Here you will find the most important informations about Tibet

Planes are by far the fastest means to move to the Roof of the World. There are two airports in Tibet while Gonggar airport connects Lhasa, hence Tibet, with Chengdu, Xian, Beijing, Chongqing, and even Katmandu and Hong Kong. There is no air route within Tibet at present. Traveling by air into Tibet will surely brings visitors unique and thrilling experience. Just imagine that you are above the world highest snow and cloud clad peaks! However, since planes travel fast and there is little time for acclimatization.

There are five highways stretching into Tibet. Sichuan-Tibet Highway is the longest, 2413 kilometers (1496 miles) long, built in 1950 and opened for traffic in 1954. The roads ply the uneven terrain over 14 mountains which average 4000-5000 meters (13120-16400 feet) high, and over a dozen of famous rivers such as Lantsang River (Mekong). The climate along the road presents beautiful scenery ranging from spring to winter. However, the road condition is not good.

Qinghai-Tibet Highway starts from Golmud of Qinghai, the only road providing bus service among the five highways and the main road to travel Tibet. 1160 kilometers (720 miles) long and averaging 4000 meters (13120 feet) high, along Kunlun Mountains and vast grassland, which amaze people living in modern civilization, the bituminous road is the best road leading to Tibet.

Xinjiang-Tibet Highway starts from Yecheng in Xinjiang. It runs 1455 kilometers (902 miles), winding its way among fives mountains soaring more than 5000 meters (16400 feet) high above the sea level. A spectacular view of Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasarova overwhelm travelers while traveling along the road.

Yunnan-Tibet Highway spans 800 kilometers (492 miles) to reach Markham, a less beaten track by travelers.

Chinese-Nepalese Highway is another main road traveled often. It stretches 900 kilometers (558 miles) from Kathmandu to reach Shigatse and Lhasa.

Among the five highways, only Qinghai-Tibet Highway and Chinese-Nepalese Highway are open to foreigners at present. Inside Tibet, there are now regular buses shuttling between major towns.

The conditions of minor roads are only passable by jeeps. In Lhasa minibuses are the main transportation, charging 2 RMB per person. It is easy to hire a taxi which is painted verdurous and silver. The fare is 10 RMB no matter where the destination is within the city. Pedicabs are unique vehicles to look around the highest city in the world. Bikes can be easily hired at Lhasa at most hostels.

Yoghurt is important daily dairy for Tibetan people. The creamy milk produced by yak cow is superb. Tibetan nomads in the eastern Tibet manufacture their yoghurt in a special process. The milk is boiled first, after removed from stove, some old yogurt is added in. Yogurt will form in a few hours. Yogurt has been a Tibetan food for more than 1,000 years.

Dried beef and mutton stripe is also popular food in Tibet. In the winter, beef and mutton are cut into long stripes and hung in shaded place to be air-dried. The dried meat is crisp and tastes good and can be eaten raw since the chilliness in the winter has killed bacteria during the process.

Big joints of beef and mutton boiled with salt, ginger and spices are also popular food among Tibetans. They take the meat in hands and cut them with their knives. The guests will be treated with breasts and spareribs. If you are treated with a tail of white sheep, it means that you are deemed as their guest of honor.

Blood sausage, meat sausage, flour sausage and liver sausage are also favored by many Tibetans. Other food stuffs include Momo (Tibetan dumplings), Thenthuk (Tibetan noodles) and yak tongue.

Now in Tibet towns, Lhasa for example, Tibetan food is supplemented by Chinese food, mostly Sichuan food. Vegetables and fish become available in market. However, Tibetan people seldom eat fish due to their religion and custom. Restaurants serving Tibetan food, Chinese food and even western food mushroom in the streets to accommodate tourists. Lhasa Hotel (former Holiday Inn)'s restaurant provides Chinese food, Indian food, Nepalese food and western food. Kailash, Tashi, Snowlands, Dunya (former Crazy Yak) and Makye Ame are popular among travelers also in Lhasa. Veggies may still have little choice in short seasons however.

Learning a little useful Tibetan will make your travel in Tibet easier. Close contact with Tibetan locals in their own language is a marvelous experience. Here is a website where you can learn some useful words and phrases: http://wordbridge.com/Tibeng/index.html. Read the spelled pronunciations, or download the audio and listen.

However, the website will not tell you how to ask the most important question that tourists need to know in any language: "Where is the restroom?" Better plan to use the restrooms at your hotel.

