Tibet Tours

The Tibetans are among the easiest people to get along with in Asia, however, considering the unique culture and religion, please keep in mind the taboos below when you travel in Tibet:
Taboos on diet
Tibetan people, especially the initiated Buddhists do not kill living things. They don’t kill cows or sheep although they eat beef and mutton. Tibetan people do not take horse, dog and donkey meat and also do not eat fish in some areas, so please respect their diet habits.

Generally, Tibetans do not eat fish, shrimps, chickens and eggs. But the diet habits have already changed a lot in the recent years with tourists’ coming into Tibet.

At dinner, do not eat mouthful. Do not chew your food noisily. Drink soup without noises.
Taboos on social courtesies
Let the guests or the elder people go first when you walk together with them. When you talk, use honorific expressions. When you address somebody, please add “la” behind the name to express respects. When greeting or seeing off a guest, smile at him while you bend your body forward and bend your knees. If you are asked to sit down, please cross your legs, do not stretch your legs forward and face your sole to others. Do not gaze around casually. You should accept the gift with both hands. While presenting the gift, you should bend your body forward and hold the gift higher than your head with both hands. While offering tea, wine or cigarette, you should offer them by both hands and do not tough the inside of the bowl with any of your fingers.
When the host presents you a cup of wine, you should dip your ring finger in the wine and flick the wine in the air three times to express your respects to the heaven, the earth and the ancestors before sipping the wine. The host will fill the cup, and you take a sip of the wine again. After the host fills your cup for the forth time, you have to bottom it up.
When the host presents you a cup of ghee tea, you should wait until the host holds the cup with both hands to you and take the tea.
Do not accept things or give things to others with one hand. When the host fills the cup, you should lower the cup a little with both hands to show respect.
Taboos on behaviors
Do not spit or clap your palms behind Tibetan people.
Seeing any dagobas, monasteries or Mani piles, please go around them clockwise (not of the Bon). Do not cross any musical instruments used in the Buddhist mass. Do not cross any fire-pans.
Do not relieve yourself near any cattle pens, horse stables, or sheepfolds.
Do not throw any bones into fire.
Do not touch other’s head by hand.
Do not use paper with Tibetan characters as tissue or wipe off mess with the paper.
Do not step on threshold when entering the tent or house. Do not spit in front of the Tibetan people.
In the tent, men sit on the left side, and women on the right side.
When there is someone ill or when a woman is giving birth to a baby, Tibetans will make a sign in front of their houses. Some people light a fire in front of their houses. Some place a branch or a red cloth tag in the doorway. Do not enter the house if you see the sign.
Tibetan people believe that there are auspicious days and ominous days for everyone. In the ominous days, people can do nothing but stay at home pattering or go to worship the gods and Buddha to avoid the mischance. The Tibetans believe that the end of each Dizhi (the 12 Terrestrial Branches, used in combination with ten Celestial Stems to designate years, months, days and hours) and the beginning of the following Terrestrial Branch in the Tibetan calendar is an ominous year. People should be more careful when they reach their ages of 13, 25, 37 and 49 and so on, which are believed to be one’s ominous years in their life.
On the outskirts, you could not drive or disturb the sheep or cows with red, green or yellow cloth strips on because these animals are the Tibetan sacrifice to worship gods. Eagles are the sacred birds in the eyes of the Tibetan people. You should not drive them away or injure them.
Taboos Related to Belief
Do not whirl round the prayer wheels anticlockwise.
Do not enter the monastery without permission. No smoke in monasteries. Also it is banned to touch the statue of Buddha and religious articles and scan the sutra books, toll the bells or beat the drums. Do not touch any amulets or the prayer beads that the Lama wears. Be quiet when you are in the monastery, and sit erect. Do not take the seat of the Living Buddha. Do not make noise, hunt or kill any animals near the monastery.
Do not make a racket when you arrive at a mountain (rackets at the quiet mountaintop are believed possible to cause sudden storm or hailstones).

We soon realized why the national Chinese residents did not use the dining car facilities. They either had brought their own food or purchased from the cart that went along the hallway. Elva and I went in for breakfast and sat for a least 15 minutes waiting for one of the attendants to come to our table. We asked a British couple if the serving was still in progress? They said they hoped so, but they had been waiting even long for service. Presently the lady got up from where she was seated at a table near the kitchen window and brought a menu to our table and “flopped” it on the table and walked away.

