The costs of traveling in Tibet and cost breakdown

Tibet, the roof of the world, is a place shaped with natural wonders and a spiritual atmosphere. Nowadays, it has become one of the must-see destinations of China for travelers home and abroad, which attracts hundreds of thousands of travelers/photographers/trekkers/pilgrims every year. Upon stepping into this mystery land, you will be astonished by its religious significance and the piety of the friendly and hospitable local Tibetans and your eyes will be dazzled by its breathtaking landscapes. Magnificent snow-capped mountains, vast plains dotted with yaks, beautiful turquoise lakes, atmospheric holy monasteries, colorful prayer flags are scattered around every corner of this dreamland. 

However, Tibet doesn’t seem to be a budget-friendly travel destination in China, a trip there has always been considered to be an expensive vacation, as independent travel to TAR is not allowed for foreigners and Taiwanese, they need to pre-book an organized tour with one of the local travel agencies. This tour should have a licensed guide, a private vehicle with a driver, and required Tibet permits (including the basic Tibet Tourism Bureau Permit, Alien’s Travel Permit, Military Permit if you go for some certain areas in Tibet). Besides, as the second-largest province of China, most famous attractions such as E.B.C, Namtso Lake, Mt. Kailash, etc. are located far in distance and off the main roads, requiring a long drive. Apart from its long-distance, it is a place with an average altitude over 4,500 meters (14,764ft), limited condition, harsh environment, making the tour costs here a bit beyond the tour prices of most other places in China.

As an experienced local travel agency successfully arranged trips to Tibet, for our clients in the past over 13 years, we have been frequently questioned ‘How much will it cost for a trip to Tibet’. Well, it is really a good but tough question that seems to be difficult to get a definite response at once, as the cost of Tibet tours is possible to vary greatly, from very expensive private tours for a solo traveler for over 3 weeks covering as many highlights as possible, to the simple group tours only a few days in Lhasa with a group over 4 people. Hence, to work on the tour proposal and quotation for you, it’s highly recommended to share the information with us based on the questions below.

• How many people are you?
• Whether you prefer to do a private tour or join a group tour?
• Which destinations/attractions do you plan to visit and what do you plan to do in Tibet?
• How many days do you plan to spend in Tibet?
• When do you plan to visit Tibet? 
• What’s your preferred hotel standard? 
• Which method do you plan to enter and exit Tibet, by train or by flight?

Only if we get your answers to the stated questions above, then it is possible for us to quote for you, as they are all the important factors to influence the tour cost. As a traveling lover, we absolutely understand that the cost of the trip is one of the key points to decide whether to continue the trip or not and it’s common to wish to get a great value for the money that we have paid for our trip to Tibet. To make things a little bit easier and help you to better understand the tour cost while planning your trip to Tibet, we would like to break down the tour cost into each item here to better understand how the tour cost is made up of.

Please check the below table of contents for Tibet tour cost breakdown:

1. Cost for Chinese visas and Tibet permits
2. Cost for tour guides
3. Cost for tourist vehicle and driver in Tibet
4. Cost for accommodation (hotels or guesthouses)
5. Cost for Entrance tickets
6. Cost for meals (food and drink in Tibet)
7. Cost for trekking like trekking gears, carry animals and porters
8. Additional cost like land transportation or personal expenses

1. Cost for Chinese visas and Tibet permits

Tibet is one of the provinces of China but it is a sensitive place of China, hence, for international travelers, if you plan to travel to Tibet, you are required to obtain not only a Chinese visa but also the necessary Tibet permits including Tibet Tourism Bureau Permit (TTB permit), Alien’s Travel Permit (ATP/PSB) and Military Permit. More details about Tibet permits, please go through our Tibet permit and how to get the Tibet permit page.

1. Individual Chinese visa

For those entering Tibet from one of the cities of mainland China, it is required to obtain their individual Chinese Visa from the Chinese Embassy/Consulate in their home or resident country in advance. The ‘L’ visa is the standard visa category for tourists to China, it's an ideal visa type to ease your Tibet permits application process and you can choose to apply for a single entry, double-entry, or multiple-entry ‘L’ visa. The fee of ‘L’  visa varies from US$ 30 to US$ 155 depending on which country’s passport you are holding and it is required to pay when collecting your Chinese visa. For more information, please read China visa for Tibet.

