Explore Tibet Group Tours, the best way to tour Tibet

For anyone planning to visit Tibet, a Tibet group tour is often the best way to see the major highlights of the Tibetan plateau. Here at Explore Tibet, we are specialized in providing the best group tours for our clients and have a wide range of itineraries that include such spectacular places as Everest Base Camp, Mount Kailash, and Lake Manasarovar, Rongbuk Monastery, Shigatse’s Tashilhunpo Monastery, the Gyantse Kumbum and Pelkor Chode Monastery, and the stunning sights and delights of Lhasa. Group tours also allow you the time to acclimatize to the heights of the Tibetan plateau, which can help to reduce the risk of altitude sickness when you travel to other, higher areas of Tibet.

Trying on the traditional Tibetan costumes

Is Backpacking or Independent Travel available in Tibet?

Backpacking or independent travel was once the best and the cheapest way to visit Tibet. However, this has not been permitted by the Chinese government for many years now, and there is no longer any ability to travel around Tibet without a guide and private vehicle for any Tibet Tours.

Backpackers in Tibet during the early days of Tibetan tourism

Since these options are no longer available for international tourists, and all tourists are now required to be part of an organized tour with a registered tour operator. This is the only way to obtain the Tibet Travel Permit and other permits and passes, which are required for all international travelers to Tibet. Tour operators also provide the guide, driver and private vehicle required to travel in Tibet.

One of the four-wheel-drive vehicles used for our small group tours with driver and guide

What is a Group Tour?

Explore Tibet Small group Tour at Mount Everest Base Camp

A Group Tour is a tour of the Tibet Autonomous Region as part of a group of like-minded people that are planning on traveling in the same areas as you. In Tibet, there are two kinds of tours available: a private tour, which can be arranged for just for you and a group of family or friends; and the group tour, which is a join-in tour where you can join a tour that has a preset itinerary and leaves on a pre-arranged date. You will be traveling on a group tour with others that have booked the same tour, and it is not normally possible to deviate from the assigned itinerary. With a private tour, you have the option to change the itinerary at any time before and during the tour, though this can often cost you more for the changes to be made.

Some of our small group tour guests at our Lhasa office before leaving for the rest of their tour

Why you should join a Tibet Group Tours

Private tours to Tibet are often considered to be expensive, and with the cost of the package as well as having to pay for a tour guide, driver, and private vehicle all by yourself, it can be an expensive option. Private tours are normally booked by families that are traveling with kids or by groups of friends that are traveling to Tibet together.

Buddhist monks outside the monastery

Group tours are more cost-effective for the solo traveler, as you get to share the expense of some of the costs of the tour, such as the tour guide, the driver, the private vehicle, gasoline costs, and even the tips for the guide and driver. These are shared between all the members of the tour group, which can greatly reduce the cost of the tour to something more affordable for the budget traveler.

One of our Small Group Tours at the Gyantse Kumbum in Pelkor Chode Monastery

Here at Explore Tibet, we offer the widest range of Tibet Group Tours in Tibet and give the best support package for our group tourists. Our professional team of advisers can help you decide which tour is right for you and explain in more detail the sights you will get to see on each of the various tours. We can also help you with the other details of the tour outside the actual tour package, such as aiding with obtaining flight and train tickets and even advising on the best hotel options for you whilst in Lhasa and the surrounding areas.

Explore Tibet team

We also have a fixed departure guarantee, which means that, even if you are the only person booked on the tour, it is guaranteed to leave on time with no additional costs to yourself. This is the most cost-effective option for solo travelers and budget travelers, as it guarantees that your tour will go ahead.

Explore Tibet Team at the Lhasa office

Our professional tour guides are all registered Tibetan guides with years of experience in providing tour guide services to international tourists in Tibet and have extensive knowledge of the Tibetan plateau, the people, the culture, and the Tibetan Buddhist religion. They are easily able to advise you on things you should avoid whilst in Tibet and give you any information you need about the places you are going to visit.

The Tibet Travel Permit, one of several permits needed for Tibet.

We make it easier for you to book your tour with us, advising you of the best options for your tour based on what you are expecting to see and where you would like to go. We provide you will all the required travel documents for touring in Tibet, such as the Tibet Travel Permit, the Alien’s Travel Permit, etc., and provide you with an authentic Tibetan experience, instead of a dull tour of sites without any explanation of what it is and why it is important in Tibetan culture.

One of the minivans used on our small group tours

Our tour vehicles are either four-wheel drive vans or small tour buses, depending on the number of people in the group. We also guarantee smaller groups on a group tour, with a maximum of only 10-12 people per group, giving you a better service from the tour guide.

How to book a Group Tour

Booking a tour with us is one of the easiest things to do, and our professional advisors can help you make the decision on which tour best suits your needs.

Simply email us your inquiry and some details of what you are looking for, or chat with us through the message option on our website, and one of our advisors will get in touch with you within 24 hours to discuss your needs.

The chat option on our website

Once you have decided on which tour to take, our advisor will help you with the booking details and the tour contract will be sent to your email address. Simply sign and return it and your tour is booked. You only need to pay a small percentage of the total tour cost as your securing deposit, and once you forward to us the scanned copies of your passport and Chinese Entry Visa (which you can apply for at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in your home country), we can then make the applications for your Tibet Travel Permits and other permits and passes on your behalf, ready for your tour to Tibet.