When it comes to choosing a Tibet travel agency, many people ask friends or look for reviews on Dcard or Facebook. These opinions are useful, but every traveler deals with a different consultant, so experiences vary. A more reliable approach is tofirst screen the agency itself with a few questions: Can it get your Tibet Travel Permit (TTP) approved? Who do you sign the contract with, and who actually runs the tour once you're in Tibet? If something goes wrong at high altitude, is someone there to handle it? Are shopping stops hidden in the tour price? Only agencies that give clear answers to all four are worth comparing on itinerary and price..
Below are the questions travelers from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and other countries most often ask CITS China2Go before booking. They are also the points we check ourselves when planning every Tibet tour.
Without a Tibet Travel Permit, Even the Best Itinerary Goes Nowhere
So when choosing a travel agency, the first step isn’t to look at the itinerary—it’s to ask about three things first:Who is responsible for submitting the application? How far in advance should the documents be submitted? What happens to the tour fee if the application isn’t approved? Tour operators who can clearly answer these three questions are usually the ones with extensive experience in organizing such trips.
CITS Global Travel - China2Go is a licensed travel agency authorized to process entry permits for Tibet....can issue entry permits to Tibet for travelers from Taiwan, as well as for travelers from other regions,Documents Required for Entry into Tibet, the application success rate is 99%.
Taiwanese travelers can submit their applications as long as they provide a valid Taiwan Compatriot Certificate and the relevant information approximately 30 to 45 days before departure..
In the event that the permit is not issued: If the issue stems from a travel agency’s operational error, we will issue a full refund; if the issue is due to incorrect traveler information or personal circumstances that were not disclosed in advance, please consult your travel advisor regarding the resolution.
There's one more point that's often overlooked:Some areas in Tibet are currently closed to visitors holding Taiwanese, Malaysian, or Singaporean passports, such as the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon and certain border areas around Medog.. If you see a tour itinerary that includes attractions like these, it’s best to ask in advance whether Taiwanese travelers are allowed to visit. Some travel agencies will make Taiwanese guests wait outside while only allowing travelers with mainland Chinese IDs to enter; others may not realize until just before departure that the entry permit for Tibet hasn’t been issued, and then make up a flimsy excuse once they arrive.
We can state this with absolute certainty: All entry permits and itineraries provided by CITS Global Travel—China2Go—are fully legal and compliant. We do not use any unusual methods to obtain permits, nor do we include attractions that are off-limits to Taiwanese travelers.
Who Do You Sign With, and Who Guides You in Tibet? Ask About Both
When comparing travel agencies in Tibet, the first question many people ask is, “Is the contract signed in Taiwan or on the mainland?” This is an essential question to ask, and regardless of which option you choose, the contract must be an official, government-approved document. If the contract is signed on the mainland, it should be the template published by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, titled *Team Domestic Travel Contract》, and the QR code attached to the contract must be verifiable on the official platform; for contracts signed in Taiwan, it must be in accordance with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ 《The Latest Version of the Standard Travel Contract Announced by the Tourism Bureau》。
There are two other things you must keep in mind: Is the company you’re signing the contract with the same as the one collecting payment? Please be aware that you should never sign a contract drafted by the travel agency itself. The terms of such contracts are often unfavorable to travelers, and if a problem actually arises, it will be very difficult to file a legal complaint—this carries a very high risk.
Next, there’s another issue that’s often overlooked: Once you arrive in Tibet, are the tour guide and driver who pick you up from the same company as the one you signed the contract with?
Many tours are outsourced to local ground operators in Tibet after they’re sold, and these operators may not always operate legally. Having an intermediary isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if a problem arises, you need to know who to contact so you can reach the person in charge right away.
Before signing up, you can ask these questions together: What kind of contract are you signing? Where does the tour price start, and does it include airfare? Once in Tibet, will the tour be led by your own staff? If something goes wrong during the trip, who should I contact?
CITS Global Travel - China2Go offers two types of contracts for Taiwanese travelers to choose from:Payment was made in RMB, and the “Domestic Group Tour Contract” was signed.; UseFor payments in New Taiwan dollars, registration must be made through a legally registered partner travel agency in Taiwan, and a standardized travel contract must be signed in accordance with the template published by the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.. The tour price includes the Tibet entry permit, driver, tour guide, accommodations, transportation, and daily breakfast. (Airfare is not included in the tour price, but we can assist with booking flights.)
Once we arrived in Tibet, the tour guide, driver, and vehicle crew were all part of our own team,No subcontracting to other local tour operators. Simply put, regardless of which contract you sign, it is an official contract based on a standard template, and the tour guides are all our own staff. If you’d like to verify this before signing, we can provide the Tourism Bureau registration numbers of our partner travel agencies in Taiwan.
Altitude Safety Takes More Than “Watch Out for Altitude Sickness”
Lhasa is located at an elevation of approximately 3,650 meters, while Everest Base Camp is over 5,000 meters above sea level. Altitude sickness is the body’s process of adapting to high altitudes; anyone can experience it. The difference lies in whether the travel agency has taken your perspective into account and made the necessary preparations in advance.
When comparing itineraries, there are a few things to keep in mind: Are the first two days intentionally paced more slowly to give your body time to adjust?Does the hotel provide oxygen? Is the hotel new? In older hotels, the oxygen supply system is prone to malfunctions and may even stop working in the middle of the night..Is the vehicle new enough and reliable enough? If someone feels unwell, does the tour guide know how to handle the situation? Have you taken out additional insurance to cover altitude-related issues?
