From Canada to Tibet, first you need to apply for a tourist visa from the Chinese embassy in your country (if it’s not a “L” tourist visa, you need to provide relevant certificates and ask our professional travel consultant for instructions). With the proper visa and your Tibet travel permit, you can fly to Beijing or Shanghai and then take a flight or a train to Lhasa. Another option is to fly to Nepal and then go to Tibet from Nepal. In this case, you need to apply for a Chinese group travel visa at the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal. The Tibet permit is also needed. You can also fly directly from Kathmandu to Lhasa or take a van from Kathmandu to Lhasa via the Geelong port. As an experienced Tibetan travel agency, we are dedicated to provide you with a variety of quality Tibet trips. Here are the traffic tips from Canada to Lhasa:
How to travel from Canada to Tibet? Traffic tips from Canada to Tibet:
1. Fly from Vancouver to mainland China first, and then take a plane or a train to Lhasa
2. Fly from Vancouver to Nepal via Hon Kong and then take a flight or a van from Kathmandu to Lhasa. Way 1 to enter Tibet: Canada -- Beijing / Shanghai/Guangzhou -- Lhasa
There are many flights From Vancouver - the capital of Canada to Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou. There are several different airlines, so please pick a departure airport which is more convenient for you.
If you’re going to fly from Vancouver to Beijing, you can take Air China CA992(13:50-15:30). The direct flight costs about $700 -- $1000, and it takes about 10 hours and 40 minutes. When arriving in Beijing, you can take either a plane or a train to Tibet:
1. Flight from Beijing to Lhasa
There are three flights from Beijing to Lhasa every day. They all take off from Beijing Capital International Airport T3. Their departure time are 07:35, 08:15 and 14:50. The price of a single trip ticket is $480. Adding the $10 airport construction fee and fuel cost, the total fare is $490. There is barely any discount throughout the year. Please click here for more information on Beijing-Lhasa flights.
2. Train from Beijing to Lhasa
The train from Beijing to Lhasa runs once a day. Train Z21 (20:00-12:40) arrives in 40 hours and 40 minutes. Since the soft sleeper has only one compartment of 36 beds, the train from Beijing to Lhasa during the tourist season is very difficult to book, especially during the busy season. The price of a train soft sleeper from Beijing to Lhasa is around $170. Please click for more Beijing-Lhasa train information.
If you are flying from Vancouver to Shanghai, you can take Air China CA834(12:15-05:35). The cost is about $760 and it takes about 11 hours and 20 minutes. When arriving in Shanghai, you can take a plane or a train to Tibet:
1. Flight from Shanghai to Lhasa
The plane from Shanghai to Lhasa only has two shifts a day. The morning shift MU2335 (06:45-14:40) takes off from Pudong Airport T1. And the afternoon shift Tibet Airlines TV9882 (16:45-23:25) departs from Hongqiao Airport T2. The one-way ticket price is $490, Plus the airport construction fee fuel fee is $10, it’s $500 in total. For more information, please check the Shanghai-Lhasa flights.
2. Train from Shanghai to Lhasa
The train from Shanghai to Lhasa runs once a day. Train Z164 （20:10-19:30） arrives in 47 hours and 20 minutes. The price of a train soft sleeper from Shanghai to Lhasa is around $190. It is also very difficult to book the train from Beijing to Lhasa during the busy season. Please click here to view more Shanghai-Lhasa train information.
If you are flying from Vancouver to Guangzhou, you can take China Southern Airlines CZ330(13:10-17:15). The cost is about $700 and it takes about 13 hours. When arriving in Guangzhou, you can take a plane or a train to Tibet:
1. Flight from Guangzhou to Lhasa
There is only one flight from Guangzhou to Lhasa every day. China Southern Airlines CZ3463（08：10-14：05） takes off from Baiyun Airport T2. The one-way ticket costs $430. Plus the $10 airport construction fee and fuel fee, it’s $440 in total. For more information, please check the Guangzhou - Lhasa flights.
