UPDATED JUNE 2021 Tibet Travel Regulations: Updated post on the current travel regulations across Tibet
2021 Tibet Travel Update
UPDATED JUNE 2021
For more Tibet Travel Information, email us at: thelandofsnows@gmail.com
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I want to apologize for the long absence from this site. After nearly 12 years of keeping this site updated and answering many tens of thousands of emails from travelers (haha, all happily for free), it was time to take a break in 2020. For 2021, I am planning to answer emails that come in and plan to update the content on The Land of Snows and to put some new content up as well. There are still so many places that I want to write about and share pictures from! For now, here are the latest Travel Regulations in Tibet for 2021.
Prayer flags on the Gyatso La Pass
Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR): CLOSED
As of June 8, 2021, the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) is closed to ALL foreign travelers, EXCEPT those with a resident visa for Mainland China. Only those with a resident visa in Mainland China are able to travel to Tibet. Even then, you will require a Green Code, certificate or evidence of residence or isolation for 28 days after entering China, a letter from your company/school, negative COVID test among other possible documents. Though not overtly easy for foreign expats in China to get to Tibet, it is possible.
For ALL other foreigners, all areas of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) are closed to travelers due the current COVID-19 pandemic. Though there are almost no cases of COVID-19 in Tibet, the government wants to keep it that way. Or, so they say…Covid-19 could just be an excuse to keep foreign travelers out of politically-sensitive Tibet. The closed areas include the Tibetan capital city of Lhasa, Mt Everest, the overland route from Lhasa to Kathmandu, Mt Kailash, Nam Tso Lake, the train route from Mainland China to Tibet and ALL other areas of the TAR.
When will the TAR Reopen to Normal Tourism?
At this time, it is impossible to give any real answer to this question. If you know anything about traveling in Tibet, the government says next to nothing and almost never gives advance notice about openings and closures. There is no official government website that gives any type of real travel information. So, all I can do is guess as to what will happen.
I do not expect Tibet (TAR) to be open to foreign travelers, other than those with foreign residency in Mainland China during the summer months. My best guess is that Tibet will remain closed until AT LEAST September or October 2021. However, I would not be surprised if Tibet remains closed until April 2022. If Tibet miraculously does reopen before then, I will be sure to update this post. Again, for now, only those foreigners with a residency visa for Mainland China are eligible to travel to the Tibet Autonomous Region.
The Amdo and Kham Regions
What?!? You’ve never heard of the Amdo and Kham regions? Well, they just happen to have some of the best preserved Tibetan culture and have many of the most authentic monasteries, nomadic regions and villages on the Tibet Plateau. The Amdo and Kham regions are outside of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), therefore the travel regulations to these areas are far less strict. The Amdo and Kham regions are found in Qinghai province, southwest Gansu, northern and western Sichuan and far northwest Yunnan. Most of these areas (aside from some areas in Qinghai such much of Haixi and Haibei prefectures and some of Golok prefecture), are open to foreign travelers.
One problem right now is getting a China visa. It seems that nearly all China embassies and consulates across the globe have suspended issuing China tourist visas due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you currently reside in Mainland China or currently have a valid China visa, you can currently travel to the Amdo and Kham regions. Another problem right now across China is that some areas may require you to quarantine for 7 to 14 days. The list of regions that require the quarantine changes multiple times per day, so I am not even going to try to keep that list updated.
I’ll be sure to update the 2021 Tibet Travel Regulations. If you have a question that isn’t answered in this post or on other posts on this site, send us an email at: thelandofsnows@gmail.com