mlasser

I contacted a few more agencies. My expectation is that guides will be 250 per day x 5 days (1250) plus one day of a 4WD at 1150 and some taxis around Lhasa for another 450. That's a total of 2850. If TTB for 2 including delivery to Xian is another 1200, that's still only getting me to 4050. A far cry from the 7,700-13,000 I've been quoted so far. I don't mind paying 10% on top of that as a service to the agency if they don't take a cut from the guides.

I was hoping FTers might share prices they've actually paid. Anyone?

rkkwan

Did you ask Spinn Cafe, as linked to by others earlier? How much did they quote you? They cater to a lot of Hong Kongers, as at least one of their owners is from Hong Kong, and should be reputable and their price should be reasonable.

mlasser

They came in for around 7700. The guy who runs it seems very knowledgeable and if the price was about half that, they'd probably be my first choice.

chazas

I am using Spinn for my trip - I figured I wasn't getting a rock bottom price, but they are incredibly responsive and helpful, and fairly transparent about what they charge. Every single email has been returned the morning of the next business day, both in 2008 (a trip canceled after the uprising and the Sichuan earthquake) and this year. Fingers crossed that this translates into a good trip as well.

Keep us up to date in your quest, and good luck.

PS: My 5-day trip to Lhasa (for 2 people), similar to yours, was quoted at 6486 RMB, including only permits, transportation from airport/to train station, 5 guide days, and one day Landcruiser trip. This matches up fairly closely with Pazu's posted costs: 300 RMB/day for a guide (1500 RMB), 1800 RMB for the Landcruiser and driver, 1200 RMB each for the permit (2400 RMB), 400 RMB for transporation from airport, and 100 RMB for transportation to train station. I'm using SPG points for the hotel and United miles for the flight from Chengdu - Pazu is buying soft sleeper train tickets out for us - as far as I can tell he's tacking on about 200 RMB apiece service charge. Not cheap, but he has been awesomely responsive, and has not asked for a deposit until we can confirm that Tibet will reopen in time for my trip.

mlasser

The biggest upcharge I see there is the permits. Heck, the St. Regis travel agency is charging 400 and I've been quoted as low as 200 for a TTB. 1200 is a big pad.

mlasser

So far these are the two of the better deals I've found:

http://tibetanshamantour.com/about.html

http://www.tibethighlandtours.com/

Guides seems to going for 250 rmb per day.

4WD for 1250 rmb per day

TTB fees at 200 RMB plus 200 for delivery.

Service fees seem to be ranging from 500 to 1000 rmb after negotiation.

Transport to airport seems to vary with some operators wanting to make it a 4WD and others agreeing a 300 rmb taxi is fine.

Every agency, including Snow Lion and the St. Regis has been incredibly responsive. I think Spinn is a great and highly organized operation but may be charging premiums based on high profile listings in Lonely Planet and they are very good marketers. I kind of like the fact that Tibetan Shaman is run by a guy who's been a Tibetan monk.

Last point that seems to need clarification is transport to Gandan. Some want to make that a 4WD. Others say it's ok to take the bus. Lonely Planet says it should be 400 RMB for a 4WD, which I suppose is shared. Hard to get this straight. Anyone have info on that?

chazas

I've trying to go to Tibet since the late '90s (this will be my third attempt to go), so I've been following costs off and on for a long time.

In the greater scheme of things on this trip (this is only part of a much more involved 2.5 week trip), and given the long history here, it's not worth it to me to go elsewhere. If I have to give up the control of significant aspects of my vacation to someone else - which I never do - it's worth a lot to me for it to be someone I feel comfortable with. The question is whether I feel like the overall total is beyond the pale, which I don't, at least at the moment.

If you get an OVERALL quote (i.e., not just individual pieces) for significantly less for your 5 days from one of the more reputable tour operators, though, I might change my tune a little.

EDIT:

Well, I see your post - that is enough for me to at least raise the issue and perhaps get a competing bid or two. I have emailed the two agencies you recommended and asked the St. Regis for their travel agent (though they aren't too responsive to emails so far). We'll see.

mnredfox

Except that in Lhasa you're guide disappears except for when you meet for your tours. I spent 4 days in Lhasa and we didn't pay for a guide nor ever saw one other than seeing the sites we needed to arrange for. If it wasn't for my big 6'7" American blond haired friend, I would have snuck in the tourist sites guide free.

chazas

mlasser, you are right, the two agencies you listed are cheaper. I emailed them my itinerary and got quotes from Tibet Highland at 4330 RMB, and from Tibetan Shaman for about 5200 RMB. I did decide to stick with Pazu at Spinn Cafe, though - it doesn't seem fair to have been corresponding with him off and on for literally years about this trip and then yank the business at the last minute. His main explanation for his higher prices is that he has hand-picked drivers and guides who work for him exclusively and that he pays them "considerably more" to keep them happy. Your explanation (that he's a good social media marketer and has been able to take advantage of that in his pricing) may have something do do with it too. In any event, you can't complain about his responsiveness. I emailed him at 3:02 p.m. EDT yesterday and got a reply at 3:47 p.m. EDT, which would be 3:47 a.m. in Lhasa.

Good luck in your trip!

haricharan

has anyone used the st.regis travel agent? their quote for Everest tour for transport is nearly double tibet highlandtours..wondering if they are that much better service (i would doubt it)..

mlasser

The St. Regis is charging premiums of between 400 and 1000%. I can't justify the margins they're asking. I eventually booked through these guys: http://tibetanshamantour.com/about.html

Lumbum himself is the person you'll deal with. So far he's been great and had competitive pricing. I'm getting guides for 250 yuan per day and the going rate for 4WD seems around 1250-1500 yuan per day. They're doing TTBs for 400 yuan including courier service to Xian. I def. recommend you get a quote from him as well. Drop my name as a reference. The more FTers find good sources to share, the better for all of us.

Are you doing a full climb or just a trip to base camp? When are you taking your trip?

haricharan

thanks..i'll get a quote...just EBC...going with my parents..so not much trekking..in mid may.

JCinNYC

I realize the last post on this thread is a year old and seems like things in Tibet have changed quite a bit. I'm going to PEK for business and was thinking about going to Lhasa for a long weekend prior to my meetings.

I reached out to the TAs you recommended and some said they couldn't get me the permit because I want to travel in less than 15 days. Tibet Shaman responded with a yes but asked me for a $500 USD deposit. Did any of you had to do that? I'm on the fence wiring money to a bank to people I don't know. They said they will give me the money back upon arrival to Lhasa. Wanted to know if anyone had to do that...

Thanks!

jiejie

As of this year, deposits are now required as a condition for processing the Tibet Permit application. This comes down from the government via the Tibet Tourist Authority and applies to all approved agents that provide tours to foreigners. Usually most agents apply this to the overall final tour price. It definitely pays to use a highly reputable agent to protect your investment of time, effort, and cash.

JCinNYC

Thanks for the update. Do you know if Tibetan Shaman Tour is reputable?