Tibet Pictures

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The traditional doorway of a private house in Lhasa.

Mao's dream is reality - a 1,110 km [690m] railway line from Beijing to Lhasa now takes 48 hours in oxygen-conditioned comfort on the highest track on earth to deliver supplies, tourists and ever more Han Chinese to Tibet. It's certainly a dramatic feat of engineering considering that some of the track crosses permafrost and part of it reaches over 5,000 metres, but while China claims this will improve life in Tibet as canned lychees, spam and soft toilet paper will improve conditions for locals, many Tibetans feel that their sparse and spiritual lives will be swamped by their Nemeses, the Han Chinese.

Whatever, just because the journey to Lhasa is easier than before, don't imagine that tourism is Tibet is going to get any easier...travellers will still need to survive the excessively high altitude without lying down or throwing up on a regular basis - not too difficult for some fit young people but a real problem for older folk as intense, constant headaches and nausea put a limit on the amount of sightseeing possible.
Still, Tibet's an amazing place and will deliver stunning pictures, but perhaps if your survival is in doubt don't plan on staying too long - and take your own food stash, reports indicate that the views are terrific but the train cuisine is less than edible.

Festivals: Tibet's New Year Festival [Losar] in Feb/March is a lively and colourful week, shortly followed by the equally interesting Lantern and Monlam Festivals.
The July Gyantse Horse Racing Festival is an ebullient traditional event involving dance, archery and horse play.
Health information: Beware AMS [altitude sickness] in Tibet - even Lhasa - for older or less fit travellers; hygiene standards are low in Tibet so typhoid is not uncommon, as is rabies due to rampant dog packs.
Hepatitus A and B can occur.
Permits: these are complex and change frequently. At present you will need a Tibet permit apart from your Chinese tourist visa and a separate travel permit for extended trips in the region. You may be required to join a Tibet tour to enter, particularly coming from Nepal.
Transport: Alternatives to the train are: flights from Chengdu, the cheapest, easiest way into Tibet [including permits], though other Chinese cities do flights too.
Travellers with time often prefer to drive themselves on one of the the stunning roads to Tibet, sharing transport with others. This has the advantage of steady acclimatisation to the altitude.

Best time to visit: June to October, the warmest months.

Tibet Pictures by Julian Loader

Images of some neighbours: Nepal | India | Vietnam

Tibet Pictures Photos

Click on the doorway below to enter the 10 page gallery of Tibet Photos.

Tibet Pictures
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