My wife and i are planning on entering tibet from the China side. We would like to take the train from Chengdu to Lhasa. Has anyone done this recently? Is it possible for foreigners? Do you know the costs on visas and tibetan permits?

Hi Steveeo,

I've been looking into this myself and I found an excellent site run by a guy who has lived in Tibet for years. Check out these two links:
permits
lhasa train

I think the "guy" that starhobo is talking about is me.

Yes, very easy to go from Chengdu to Lhasa. Most foreigners (and there are many) who go to Lhasa do so from Chengdu.

Get in touch with my good friend Sim at Sim's Cozy Guesthouse in Chengdu and he can arrange your permit and train ticket to Lhasa.

Hi Losang, yes it appears you are the "guy"

I didn't know you were on this board. With your obviously extensive knowledge of Tibet I'm sure you are a great resource to many here.

I've been wanting to visit the area for a long time so I've been reading up alot on your site and I'd like to thank you for providing such thorough information on everything from Tibetan culture to geography to travel logistics.

Thanks starhobo. If you ever decide to go to Tibet, let me know. I know all the best preserved places of Tibet that have no Chinese influence and no foreign tourists.

My life in Tibet

Hey guys

Thanks for the help I've looked into both sites, they were both helpful and it sounds like Sim's will be just as much

Hi Losang! I'm still a year away from traveling to Tibet, and so in the very earliest stages of planning. I don't think I've ever found a place that is so damn confusing to research - so your website is a great help.

A quick question (or two) for you know - I'll probably be travel ling solo in late summer. Catching the train from Xining rather than Chengdu sounds intriguing, and I see that you help arrange tours from there also. Are there enough other tourists in Xining that you can join a group easily (as I'm sure you can in Lhasa), or can you help arrange affordable solo trips into some of the remote areas also?

Thanks?

Michael,

The best and most preserved regions of Tibet are in Qinghai and western Sichuan. Most people don't know that these are also regions of Tibet. Because not a lot of people know about these areas, it is sometimes difficult to find others to travel with. Since your trip is still a year away, we can keep in touch and I can try and find others to travel with you to split the cost of a 4WD. If you can travel before the end of May, the price of 4WD's is cheaper than in the summer. My email is jamin@tibetanconnections.com. Fee free to write me if you have any questions.

Life in Tibet

Thanks, Losang - I'll be in touch! And if there aren't other travellers in Xinang, no worries. I'm almost inclined to do a two-part tour after reading about Tibetan Connections (and good luck with that!) - a homestay with Kham nomads, and then more active touring out of Lhasa.

I guess that all depends on how well I can teach myself some Tibetan, though! Has anyone done this type of stay yet?