Tibet Travel Agent Review: Why We Chose Tibet Vista [2025]
A quick note about this review: This is NOT a sponsored post. We used Tibet Vista's services for our family trip to Tibet in the summer 2023, had an excellent experience, and later reached out to them about partnering to offer our readers a discount.
When we were going to China for the first time, at the beginning we didn‘t even consider going to Tibet. We are not interested in big group tours, and we rather not go somewhere than go there and just be following the crowd.
We found Tibet Vista through Youtube, and actually discovered that while they mainly organise group tours, they also cater to independent travellers.
In this post, I am going to walk you through the process of finding the right travel agent, what the process looks like and all the formalities you need to know.
Quick Summary
🌟 Our Verdict: Tibet Vista - Reliable, professional Tibet travel agency with excellent permit assistance
💲 Price Range: 500-2000$
⏱️ Permit Process: 2 weeks from pre-payment
🎁 Exclusive Offer: 5% discount for BabaGoesChina readers
✅ Best For: Independent travelers who want to plan a custom itinerary, travellers looking for off-the-beaten-path itineraries and great travel assistance
Why You Need a Tibet Travel Agent
Let's start with the basics: you cannot travel to Tibet independently. It's not a choice - it's a legal requirement. All travelers to Tibet must:
- Book through a licensed Tibet travel agency
- Have a pre-planned itinerary that is submited as a basis for the permit
- Obtain a travel permit
- Have a licensed guide
- Use arranged transportation within Tibet
This is why choosing the right travel agent is crucial for your Tibet trip. Your entire experience depends on their reliability, communication, and service quality.
Our Experience with Tibet Vista
We found Tibet Vista through their Youtube channel. We were looking for travel inspiration and found a video about life in a village in Tibet.
We were not interested in joining a tour, but contacted them in order to ask whether or not such an experience (authentic homestay) was possible to arrange.
It turned they were able to facilitate that and that was the starting point of planning the trip.
Communication
The communication with Tibet Vista was always timely and they made an effort to help us with everything we needed. They have a lot of experience, they made sure to meet our needs and never tried to upsell us on tours or services we didn‘t need. They even helped us find a private driver to go to Qinghai Lake while we were still in Xining, which is not their core area of operations.
They were helpful while planning the trip as well as once we were on the trip.
Permit Process
It is important to stress once again that you need to get a permit in advance - you won‘t be able to board a plane or train to Lhasa without one! Remember that the travel agent can only start permit application process once you have obtained a visa.
Once you find a travel agent, regardless if it is Tibet Vista or another tour provider, they will take care of your permit. It might happen that the regulations change in the meantime and your itinerary needs to be adapted - this is not the operator‘s fault and if that is the case, Tibet Vista will propose an alternative.
Our Experience During Booking
Tibet Vista was very quick to arrange the permit once we got our Chinese visa. We had experienced that in the booking process they needed to change the location of our homestay, but we were able to get what we were promised and the homestay was a wonderful experience.
Tibet Vista Tour Options
Group Tours
Tibet Vista offers several group tour options starting from 500$ for 4 days in Lhasa.
Their most popular group tours include:
Lhasa to Everest Base Camp Tour
- Duration: 8 days
- Price: from 949$/pp
- Highlights: Everest Base Camp
- Perfect for: mountain lovers, landscape photography
Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar Tour
- Duration: 15 days
- Price: from 2069$/pp
- Highlights: Classic pilgrimage route
- Perfect for: spiritual travellers interested in buddihsm
- Duration: 6 days
- Price: from 799$/pp
- Highlights: Hidden cultural gems
- Perfect for: travellers who are interested in Tibetan culture, short on time
Private Tours
For families like ours or travelers wanting more flexibility, private tours is a perfect option. And surprisingly it is not much more expensive than a group tour - don‘t forget that the cost of joining a tour has to account for all people.
We paid for our 9 day tour a bit over 2500$. I think that it was a very reasonable price. We stayed in a very pleasant hotel in Lhasa, and spent few days in a homestay in a village near Lhasa with our guide and host family. Our itinerary was not very advantureous, so you need to contact Tibet Vista directly to get the actual quote.