Take necessary technical precautions to protect your camera in case of extreme temperatures due to the harsh climate. It's a good idea to taking enough film and batteries. Photographing in monasteries is generally allowed; however taking pictures inside the chapels is forbidden or usually charged at extremely high rates to prevent photography. However, Drepung Monastery allows inside photography and charges no fee.

Prepare your first aid kit before arriving in Tibet. In addition to the normal bandages, salves, etc. one should include medicine for diarrhea, giardiasis, hepatitis and other diseases tourists may encounter on the plateau. Medicine for respiratory tract infections, such as colds, influenza and bronchitis which may further diminish oxygen intake should also be included to prevent those diseases since they may result in serious consequences on the Tibetan plateau. Tourists should get vaccinations to ensure good health and an enjoyable tour. Consult your physician to find out the appropriate vaccinations before traveling to Tibet. Medicine can be obtained from pharmacies, most of them on Yuthok Lu in Lhasa.

You will be exposed to climate as well as altitude extremes in Tibet. The temperature variation between day and night is huge, so be careful not to catch cold, which, because of Mountain Sickness, could possibly be fatal in Tibet. The sun is much stronger at this elevation because there is little atmosphere to filter its rays. Therefore, it may injure your skin and eyes, so you'd better bring your sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat. Also, sunburn can easily occur even though you do not feel it at first. Use face and hand lotions to keep your skin moisturized, as the air at this elevation is very dry so the wind will rapidly dry your skin out.

Since the boiling point of water is somewhat lower in Tibet, it is better to boil water for a longer period of time. Drinking water should be purified with iodine or other purification tablets before consumption to prevent intestinal complaints.

Packs of wild dogs roaming around monasteries and villages are common in Tibet and also a potential threat. Get a rabies vaccination (human diploid cell vaccine or purified chick embryo culture vaccine) in advance and stay away from them. For details about the vaccination, consult your doctor.

Deciding what to pack is not always easy, but do try to remember this principle: Pack the minimum!

The type of clothing you bring depends on which parts of Tibet you are traveling to. Casual attire is recommended. Warm clothing is a must to ensure a comfortable tour. You can count on experiencing the sudden onset of foul weather as well as temperature extremes while in Tibet. Wearing several layers of clothing that can be easily added or removed is the wise choice since temperatures may vary greatly within a single day. A down coat is necessary for those who are traveling beyond Lhasa and Shigatse into more remote areas such as the Everest Camp. A windbreaker plus a sweater will work nicely for strolling around Lhasa in summer. During the peak tourism season, frequent rainfall makes waterproof clothing and raingear absolute necessities. Other essentials to pack include four or five pairs of cotton or woolen underwear, four or five pairs of woolen socks, long sleeve cotton or lightweight wool shirts and T-shirts. Women should avoid skirts or dresses. Comfortable, sturdy sneakers, walking shoes, or hiking boots are also recommended. Don't forget to bring along a warm hat as well as one or two pairs of warm mittens or gloves.

A large backpack is not a good choice unless you intend to trek to remote areas. A belt bag or alike should be brought along to keep important certificates and travel documents safely with you at all times. Miscellaneous items you may wish to bring along include maps of the areas that you plan on visiting; sufficient amount of money since ATMs are few in the more remote areas; all necessary toilet items including small packages of tissues and either a battery operated shaver or razor; plastic bags, a flashlight, extra batteries, sewing kit, lighter, and a pocket knife. Don't forget your camera and plenty of film. Good quality sunscreen or sun block, sunglasses and lip balm are essential to protect you from sunburn that can occur easily at these high elevations.

When traveling to remote areas of Tibet it is a good idea to pack some food, snacks, and drinking water. It is not always easy to find food or drinkable water in these areas. Bring a sturdy padlock with you since some of the rooms in the hostels located in the more remote areas do not come equipped with locks on the doors. Candles may also be useful in these hostels.

It is a good idea to take a good quality multivitamin to supplement your diet since a supply of vegetables and fruits may not be readily available. A first aid kit including aspirin, antibiotics and AMS medication is highly recommended.

There is really a lot to remember but if you forget something many of these items are available in Lhasa.

Communication conditions are greatly improved in Tibet now and it makes communication much easier than before. A number of hotels provide IDD call and fax service as well as there are photocopy facilities in Lhasa. Phone calls can be made from public telephone booths with IC cards or in Telecommunication Centers. There are two Telecommunication Centers in Lhasa, one opposite the Yin Qiao Hotel and the other at the west end of Beijing Dong Lu. Both are next to a post office. IP card service connecting most China cities and many countries is also available in Lhasa. Paging service covers the whole region now. Mobile phone services are also available in Lhasa and other major towns. Pagers and mobile phones with roaming function also provide tourists with a convenient alternative form of communication. International mail service is available at the post offices next to the Telecommunication Centers. Internet is another alternative which is accessible to travelers. There are dozens of internet cafes in Lhasa. The internet service in the Makye Ame Restaurant and the Barkhor cafe are examples. In Chamdo, Ngari and Yadong there are also a number of other internet cafes but they are less reliable.