2. Chinese group visa 

For those entering Tibet from Kathmandu, Nepal, you must have the Chinese Group Visa issued by the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu, applied by your Tibet tour operator (like WindhorseTour) upon your arrival. The process takes 3-4 working days, hence, you are required to have some days in Kathmandu/Nepal before you travel to Tibet. The application fee varies based on nationality and the degree of emergency, ranging from USD$ 42 - USD$ 225. More details, please read over our How to get China Visa when traveling from Nepal to Tibet page.

3. Tibet Tourism Bureau permit (TTB permit)

Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB) Permit is an essential entry permit for foreign travelers to enter/visit Tibet. It is approved by the Tibet Tourism Bureau and also the utmost important permit of all, required to be presented when booking and boarding the flight or train to Tibet. In addition, it will be checked at any time whilst in Tibet. We offer a 100% guarantee and free service for our clients even though the labor cost is involved to obtain the TTB permit.

4. Alien’s Travel Permit

Those planning to go beyond the Lhasa region and travel to the ‘unopened’ areas in Tibet, like Tsedang Area and Samye Monastery, Sakya Monastery, Mt. Everest, Mt. Kailash, Lake Manasarovar, etc., are required to obtain an Alien Travel Permit (ATP), which is applied by a local tour operator and issued by the Foreign Affairs Section of the Public Security Bureau (PSB) office. Without this permit, they will be stopped going further by the local police in Tibet. The cost is CN¥ 100 (US$ 15) per person which is already included in your overall tour cost.

5. Military Permit

If you plan a trip to Ngari, Nyingchi, Chamdo Region or plan an overland trip to Tibet from Sichuan, Xinjiang, Yunnan, or Qinghai, a military permit issued by the Military office in Lhasa is essential. Once again, it can be ONLY applied by one of the local travel agencies on travelers’ behalf and they don’t accept applications by individuals. Normally, it takes a cost of CN¥ 200 (US$ 30) - CN¥ 400 (US$ 59) per person and it has been included in our tour package.

2. Cost for tour guides

Based on the current policy, the international travelers need to be accompanied by a licensed tour guide while traveling in Tibet, however, you don’t have to be with the guide 24 hours a day. In Lhasa, most travelers will choose to spend about 4-6 hours with their guide to visit the highlights as foreigners are not allowed to visit the attractions/monasteries/temples in Lhasa on their own, but they can stroll around Lhasa streets or markets without a guide by their side. While traveling outside of Lhasa, the same regulations apply, the guide must travel in the vehicle, so as to visit the highlights, with the foreigners, but doesn’t have to be by their side 24 hours a day. 

Honestly speaking, it is necessary to have a guide to be with you as the guide can help you in lots of ways, including accommodation arrangements, natural history, and Tibetan culture explanations, and emergency assistance if injured or suffering illness. The cost of an experienced English-speaking tour guide is between CN¥ 500 (US$ 74) - CN¥ 800 (US$ 118) per day depending on if you will take a regular sightseeing tour, a bicycle tour, or a trekking tour. The French, Spanish, Russian speaking guides are also available, but the cost for those guides is slightly higher. And the tour guides costs are normally included in the tour package.

3. Cost for tourist vehicle and driver in Tibet

If travelers only visit Lhasa city, they are not forced to use a private tourist vehicle, and it is possible to use the public buses and local taxis to travel around the city with their guides. While traveling outside of Lhasa but inside Tibet Autonomous Region, they must use a private tourist vehicle with a driver. Just a few years ago, Toyota Land Cruisers were the major vehicle used in Tibet for tours, however, due to the dramatic improvement in the road conditions across much of Tibet, more fuel-efficient vans have been adopted to be used as tourist vehicles in recent years.  

