Fixed departure FAQs and WYRWtK

WYRWtK - What you really want to know!

Who are we?

See the opening Our treks page of Project Himalaya and that is us... But where do the fixed departure Tibet trips fit in? Jamie also works with Explore Himalaya in Kathmandu, as expedition consultant and as a manager, and so has set up and worked with the team there to ensure the standards are high enough for me (Jamie) to wholeheartedly recommend their fixed departure Tibet trips. So I am also happy to advise regarding them.

Go direct?

Regardless of who you first contact, the price of the trip is the same. If you first contacted Project Himalaya then you get some additional advice and more help in ensuring you find the right trip for you, before we pass you over to the Kathmandu office team for the actual booking. The Kathmandu staff tend to get even busier than I do!

Explore Himalaya take bookings on these Tibet trips from a number of travel agents too.

Go Tibet direct?

Why book thru a Nepal company when you can go thru a Chinese/Tibetan company? You try dealing with a Tibetan company! In general they are not set up to easily answer emails and handle all the details of communicating with you. In addition the quality of trips tends to vary considerably. Because we work very closely with setting up all the trips we have much more uniform quality, especially as we organize for a number of overseas agents too.

Quality?

We are serious about quality. You have paid for quality and should get it. Sure, it does cost a little more, but you probably don't want to take your holiday again because something went wrong. and we don't want to spend time negotiating either, it is easier all round if we just provide what you have paid for...

Booking

You book thru the Kathmandu office, signing their contract and booking form, and send a deposit or full payment to them. We need a copy of your passport details page, either a scan or digital photo. If you can make the file size small, ie under 400kb, then send direct. If you don't know how to do this, send to Jamie and I will process.

Who is Explore Himalaya?

They are one of the biggest trekking companies in Nepal, always in the top three and have an office staff of more than 25 people.

Sky train to Lhasa

Being a government-run company set up for the masses, the train situation does not suit tourism particularly. Tickets only go on sale 10 days before the train leaves. From Beijing tickets are hard to get, requiring extra "booking money", sometimes over $100 per person equivalent, and even with that are sometimes absolutely unavailable. From other places there is a higher chance but regardless, if we can't get a ticket then getting a flight at short notice can often work but sometimes fail too. Trains for Chengdu tend to work as the travel agents there have close ties with Lhasa.

If you really want to take the train then talk in more detail with us. The best option is to take the train from Lhasa to somewhere, however this only really works if you are coming from China and staying in China rather than ending in Kathmandu.

Acclimatization and Diamox

I am not a doctor but... do read our long and detailed section on this. The short of it is you will really feel the altitude, perhaps not the day you arrive but you will feel it that night and the next day. Do read up about Diamox and do take it, starting approx 24 hours before you fly (or earlier) and either take it for the first three nights in Lhasa or keep going until leaving Everest BC. Diamox works best with large jumps in altitude, exactly what you are doing. Do drink plenty of water while taking it, you will get some tingling and you will pee lots - which is a good sign.

It is better to take Diamox and pee several times in the night rather than not take it and suffer, you won't sleep well. It is not an antibiotic, so you can skip a dose, take larger or smaller doses without problems.

In general do take pain killers for a headache, Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is the best drug because it is gentle on your stomach. Don't exceed the recommended dose. Ibuprofen (or aspirin, but ibuprofen is preferred) is also a good drug but hard on the stomach and should not be taken continuously for more than a couple of days.

Do take a pain killer before bed on at least the first three nights, you will sleep better, trust me.

Ibuprofen, Paracetamol and Diamox can be combined. All are readily and very cheaply available in Kathmandu.

Budget travel in Tibet

In theory Lhasa and Shigatse are open cities, you don't need special permits to visit them. However the airport is in a restricted region and all road routes and the train also pass thru restricted regions, so in practice you need permits etc, and that means booking thru a travel agent. You can do this in Chengdu and Golmud most easily. Don't try booking anything while you are overseas, just turn up...

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