Travel Guide Tibet

Tibet, a land of ancient Buddhist culture, awesome landscapes, artistic monasteries, exotic cities, hidden valleys and centuries-old caravan trails, Tibet offers a totally different experience. Over the past decades many many adventurers have flocked to Tibet in search of the secrets behind names such as Shangrila or Rooftop of the World. Those who have visited Tibet describe the culture and tradition they found as truly unique.

Tibet is a beautiful country with an average altitude over 13,000ft above sea level. This hight can create problems for the inexperienced traveler. Therefore, longer acclimatization lags after arriving in Tibet are necessary in order to prevent the traveler from getting sick with Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). Tibet is a mecca for mountain climbers with more than fifty peaks above 23,000ft. Tibet is bordered by China, India, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Burma and Kashmir. Due to Tibet’s long period of complete isolation and the protection provided by the mountains throughout the country, Tibet is the last sanctuary left in the world to some of the world’s rarest plant and animal species. The beliefs of the Tibetan Buddhists and their harmonious relationship to the natural world have greatly influenced the success of the natural world in Tibet.

Tibet's People and Culture:

Over two million people inhabit this land of rich natural resources and ancient cultures. Spiritual traditions, temples and monasteries, lakes and rivers, and mighty snow clad peaks are just a few of the intoxicating wonders to be experienced by adventurous travelers destined to visit this place.

Buddhism, with a history of some 1,300 years is shaped into a unique form of "Lamasm". Religion is extremely important to the Tibetans; Tibet is the traditional center of Tibetan Buddhism, a distinctive form of Vajrayana, which is also related to the Shingon Buddhist tradition in Japan. Tibetan Buddhism is practiced not only in Tibet but also in Mongolia, the Buryat Republic, the Tuva Republic, and in the Republic of Kalmykia.

Tibetan history, culture and religion are mixed together and infiltrate every aspect of social life. Tibetan Arts have a distinctive style with adoption of Indian and Chinese Buddhist influence, thus forming a pearl of Oriental Buddhist art.

People living on the Tibetan Plateau, such as Tibetans, Monpas, Lhopas and Moslems, have their own ways of living, marriage, burial and other ceremonies. Festivals in Tibet are in big variety. The Tibetan New Year, the largest festival, is followed by others such as the Wangkor Festival and horse races. For the dead, sky burials, water burials, cremations and stupa burials are practiced, but the sky burial is the most common.

How to get to Tibet?

Tibet is now easily accessible from Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Schedule air services fly from Kathmandu to Lhasa, and back every Tuesday and Saturdays. The flight last a little over one hour and gives you a panoramic view of the Himalayas.

However for the real advantageous people we would recommend taking either the the train or traveling by car over the stunning Himalayas. The Qinghai-Tibet railway is the world's highest railway, some 597 miles of its tracks are located 13,200 foot above sea level. At its highest point the railway reaches 16,600 foot. Although traveling to Tibet via railway does take more time than by plane, it gives you much more enjoyment of the wonderful landscapes and a unique experience on the thousands of miles traveling on the roof of the world.

Lhasa-Beijing: 47 hours 04 minutes; distance: 2525 miles
Lhasa-Chengdu: 45 hours 40 minutes; distance: 2087 miles
Lhasa-Chongqing: 46 hours 32 minutes; distance: 2270 miles
Lhasa-Shanghai: 48 hours 58 minutes; distance: 2717 miles
Lhasa-Guangzhou: 56 hours 10 minutes; distance: 3094 miles

Tibet Visa and Travel Permits

There are two kinds of Tibetan Visas available for traveling to and in Tibet The first is the entry permit (TTB permit) which you have to show at the airport in order to be allowed to board the plane. The second permit is the Alien's travel permit (PSB permit) which you will need if you intend to explore the "unopened" areas outside Lhasa. You need to apply for the travel permit at least 10 days prior to your entry date. Government employees and journalists have to go through a more complicated procedure to get a visa permit.

Flag of Tibet

The flag of Tibet was introduced in 1912 by the 13th Dalai Lama, who united the army flags of various provinces to design the present one. Since then, it served as the all-Tibet military flag until 1950. It remains the emblem of the Central Tibetan Administration headquartered in Dharamsala, India. As a symbol of the Tibetan independence movement, it is banned in the People's Republic of China, including the Tibet Autonomous Region which corresponds to the former area of control of the Tibetan government at Lhasa, as well as other areas in greater Tibet. The official website of the government-in-exile of Tibet explains the significance of the flag as follows:

In the center stands a magnificent thickly snow clad mountain, which represents the great nation of Tibet, widely known as the Land Surrounded by Snow Mountains.
Across the dark blue sky six red bands spread representing the original ancestors of the Tibetan people: the six tribes called Se, Mu, Dong, Tong, Dru and Ra which in turn gave the [twelve] descendants. The combination of six red bands (for the tribes) and six dark blue bands for the sky represents the incessant enactment of the virtuous deeds of protection of the spiritual teachings and secular life by the black and red guardian protector deities with which Tibet has had connection for a very long time.
At the tip of the snow mountain, the sun with its rays brilliantly shining in all directions represents the equal enjoyment of freedom, spiritual and material happiness and prosperity by all beings in the land of Tibet.
On the slopes of the mountain there proudly stand a pair of snow lions blazing with the manes of fearlessness, which represent the country's victorious accomplishment of a unified spiritual and secular life.
The beautiful and radiant three colored jewel held aloft represents the ever-present reverence respectfully held by the Tibetan people towards the Three Supreme Jewels (the Buddhist objects of refuge: Buddha, Dharma and Sangha).
The two colored swirling jewel held between the two lions represents the peoples' guarding and cherishing the self discipline of correct ethical behavior, principally represented by the practices of the ten exalted virtues and the 16 humane modes of conduct.
The surrounding border of yellow adorning the perimeter represents the spread and flourishing in all directions and times of the purified gold like teachings of the Buddha.