The cost of the tourist vehicle and driver takes the biggest part of your Tibet tour cost, you should note that, in Tibet, vehicles are not charged on a per-day basis, instead, they are charged based on your travel destinations and duration. Alongside this, their rates are never charged per person, but per vehicle. Generally, it is the cheapest if traveling in winter/low season, while the most expensive if traveling in summer/peak season. Below are the estimated costs of hiring a 7-seat business van with a driver in 2020 to some popular destinations in Tibet but excluding the vehicle and driver service in Lhasa city for your information:

• Lhasa → Namtso Lake → Lhasa, recommended to be done in 2 days, costs about CN¥ 2,500 (US$ 368) to CN¥ 3,500 (US$ 515);
• Lhasa → Tsedang → Samye Monastery → Lhasa, recommended to be done in 2 days, costs about CN¥ 2,000 (US$ 294) to CN¥ 3,000 (US$ 441);
• Lhasa → Yamdrok Lake → Gyantse → Shigatse → Mt. Everest Base Camp → Lhasa, recommended to be done in 4 days, costs about CN¥ 6,000 (US$ 882) to CN¥ 8,000 (US$ 1,176);
• Lhasa → Yamdrok Lake → Gyantse → Shigatse → Mt. Everest Base Camp → Gyirong (border with Nepal), recommended to be done in 3 days, costs about CN¥ 8,500 (US$ 1,250) to CN¥ 11,200 (US$ 1,647);
• Lhasa → Yamdrok Lake → Gyantse → Shigatse → Mt. Everest Base Camp → Saga →  Darchen → Mt. Kailash Kora trekking → Saga → Sakya Monastery → Shigatse → Lhasa, recommended to be done in 11 days, costs about CN¥ 20,000 (US$ 2,941) to CN¥ 23,000 (US$ 3,382).

4. Cost for accommodation (hotels or guesthouses)

As one of the remote areas in China, Tibet has limited accommodations, travelers should always bear in mind that the overall level of the accommodation in Tibet is still lower than that in other parts of China, but it has been greatly improved in many aspects in recent years with the booming of Tibet tourism. In some big cities and popular travel destinations such as Lhasa, Shigatse, Tsedang, Nyingchi, and Gyantse, they offer a wide range of accommodations for travelers to choose to stay, from local guesthouses to star-rated hotels equipped with modern amenities and western food. However, in remote areas, such as Mt. Everest Base Camp region, Mt. Kailash, Lake Manasarovar, and along all the treks, only local guesthouses with basic amenities, shared toilets, and without heating and showers.

For those seeking budget travel, you can easily find the local guesthouses with cheap dorm-bed or rooms without private bathroom costing only about CN¥ 60 (US$ 9) to CN¥ 120 (US$ 18) per person per night, or budget hotels with standard rooms suited with private bathroom costing around CN¥ 120 (US$ 18) to CN¥ 240 (US$ 35) per person per night, including a simple breakfast, based on 2 people sharing one room. For those seeking a luxury stay, you can find 4-star hotels or even higher standard hotels in Lhasa, Shigatse, and Nyingchi, especially in Lhasa and Nyingchi, it is possible for you to stay at the international 5-star hotels. The costing is from CN¥ 240 (US$ 35) to CN¥ 800 (US$ 118) per person per night, or even a bit more during the high peak season, based on 2 people sharing one room. When traveling in Tibet, it is advisable to share a room to reduce the cost as the single occupancy supplement will be charged if you take the room alone. 

As many hotels in Tibet don’t have websites or ways to book them online, it is highly recommended to book the hotels through one of the local travel agencies. We, WindhorseTour, would be happy to help, read over our Hotels we are using for your Tibet Tour page and share the hotels that you prefer with us, then we can arrange them for you based on your preferences.

5. Cost for Entrance tickets

Lots of the scenic areas such as mountains and lakes and cultural and historical relics like palaces, fortresses, temples, and monasteries in Tibet require to pay entrance fees to enter for sightseeing, which costs from a few bucks up to CN¥ 200 (US$ 30) per person. In addition, while traveling to some mountains and lakes, travelers are required to take the in-site eco-sightseeing bus for sightseeing, which costs from CN¥ 120 (US$ 18) to CN¥ 280 (US$ 41) per person. Please note that all the entrance fees and eco-bus fees can add up the cost quickly. Once you have booked your trip with WindhorseTour, all the entrance tickets and eco-sightseeing bus tickets will be included in the total price. For the highlights that are not in our agreed itinerary, if you decide to pay a visit, you need to pay for the entrance fees by yourself, although they are not really expensive anyway.