Though an attempt had been made to print the item names in English, their wording made it uncertain what one might get from ordering a specific items. We both ordered what we thought would be scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. We received a cold egg, a spoon full of rice and dry bread. We were more than glad that we had also brought some candy and snacks for the trip. With so many different nationalities using the train it would seem that a picture type menu like McDonalds uses through out China would be beneficial on the train. We had to return for some lunch and the results in the dining car were about the same. We just went without for dinner and picked up some more snacks near the hotel.

Every one of the personnel on the train we felt certainly could have used some training time in one of the large city hotels where a smile, a “good morning” and a helpful manner is abundant. It would be a total shame to have these trains become so notorious for indifferent and bad service that they are not appealing to foreign tourists.

Of further note — for dinner in Lhasa we sat at a large table with a couple from Australia, a couple from Britain and two young ladies from the U.S. who had all wanted to ride the train. One couple had been told it was impossible to obtain train tickets. Another waited for two days in Beijing to try and obtain tickets and the ladies from the U.S. were told by there agent that tickets could not be obtained. Something is totally wrong with this picture. You and I know that the number of trains a day operating to Lhasa are not all full. The train we were on was vacant compartments and seats in the chair cars available. The four trains we viewed going north towards Glommed during the day, none of the cars appeared to be full. Mostly they appeared to be totally empty. There is obviously a total lack of marketing for the seats on the trains leaving Lhasa and none of the people at the table we spoke with about the trains knew that there were train to Lhasa from other cities beside Beijing and none knew about boarding the train in Xining. To a person, they were totally surprised that we had arrived in Lhasa by train. All we could say was that we had a superior travel person looking after our requests. We told them they should have used CCT for their China tours.

The last deficient item I believe you should know about concerns the oxygen on the train. The web site, the initial advertisements stress the fact that oxygen supply nose tubes were available for all passengers. On our trip we did not see a single such oxygen supply devise of any type. The cabin attendant came in an opened the outlet door on the wall and turned on a valve and pointed to the oxygen outlet. We kept the compartment door closed and there seemed to be sufficient oxygen for us. WE live at a higher altitude than most here in Colorado and are not generally bothered by altitudes. However, I am positive there are many older persons and those with poor lung functions that should have had the nose tubes for the two hours or so the oxygen was in use. This lack of proper oxygen supply could be very critical to many persons.

Yes, we would recommend to any one interested, that the Tibet tours by train is well worth the trials, inefficiencies and problems, but a trip that should not be missed. We can only hope that someone will take an interest to improving the problems with these train trips next years give the experience a total black eye to this aspect of China tourism.

We highly recommend China Connection Tours to all people who are also interested in travel to Tibet by train. With their expertise, you will enjoy a lifetime Tibet tour for sure. For more of my China tours & Tibet tours experience,

The current report by The Tibet Autonomous Region tells in 2009, 720,237 domestic and foreign tourists visited Tibet between January and May, a figure 1.9 times bigger than that in the same period of 2008. Tibet’s tourism has entered a period of rapid development. Visitors from home and abroad are heading towards the region where there is the highest and largest plateau on earth, often referred to as, the roof of the world.

According to Tibetan people, summer is the golden season to travel in a year. Recently, it is getting more and more overseas tourists to go to Tibet. They are not only craving for gorgeous sights and trek, but also searching for diverse culture tours. Tibet’s culture is visually stunning as its landscape, its Buddhist heritage, and its tradition and history rich. It is better to know the culture of Tibet in the face of the current pace of change.

You can see foreign tourists everywhere in Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and the Tashihungpo Monastery of Rikaze, etc. An American tourist Cathy, excited talking about her 5-day trip to Tibet, she said:” Tibet is the most mysterious place deep down in my heart as always. The natural environment and culture are unique on the planet. I was looking forward to visiting Tibet, but I was a bit worried about the security state in Tibet before. However, you won’t know until you are there. I went search engine and found out visit tibet travel and tours, after further enquiries they made a route out based on my interests. Thanks to them, a decent Tibet tour guide gives me amazing experiences.”

The assistant director of the Tibet Tourism Bureau Wei Min quoted: “Tourism of Tibet has once strongly impaired by the March 14th riots in Lhasa, but from the related statistics both the tourist arrivals and revenue between January and May in 2009 are higher than that in the same period of 2008. We are confident that Tibet’s tourism market is recovering from slack seasons last year.” “As far as I know, China has invested great amounts of money in ecological preservation for sustainable development, by the help of that we’ll see tourists pouring this year.” The general manager of VisitTibet.com said.

To learn much more about Tibet tour solutions, please visit  http://www.chinatibettours.com where you can get more free information on specialized tours in Tibet, Nepal and Himalayas.

