lhasa, but when you travel outside of Lhasa, you will need to book a tour guide, and or a car when necessary.

4) To travel from Bangkok to Tibet, Thailand travelers also need Tibet Travel Permits

For Thailand travelers, the same for any other foreign nationality travelers, you will need Tibet travel permits to board the plane to Lhasa (when flying from cities in China to Lhasa), and you will need original permit as well for boarding the train from Chongqing, Xi’an and Lanzhou for Lhasa. However permits photo copies work when you board the train from other cities to Lhasa.

To go to Tibet, you’d better contact an experienced, reputable and Lhasa based Tibet travel agency to avoid any middle handler’s high commission fee in between. You never worry, as going from Malaysia to Tibet is very easy.

5) Flight Chengdu/China to Lhasa

Chengdu is the main gateway entry point city to Tibet, there are many more flights a day between Lhasa and Chengdu. And the airfare is far cheaper than you flying from Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou, or from Nepal as well. There are daily and discounted airfare for flights between Bangkok and Chengdu/Guangzhou/Kunming all year-round.

6) Thailand travelers need Chinese Visa to enter China before going to Tibet

Before you fly to any cities in China from Thailand, you will need to have China visa in advance. And the tourist visa-L type China visa is good if you can get it. Remember not to mention any words of Tibet or Tibet tour when you apply your China visa, this is a common practice which we always recommend our foreign travelers. If you do mention, you may need our local Tibet travel agency’s further support to apply and send you the Tibet group visa invitation letter.

7) Flights between Chengdu and Lhasa.

There are 8-15 daily flights between Lhasa and Chengdu. And it is just around 2 hours flight and normally there is free drink and/or food on the board. If you want to take the train to Lhasa from Chengdu, you’d better let your Tibet Trip Advisor know that you are going by train as there is no daily train leaving Chengdu for Lhasa. It is only available every other date. By the way Tibet Travel Expert Service can help you reserve the train tickets easily if we book it 30 days to 65 days in advance before train leaves. The train ticketing schedule is subject to change per China railway system policy.

8) Tibet travel permits schedule-Thailand travelers need to know

To get permits ready for going to Tibet from Thailand, normally 5-10 working days are necessary for regular tours without Mt. Kailash. And travel agency sends permits to hotel or living address in China and so travelers can get it in hand before flying to Lhasa or Nyingchi.

9) Finally for Thailand travelers to Tibet, we have the suggestions below:

A) Do Not book a tour of Tibet with agencies or individuals outside of Tibet;
B) Do Not 100% trust “Tibetan” or “Tibetan Owned” tour agencies prices, because lots of travel websites claim they are based in Lhasa, and not middle handlers.
C) Do Not pay sky high prices for “namely high quality private Tibet tours”, Sky high prices always means big commissions if the handler is not Lhasa based.
D) Do Not pay “cheapest” price for a tour, since these tours may not be quality services.
E) Do Not trust”Biggest” travel agencies, small agency with personalized service and fairly lower prices would be your options to choose.

Traveling from Bangkok,Thailand to Tibet is as easy as ABC

All in all, the travel from Vietnam to Tibet is fairly easy. Just do lots of research on your own and bare the information above in mind and choose the right Tibet travel agency to start your dream tour. Hope above Tibet travel tips are helpful for you. Should you have any questions on Tibet travel, please feel free to write us an email. Our email address is: inquiry@tibettravelexpert.com.