How to get to | Tibet

This is part of a series of blog entries on how to get to countries and places. Here is a link to the index. I plan to eventually cover every country and some other places. If you have a request for a particular country or place please use the Contact link at the top, or leave a comment.

Tibet

Source: Library of Congress

There are 3 ways to travel to Tibet – by bus from Nepal, by train from Xining, or by flying. Airlines flying to Tibet include (all to Lhasa unless otherwise mentioned):

• Star Alliance – Air China (Lhasa, Nyingchi and Qamdo)
• Oneworld – none
• Sky Team – China Southern
• Other selected – China Eastern, Sichuan

TIP Air and rail fares are expensive. If you can find award seats on Air China’s flight from Beijing (or from Kathmandu) to Lhasa that is a good value redemption, particularly if part of a longhaul award to China.  An around the world fare is not quite as good value due to being distance based and the need for lengthy backtracking. A China air pass on Star Alliance is another lower cost option.

TIP All the airports are prone to poor weather, although Lhasa is not as bad as the others. Land travel can also be disrupted by weather. Allow a buffer of few days for travel to and from Tibet.

TIP The cheapest and easiest way to Tibet is by bus from Nepal.