Frequently Asked Questions
1) How to make a booking
You can make a booking through the contact form on the "contact" tab.
Booking conditions:
After we have received your booking, we will sent you a confirmation. You will then need to pay a deposit
of 20 % of your total cost. Full payment must be paid 3 weeks prior to your travel date. There are several ways to make the payment, we can discuss the payment options during the booking fase to see which option is most convenient for you.
The cancellation charges:
up to 4 weeks before arrival: 10 % of your total cost
4-2 weeks before arrival: 20 % of your total cost
2 weeks-1 week before arrival: 50 % of your total cost
1 week before arrival - day of arrival: 100 % of your total cost
PLEASE NOTE YOU MUST HAVE YOUR OWN TRAVEL INSURANCE WHEN TRAVELING ON OUR TRIPS. WE ARE NOT LIABLE IN ANY WAY FOR DAMAGE OR LOSS TO YOUR BELONGINGS OR FOR PERSONAL INJURY DURING OUR TRIPS.
2) What is Amdo and Kham?
Amdo is the Tibetan name for the Tibetan areas in Gansu, Qinghai and northern Sichuan provinces.
Kham is the Tibetan name for the Tibetan areas in Sichuan, southern Gansu and eastern Tibet provinces.
3) What are the altitudes of the places we visit in Amdo, Kham and Tibet?
Xiahe 2975 m
Langmusi 3200 m
Songpan 3000 m
Lhasa 3600 m
Gyantse 3950 m
Shigatse 3900 m
Tsetang 3550 m
Sakya 4280 m
Everest Base Camp 5200 m
Rombuk 5050 m
Tingri 4390 m
Zhangmu 2300 m
Nam tso lake 4710 m
Yamdrok lake 4488 m
Lhatse 3950 m
Nyalam 3600 m
4) What is altitude sickness?
5) What to bring on the trip?
The type of clothing you bring depends on which parts of Tibet you are going to visit.
* Warm clothing is a must to ensure a comfortable tour. The temperatures vary greatly between morning and midday. Wearing several layers of clothing is the wise choice.
* A down coat is necessary for those who are traveling beyond Lhasa and Shigatse into more remote areas such as the Everest Camp.
* Waterproof clothing and raingear are necessarry during the wet season, which is the June and July.
* It is not common for women to wear shorts or short skirts or dresses or tank tops. it is better to avoid these kinds of clothes in Tibetan areas.
* Personal itiems such as woolen socks, long sleeve cotton or lightweight wool shirts and T-shirts.
* Warm hat, scarf and gloves
* Hiking Boots/Sturdy Sneakers
* A first aid kit including aspirin, antibiotics and AMS medication is highly recommended.
* Sunglasses, sunscreen and lip balm are essential to protect you from sunburn that can easily occur at these high elevations.
* Camera, Batteries and Film/Digital Memory Cards
* In China, plugs are rated as 220V 50Hrtz.
When you visit East China, any type of casual clothing you'd wear at home is fine.
6) Money matters
There are many ATMs in the cities and larger towns in China. The ATMs of the Bank of China and the ICBC do accept foreign bank cards. When you go to the smaller places, take a sufficient amount of Chinese money with you since ATMs are few in the more remote areas. Credit cards are not widely accepted in China. Always make sure you have some cash with you, because sometimes they do have an ATMs but they don't work or the money inside is finished. In the cities the banks will be able to change dollars, Euros or other major currencies, in the smaller places these facilities are usually not available. Be sure to bring Chinese rmb in cash. .
7) Tibet permit
Everyone entering Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) needs to have a Tibet Travel Permit, also known as Tibet Tourism Bureau (T.T.B.) permit. You need an additional transit permit to enter certain cities within Tibet, such as Mt. Everest Base camp. You need a visa for the People's Republic of China as well as a passport that is valid for at least 6 months before applying for the TTB. ONLY AND EXCLUSIVELY a travel agent (Nomad Travel) can arrange the Tibet permit for you.
Everyone can get a Tibet permit through a travel agency except diplomats, journalists, and government officials who should travel to Tibet under the arrangement by the Foreign Affairs Office of Tibet Government.
How to apply for the Tibet permit through your travel agent Nomad Travel:
1. You need to scan a copy of passport with your photo, date of issue, passport number. Make sure your passport is valid for at least the next 6 months
2. You need a scanned copy of your China Tourist Visa
3. You need an itinerary for your whole tour with all hotels booked and cofirmed and you must have a Tibetan guide with you during your sight seeing. So this part has to be arranged by Nomad Travel.
8) What are the distances in Tibet?
Lhasa-Gyantse 175 km
Gyantse-Shigatse 85 km
Shigatse-Lhasa 260 km
Shigatse-Lhatse 125 km
Shigatse-Sakya 160 km
Sakya-Mount Everest base camp 284 km
Sakya-Zhangmu 360 km
Rumbok-Mount Everest Base Camp 7 km
Mount Everest base camp-Old Tingri 60 km
Tingri-Shigatse 227 km
Shigaze-Tsetang 440 km
Tsetang-Lhasa 183 km
Nam-tso lake-Lhasa 240 km
9) On some maps you will find the Chinese names of towns/cities in Amdo and Kham, on other maps you will find the Tibetan names. Here is an overview:
Chinese name Tibetan name
Xiahe Labrang
Langmusi Taksen Lhamo
Hezuo Zo
Ma'erkang Bark(h)am
Aba Ngawa
Tongren Regong
Zeku Zekog
Rangtang Zamtang
Kangding Darbo
Bamei Garthar
Baiyu Paryuel
Ganzi Garzê
Changdu Qamdo
Jiangda Jomda
Leiwuqi Riwoqe
Naqu Nagchu
Dege Dêgê