Wild Frontiers

Flight Information

There are no direct flights to Lhasa from London. To fly in two changes would be required, often in Delhi and Kathmandu. Alternatively you could enter via China. Most people choose to overland into the country from somewhere nearby.

Useful Tips

• Buy some prayer flags at the market in Lhasa and then you can hang them somewhere where the view inspires you en route

• Most monasteries sell nice artefacts or religious items which make good inexpensive souvenirs

• Wear comfortable shoes when visiting any monastery - there are always lots of steps to climb!

• When visiting Everest Base Camp, don't forget to carry your passport with you to show to the checkpoint guards.

• Although August is purportedly the wet season, there are lots of festivals taking place at this time which make it an interesting time to visit

• Avoid trying to cross the border with guide books in your bag - they will be confiscated

Recommended Reading

If you want to read up on your destination we recommend a variety of guidebooks such as the Bradt Guide, Odyssey Guides, The Rough Guide and Footprint Guides. All these publications have good general information as well as more specific country information that will help orientate you in the areas you visit.

Good books and maps of Tibet are available at Stanfords in Covent Garden, London or online at www.stanfords.co.uk

Relevant Reading:
There are so many books on the shelves about China and Old Tibet, it is difficult to recommend a selection. If you can get hold of it an excellent read is We Tibetans, by Rinchen Lhamo who came from the Kangding area and married a British Consul, eventually coming to London in the early 1920s.

Himalayan Tragedy, by David White (obtained through the Tibet Society Tel: 0207 272 1414 / info@tibetsociety.com) incorporates an excellent account of the history and background of Old Tibet.

The Dance of 17 Lives, by Mick Brown about the Karmapas is certainly worthy of your time while another great little handbook is Tibet: Turning the Wheel of Life, which will provide you with an excellent introduction to Tibetan political and cultural history.

When To Go

The best time to travel Tibet is between April and October, and peak season is from May to September, but July and August are rainy months.

Those who travel in their own car or on foot should avoid the rainy season especially when entering Tibet along the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, and the sections between Lhasa and Nyingchi and between Lhasa and Ngari. There will be mudslides on certain sections of the road, blocking the passage of vehicles.

However, if you are only planning several days in and around Lhasa and flying in then there will be no problem for you to travel at any time from April to October.

Packing List

Below is a list of general items you might take with you on a Wild Frontiers trip to Tibet. With your booking confirmation you will receive a packing list specific to your tour, so please treat this as a general guideline only.

Luggage:
It is best to use a soft bag - rucksack/hold-all/duffel bag - so it can be transported and stored more easily.

On all our trips a small daypack is practical for keeping general items (e.g. camera, books, wallets etc.) at hand when your main pack is out of reach. It is also handy for day trips and excursions.

Clothing:
In general you should bring clothes you feel comfortable with, but please remember that the local people wear all-covering clothing and in deference to their natural modesty and Buddhist practices, particularly when visiting monasteries, legs and shoulders must be covered and you should walk around a monastery in a clockwise direction only.

It is worth remembering that much of your time in Tibet will likely be spent in the mountains and therefore subject to very changeable weather. There are days when you ascend and descend hundreds of metres and accordingly the weather changes. You should pack for both warm and cold weather, day and night, therefore we suggest a packing list something like this:
•4 x light cotton shirts or T-shirts, short sleeved and long
• 2-3 pairs of cotton trousers. If preferred, women can wear sensible dresses and skirts.
• 2 x lightweight jumpers or sweatshirts
• Good quality fleece or warm jumper
• Set of waterproofs
• One set of thermal underwear
• Warm Hat
• Gloves
• Sun hat or cap
• Swimsuit or trunks
• Pair of walking boots
• Pair of trainers or pumps
• Flip flops or sandals for showers
• Sleeping bag liner (cotton, silk or fleece)
• 4-season sleeping bag*
• Towel, travel soap and toiletries
• Travel plug for baths and sinks
• Torch (a head torch keeps your hands free)
• Plug adapter
• Polarised Sunglasses
• 2 x spare passport photos, copy of your details page from your passport, accepted visa and flight details.

*please note that 4-season sleeping bags are provided locally when camping around Mount Kailash, but we are unable to guarantee their condition or quality. If you have your own 4-season sleeping bag we recommend you take it. But if you would rather risk it and not carry one, or prefer not to buy one especially for one trip we highly recommend taking at least a good sleeping bag liner.

