Tips for senior travelers in Tibet

Tibet, renowned as the roof of the world, is a dreamland attracting hundreds of thousands of travelers home and abroad every year. It offers the most unique and unforgettable experience with its sacred atmosphere and breathtaking landscape. However, it is also a remote area with an average elevation of around 4,500 meters (14,764ft), which stops many people’s steps, especially the seniors, to travel there. 

We have received many emails and calls from senior travelers asking if they can travel to Tibet and if there is an age limit for the senior travelers to Tibet. Here is the answer:
 

Senior travelers can absolutely travel to Tibet and there is no age limit. As an elderly traveler, your concern might be the altitude sickness. However, if you are physically fit, you should easily adapt to the Tibetan weather in a few days. Many senior travelers over their 60s, among some even over 80s, are traveling to Tibet each year.

But, before traveling to Tibet, please make sure that you have clearly understood the following tips and prepared well for it.

Table of contents:

1. Prior to the trip
   • Consult your doctor and take a full physical examination
   • Choose the right tour types and ways to enter Tibet
   • Make detailed plans and thoughtful arrangements
   • Choose a comfortable travel periods and weather
   • Stay healthy and pack properly
   • Take high altitude sickness medicine - Diamox is recommended
   • Buy international travel insurance in advance
2. During your trip
   • Truly rest for the first 2-3 days in Lhasa
   • Slow down or pace your movement according to your capacity
   • Make sure to have a good sleep
   • Keep yourself hydrated and have healthy diets
   • Keep a positive mood and take it easy

Prior to the trip

Consult your doctor and take a full physical examination

Before you plan a trip to Tibet, the first and most important step is to consult your doctor for advice and take a full physical examination to check your physical fitness, and only start your trip after getting your doctor's permission. In addition, it is highly recommended to decide your appropriate travel destinations and Tibet tour itineraries based on your health condition. Moreover, you should be sure to report your health condition to your guides and the tour leaders during the trip.

Alongside, share your travel plans with your doctor, and ask for advice on what to do if you have a medical problem while in Tibet. Likewise, when traveling, don’t forget to carry a copy of your medical records as well as your doctor’s contact numbers. In addition, it’s better to make sure that your tour group member understands your health conditions and knows the medication use.

An important note is that people with heart, lung, brain, liver, and kidney disease, mental illness, and severe anemia or hypertension are easy to get high altitude sickness, so those people should avoid traveling to Tibet.

Choose the right tour types and ways to enter Tibet

For senior citizens, taking a private tour would be an ideal choice, as it will give you more flexibility and freedom, and you can discuss with your guide to decide the speed of your movement or make some adjustments based on your own physical condition. The group tours are often set and fixed with very limited flexibility.

Regarding the transportation to enter Tibet, we would recommend you to take an overnight train to Lhasa rather than to fly to Lhasa directly, as you can spend one or two days in Xining (2,261 meters) and the nearby Qinghai Lake (3,260 meters) to pre-acclimatizing the high altitude of Qinghai Tibet Plateau, which can lower the risk to get the altitude sickness.

Make detailed plans and thoughtful arrangements

For senior travelers traveling to Tibet, it is really important to choose the appropriate and logical travel destinations/itineraries according to their physical conditions. Make thoughtful arrangements for your itinerary to ensure it is a comfortable trip. Do not make the itinerary too full, otherwise, you may get exhausted especially over time. Try to visit as many places as you can in a leisure way. Take everything at a slow pace, and request your tour operator to alter the itinerary based on the special needs. 

Planning a reasonable itinerary to follow the gradual ascend rules. When traveling at altitudes above 2,500-3,000 meters, it is advisable to: 

• Ascend no more than 500 meters(1,640 feet) daily; 
• Have a rest day after each 600 - 900 meters (1,969 - 2,953 feet) ascent; 
• A 2-3 days’ acclimatization before proceeding to the higher altitude and avoid flying directly to Tibet and take a train to Lhasa instead. 
• Xining, the start point of Qinghai-Tibet Railway at the elevation of (2,261 meters/7,418 feet), is a great place for a stop to acclimatize the high altitude before heading to Tibet.

Recommend destinations: Tibet is a place abundant with breathtaking natural wonders, historical and cultural relics, atmospheric monasteries, and distinctive folk culture and customs. For senior travelers, we would recommend holy Lhasa, the cradle of Tibet civilization Tsedang and Samye which sits at the beautiful Yarlung valley, the picturesque Nyingchi Prefecture in Eastern Tibet at the lowest altitude, the overland journey along China-Nepal Friendship Highway to Kathmandu covering the holy Yamdrok Lake, the historical and cultural towns - Gyantse/Shigatse, the world’s highest mountain Mt. Everest with gorgeous peak views.

Recommended tour itinerary: below is an ideal 12 days itinerary in a slow travel mood includes the must-see sites in Tibet like Potala Palace, Gyantse, Shigatse, Mt. Everest Base Camp along the friendship highway together with a train ride from Xining to pre-acclimate the altitude on the excursion to Qinghai lake. In addition, you may also check other options for the regular sightseeing tours and the train tours.

