"Tibet - Open or Closed?" Travel to Tibet by Air

Travel into the Tibetan region has always been a challenge and this press release gives transport routes, prices and helpd travellers with other access information.

The Himalayan region continues to fascinate people and draw hundreds of thousands of visitors every year to Nepal and Northern India. However the country that lies at the heart of the Himalayan range, Tibet, continues to be shrouded in mystery for most people. The first question that pops into your mind is "isn't it really difficult to get there?"

The editors of "Mapping the Tibetan World" a new guidebook covering the entire Tibetan region have set out to answer that question. The answer �E "It's a lot easier than you might think."

Central Tibet and Tibetan areas that are now classed as parts of the Chinese provinces, Sichuan, Qinghai, Yunnan and Gansu are all accessible by air.

1) Chengdu (Sichuan, W.China) is a gateway to many Tibetan areas swallowed up by Sichuan province. These areas still retain a strong Tibetan feel and you don't need travel permits for most areas. There are regular daily flights from Beijing ($190), Shanghai ($200) and Hong Kong ($300) and daily flights onto Tibet's capital, Lhasa that cost $200 in winter and $145 in summer. Travel permits are issued with tickets.

2) Xining (Qinghai, W.China) is a starting point for travelers heading to the Amdo region of N.E. Tibet or onto Lhasa via Golmud. There are regular daily flights from Beijing ($190) and other major Chinese cities. There are also 4 flights a week to Lhasa.

3) Kunming (Yunnan, W.China) is a gateway to Tibetan areas in Yunnan and southern parts of Sichuan. There are daily flights from all major Chinese cities including Chengdu and regular international flights from Bangkok, Chiang Mai (N.Thailand), Hong Kong, Yangon (Burma), Vientiane (Laos) and Singapore.

4) Kathmandu (Nepal) also has a Lhasa flight 3 times a week from April to November that cost $190.
One drawback is that you need to join a "tour group" to get a ticket and you'll only get a 7-day permit/visa.

More details on flight schedules, overland alternatives, visas, permits and an extensive map collection to the region can be found in "Mapping the Tibetan World", $27.95, published by Kotan Publishing, http://www.kotan.org.

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