The Potala Palace
117 m, 13 storeys, over 1,000 rooms. Tickets are timed and limited — we book them as soon as your permit clears.
Tibet · Tibet Autonomous Region
Tibet Tours 2026 | Lhasa, Everest & Monasteries | JoyoTour
The Tibet Autonomous Region opens at Lhasa, its capital: the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and the road west to Everest Base Camp at 5,200 m. Permits arranged. Private Tibet tours from US$279 a day.
The short version
The Tibet Autonomous Region is entered through Lhasa, its capital, and it is the one destination in China that requires planning rather than booking: a Tibet Travel Permit, an altitude of 3,650 m and a licensed guide throughout. In return you get the Potala Palace, the Jokhang, and the road west to Everest Base Camp at 5,200 m. Seven to eight days is the realistic minimum once acclimatisation is counted.
- Lhasa is the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region and sits at 3,650 m.
- You need a Tibet Travel Permit, arranged by us and issued about 15 days before travel.
- Spend two nights in Lhasa before going higher — altitude is the real constraint here.
- Everest Base Camp on the north side is at 5,200 m, reached by a two-day drive from Lhasa.
- Lhasa Gonggar (LXA) connects to Chengdu, Xi'an, Beijing, Kunming and Kathmandu.
The place itself
What Tibet is actually like
Lhasa is the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region and, at 3,650 m, the highest city of its size on earth. The Potala rises 117 m above it — thirteen storeys of white and ochre that was the winter palace of the Dalai Lamas and is now a museum you enter on a timed ticket.
The practical reality dominates everything. Foreign visitors need a Tibet Travel Permit issued through a registered agency, and must travel with a licensed guide and vehicle. Independent backpacking is not possible, and that is not a technicality — it is how the region is administered.
What you get for the paperwork is a landscape and a religious culture with no equivalent in China. The Barkhor circuit at dawn, with pilgrims prostrating the full kilometre; Yamdrok Lake the colour of half-set turquoise; and the Friendship Highway running west to Everest Base Camp and the Nepali border.
Destination — click to open the guide
Province or autonomous region
Provincial capital
Major river
Pins are plotted from real latitude and longitude on a 5° graticule. This is a schematic orientation diagram, not a political map — no boundaries are drawn.
What not to miss — Tibet
Jokhang Temple and the Barkhor
The holiest shrine in Tibet, holding the Jowo Rinpoche statue. Walk the 1 km pilgrim circuit at dawn before the shops open.
Drepung and Sera monasteries
Sera's monks debate in the courtyard each afternoon, clapping for emphasis — one of the most photogenic hours in Lhasa.
Yamdrok Lake and Gyantse
A turquoise sacred lake crossed at 4,790 m, then the Kumbum stupa at Gyantse on the road to Shigatse.
Everest Base Camp, north side
5,200 m, at the end of a two-day drive from Lhasa. You sleep at Rongbuk Monastery and watch the summit before sunrise.
Namtso Lake
A salt lake at 4,718 m north of Lhasa, with tented camps and the clearest night sky most visitors will ever see.
China tours that include this stop — Tibet
Tibet: Roof of the World
The Potala Palace, Everest Base Camp and prayer flags over the plateau — entered gradually by rail so the altitude does not hit you all at once.
★★★★★4.9 88 reviews
From US$2,490/per person
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Grand China Odyssey
Five regions, one journey: imperial north, panda country, the karst rivers of Guilin and the skyline of Shanghai, with Hangzhou's West Lake.
★★★★★4.8 132 reviews
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View tourGetting there and away
Lhasa Gonggar (LXA) receives domestic flights from Chengdu, Xi'an, Beijing, Kunming and Chongqing, plus the Kathmandu service. Most visitors fly in; the alternative is the rail journey from Xining, which ascends gradually and is far kinder for altitude.
The Qinghai–Tibet Railway reaches Lhasa in about 22 hours from Xining, crossing Tanggula Pass at 5,068 m in daylight. We recommend it to anyone with the time.
Within the region, travel is by private vehicle with your guide. Distances are long and speed limits are strictly enforced — Lhasa to Everest Base Camp is two days.
Best time to visit — Tibet
| Month | Weather | Crowds | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2°C / -12°C · bitterly cold, clear | Quiet | Avoid |
| February | 5°C / -9°C · bitterly cold, clear | Very busy | Avoid |
| March | 10°C / -3°C · bitterly cold, clear | Moderate | Good |
| April | 15°C / 3°C · bitterly cold, clear | Moderate | Good |
| May | 19°C / 8°C · bitterly cold, clear | Busy | OK |
| June | 22°C / 12°C · clear and mild | Moderate | Best |
| July | 23°C / 14°C · clear and mild | Busy | Best |
| August | 22°C / 13°C · clear and mild | Busy | Best |
| September | 19°C / 9°C · clear and mild | Moderate | Best |
| October | 14°C / 2°C · bitterly cold, clear | Very busy | Good |
| November | 7°C / -6°C · bitterly cold, clear | Quiet | Good |
| December | 2°C / -11°C · bitterly cold, clear | Quiet | Avoid |
How many days do you need?
Eight days is the standard: two nights in Lhasa to acclimatise, then the loop west through Gyantse, Shigatse and Everest Base Camp, returning to Lhasa. Six days covers Lhasa, Yamdrok and Shigatse without Everest. Add four if you arrive by rail from Xining.
Plan these days properlyMeet guides who cover this area
Lhasa, Tibet
Tsering Dorje
National Tour Guide Certificate, English and Tibetan
★★★★★4.9156 reviews
- English
- Mandarin
- Tibetan
Tsering Dorje was born in a village two hours from Lhasa, entered a monastery at thirteen and left at twenty-two, so he explains Tibetan Buddhism the way practitioners live it: what a full prostration costs, why you always walk clockwise, which chapels close on which days. He is also the most practical guide on the plateau. He carries oxygen, watches your walking pace, and will cut a visit short if your saturation drops.
At 5,200 metres he checked my oxygen, slowed the group down, and never once made me feel like a burden.
Marie L., France
- Tibetan Buddhism: the Potala, the Jokhang, and the debate courtyards of Sera and Drepung
- Monastery etiquette: circumambulation, offerings and where photography is forbidden
- Altitude pacing and acclimatisation for guests over 50
- Tibet travel permits and overland routes to Everest Base Camp
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Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Tibet?
Lhasa, at 3,650 m in the south of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Lhasa holds the Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple, and every itinerary begins here — both because the airport and railway terminate in the city and because you need two nights at altitude before travelling higher.
Do I need a permit to visit Tibet?
Yes. Foreign travellers require a Tibet Travel Permit issued through a registered agency, and must be accompanied by a licensed guide for the whole trip. We handle the paperwork as part of the booking and it is normally issued about 15 days before departure. You cannot apply independently.
How bad is altitude sickness in Lhasa?
Most people feel it for the first 24 hours — headache, breathlessness on stairs, poor sleep. Lhasa is 3,650 m. The fix is two quiet nights doing nothing strenuous, no alcohol and plenty of water. We carry oxygen in the vehicle and build every itinerary around gradual ascent.
How many days do you need in Tibet?
Eight days for Lhasa, Yamdrok, Shigatse and Everest Base Camp with proper acclimatisation. Six days covers Lhasa and the lake road without Everest. Twelve or more if you travel overland from Chengdu or take the train from Xining.
When is the best time to visit Tibet?
May to October. September and October have the clearest skies and the best chance of a clean Everest view. July and August are warmest but bring afternoon rain and cloud. Winter is cold but workable, with far fewer visitors.
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- A revised draft within one working day
- Nothing is charged until you approve the final version.