• Day 01: Arrival at Xining  (2,261 m) to acclimate the altitude. Stay in Xining.
• Day 02: Day excursion to Qinghai Lake (3,260 m) for the beautiful views and acclimation to the altitude. Stay in Xining.
• Day 03: Morning visit Ta'er (Kumbum) Monastery (2,700 m). Afternoon or evening, take the trains running through the world's highest railway to Lhasa, about 21-22 hours on the train. 
• Day 04: Enjoy the beautiful Kekexili nature reserve. Arrive in Lhasa (3,650 m).
• Day 05: Lhasa leisure sightseeing for Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, \Barkhor Streets.
• Day 06: Another relaxing day in Lhasa to visit Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery. 
• Day 07: Drive from Lhasa to Gyantse (4,000 m) to visit via Yamdrok Lake (4,500 m) and Karola Glacier on the way.
• Day 08: Morning visit Gyantse Kumbum, then drive to Shigatse (3,800 m) to obtain your Alien’s Travel Permit. Afternoon drive to Shegar (4,300 m) for overnight.
• Day 09: Drive to visit Mt. Everest Base Camp (5,200 m) and back, 200KM, about 4 hours’ drive. Pass over Gawula pass to enjoy the breathtaking view of the Himalayan Ranges. Spend the most of today at Mt. Everest Base Camp and Rongbuk Monastery. Late afternoon, drive back to Shegar for overnight.
• Day 10: Drive back to Shigatse. Freely stroll around the local market in  in the afternoon.
• Day 11: Morning visit Tashilhunpo Monastery. Afternoon, drive back to Lhasa via Northern China-Nepal Friendship Highway.
• Day 12: Lhasa departure. 

Choose a comfortable travel periods and weather

Due to the harsh climate of wintertime in Tibet, it’s better to plan a trip to Tibet between May and October to encounter the warmer weather and higher oxygen concentration. July and August have the warmest weather, the highest concentration of oxygen, and even the most beautiful natural scenery, even though it has the largest precipitation.

Stay healthy and pack properly

Keeping fit and never catching a cold is very important no matter before or during your trip since cold would increase chances to suffer from high altitude sickness. Prior to departure, you could do some adaptive aerobic exercises physically such as jogging, cycling, swimming, and other low-intensity, rhythmic, long-lasting sports, but avoid doing exercises suddenly and excessively to cause physical damage. Due to the changeable weather and large temperature difference in Tibet, you should dress in layers (to put on and take off according to the weather) and always bring warm clothes even during the summertime.

Take high altitude sickness medicine - Diamox is recommended

To some extent, medication can help to prevent altitude sickness, but it doesn’t work for everyone. Apart from this, mild altitude sickness symptoms are able to be treated with proper medication. Before your tour starts, you may take some medicine under your doctor’s instructions. Diamox and Hongjingtian (Rhodiola Eoccinea) are popularly used to prevent and reduce altitude sickness symptoms.

We would recommend you carry a well-supplied first-aid kit to help your body reacting to Tibet's unusual weather. Below is our suggested list to bring:

• Antibiotics
• Diamox – to aid with the prevention of altitude sickness
• Homeopathic medicines like Gentiana for altitude sickness
• Diarrhoea and dysentery medicines
• Pain relievers
• Cold and flu tablets, throat lozenges and nasal decongestant

Buy international travel insurance in advance

We all hope you will have a great and smooth trip in Tibet, however, if things are going in the opposite way: such as flight delay/cancelation, medical emergencies, etc., that may cause unexpected expenses. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to buy international travel insurance ahead of time.

During your trip:

Truly rest for the first 2-3 days in Lhasa

We highly suggest that you truly rest on your first day arrival at Lhasa. And avoid any strenuous exercise in the following 2-3 days. On our WindhorseTour itineraries, we have the first 3 days in Lhasa with mild travel activities to adapt to the high altitude at the same time.

It is very common for all the newcomers to Lhasa to feel the subtle change and discomfort (such as headache, fatigue, nausea or shortness of breath, rapid breathing, etc.) in a way or another. At this time, all you need to do is to calm down and have a good rest. Normally, such a feeling will go away in 2 days. 

Try not to take an oxygen inhaler if you can handle it by yourself. Though it is useful and can make you comfortable, you may find yourself addicted to it. It’s important to share your symptoms with your guide to seek help. The guide will give the suggestions based on your actual symptoms: visit pharmacies or clinics, have some oxygen bottles, or stop your travel schedule and delay it until the symptoms lighten or disappear, or even move to the lower altitude and seek medical attention.

Slow down or pace your movement according to your body capacity

You should slow down your movement and avoid getting too tired every day. Do not walk too much in a day. Travel at a slow pace, and do not try to hurry. If you have unusual bouts of dizziness, headache, or heartbeat, take a rest or ask a doctor for help.

Make sure to have a good sleep

A good sleep, perhaps 6 to 8 hours per night, is especially important for your Tibet trip. It is not only one of the key points to stay in a happy mood, but also help you to better acclimatize the altitude. To have a sound sleep, the hotel with a comfortable and quiet environment is essential. Apart from this, you should choose to sleep at lower altitude places, as altitude sickness usually gets worse at night when you’re sleeping. Generally speaking, sleeping at high-altitude deprives your body of adequate oxygen more than a day trip does, hence, it’s better to return to sleep at the lower altitude if you ascend more than 1,000 feet (305 meters) in a day.

Keep yourself hydrated and have healthy diets

Be sure to first ask your doctor for diet advice so that you could avoid eating foods that may be bad or insensitive to your health. Traveling in Tibet, you should drink enough water/fresh fruit juice (no less than 4L per day) to stay hydrated, as it's a key to preventing altitude sickness. In addition, you may try some yak-butter tea or sweet tea at local tea houses which will have a certain effect on alleviating the altitude sickness. It is highly recommended to eat some light, digestible food such as high-carb food. Do not eat food that is particularly spicy and irritating. 
 

Keep a positive mood and take it easy

Apart from the tips above, you should avoid too much excitement, fear, and stress, and try your best to keep a relaxed and happy mood. You may imagine that you are still at the lower altitude, and take it easy to enjoy the nice scenery when you are traveling to Tibet.