Pricing & What's Included
Sample Tour Prices
- Budget Group Tours: 500-700$
- Standard Group Tours: 1000-2000$
- Private Tours: from 2000$
What‘s included in the price
- Tibet Travel Permit and all required local travel documents for this tour (excluding expedited processing fees)
- Local tour transfers
- All entrance ticket fees for all tourist sites listed in the itinerary
- All meals listed in the itinerary
- Knowledgeable English-speaking Tibetan local tour guide shared in your group (For prices of tour guides in other languages, please inquire)
- All hotels listed in the itinerary or equivalent three-star hotels. Upgrades are available for an additional fee. (Single room supplement required when not sharing the room)
- Free shuttle between Lhasa Railway Station/Lhasa Gonggar Airport and the downtown hotel
- Service Charge & Government Taxes
- Arrangements including planning, handling, operational, and communication charges;
- Tourist accident/casualty insurance
- Additional services include fine Tibetan souvenirs, a tourist map, portable oxygen, medical oxygen in the vehicle, bottled mineral water, and more
What‘s not included
- China Visa (If you need visa assistance services, especially for Chinese Group Visa from Nepal to Tibet, feel free to contact us for more details.)
- International flight to and out of China
- Domestic flight/train to and out of Lhasa (If you need us to book the domestic flight/train tickets, please contact us for the details.)
- Single Room Supplement: Hotels default to double occupancy with twin-bedded rooms. If you prefer a single room or room sharing isn't possible, a single room supplement is necessary. Please consult the travel consultant for specific pricing details
- Meals not listed in the itinerary
- Tips for the guide and driver. If you are satisfied with their service, it is suggested to tip $7 (50 RMB) per day per person to be shared between the driver and the guide
- Other expenses caused by force majeure events (such as natural disasters, traffic control, loss of valuables, visa delays, flight delays or cancellations, etc.)
- Personal expenses, like laundry, phone calls, snacks, soft drinks (please do your best to avoid alcoholic beverages during your Tibet trip), optional tour activities, etc.
Tibet Travel Permits Explained
Based on our experience, Tibet Vista handles the permit process extremely efficiently. Here's what you need to know:
- Required Permits
- Tibet Travel Permit (TTP)
- Other permits might be required if you are visiting some regions (e.g. sensitive boarder areas, Mount Everest etc.)
- Application Process
Once you decide on a tour and pre-book it, the travel agent will take care of the rest.
Required Documents
The basic requirements:
- passport valid for at least 6 months (needed to enter China anyway)
- Chinese visa
You can read all details about getting Tibetan travel permit on Tibet Vista website:
Master Kungga Dundruk
Booking Process
Based on our booking experience, here's what you can expect:
- Initial Inquiry
- Fill out their inquiry form (to pre-book specific tour) or email them
- Response usually within few days or even next day
- Initial tour proposal and price quote
- Tour Customization
Agreeing details and final price of the tour - Booking Confirmation
Pre-payment needed to start permit arangements
Exclusive 5% Reader Discount
As a BabaGoesChina reader, you can get 5% off any Tibet Vista tour. Here's how to claim your discount:
- Contact Tibet Vista and inquiry about the tour you are interested in
- Contact me by email contact (at) babagoeschina.com to get the discount code
FAQs About Tibet Vista
Q: How far in advance should I book?
A: Based on our experience, it is good to start initial contact early. It can take up to 2 weeks to arrange the permit, so the sooner the better.
Q: Is the 5% discount applicable to all tours?
A: Yes
Q: How was the English level of your guide?
A: Probably around B1 - able to explain everything and have a conversation using simple English
Q: Did you feel the tour was worth the money?
A: Absolutely!
Ready to Book Your Tibet Adventure?
✈️ Book your flights
🏨 Find hotels
🚂 Reserve train tickets
🎫 Book activities
🚌 Book a tour
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