Tibet - "The Rooftop of the World"
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Tibet, one of the world's most extra-ordinary destinations where indeed adventure lurks around every corner. Its name the "Roof of the world" is not a mere statement. The valley bottoms of Tibet are higher than the highest mountains elsewhere. Lying at the centre of Asia, Tibet has an area of over 2.5 million square kilometers at an average altitude of 14,000 feet above sea level. This vast arid plateau contains the earth's highest mountains and greatest river valleys makes up the physical homeland of 6 million Tibetans.
Tibet is an ancient civilisation with its own rich cultural and religious past. Tibet and China have a long history and for short periods of time over the last 2000 years Tibet has come under the rule of China. At other times both states were ruled by the Mongol empire. In 1949 China claimed Tibet as part of the 'motherland' despite distinct differences in culture, language, identity, government, and legal status. Unfortunately the occupation of Tibet represents brutal repression, colonial occupation, and military domination.
Tibet is comprised of the three provinces of Amdo (now split by China into the provinces of Qinghai, Gansu & Sichuan), Kham (largely incorporated into the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan and Qinghai), and U-Tsang (which, together with western Kham, is today referred to by China as the Tibet Autonomous Region).
The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) comprises less than half of historic Tibet and was created by China in 1965 for administrative reasons. It is important to note that when Chinese officials and publications use the term "Tibet" they mean only the TAR. Tibetans use the term Tibet to mean the three provinces described above, i.e., the area traditionally known as Tibet before the 1949-50 invasion.
Despite over 40 years of Chinese occupation of Tibet, the Tibetan people refuse to be conquered and subjugated by China. The present Chinese policy, a combination of demographic and economic manipulation, and discrimination, aims to suppress the Tibetan issue by changing the very character and the identity of Tibet and its people. Today Tibetans are outnumbered by Han Chinese population in their own homeland.
There are two main reasons why you should consider visiting Tibet:
Firstly, if you wish to understand more about Tibet, there is no substitute for visiting it, traveling its roads, talking to its people. Tibet is a real country, a real place. Quite simply, going there is the way to start finding out about Tibet.
The Dalai Lama, asked what people could do to help his cause, said:
"Go to Tibet and see many places - as much as you can;
then tell the world."
Secondly, the more people from the free world visit Tibet, the more difficult it is for China to persecute the Tibetan people. Without tourism, Tibet would effectively be hidden from the free world, allowing China to implement its repressive policies in secret. Please visit http://www.atc.org.au/ for more information on the Chinese Occupation of Tibet.
| SIZE | 2.5 million sq. km. |
| CAPITAL | Lhasa |
| POPULATION | 6 million Tibetans and an estimated 7.5 million Chinese, most of whom are in Kham and Amdo. |
| LANGUAGE | Tibetan (of the Tibeto-Burmese language family). The official language is Chinese. |
| STAPLE FOOD | Tsampa (roasted barley flour) |
| NATIONAL DRINK | Salted butter tea |
| TYPICAL ANIMALS | Wild yak, Bharal (blue) sheep, Musk deer, Tibetan antelope, Tibetan gazelle, Kyang (wild ass), Pica |
| TYPICAL BIRDS | Black necked crane, Lammergeier, Great crested grebe, Bar-headed goose, Ruddy shel duck, Ibis-bill |
| AVERAGE ALTITUDE | 14,000 ft. (4,250m) |
| HIGHEST MOUNTAIN | Chomo Langma (Mt. Everest) 29, 028 ft (8,848m) |
| AVERAGE RAINFALL | Varies widely. In the west it is 1 mm in Jan. to 25 mm in July. In the east, it is 25-50 in Jan. and 800 in July |
| AVERAGE TEMPERATURE | July 58 degrees fahrenheit; Jan. 24 degrees fahrenheit. |
| MAJOR RIVERS | Mekong, Yangtse, Salween, Tsangpo, Yellow |
| ECONOMY | Tibetans: predominantly in agriculture and animal husbandry. Chinese: predominantly in government, commerce and the service sector. |
| CURRENCY | Chinese Juan |
| PROVINCES | U-Tsang (Central Tibet), Amdo (N.E. Tibet), Kham (S.E. Tibet) |
| BORDERING COUNTRIES | India, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, China |
| NATIONAL FLAG | Snow lions with red and blue rays. Outlawed in Tibet. |
| POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS LEADER |
The 14th Dalai Lama. In exile in Dharamsala, India. However, in Tibet It is illegal for Tibetans to own a picture His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. |
| GOVERNMENT IN EXILE | Parliamentary |
| GOVERNMENT | Communist |
| LEGAL STATUS | Occupied |
Tibet has got the harshest climate in the world. It is cool in summer but freezingly cold in winter. The average temperature in north Tibet is subzero and winter hits in October till the coming May or June, July and August are the best time to visit the area, enjoying warm temperature, intense sunshine, beautiful scene and festive events.
