Accommodations  
The clients should not have high expectations of these and they will not be disappointed. Camping trek style might be a better alternative but currently it is not a Chinese-offered option, where the accommodation is available. The Chinese-built luxury tourist hotels that are found in Tibet are large, cold (figuratively & literally) cemented buildings set amidst fenced-in compounds.  

The hotels in Zhangmu and Xegar and most guest houses in Tibet are poorly kept with dirty carpets, broken windows and a feeling of abandonment, that permeates the lobbies & bedrooms. Hotel Lhasa (former Holiday Inn) and few other hotels in Lhasa are comparable to average Western lodging. While all the hotels have rooms with bathrooms, some hotels/guest houses do not routinely have either hot or cold running water. Several hotels (except in Lhasa) have hot water for bathing available during certain hours in the evening only; these hours of availability are announced, when guests arrive in the hotel.  

All hotel guest rooms are provided with a thermos flask of hot water for tea as well as comfortable beds with lots of warm blankets. While all the hotels are wired for electricity, power in some of the hotels/guest houses are limited to a few evening hours. Taking a flashlight along is a must. All hotels provide toilet paper, but for toilet stops during the day while on the road, it's a good idea to take some toilet paper along. Except the Lhasa Hotel in Lhasa, none of the hotels are heated. People wearing down jackets & hats while eating dinner or breakfast is a common sight. In November, the mean temperature in Lhasa goes from -4°C to 12°C. In August, the mean temperature ranges from +8°C to +22°C.  

Food & Snacks  
While travelling in Asia, one must be careful about food & drink. Many travellers have problems with diarrhea in Tibet. Despite the most conscientious efforts, they may still come down with the dreaded ailment. Nevertheless, there are ways they can decrease the probability of getting sick and limit the bad effects of diarrhea once it has started. We recommend to carry iodine solution or tablets to purify drinking water. Normal concentration of chlorine tablets are not strong enough to kill giardia, a common cause of diarrhea in this region. No non-chemical filters eliminate viruses such as hepatitis & therefore should not be used alone to purify water. All boiled or tea water is probably safe. Ice cubes should not be taken unless one can be sure that they are made from boiled water. Many people forget that contaminated tap water used in brushing teeth could be a source of diarrhea. Any water going into the mouth should be purified with iodine or previously boiled.  

Foods that come hot & recently cooked are best. Foods that are peeled or skinned are also usually safe to eat. Especially when visitors are not sure under what conditions the food has been prepared, they should avoid cold salads or other not recently cooked food that may have been sitting out for a long period of time. Salads cleaned & soaked in iodine are also safe. However, it is hard to determine whether or not the food has actually been soaked or whether the restaurant personnel just want to please the clients and tell them what they want to hear.  

Good restaurants are not available on the highways in Tibet. Therefore, we recommend clients to carry lunch boxes. However, realizing that lunch stops during the tour can be a bit unappetizing, bringing own snacks would be a great idea. They should bring foods they like & can eat easily (i.e. crackers, cheese, cookies, chocolate bars, granola bars, soup mix or peanut butter). But it is advisable not to bring too much. Ascending to high altitude many people find their appetites greatly diminished. This is a mild symptom of altitude sickness, so they should not be surprised if they are not very hungry. Also, unlike trekking, they will not have a lot of exercise as they will sit in the bus and watch the passing scenery most of the time.  

Shopping  
Tibet is not a particularly good place for shopping. Most of the things, which hawkers sell in Lhasa & other parts in Tibet are made in Nepal including Thanka paintings and prayer wheels and hence much more expensive. Sometimes it is possible to buy real Tibetan carpets in places like Shigaste, Gyangtse & Lhasa.    

Guide  
The Chinese/Tibetan guide provided for our groups may not speak very good English and may not know much about the local monasteries, history & culture. For best information, we recommend  clients take a guidebook along on the tour. The Tibet Guide by Stephen Bachelor and the most recent one, Tibet Handbook by Victor Chan is an ideal book to take along. It gives general information about Tibetan culture as well as specific information about the usual sights. Unlike Lonely Planet's Tibet: A Travel Survival kit, which gives more logistics about travelling around Tibet independently. The Tibet Guide & Tibet Hand Book concentrates more on Tibetan culture & sacred places. Both books are useful. Also quite useful is a route map, to know where they are going and have been each day.  

Clothing  
We recommend the following clothes to be brought along:  

	November to April	May to October
Down Jacket   Thermal Underwear  Warm Trousers Warm Sweaters Woolen shirts Gloves  Light leather Boots in case of Snow  Warm hat & Scarf		Raincoat or Windbreakers Jackets Sweaters Sunhat Shirts (cotton/woolen)   Walking shoes   Thermal Underwear

Altitude Sickness  
As most of the places in Tibet lie over 4,500m, clients are likely to experience some of the minor symptoms and discomfort of altitude sickness (headache, mild nausea, and loss of appetite) until their body is adjusted to the elevation. This can take from few hours to a couple of days, depending on the individual. They should take it little easy first couple of days and take in plenty of non-alcoholic liquids. This helps the body to acclimatize faster.  

Photography
Film is best bought in Kathmandu or from client’s own country although print film is available in Tibet. Photography is allowed in most places except in security areas. The monasteries usually charge for photographs, often quite a lot. Video cameras are allowed in China but the filming fees are very expensive. All valuables must be declared at customs including cameras & video cameras. Clients should not lose custom declaration form, which is needed at the time of leaving China.  

Visa  
To apply for China visa, the passports must be valid for more than 6 months. A Group Visa is normally issued in Kathmandu. For the Tibet Visa procedure, we require following information by fax/email at least 30 days prior to the arrival in Tibet: 1) Name as in Passport. 2) Passport Number. 3) Nationality. 4) Date of issue & expiry of the passport 5) Date of Birth. 6) Occupation. 7) Sex. We also require the photocopy of the passport by fax or email (as an attachment).