Tibet is a wilderness that one needs to explore. It could be a journey of a lifetime and one can realize that nature is a force to be reckoned with. And we as humans need to respect nature. The great news is that you can visit Tibet without spending a fortune…And the question is:
Do you want to travel Tibet on a budget or you would like a Budget Tibet Tour?
Traveling to Tibet is not cheap and to go as an individual is never allowed. Traveling on a budget, it is possible when you have the right information. Lots of local travel agencies fail to provide widely explained information about budget Tibet tours and this makes some groups of travel agencies to make big amounts of extra money with the advantage of the lack of information. But please keep in mind that even the lowest Tibet tour packages prices could be very costly, that’s why the budget Tibet tour is not that easy.
As a foreigner, you must understand that there is a way you can avoid paying a huge amount of money to the local travel agencies. Here are some ideas for reducing the Tibet tour cost and allow you to have the opportunity to get on a budget Tibet tour.
Ideas and information to help you to travel on a budget Tibet tour.
For a Tibet travel, you always must have a financial plan & Tibet tour Information.
Tibet Travel Permit
First of all, you will need a travel permit which is free of cost, but many travel agency will charge you, so this is the first step to get on a budget Tibet tour. While you are getting your permit if you in any way say that you like or admire and you are a fan of the Dalai Lama your visa will be revoked and you may get imprisoned. So Do NOT mention Dalai Lama when you are in Tibet. So in the embassy, if they bring up and ask you about Buddhism, you can say that you admire the Buddhist Goddess Kwanyin and you want to visit Tibet as a part of China.
Take the Tibet train to Tibet if you want a budget Tibet tour
Qinghai Tibet railway is one of the best and must do experiences if you are going to Tibet. The highest railway in the world, it is one of the tourists best experiences when going on a Tibet tour. Thanks to the highest railway, also known as the Qinghai-Tibet railway, a lot of nearby stations are now connected with Tibet that means more competition and lower prices. These areas include Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai, Xining, X’ian, Chongqing and Guangzhou. There are possibilities of expanding the railway line even further in the coming years and the bigger interests by tourists to visit Tibet.
Group travel for budget Tibet tour
Many travel agencies are providing a group tour. But be aware to see the max number of group members in the group. Some agencies make the bigger groups of more than 20 members per group you don’t want that it won’t be an ideal experience. The ideal group tour you want to join is the group that has max ten members. Also sharing your room with other members of the group is a great way to reduce costs.
Hotels
There are very wide ranges of hotel choices you can choose from. The very basic one is the Lhasa are family guest houses also you can stay in Airbnb friendly apartments and you can get a 40$ discount coupon on your first stay in Airbnb rental. The cost of the family guest houses would not be more very expensive and the stay in the Airbnb rentals will be the cheapest possible option since we are planning a budget Tibet tour and the 40$ discount is on the table.
Also, the most popular group of Hotels in Lhasa are the ones with three stars. There are too many famous Tibetan owned three stars hotels in the old part of Lhasa. The prices for these three stars hotels are around between 50 $ to 70 $. Also If you are looking for the popular hotel groups that are known all over the world and have a better star grading, you can choose from St Regis to Four Points By Sheraton and Shangrila Lhasa. But from my personal knowledge, better star grading doesn’t always mean a better service sometimes you need to experience the old and ancient experience that the place you are visiting has to offer and Tibet has plenty to offer its tourists.
Visit Tibet in winter, when the tourism is offseason
Tibet is located on the highest plateau in the world called Qinghai-Tibet plateau. Winters are with very strong gusts of wind and intense snowfall are big. In winter, most almost half of the areas in Tibet become inaccessible for the tourists to visit.
The winter in Tibet begins around the middle of October and continues until the middle of February. Due to the extreme weather of Tibet, tourism is very low during winter. So if you want to travel on a budget Tibet tour try travelling in the winter season.
When it is off-season, most of the hotels offer lower prices for rooms. Even the trains to Tibet have reduced costs. However, not every part of the Tibet has extreme weather conditions. In Lhasa, the weather is not that bad and there is not much snowfall. If you visit Tibet in winter, you can visit most of the places. These are the benefits and lower costs that you will get:
- Prices of vehicles are 2/3 and trains are almost in half of the original fee.
- The famous Potala Palace and Gyantse Pelkor Monastery offers half prices on tickets also
- Hotels reduce their rates almost by half.
- Most of the travel agencies offer certain facilities and big discounts during winter.
- And the best is that Mount Everest Base Camp is 30% cheaper in the winter season.
Did you know that most of the famous and most visited monasteries, lakes and even mountains in Tibet do require an entry fee? You can search online for details and descriptions of places that you can visit without paying a fee, or at least for a low price.
These are some of the cheapest ways and possibilities you can do to plan a budget Tibet tour and experience the astonishing things that Tibet has to offer.