Barkhor is a more traditional Tibetan shopping market. It is a market where shopkeepers with small shops and stalls on the street sell many unusual and fascinating items, for both religious and secular uses. Shopkeepers sell items such as prayer flags, Buddha figures, conch-shell trumpets, rosaries, amulets, fur hats, horse bells, bridles, copper teapots, wooden bowls, inlaid knives, and jewelry inlaid with turquoise and other gems. Tourists should carefully examine jewelry for quality. While much jewelry of excellent quality is available, some is coarsely done and is of poor quality.

Tourists can easily find items that are uniquely Tibetan and that will appeal to them. Exotic Tibetan opera masks and costumes are interesting items. Brightly colored, beautifully homespun Tibetan rugs and khaddar are also popular souvenirs. Tibetan carpet can be bought at the Lhasa Carpet Factory. Tibetan tents can be bought at the Lhasa Tent and Banner Factory.

As in traditional markets throughout much of the world, you can bargain with the local people and buy nice things at lower prices. Just cut their asking prices by 50 percent! Not everyone in Barkhor will be shopping. You may be accompanied by hundreds of prostrating pilgrims. This is a thrilling experience that will certainly remind you that you are in Lhasa.

However AMS can be very serious, with the most serious symptoms being High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) and High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE), which can be fatal. Symptoms of HAPE include weakness, shortness of breath, even at rest, impending suffocation at night, and a persistent productive cough with white, watery, or frothy fluid. Symptoms of HPCE may include headache, ataxia, weakness, hallucinations, psychotic behavior, coma and loss of memory. Both approach and strike at night and can be fatal! Immediate descent is the surest treatment.

Before visiting Tibet, get as fit and healthy as possible, both physically and psychologically. Visitors having record of heart, lung, other organ problems or anemia should consult their doctor before making the decision to visit Tibet.

AMS can be lessened or avoided with proper acclimatization, which will also ease and reduce AMS symptoms. A gradual ascent will allow your body to acclimatize to higher altitudes and the decreased oxygen supply. Go no higher 300 - 400 hundred meters (984 - 1,312 feet) daily and have a rest after each 1,000 meter (3280 feet) ascent. Medication also helps to prevent AMS. Mild AMS symptoms can be treated with proper medication. If medication does not relieve the symptoms, go to hospital or evacuate immediately to safe altitude!

The following precautions may help to prevent or lessen the effects of AMS:

• Since fluid loss usually accompanies the acclimatization process, drink plenty of fluids (3 - 4 litres daily at least) and eat carbohydrate food to keep the body properly hydrated;
• Do not over exert and only partake in light activity immediate after your arrival;
• Don't smoke, drink alcohol or take other depressants such as tranquilizers and sleeping pills. These will depress the respiratory drive and limit oxygen intake.

Always keep in mind the following rules which will ensure a smooth and enjoyable trip to Tibet:

• Any sickness at high altitude is AMS until proven otherwise;
• Never go higher with symptoms of AMS;
• It is significant that you report any symptoms of AMS immediately to other group members in the trip.
  

TAR People's Hospital, Lingkhor Bei Lu northeast of Potala, the biggest and best in Lhasa, 24 hours open.Tel 6322200 (emergency department), 6322177

Emergency Treatment Center, on the junction of Lingkhor Bei Lu and Duosinge Bei Lu, next to TAR People's Hospital, has English speaking doctors and their service can be reached by emergency call 120.

Tibetan Traditional Hospital (Mentsikhang), on Yuthok Lu and opposite the Barkhor Square, also has English speaking doctors and the staff is kind.
Tel 6324211 (emergency department), 6323244

People's Hospital Lhasa, east of the junction where Beijing Dong Lu meets Lingkhor Dong Lu.
Tel 6323811 (emergency department)

TAR Hospital of Tibetan Medicine, north end of Niangre Nan Lu

Military Hospital Dental Clinic, on Beijing Xi Lu and near Holiday Inn

Shigatse Hospital is about 500 m (1,650 feet) north of Shigatse Hotel, on Jiefang Dong Lu.

Better hospital service and facilities can only be accessed in Chengdu and other major cities.