Note:
Season for Tibet is from the end March to end November each year. From end November to end March it gets too cold and flights do not operate during this period. Flights operate from first week April to end November every year.
Access to Tibet is limited to organized groups. Visa applications have to be made through a registered travel agency in Nepal. A visa for China does not entitle you to travel in Tibet. You must be in possession of a valid passport. We obtain your visa for Tibet, and will require the following information when making your reservation: full name, date of expiry, place of issue, nationality, date of birth, sex and occupation. Two passport size photographs are also required. Additionally you must allow three full working days in Kathmandu for the visa to be fiscally stamped in your passport.
1) By Air. From April to November there are 2 flights a week available between the Kathmandu and Lhasa. Schedule air services fly from Kathmandu to Lhasa, and back every Tuesday and Saturdays with additional flights on Thursdays from July. This flight last a little over one hour and gives you a fabulous panoramic view of Everest and the Himalayas. It is indeed one of the most spectacular flights in the world. However, individual travelers can get neither a visa nor an air ticket, which are only available to members of an organized group.
2) By Road. Kathmandu via Dram (Khasa) to Lhasa As with the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, the China-Nepal Friendship Highway is a popular route for travelers. This route brings you close to a number of famous sights, such as Shigatse, Gyantse, and the Everest Base Camp. It takes 5-7 days of traveling over the Tibetan Highlands to get to Lhasa via this route. This overland trip also subjects individual travelers to the same restrictions as access by air from Nepal.
Our Itineraries include all combinations of flight and road options, with the most popular being the flight in, and road out option as in the Kathmandu-Lhasa-Everest Base Camp trip, the Tibet Overland, and the Tibet Cultural tour. We will also take care of the necessary visa's for these journeys.
The Tibetan Plateau lies over 12000 feet, most people will experience some of the minor symptoms and discomfort of altitude sickness, until their body adjust to the elevation. This can take from a few hours to couple of days, depending on the individual.
It is necessary to be relatively physically fit & healthy to participate in a Tibet tour. There is no particular age limit, but as a guideline children below 8 years or elderly people exceeding 70 years are not advised to travel to Tibet. A Doctor's medical certificate is essential for these groups to participate. Furthermore, those who sufferer from high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes are not recommended to take the tours.
Lhasa, at 11,850 ft (3,600m) was and still is the religious, cultural and economic centre of Tibet. The famous Potala Palace, the 13 storey, 1000 rooms palace of the Dalai Lama; the monasteries of Drepung and Sera; the Summer Palace of the Dalai Lama- Norbulingka; the Jokhang - the holiest shrine in Tibet are some of the places of interest. The circular Barkhor Street has innumerable shops and wayside peddlers, who inter-mingle with devotees, walking clockwise around the Jokhang.
The customs and culture of the Tibetan people are recognized as an important example of one of the last remaining authentic cultures in the world. It would be fair to say that religion forms a central part of life for Tibetans, and is fundamental to this culture. Tibetan Buddhism used to be the the world's best kept secret, shrouded in mystique in the mountains of Tibet. Now, Tibetan Buddhism is a worldwide movement with its teachings widely promulgated and the Dalai Lama widely revered by Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.
Tibetan Buddhism is recognized as one of the primary forms of Buddhist practice, and is presently practiced by people in many parts of the world. The popularity of Tibetan Buddhist practice is due largely to the work of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. The Dalai Lama engenders the teachings of the Buddha which include tolerance, compassion, wisdom, and meditation. Another fundamental aspect of the teachings of the Buddha is the concept of interdependence. The Buddha said that because we are all fundamentally inter-connected, none of us can truly be free from suffering as long as there are others suffering. Therefore, violence towards other human beings is considered to be one of the fundamental causes of suffering by all human beings. Only by cultivating compassion and tolerance can world peace truly be realized. This section of Xizang Zhiye includes religious, philosophical, and spiritual information.
Om Mani Pedme Hum (or Om Mani Pedme Hung), is the most common mantra in Tibet, recited by Buddhists, painted or carved on rocks, prayer wheels, or yak skulls and seen around most usually. Tibetan people, almost all Buddhists, Tibetan Buddhists believe that saying the mantra (prayer), out loud or silently to oneself will relieve negative karma, accumulate merit, help rescue them from the sea of suffering and achieve Buddha hood. Spinning the written form of the mantra around in a Mani wheel (or prayer wheel) is also believed to give the same benefit as saying the mantra, and Mani wheels, small hand wheels and large wheels with millions of copies of the mantra inside, are found everywhere in the lands influenced by Tibetan Buddhism.
