Tibet Open to Tourists

Tibet, scene of serious turmoil this spring, reopened to general tourism last week after the Chinese government shut Tibet's borders in March and backpacker hub Lhasa saw the first foreign tourists, a pair of Swedes, last Wednesday, according to official reports. Less official (but more practical) reports from Lhasa on Lonely Planet's Thorntree forum detail the requirements tourists are actually finding on the ground in Tibet now: travelers and Lhasa residents are saying that it may take as long as ten days to get a Lhasa travel permit, and that all of the new/old-but-now-enforced rules for Tibet travel are in flux.

Sim's Cozy Garden Hostel in Chengdu, China, has some excellent info on the present situation for backpackers in Tibet, including a list (ordered by possibility of success percentage) detailing current options for arranging trips to Tibet. Do some reading before you commence planning:

• China View: Official: Tibet to re-open to foreign tourists
• Lonely Planet Thorntree: Lhasa Open to Foreign Tourists
• Sim's Cozy Garden Hostel, Chengdu: Traveling to Tibet
• Student Travel, March 15: Turmoil in Tibet

If you go:

• Traveling to Tibet
• Getting to Lhasa
• What to See in Tibet
• A 10-Day Tibet Itinerary
• Tibet Photo Gallery

_{Screenshot courtesy Sim's Cozy Garden Hostel}

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