Enjoying an adventure travel tour is one of the activities that many travelers want to experience during their lifetime. A travel tour is one of the most effective ways to actually relax and escape the stressful days of ordinary life. If you take the time to plan ahead and really research your options, you will find your vacation filled with wonderful memories.

So, if you long to have a more enjoyable and fun journey, then you better get busy planning it very well before you ever make that first non-refundable deposit. You will have the time to better enjoy the trip if you have planned ahead and well researched your options. It is definitely better to arrange and organize your trip first in order for your vacation to be totally relaxed and safe.

If you are new to this “travel” thing and are looking for an adventure, well, there are plenty of travel companies who specialize in adventure vacations, so consider starting there.

Don’t know where to start or where you want to go for your trip?

Well, to give you some ideas about where you might want vacation, consider one of the following:

* Antartica Cruise
* Botswana Wildlife Safari
* Costa Rica Highlights
* China Discovery
* East Africa Safari
* Everest Base Camp Trek
* Galapagos Adventure
* Gorilla and Chimp Safari
* Greek Island Wanderer
* Highlights of Tibet
* Highlights of Northern India
* Hiking in Provence
* Kilimanjaro Climb
* Loire Valley Cycling
* Machu Picchu Hiking
* Mongolian Wilderness Adventure
* Mont Blanc Hotel Trek
* Nile Cruise
* Outdoor Alaska
* Rajasthan Desert Safari

Did that get you excited about your travel? If one of these didn’t make it to the top of your list, then keep looking. Talk with a tour expert. Don’t give up!

No matter what your ideal vacation is, you must always think of exactly what kind of trip will make you happy. Enjoy the trip! Make the most out of every journey.

TJ Lashley is a frequent contributor who especially enjoys writing on health promotion and wellness. Be sure to stop by her latest website at http://www.chinatibettours.com.com which is designed to help others to learn more about sleep health, including challenges with sleeping well, such as child sleep apnea and many other helpful suggestions to getting that elusive night of sleep!

Tour Code: Classical-01
Destination: Tsedang-Lhasa
Feature: Tsedang is the cradle of Tibetan Civilization. It’s the birthplace of the first Tibetans who were said to be the offspring of a monkey and a demoness, so Tsedang literally means “monkey’s playground”.The mild weather and fertile land in Shannan gestated the great Tibet dynasty. Nowadays we can still visit Tibet’s first monastery – Samye Monastery, Tibet’s first building – Yumbulakang Palace in Tsedang.
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1 Chengdu/Beijing/Shanghai/Kathmandu/other cities-Tsedang
Lhasa local guide and driver meet you at Gongga airport, transfer to your hotel in Tsedang, check in the hotel. Please go slow and have a good rest today in order to acclimatize the high altitude. It is helpful to drink more water. Overnight in Tsedang.

2 Tsetang /Samye Monastery/ Lhasa
Morning visit to the Yumbulakang Palace and the Trandruk Monastery. Travel to the bank of Yarlung Tsangpo River by car. Then take the ferry with local Tibetans to visit the Samye Monastery which is believed to be the first Monastery in Tibet with a history of over 1,200 years. Late afternoon drive to Lhasa and check into your hotel. Overnight at Lhasa.

Note: In winter season, you may not take the local ferry due to River lack of water. You will driven to Samye instead.

3 Sightseeing of Lhasa city
In the morning, visit Potala Palace—the highest palace architecture in the world, on the way climb to the entrance gate, you can take an overlook of the whole Lhasa city, in sunshine, clear sky, really nice; get the knowledge of Tibet political, history, and religion.

In the afternoon, visit Jokhang Temple, the real “Lhasa” in the eyes of the local Tibetans; Then take a stroll in Barkhor street, here you can experience the local style, picking up those interesting things in Tibetan style Nepal style, Indian style, all up to you.

In the evening, if you wish, you can join in the Tibetan Banquet with Song & Dance Performance, a good chance to get close to the local life. Back to hotel.

4 Sightseeing of Lhasa city
Drepung Monastery is on the hillside west of Lhasa, once world’s largest monastery with about 10,000 monks. Walking up to the hill is a pleasant thing, an easy break from the solemn ambience inside the halls and chapels.

Later, we will go to visit Sera Monastery. The highlight will be watching the monks’ debating inside the shady courtyard behind the main temple. Every day except Sunday, hundreds of red-robed monks assemble in small groups and practice their debating skills.

5 Leaving Tibet
Transfer to airport or railway station for departure flight(train) to Beijing or onward destination.

Note: you can change the itinerary to the way you want, such as omit some cities or sightseeing places or extend this tour to the places you want. If you want us to arrange tours in other cities in China, just contact us.