Getting to Tibet

The best way to get to Tibet is to fly from China. The most frequent and reliable routes to Lhasa are from Chengdu and Xi’an in Northern China. You’ll need to stay at least one night in China before continuing your journey but it’s better to stay longer in case there are any delays with your permits. It also gives you the chance to spend some time exploring China too. There are flights from other major cities in China, eg. Beijing and Shanghai, but they’re harder to book and only have one flight a day to Lhasa.

There are lots of options when flying into China from the UK. Direct flights go from London Heathrow to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong with British Airways, Virgin or Cathay Pacific or you can fly indirect with lots of carriers like KLM, Malaysian Airlines or Emirates to name a few. Prices range from £600-£800 per person but they can come down to as low as £450 return during sales. It’s best to book in advance and avoid the Golden Weeks in May and October.

For a more scenic and gradual climb, which helps with altitude sickness, train journeys from China to Lhasa are a great option. As it’s often tricky to get train tickets in most of the cities, it’s best to depart from Chengdu which takes about 42 hours. Food and drinks are available to buy on the train, or you can take your own, and there is extra oxygen to help with the altitude.

Tickets can be booked 2 months in advance and we’ll require a copy of your passport to purchase the tickets. Please be aware that we cannot guarantee beds together on the train but will always try to arrange this.