6. Cost for meals (food and drink in Tibet)

Usually, in most of our Tibet tours, the meals are not included in the tour package, as we want to give more flexibility for our clients to choose what to eat and how much to spend according to their preferences and budgets. The guides would be happy to give the best recommendations based on their interests. Many small, cheap restaurants or tea houses specializing in authentic Tibetan food, as well as the other Chinese foods, can be easily found in many places of Tibet, especially in Lhasa and Shigatse. Most of them don’t look fancy, but they offer very delicious food at an economical and affordable price, costing ranges US$ 5-13 per person per meal based on what you order, a lot cheaper than eating at the big restaurants. In addition, the price will decrease if you are sharing the cost with your group members.

7. Cost for trekking like trekking gears, carry animals and porters

For those doing a trekking tour in Tibet with WindhorseTour, we will provide necessary camping equipment such as tents, mattresses, sleeping bags, simple cooking equipment including fuel stove. While for the other personal packing, you need to prepare it in advance on your own. Due to the high elevation and harsh environment, we would highly recommend our clients to hire yaks or horses to do the heavy work and relieve the burden on their shoulders.

Generally, yaks or horses are available to hire at the nearby villages to where your trek begins. Usually, each yak can carry about 30-40KG's luggage, and one yak man can tend up 3 yaks, but each horse requires its own keeper. However, the yaks have no nose rings and can’t be led by rope, so don’t expect that they will remain on a trial unless they’re following another yak, thus, even if you have a small group and only need one yak, you have to hire two yaks still. 

The cost of packing animals varies widely according to the location. Generally, it is the most pricey to hire horses and yaks at Mt. Kailash, costing up to CN¥350 (US$ 52) per animal per day, CN¥ 300 (US$ 44) per yak keeper or horseman per day, and a total of 3 days’ fee will be charged. The daily cost of hiring packing animals in most other places is much less, it costs about CN¥180 (US$ 27) per head per day, and the same cost for a yak keeper or horseman per day, please remember that you are also required to pay for their return home days. 

Can't wait to plan a trekking tour in Tibet, please read over our How to plan a Trekking in Tibet page to learn more about trekking in Tibet and make good preparation.

8. Additional cost

Land transportation to enter and exit Tibet: 

Usually, tourists can choose to enter and exit Tibet by train or by flight, which takes a big part of your Tibet trip cost. 

For those traveling with a short vacation, the best way to enter Tibet should be taking a flight as it is time-saving. Many major cities of mainland China and Kathmandu of Nepal have direct flights to Lhasa, which costs about US$ 200 to US$ 500 per way depending on where you would take a flight to Lhasa. As there are no international flights from outside China directly to Lhasa (with the exception of Kathmandu), for international travelers like Europeans and Americans, they need to choose Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Chongqing, etc. or even Kathmandu as a layover before flying to Lhasa. For more information about flight schedule and cost, please go through our Flights to and from Tibet page.

For those traveling with sufficient time and inclined to reduce the cost, taking a train via Qinghai-Tibet Railway to enter Lhasa would be an ideal choice. As you will have a chance to enjoy the breathtaking landscapes including the wild and virgin Kekexili (Hoh Xil) from the big window and give your body more time to gradually acclimatize the high elevation of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Tibet trains offer 3 types of tickets: the 1st class soft sleeper, 2nd class hard sleeper, and hard seat, the soft sleeper is the most comfortable option for better sleep and experience. The one-way soft sleeper costs from US$ 115 up to US$ 295 per person depending on where you will start the train journey and when you are traveling, low season, shoulder season or peak season, as the ticket price in the shoulder and peak season, is generally higher (by adding the high commission to the tickets dealers) than the official price due to the high demand. For more details about the timetable and cost of Tibet trains, please go through our Lhasa Train Schedule and price.

Other expenses

There are some other fees for tourists when traveling to Tibet, such as your personal expenses for shopping, laundry, drinks, Internet, fax, telephone calls, etc. Additional days/costs caused by unexpected natural disasters like landslides, avalanche, etc., as well as the travel agency service charge fee for arranging everything including guides, vehicles, drivers, etc. These fees vary.

Even though independent travel is not possible in Tibet and it is required to book a full tour package through a local travel agency, however, there are still some ways to reduce your Tibet tour cost, please read over How to plan a budget tour in Tibet to plan your cost-effective trip to Tibet. As a reliable and professional local travel agency with over 13 years of experience, WindhorseTour is specialized in arranging tours to match your every need and has a 100% guarantee to obtain your Tibet permits and make your Tibet trip happen. Can’t wait to design your personal trip to Tibet, please feel free to contact us or leave your comments online.