Packing List for Your Tibet Travel

Most travelers like to make a good preparation before they go on a Tibet journey, such as checking the average temperature of that month, altitude sickness and corresponding solutions, carefully packing list, etc. In this post, we will assist you with a complete packing list for your Tibet tour.

Most Important Ones

The passport with all necessary visas and Tibet travel permits.

Clothes

Most hotels in Tibet have no central heating. The air-conditioners in single rooms do not work well during the cold night. In winter, from November to next March, of course, you need to bring down jackets, warm sweaters, gloves, warm pants, woolen hats. It is very cold in the morning and evening. In summer, wearing a T-shirt in the daytime but the Jacket is necessary at the hotel in the morning and evening.

Other essentials to pack include four or five pairs of cotton or woolen underwear, four or five pairs of woolen socks, long sleeve cotton or lightweight wool shirts, and T-shirts. Women should avoid skirts or dresses.

Also, whenever you visit Tibet, if your plan includes overnight at Everest Base Camp or Namtso Lake, or a several days outdoor trek in the mountain area, to keep warm is very important. The winter clothes are a must.

Shoes

It is very important to have a strong comfortable pair of boots, especially your travel covers the remote area and you have to walk for a long distance.

Bags

A large backpack, a smaller one, plus a waist bag make it perfect. The smaller one can be used for daily activities and can also be put into the big one when necessary. The waist bag is to take some small and important things with you. Please do not take any big suitcase with you, as a wise traveler knows, the outdoor backpack is the best bag for travel because you can move more freely.

Daily Articles

Hotels in some areas are very simple, without towels, soap, etc. You need to bring your own items such as a cup, a small towel, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and slippers. Or you take some disposable items to the better hotel you stay in Lhasa. It is not convenient to wash clothes when traveling in remote places, you can buy some disposable underpants.

Skincare Products

Wind and solar radiation are quite strong in Tibet. The skincare products are quite necessary, such as lip balms, sunblock, and skin creams，sunglasses.

Cash

Remember to bring some cash in different denominations and prepare enough cash for the days you are out of Lhasa since ATMs are few in the more remote areas.

Sleeping Bag

When sleeping in Everest Base Camp tents, a sleeping bag is a good way to keep your personal sanitary.

Prevent Altitude Sickness?

• To prevent the occurrence of altitude sickness, visitors should have a proper rest and avoid strenuous activities days before you go to Tibet. After getting off the plane, you should try not to carry heavy things or run and avoid outdoor activities.
• Nifedipine, Nuodikang Capsules and Suoluomabao Capsules (known as Hongjingtian Capsules in Chinese) may help some people prevent the occurrence of altitude sickness when they are taken three days before arrival to a highland. Note: Acetazolamide (Diamox) is a drug used to stimulate breathing and reduce mild symptoms of mountain sickness. This drug can cause increased urination, so when taking this medication, make sure you drink plenty of fluids and do not drink alcohol; if you don’t drink enough water, it may result in serious dehydration, which can worsen AMS.
• Insist on High Carbohydrate Diet--Carbohydrate can provide heat quickly increasing the amount of the exchange of oxygen; while too much fat and animal protein shall aggravate high altitude sickness.
• Smoking shall not only consume the oxygen in the air, but also the carbon monoxide generated by the cigarette shall be absorbed by the hemoglobin. Smoking shall obviously aggravate high altitude sickness.
• Visitors with a severe cold, a high fever, acute or chronic pulmonary diseases, severe cardiovascular diseases, women with an advanced pregnancy and children under three years of age should avoid traveling to regions with a high altitude.
• Drink plenty of water/fluids. As the air humidity at the Tibetan plateau is very low, it's easy to get dehydrated during traveling in Tibet. One to five liters a day is recommended to maintain clear, copious urine
• Do abdominal respiration as much as possible when you are walking or climbing.
• Avoid too hot shower which will speed up metabolism and aggravate oxygen, and then cause pulmonary edema.

Nota Bene: In China and Tibet, due to the great firewall, many wildly used websites or Apps cannot be opened such as Instagram, Facebook, Gmail, Youtube, etc. However, you can use Yahoo, Hotmail, iCloud, AOL, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and so on. In order to get smooth communication, we suggest you download a popular Chinese App "Wechat" and buy a SIM card to get connected at any time.