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How to Travel Cheaply in Tibet via http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1878944
by lobsangy
There are a few things you cannot avoid when you travel in Tibet. First, as matter of government policy, you need a Tibet Entry Permit, which is only arranged through locally-registered travel agencies. Second, while you are travelling in Tibet, you must be accompanied by a licensed tour guide, which must also be arranged by a local travel agency.
Having said that, there are ways to reduce the overall cost of travel to Tibet, which are not always advertised by travel agencies:
(1) Travel Permits: As a traveler, the first thing you should ask is how the travel permits are arranged and how much you will be charged. If the travel agencies are based in Lhasa or are locally registered with TTB, they will often charge less than those based in Chengdu, Xining, or elsewhere. You can call travel agencies in Lhasa directly to see how much they charge and how quickly they can do it for you.
(2) Accommodations: As mentioned above, most travel agencies will book you in their own contracted hotels, which are not necessarily better or cheaper. Most travel agencies will tell you or imply that only travel agencies can book hotels or get good deals for you. This is not true. As long as you have a permit and tour guide, you can stay in any hotel or guesthouse that has been designated for foreign tourists by TTB.
As a small hotel owner in Lhasa, I am often frustrated with travel agencies for their unfair commissions for hotels. For example, they may take 50% or more of the rate given to customers, which not only overcharges customers, but also underpays hotel owners.
You can tell your travel agency that you will arrange your own accommodations. It will require a little more research on your part, but you can definitely find many interesting, comfortable, and affordable hotels online or in guidebooks and contact them directly.
(3) Hiring Cars: This is bit tricky because it involves several issues. First, there are no clear rules and regulations regarding this matter. TTB simply states that all tourist vehicles must have insurance and all drivers must be qualified as tour drivers. While there are transportation companies, at the moment, most people still go through a travel agency to arrange transportation because these transportation companies are not easily accessible to the average tourist. However, if you wish to put in the extra effort, you can ask around for transportation companies and compare rates. If you are lucky, you may find a good transportation company offering a good rate.
(4) Tour Guide: As a matter of policy, as mentioned before, all foreign tourists must be accompanied by a licensed tour guide and the tour guide must be arranged through a travel agency. The cost of a tour guide depends on the travel agency. In order to reduce the cost of a guide, many tourists join groups to share one guide. By joining a group, the cost can then be shared by several people.
(5) Meals: Again, many travel agencies will direct you to restaurants where they receive the best commissions for themselves. These restaurants do not necessarily reflect better quality or price. So if your travel agency offers to arrange meals for you, just smile and say thank you! If you aren’t sure where good restaurants are, you can ask your tour guide (but sometimes your tour guide may also take you places in their own self interest), your hotel staff, or a travel guidebook. After all, you have come to Tibet, so please try some Tibetan food.
(6) Entrance Fees: Tourists are required to pay entrance fees for most monasteries, temples, and other tourist sites in Tibet. For example, during the peak tourist season, it costs 100rmb for a ticket to the Potala and 85rmb for a Jokhang Temple ticket. Because tickets to the Potala Palace are limited to 2,000 per day, many travel agencies will charge a fee to book this ticket. However, if you are willing to go to the ticket office in Lhasa the day before (during the highest peak season there may be a line), you can book your own ticket, and thereby avoid the booking fee. During the off-peak tourist season, you can usually purchase the ticket the same day. Your tour guide can also help you with purchasing this ticket.
(7) Off-Season Travel: The peak tourist season for Tibet is approximately late June to October and prices for air tickets, rail tickets, hiring cars, hotels, and entry tickets to tourist sites are considerably higher. If you plan your trip during the off-peak season, you may find that costs for the above may be cut in half.
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Traveling in Tibet: What do foreign tourists need?
Foreign travelers often wonder why traveling to the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) is so expensive and inconvenient even though Tibet is one of poorest regions in the world. First of all, needless to say, there are several policies to safeguard stability in the region. In addition to these policies, which are regulated by various government agencies, private enterprises such travel agencies and the hotel and transportation industries also shape tourism in Tibet. We can better understand the cost and procedures for travel in Tibet by looking briefly at each item needed.
Tibet Entry Permit
The first thing needed (after you obtain your China tourist visa) is the famous Tibet Entry Permit for foreign tourists traveling to the TAR. This is issued by the Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB), which is a government agency responsible for basic policies related to tourism in the TAR. This permit is needed even to purchase an air or train ticket to the TAR.
Tour Guide
According to the most recent TTB regulations, all foreign tourists must be accompanied by a licensed tour guide.
Alien’s Travel Permit
If you plan to travel to “closed areas” in the TAR, such as the Mt. Everest area and Mt. Kailash, you need an Alien’s Travel Permit, which is issued by the Foreign Affairs Section of the Public Security Bureau. This is usually done only after arriving in Lhasa. Your travel agency can help you with this.
Military Permit
If you plan to visit Ngari, Nyingtri, and Nakchu, which are regarded as sensitive military areas in Tibet, you need the Military Permit issued by the Military Office in Lhasa. This is usually done only after arriving in Lhasa. You will need to provide your passport to apply for it, which will take around 2-3 business days. Your travel agency can help you with this.
Travel Agencies
Locally registered travel agencies in the TAR are the only ones who can arrange for tour guides and the Tibet Entry Permit. They can also arrange for the Alien’s Travel Permit and Military Permit if needed. Because of the long and complicated process of registration, there are currently only about 50 registered travel agencies in Lhasa. Travel agencies based in other cities such as Chengdu, Beijing, and Xining are not registered in the TAR, and therefore cannot apply for your permits directly. They are able to make these arrangements only through the TAR-based travel agencies. For example, if you pay a travel agency in Chengdu or Xining to get your permit, those travel agencies have to ask a registered travel agency in Lhasa to apply for the permit for you. Thus, if you arrange your permits and tour guides through travel agencies based outside of the TAR, you are paying extra for intermediary fees.
Transportation
Air
To purchase your air ticket to Lhasa, you will need your passport and Tibet Entry Permit. You may purchase this yourself at any air ticket sales office, or your travel agency may do this for you. At the moment, the original copy of the Tibet Entry Permit is also required to board the plane.
Train
To purchase your train ticket to Lhasa, you will need your passport and Tibet Entry Permit. You may purchase this yourself at any rail ticket sales office, or your travel agency may do this for you. You need the original copy of the Tibet Entry Permit to board the train.
Hiring Cars
Most travel agencies do not own their own ground transportation but have contracts with transportation companies. The drivers and vehicle must be approved for tourists by TTB. The cost of hiring cars (including driver) is usually calculated per kilometer, and is currently approximately 4-8rmb/km during the peak tourist season.
Accommodations
Most travel agencies do not own hotels or hostels but have contracts with hotel owners. Because of this, different travel agencies will prefer to book you in different hotels according to their contracts. There are no regulations requiring foreign tourists to book hotels through travel agencies. If you wish to book your own hotel, you may do so by contacting the hotels directly. The only requirement is that they are approved for foreign guests. Currently, the star rating system is more arbitrary than not and is not a reliable factor for selecting hotels. In Lhasa, there is a reasonable selection of higher end hotels, and more recently, there is also a greater selection of various types of hotels, from family-style guest houses in the old Tibetan quarters to boutique hotels and hostels
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