Travel to Tibet with travel insurance from Essential Travel

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Information on Tibet with single trip travel insurance from Essential travel

Tibet (Xizang) existed as an independent state for almost 2,000 years before Communist China invaded and occupied the country in 1949. Many Tibetans have left Tibet to live as refugees in other countries, and the country is in turmoil over mass human rights violations. Tibets government and the head of state, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, are in exile in Dharamsala (India). None-the-less, this destination is open to outsiders, with direct flights into Lhasa and many seek it out as an exotic spiritual journey.

Today, half of the country is in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) and the rest is divided among Chinese provinces. Less than half the Tibetans in China live in the TAR, the capital of which is Lhasa. The TAR is comprised of central and western Tibet, including the old central Tibetan provinces of U and Tsang, together with western parts of the old Tibetan region of Kham.

Tibet has an average elevation of 4,700m and is surrounded by vast mountain ranges, such as the Kunlun range to the north and the Himalayas to the south. The nation has had a tumultuous history, culminating in the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976).

Lhasa is the spiritual and cultural heart of Tibet, with the Potala, a massive white and ochre fortress, apparent in the skyline. At one time, the Potala was the seat of Tibetan government and is the location of the tombs of previous Dalai Lamas. Today it is a museum. Also of interest is the Jokhang Temple, two kilometres east, which is the bustling core of Lhasa. Here you’ll find plenty of street performers and market stalls. Shigatse, 250kms southwest of Lhasa, is the seat of the Panchen Lama (the reincarnation of whom the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government are currently disputing).

Gyantse, some 200kms southwest of Lhasa, is one of the least Chinese-influenced towns in Tibet. Here, the magnificent Palkhor Monastery, dating from 1427, boasts the grand Kumbum stupa.

Many visit Tibet to see Mount Everest (Qomalongma), which sits tops off at 8,848m. The Tibetan approach to the mountain provides far better vistas of the worlds highest peak than those on the Nepal side. Everest Base Camp has become the most popular trekking destination in Tibet. In western Tibet lies Mount Kailash, a sacred pilgrimage site for followers of Tibetan Buddhism. Devotees circle the mountain – many doing so by prostrating themselves.

A visit to Tibet can not be taken lightly, as the journey is difficult and at times dangerous, the altitude can be taxing, the cost is high, the responsibility is great. Travellers may be wary of inadvertently supporting the occupying Chinese forces; however, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said it is important that foreigners see Tibet – and then tell the world what they have seen.

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