2. Train from Guangzhou to Lhasa
The train from Guangzhou to Lhasa runs once every day. Train Z264（11:45-16:19）arrives in 52 hours and 34 minutes. The price of a train soft sleeper from Xi’an to Lhasa is around $220. It is also very difficult to book the train from Guangzhou to Lhasa during the busy season. It’s recommended for you to consign us to book the ticket for you. Please click here to view more Guangzhou -Lhasa train information.
Way2 to enter Tibet: Canada -- Chengdu – Kathmandu -- Lhasa
Since there is no direct flight from to Kathmandu, you need to take a transfer flight from Chengdu. You can take Sichuan Airlines 3U8580 or other airlines. It costs $370 and takes about 17 hours. When arriving in Chengdu, you can take a direct flight to Kathmandu. Kathmandu is the only city where you can take a direct international flight to Lhasa, Tibet. The cost varies from $500 to $700. It’s popular to travel from Nepal to Tibet. There is no train from Kathmandu to Tibet yet. However, the international tourists can take a van from Kathmandu to Tibet, where is close to the border of China and Nepal. And then fly or take our van to Tibet. Kathmandu is the only city that has the direct international flight to Lhasa, Tibet.
Flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa
Kathmandu is the only city that has the direct international flights to Lhasa. It costs about $275 and the 600-kilometer journey just takes one and a half hours. There are 2 shifts fly from Kathmandu to Lhasa everyday：CA408 (12：10-16：00) and 3U8720（11:30-15:10）.Both the flights can be checked and booked ahead of time online.
The road trip from Kathmandu to Lhasa:
Compared with flying, the road trip from Kathmandu to Lhasa is more favored by many tourists. Our staff will transfer you to Gyirong port (the Sino-Nepalese border). After you pass the customs, our Tibet tour guide will pick you up at the other side of Tibet. As the altitude increases, you will stay in Gyirong County to adapt to the environment, and gradually go east to visit Tinry, Everest Base Camp, Shigatse, and finally to Lhasa. This classic route has many stunning sceneries, Himalayas, magnificent Buddhist temples and sacred mountain lakes, as well as unlimited opportunities to meet local Tibetans to explore their exotic cultures and customs.
Tibet Permit Tips for Canadians
1. From China to Lhasa
Foreigners are required to present Tibet Permit and valid passports when boarding a plane or a train. Therefore, Canadian tourists need to send us the valid passport and visa photocopy 30 days in advance of entering Tibet (if it is not an “L visa”, in addition to providing the passport and visa, a work certificate or invitation letter is also required). Under normal circumstances, the letter of entry can be processed 7-10 days in advance.
If you take the train into Tibet, we will send your scanned Tibet Permit copy to your mailbox. You can print it out and board the train with the photocopy.
If you fly into Tibet, we will send the original Tibet Permit to the domestic city where you are flying from and deliver it to you. The original Tibet Permit is required for flying to Tibet.
2. From Nepal to Tibet
A group tourist visa and a Tibet Permit are required if you are entering Tibet from Nepal. (If you enter Tibet from Nepal, regardless of whether you have applied for a Chinese visa before, it is regarded as invalid. You must apply for a group travel visa – a group visa to enter Tibet from Nepal.) Our travel agency can help you with the required documents.
So if you enter Tibet from Nepal, the foreigner only needs to provide a passport. Our company will help you get ready the Tibet Permit and the tourist invitation letter in advance and send it to our staff in Nepal. Once you arrive in Kathmandu, our staff will help you to get a tourist visa from the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu. Although it is called a "group visa”, you don't need to be a group to get it. The specific process is as follows：
Day 1: Arrival in Kathmandu, our staff collect your passport and help you fill out the application form.
Day 2: The staff will send the original passport and group visa back to you.
Day 3: Go to Tibet with Scanned Tibet Permit photocopy, group visa and original passport.
