Tibet lies to the northwest of Thailand with a distance of more than 2,000 kilometers. There are no direct flights to Tibet from Thailand, so there are two options for tourists to choose. Tourists can fly to either mainland China or Nepal. First, you can take the flights to major cities in China such as Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, or Guangzhou and then go to Tibet by train or by plane. Second, you can fly to Nepal and take the flight from Tribhuvan International Airport or choose the overland trip to Tibet.
There are numerous flights from Thailand to China which head for about 20 destinations across China, so it is really convenient to get a flight to the city where you want to start your journey which includes Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and so on. You can also fly direct to Hong Kong, and stop there for a day or two, before moving on into mainland China to start the journey for Tibet. The average flight times are:
a. Bangkok to Beijing: non-stop - 4 hours 20 minutes, one-stop – up to 29 hours 45 minutes (NNG, CAN, HKG)
b. Bangkok to Shanghai: non-stop - 4 hours 10 minutes, one-stop – up to 28 hours 25 minutes (HKG, MFM, NNG)
c. Bangkok to Guangzhou: non-stop - 2 hours 30 minutes, one-stop – up to 23 hours 45 minutes (HKG, PNH, VTE)
d. Bangkok to Chengdu: non-stop - 3 hours 5 minutes, one-stop – up to 27 hours 25 minutes (NNG, CAN, HKG)
e. Bangkok to Hong Kong: non-stop - 2 hours 45 minutes, one-stop – up to 28 hours 25 minutes (USM, SGN, PNH)
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. Before leaving for Lhasa, you can spend some time visiting the place you want to visit.
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.
By train
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.
There are dozens of flights to Kathmandu from Bangkok while there is only one direct flights which is provided by Thai Airways. The direct flight to Kathmandu takes around 3 hours 25 minutes which costs just US$ 328 for an economy ticket while indirect flights take from 7 to 20 hours by flights including layover time. However, the prices of indirect flights are much cheaper which cost as little as US$ 200.
There are daily flights from Kathmandu to Lhasa which are provided by Air China, Sichuan Airlines, and Tibet Airlines. The flight takes around 90 minutes, and costs around US$ 400 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.
Even though it takes time and money to take the overland tour from Nepal to Lhasa, it’s still a trip which is worth trying. It is an adventure of epic experience to travel overland from Kathmandu to Lhasa which takes from 7 days to as long as two weeks. Our guide will arrange the journey according to your preference. You can visit the holy mountain of Mount Kailash, take photos of the world’s tallest mountain at Everest Base Camp, and visit ancient monasteries that have stood on this high plateau for over two millennia. Filled with high mountain passes, vast expansive prairies, shimmering lakes,spectacular monasteries and temples, your tour from Kathmandu to Lhasa will be unique in your lifelong experiences. During the journey, you will pass through many beautiful places that can't be seen anywhere else in the world, and finally experience the culture and religion center Lhasa.
The Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar are very popular tourist attractions in Tibet. For most tourists from Thailand, 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 Thai 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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