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With the development of transportation, more and more vehicles are available for travellers who want to travel to Tibet, such as train, airplane, bike, etc. Among the multiple means of transportation, taking flights to Tibet is the most convenient way. Although the plane ticket fare is not cheap, it can save a lot of time. If you come from United States, Singapore, UK, Australia, Canada, India, Hong Kong, etc., you need to arrive in mainland China or at Kathmandu first and then will be transferred by another flight to Tibet.

The first entrance is via China. There are more than 18 cities for travellers to get to Tibet from mainland China by air, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xian, Kunming, Shangri-La, Xining, Nanjing, Xiamen, etc. In some major cities like Chengdu, Beijing, and Xian, the number of daily flights ranges from 6 to 17. Chengdu is the gateway city of Southwest of China, with the maximum daily flights (12 -17 in number) to Tibet from May to October. Beijing, Chongqing, Xi’an, and Kunming come next. It's advisable to stay one night in the mainland city, either to pick up your Tibet Travel Permit or to buffer potential delays of your international flights.

The second entrance is via Kathmandu - the capital city of Nepal. You can take the direct flight to Lhasa - the capital city of Tibet from Kathmandu. Usually, there're one or two direct daily flights from Kathmandu to Lhasa. It takes about 1hr and 30mins to reach Lhasa from Kathmandu by airplane. As a traveller, if you prefer to enter Lhasa from Kathmandu, please plan to spare at least three official working days here for your China Group Visa. If possible, you can choose your seats on the left side of the plane to enjoy the summit of Mt. Everest.

No matter where you are from, you have to enter Tibet from gateway cities of China or Kathmandu. Although the number of flights is plenty, travelers still need to book the plane tickets in advance. Because the supplies of the air tickets to Tibet always fails to meet the demand in the peak tourist season.

Airports in Tibet

At present, there are 5 airports in Tibet- Gonggar Airport in Lhasa, Mainling Airport in Nyingchi, Peace Airport in Shigatse, Bangda Airport in Qamdo, and Gunsa Airport in Ngari. Among all, Lhasa Gonggar Airport is the most important one because Lhasa is the capital city of Tibet Autonomous Region, and it is the only international airport that offers flights to all 18 cities in China and flights between Lhasa and Kathmandu. Besides, except for Shigatse, which is too close to Lhasa, there are flights from Gonggar Airport to the other three airports in Nyingchi, Qamdo, and Ngari. Only a few cities in China, like Chongqing, Chengdu, Urumqi, etc. have flights to those smaller four airports.

When boarding airplane to Tibet, travelers must show originally valid travel document, including the valid passport, Chinese Visa and Tibet Travel Permit.

By Train 
The world-famous Qinghai-Tibet railway was completed in 2006 and become the most popular means of transportation of getting into Tibet. If traveling to Lhasa from China Mainland by train, it might help you acclimatize to the altitude a bit better. The train journey takes 2 nights from Beijing or Shanghai, if you do not want to waste two much time on the train ride, you may fly to Xining to start the train journey, where is only 24 hours train ride to Lhasa.

Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Xining, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou can access to Tibet by rail. Most of the travelers start the train journey from Beijing and Shanghai. Most of the trains make a stop in Xian, it is a good option to stop there and spend one day in Xi'an to see the Terracotta Warriors.

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