Optional Extras:
• Ear plugs " if you are not a heavy sleeper, the locals can be very noisy! Also if sharing a room.
• Alarm clock
• 3-4 plastic carrier bags are very useful for dirty washing, dirty shoes and rubbish
• Binoculars
• Small packs of tissues
• Money belt or secure pouch for money and passport etc.
• A bandanna or large handkerchief is useful for dusty tracks, as are eye patches if light affects your sleep!
• Sewing kit
• Writing materials
• Swiss Army knife " to open beer, peel fruit
• Calculator (for currency conversion)
• Trekking poles
• A stuff sack or spare bag to separate your necessary kit during the trek. Main luggage can be left with the vehicles if you wish.

NB: If you wear glasses, it is advisable to bring a spare pair because opticians are rare. If you wear contact lenses you may find that climatic changes and dust can create visual irritation, therefore, it is advisable to bring a pair of glasses.

You might be tempted to buy a few souvenirs here and there, so leave a little room for those extra purchases!!

Hand Luggage:
Although it is very rare that luggage goes missing it has been known to happen and so it’s a good idea to carry a spare t-shirt, toothbrush, wash kit, spare underwear and any other essentials in your hand luggage so that you can at least freshen up while waiting for your bags to catch you up. If you wear your sturdy shoes/boots it will also reduce weight in your luggage and keep them safe.

Practical Information

Time:
Tibet is 7hrs ahead of GMT.
A useful website to check the time zone differences is www.worldtimezone.com

Food & Alcohol:
Tibetan food tends to be very similar to what you would find on the Indian Subcontinent with lots of rice and lentils being a stable. The Chinese influence is still there however, with noodles and soups generally being served wherever you go and momo’s, (stuffed parcels) always proving a delight.

Local beer, which is light and very popular, is available everywhere and there is now moderately palatable local wine available in places along some main routes, but we would suggest that you bring duty-free spirits with you for your own consumption if this is your preferred tipple.

Electricity:
Those bringing video & digital cameras that require battery chargers should also bring a two-pin, continental style adapter. Keep in mind though that power can be both rare and unreliable.

Money:
In Tibet the official unit of currency is the Chinese Yuan while the US Dollar is the only other currency accepted.

To check out the latest exchange rate for the places that you are visiting you can go to www.oanda.com

A few points to help you plan:
• It is strongly recommended you travel with cash.
• Only the few large hotels and banks accept credit cards, Travellers Cheques are virtually useless.
• Payments are mainly made in cash.
• It is useful to bring lots of small denomination notes.

Language & Religion:
The official languages of Tibet under Chinese occupation are both Mandarin and Standard Tibetan; a Tibeto-Burman language which is a part of the Sino-Tibetan language family. Tibetan is the language most used in daily interaction whereas Mandarin has become the language of commerce. Many Tibetans also speak Hindi, Bhutanese or Nepali.

Religion plays a huge part in the Tibetan life, with the majority of people believing in Tibetan Buddhism, or Lamaism. This is able to coexist alongside Bon, Islam and Catholicism.

Cultural Sensitivity:
On our tours we frequently interact with local people, each with their own distinct customs and traditions. We therefore ask you to be considerate and to treat them with respect. Your tour leader will be able to advise you accordingly.

At Wild Frontiers we are very aware of the ethical impact tourism can have on ancient cultures. We realise that taking a group of tourists through such a region can have a negative impact on the lives of those who live there and on all our tours we therefore go to great lengths to minimise the negative and accentuate the positive…after all, there are also many good things that the tourist can bring.

To help this process we ask that our clients do not hand out pens or sweets to children. As one sign in Egypt emphatically put it, ‘Please don't make beggars out of our children!' No matter how well intentioned, in our opinion the dolling out of free gifts fosters a ‘beggar mentality' that is ultimately extremely destructive to a society. In addition we do not condone giving out money to beggars or ‘students'.

However, we also realise that we are exceptionally privileged to be travelling in areas where most of the people have far less than us and that the desire to ‘help' can be very powerful. As a result we ask that you refer to your trip dossier for information on the Wild Frontiers Foundation which supports specific projects in the areas where we travel.

Photography:
Please remember, we are guests in the countries through which we travel and we may sometimes inadvertently cause offence by taking photographs without first asking permission.

Also many countries have very strict rules about taking photos of army, police or any official personnel; restrictions apply at borders, bridges and any government building. Please exercise care in this regard as the penalty may be to have your film and/or camera confiscated.