Reputable Tour Companies in Tibet?

[notsosmart]

A friend is planning a trekking trip to Tibet in summer. She'd like to use a tour company to arrange for things, but says that there are thousands of them (it's China - no real surprise - everyone and their uncle runs some sort of touring company).

What I'd like to know, and pass along to her, is the names of a few reputable ones that are NOT overpriced. She's a student and on a budget.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

[Buster CT1K]

So no one has any thoughts? I am going in July.

[sniles]

only one i know is one based in Shanghai, on Huaihai Zhong Lu.
Ex-Shanghai i believe prices for a decent package with a group of around 10 persons, including visa, tickets, guides, food, and hotel is around US$1000-1200.

FYI no personal experience, info. is purely based on hearsay.

[AandT]

I recommend you check this one out.

http://www.tibetanconnections.com/

(travel info blog by the guy who set up the company)- http://kekexili.typepad.com/

I have not used them personally but have heard good things about them.

[vysean]

We used this company last year for a seven day trip:

http://toursoftibet.com/

We were extremely satisfied. I've got a trip report I'm about to post in the next 24 hours with excessive detail on the trip.

I'd be happy to provide contact information for the woman who arranged everything for us - she even met us at a cafe in Lhasa to see how everything was going.

[jiejie]

If she is on a lower-end budget, I recommend that she check out the Lonely Planet Thorntree forums (specifically: Northeast Asia), where there are a lot of posts on this same subject, by travelers with similar profiles and budgets. She can/should ask questions there. If it is a TREKKING trip that she wants, the tour company selected should be experienced specifically with this--many tour companies wholesaling or retailing tours (particularly outside China) don't cater to this type of trip.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntre...spa?forumID=19

There is a sticky post 3rd down on this forum with real-time info on the Tibet Travel Permit situation, which she should get familiar with before making her arrangements. She'll get a better price if she makes the arrangements after arriving in China. Chengdu is most common place and usually get best prices there and can hook up with other travelers to cut costs (if she wants), though arranging from other cities is possible. If she does not already have a Chinese visa, when she applies for one, NO NO NO mention of Tibet should be put anywhere on the application.

[V9]

Have anyone used their frequent miles/points for travel to Tibet?
CA, CZ and MU all belong to some type of air alliances, and the Four Points Hotel in Lhasa takes spg points.

[vysean]

Originally Posted by V9

Have anyone used their frequent miles/points for travel to Tibet?
CA, CZ and MU all belong to some type of air alliances, and the Four Points Hotel in Lhasa takes spg points.

You may want to constrain your posts to the relevant threads - this one is more focused on tour companies for Tibet, while your post on the topic in the other Tibet thread has more to do with flying there...

At any rate, yes, I used points to fly there twice. I used United miles and had a lot of difficulty. I posted a thread about it over on the United forum. Lots of rules and regulations that no one could actually cite but the net result was that supposedly there was no way United could get me to LXA. The best they could do was to fly me to CTU and I'd have to purchase an onward ticket. On an earlier trip, I used US miles to fly to XIY and then purchased an onward ticket XIY-LXA on China Eastern (it was about $280). As for hotels, the Four Points is the only major chain hotel there, and I doubt you'll have a problem redeeming your points there. It's a very nice hotel with a very small and slow elevator. I personally think the location is just about fantastic, but our tour company didn't recommend it. Limited English spoken, but easily walkable to the Barkhor Square area.

As jiejie posted above, the Lonely Planet ThornTree forum is probably one of the best resources for up-to-date information on the situation in Tibet. I highly encourage you to take a look at it. When we were planning our first trip last year, my buddy and I made extensive use of it. At the time, there were even local expats in Lhasa and in Chengdu who could give updates and answer questions.

Good luck with your trip - Tibet is an amazing place and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

[cj001f]

I'm curious for any further recommendations from FT - I trust here more than the Thorn Tree.