Our Tibet tours stay at chain-level hotels with oxygen supply, such as the Hilton (or other accommodations in the region suitable for guests from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and abroad). All our vehicles are brand-new 2025 models and offer a comfortable ride. Groups of 4 to 6 people travel in a 9-seat VIP tour van, while groups of 7 to 10 people travel in 2+1-seat premium tour vans. The seats are spacious, making long drives less tiring. With the exception of the jeeps, which are a bit unique,In addition to being equipped with oxygen cylinders, vehicles used by other organizations are also fitted with diffusive oxygen supply systems.Each passenger also receives complimentary high-altitude insurance coverage of 500,000 RMB.
Many people try to cope with altitude sickness by “buying oxygen” or getting “injections from the tour doctor.”…
You can buy oxygen, but make sure to buy it from a reputable source—stay away from tanks that cost several hundred RMB each. Renting a portable oxygen concentrator is a reasonable option; it’s affordable and lightweight. As for getting injections from a tour doctor—since these are administered outside of medical facilities—it’s difficult to verify the source and dosage of the medication, and the prices are often exorbitant. Would you really dare to inject that into your body? Many people have shared stories about this scam on Threads, Facebook, Dcard, and various online forums. If you have cardiovascular disease or other chronic conditions, be sure to consult your doctor before departure. No travel itinerary can take this step for you.
When a Tour Is Unreasonably Cheap, the Difference Gets Made Up on the Road
Traveling to Tibet is a long journey, and the costs for hotels, transportation, and tour guides are all quite high. When the price of a particular tour is significantly lower than that of other companies,The shortfall is often made up for elsewhere: the itinerary includes stops at shops selling Tibetan medicine, jewelry, Tianzu beads, or silver jewelry....or they may subtly push the expensive oxygen and injections of unknown origin mentioned above; they may even add various out-of-pocket charges once they arrive at the destination, or charge full price for admission tickets. Guests end up spending a lot of time at the shop, which cuts into the time they originally planned to spend at the attractions.
The test is simple: Is the “no shopping” rule set forth as a formal commitment? What are the consequences of a breach?
CITS Global Travel—China2Go’s Tibet tours are all-sightseeing trips with no stops at shopping venues. 《If this commitment is breached, compensation of 5,000 RMB will be paid to each passenger.". We offer intimate small group tours of 4 to 10 people. With a smaller group, we can be more flexible with the itinerary, and the tour guide can better attend to each person's needs while at high altitudes."
You can also check online reviews. Many guests have written reviews after their stay, such as this one Travel stories about Tibet on Dcard,There really weren't any shopping stops on the itinerary, and it really is true that you get what you pay for!
Pre-Booking Checklist: 12 Questions to Ask Any Travel Agency
We’ve broken down the four criteria above into 12 specific questions and compiled them into the list below. When contacting a travel agency, check off each item once you’ve received a clear answer. You can also copy the list with a single click, paste it into LINE to ask directly, or send it to family and friends who are traveling with you.
Pre-Registration Checklist for Tibet Travel Agencies
When contacting a travel agency, check off each item once you’ve received a clear answer. Once you’ve confirmed all four aspects, compare itineraries and prices.
Tibet Travel Permit (TTP)
You cannot enter Tibet without an entry permit.
Contract & Tour Team
It's best if the person who signs the contract and the tour guide are on the same tour route.
High-Altitude Safety
Anyone can experience altitude sickness; the difference lies in how well you prepare.
No purchase
The tour price is unreasonably low; the difference is usually made up during the trip.
So, once you’ve asked all twelve questions, the differences between each travel agency should be pretty clear. At that point, comparing itineraries and prices will be much more accurate than if you’d started by comparing prices right away.
When comparing itineraries, there’s one more thing to consider: whether the itinerary is simply copied from the same template year after year. The seasons in Tibet are very distinct; even on the same route, the scenery in March is completely different from that in October. Similarly, for the same festival, the experience varies greatly depending on which day it falls on and which monastery you visit.When planning an itinerary, CITS Global Travel—China2Go first identifies the best places to visit based on the local season, and then decides on the route.
像Nyingchi Peach Blossom FestivalMost standard itineraries only include stops at Gala Peach Blossom Village and Bomi Peach Blossom Gorge. We’ve also added Pabangka Monastery on the outskirts of Lhasa, as well as Xiuba Ancient Fortress and Garlang Lake—places where peach blossoms and historic sites come together in the same frame. Even if the blooming conditions are affected by the weather that year, the journey is still enriched by its historical and cultural elements—so you won’t be left with nothing but bare branches. For the Festival of the Lamp, we begin at Ta’er Temple—the birthplace of Tsongkhapa—and on the day of the festival, we attend the lamp-offering ceremony at Ganden Monastery, fully experiencing the origins and significance of this holiday. As for the winter “Blue Ice” tour, the main destination is the Lagu Glacier; however, in the event that the glacier is temporarily closed, we’ll switch to the Renlongba Glacier instead.
We’re able to adjust our itinerary this way according to the seasons because our local guides and drivers in Tibet are all part of our own team.You'll be the first to know about road conditions, flower blooms, and whether the temples are open....and if you need to change the meeting location at the last minute, there's no need to pass the message down the chain of command.
Of course, Tibet is a unique tourist destination on the plateau, and religious ceremonies, weather, or other circumstances may require last-minute adjustments to the itinerary—we cannot guarantee that such situations will never occur. However, with our own on-site team and the backing of China National Travel Service—a company with a 70-year history that is publicly listed in mainland China—we will do our utmost to ensure that every tour is completed successfully.
CITS Global Travel—China2Go is a brand under China International Travel Service (CITS) that has long specialized in serving travelers from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and overseas Chinese communities. Feel free to ask us—or any other travel agency—these 12 questions. When you compare the answers side by side, it will become clear which company is the best fit for you.
References:Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation—Model Contract for Overseas Travel
