There are indirect flights from India to more than 100 different airports in China while there is no flight heading for Tibet directly from India. If you want to visit Tibet from India, you could take the flights which leave from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi for Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou or Hong Kong.
There are numerous flights to China from India. Through the Internet, you can find for a relatively good price by comparing different websites to get the best deal. The average flight times are:
a. Delhi to Beijing: non-stop - 6 hours 5 minutes, one-stop – up to 21 hours 15 minutes (SIN, CAN, HKG)
b. Delhi to Shanghai: non-stop - 6 hours 10 minutes, one-stop – up to 24 hours 55 minutes (SIN, CAN, HKG)
c. Delhi to Guangzhou: non-stop - 5 hours 5 minutes, one-stop – up to 27 hours 30 minutes (CMB, SIN, MCT)
d. Delhi to Chengdu: non-stop - 10 hours 50 minutes, one-stop – up to 34 hours 20 minutes (CAN, HKG, SIN)
e. Delhi to Hong Kong: non-stop - 5 hours 10 minutes, one-stop – up to 20 hours 35 minutes (SIN, CMB, KUL)
Upon your arrival in China, your Tibet Travel Permit will be sent by express delivery to your hotel in the city which you want to visit. The Tibet Travel Permit is essential for your trip to Tibet because it is required when travelling to Tibet by flight or train and it’s also used for hotel registration and checkpoints throughout Tibet. If there are some special circumstances, our staff will send it to you in person at the airport or railway station.
By flight
Currently, there is only one direct flight per day to Lhasa from Beijing while there are a larger number of indirect flights that make a stopover in Chengdu on the route to Lhasa. It takes around 5 hours for the direct flight to get to Gonggar International Airport of Lhasa, and the price of an economy ticket is around US$ 500.
By train
The train Z21 from Beijing to Lhasa leaves at around 8:00pm every day and arrives in Lhasa at 12:10pm on the third day after around 40 hours. The journey covers 3,757 kilometers across eight provinces in mainland China including Tibet. However, it is difficult to buy train tickets from Beijing to Lhasa due to the high demand in the summer months from May to September. To solve this problem, you can choose to take a plane to Xining in Qinghai province, and then take the train there to Lhasa, because there are more carriages on the train in Xining, and it is more easy to buy tickets.
By flight
There are several flights from Shanghai to Lhasa even though there is no direct flight to Lhasa at present. Tourists have to stop at some cities during the flight, such as Xi’an, Chengdu, Chongqing, or Kunming. And it takes around 8 hours to as much as 26 hours for the flights. As for the price, the cheaper price for the flights is around US$ 455.
The train Z164 leaves Shanghai at 8:10pm every day and arrives in Lhasa at around 7:15 in the evening of the third day after 47 hours. And the journey covers around 4,373 kilometers which is the second longest of all among the routes to Lhasa.
By flight
Guangzhou is similar to Shanghai where there are no direct flights to Lhasa while there are a number of indirect flights, with stopovers in Chongqing and Chengdu. The average flight takes from 5 hours 55 minutes to 10 hours 30 minutes, and the ticket of the flight costs around US$ 455.
By train
The train from Guangzhou departs at 11:45am every day and arrives in the capital of Tibet at 5:05pm on the third day, which takes more than 53 hours to get to Tibet and covers almost 5,000 kilometers, making it the longest of all the train journeys to Lhasa.
By flight
It is convenient for tourists to go to Lhasa from Chengdu because of the convenient transportation. There are a number of direct flights to Lhasa which take around 2 hours 15 minutes on average. As there are more than 15 flights a day from Chengdu to Lhasa, Chengdu is considered as one of the best airports from which to fly to Tibet with the short travel time. It is one of the best options for those whose time is limited to fly from Chengdu to Lhasa. Apart from the large number of the flights, the price is also relatively inexpensive, For example, an economy flight only costs around US$ 233.
By train
The trains from Chengdu depart every other day at around 9:37pm, and arrive in Lhasa on the third day at around 9:55am after over 36 hours covering a distance of 3,070 kilometers across mainland China and Tibet. The trains from Chengdu are scheduled on odd days of the month (1st, 3rd, 5th, etc) in January, April, May, August, November, and December, and even days of the month for the rest of the year. Chengdu is regarded as one of the popular gateway cities to travel to Tibet.
Since there is no direct flight to from Hong Kong to Lhasa, you need to make a plan before the trip to Lhasa. First, one of the most popular ways is to take a flight to Chengdu where you can transfer to Lhasa by plane or by train. Secondly, you can get the train from Kowloon Station in Hong Kong SAR to Guangzhou directly and take the train to Tibet from Guangzhou, which covers almost 5,000 kilometers. And it must be an amazing journey.
Travel Tips: The actual ticket price varies based on different airlines, flight time and particular service. You’d better confirm the exact amount of the flight or the prices of the train by the airline or Tibet train you book.
It takes only 1 hour 45 minutes from Delhi to Kathmandu by flights which costs from around US$ 67, or around 4,300 INR. Taking the price into consideration, it’s cheaper to choose the flights from India because of the closeness of the two countries and the short flight time. In addition, Nepal is also a preferred gateway to Tibet for people in Indian because there is free travel between India and Nepal and it’s not necessary to keep a passport or visa to enter Nepal once you have got their government-issued ID cards.
There are several flights from Tribhuvan International Airport of Kathmandu to Lhasa every day which are provided by Air China, Sichuan Airlines, and Tibet Airlines. It takes around 90 minutes to take the flight and costs around US$ 400 for an average economy ticket depending on the season. One of the advantages of the flight from Kathmandu is that it crosses the Himalayas and gives passengers a chance to enjoy the great view of Mount Everest.
It is an adventure of epic experience to travel overland from Kathmandu to Lhasa. You could appreciate the beautiful scenery of the valley of Kathmandu in the lowland, the mighty Himalayas,passing near Everest and Mount Kailash which are the most sacred of mountains for Indian Hindus. Then you can arrive in the holy city Lhasa which is the center of Tibetan religion and culture through the plains, prairies, high mountain passes, shimmering lakes. After your arrival, it’s advised to take the four-wheel drive vehicle in order to enjoy the beautiful sights more comfortably. Filled with astounding sights, spectacular monasteries, shimmering lakes, your tour from Kathmandu to Lhasa will be unique in your lifelong experiences.
Taking a kora tour to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar is perhaps the only reason why Indian tourists, or pilgrims, go to Tibet. They believe a kora around Mount Kailash and a bath in the Lake Manasarovar can wash their sins away. Thousands of Indian pilgrims take Mount Kailash tour every year.
The Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar are very popular tourist attractions in Tibet. For most tourists from India, April, May, June, September and October are the best five months for attending a Kailash Manasarovar tour. During this time, you could enjoy the continuous good weather and comfortable climates, and admire the most beautiful sceneries. Beside Mount Kailash, these five months are also the best time to see sunrise in the Mount Everest Base Camp.
If Indian tourists don’t have time to visit the Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar during these five months, July and August can be their second options. Although these two months are rainy season, the temperature is good for taking a tour and the sceneries are beautiful.
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