To get to the Tibetan capital, Lhasa , foreign travelers usually start from Chengdu in Sichuan , Xining in Qinghai or Kathmandu in Nepal.

Sichuan - Tibet Highway

Beginning at Chengdu , the Sichuan - Tibet Highway extends to the south and north at Xinduqiao via Ya'an and Kangding and joins together again at Bamda after entering Tibet . This highway has a high elevation and winds its way around mountains. During the rainy season it is blocked up owing to the landslide.

Yunnan - Tibet Highway

This highway was built along "Tea - Horse Ancient Road " frequented by the businessmen and tourists in the ancient times. But the shuttle buses pass through Deqen in the Deqen Tibet Autonomous Prefecture ; tourists to Lhase have to ask a lift by passing - by trucks here.

Xinjiang - Tibet Highway

Giong to Lhasa from Xinjiang, the highway leads its counterparts in its elevation. Most sections pass through depopulated areas. In summer a few trucks go from Yecheng, Xinjiang to Shiquanhe, and the capital of Ngari Prefecture . But it is hard to find a truck from Shiquenhe to Lhasa .

Qinghai - Tibet Railway

The Qinghai - Tibet Railway is the longest alpine railway line with the highest elevation in the world. The construction of the railway line started in arly 2001 with the approval of the State Council. It starts from Xining in Qinghai and ends in Lhasa in Tibet , totallinf 1,956 kilometers. The whole railway line is expected to be completed and put into operation on July 1 st 2006.

The complete of Qinghai - Tibet Railway will play an important role in the development of the western part of China , especially in enhancing the economy and improving the living standard of the local people. It is also a remark of western development projects. Meanwhile, as the railway put into use, the difficult situation to get Tibet will be changed, and there will be more tourists getting there from home and abroad. The Tibet tourism would meet its golden time in the near future.

From Kathmandu to Lhasa

Every day there are buses from the City Bus Station in Kathmandu, capital city of Nepal , to Kodari. Across the Sina - Nepal Friendship Bridge Kodari, you will arrive in Zham , Tibet .

The state- owned long distance bus station in Lhasa has shuttle buses to other parts of the country. For the bus schedule please check with the ticket office of the bus station.

The long distance bus station in Lhasa is located at the juncture of Jinzhu W. Road and Minzu Road and its telephone number is (0891) 6824469.

Customs

Chinese border crossings have gone from being severely traumatic to exceedingly easy for travelers. You can legally bring in or take out only Y6000 in Chinese currency. There are no such restrictions on foreign currency except that you should declare any cash amount exceeding US$5000 (or its equivalent in other currencies).

Import:

You are allowed to import a maximum of 72 rolls of film. It's also officially forbidden to bring more than 20 pieces of under ware into the PRC (we kid you not).

It is illegal to import any printed material, film, tapes etc 'detrimental to China 's politics, economy, culture and ethics'. This is a particularly sensitive subject in Tibet , but even here it is highly unusual to have Chinese customs officials grilling travelers about their reading matter. Maps and political books printed in Dharamsala , India , could cause a problem.

It is currently illegal to bring into China pictures, books videos or speeches of or by the Dalai Lama. Moreover, you may be placing the recipient of these in danger of a fine or jail sentence from the Chinese authorities. Pictures of the Dalai Lama with the Tibetan national flag even 'more' illegal.

Be very circumspect if you are asked to take any packages, letter or photos out of Tibet for anyone else, including monks.

Export:

Anything made in China before 1949 is regarded as a cultural treasure and cannot be taken out of the country.

Airport Tax

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