Planning a Trip

Getting There

In a Land Cruiser, the drive from Tingri to Zhangmu, 180km (112 miles), takes about 6 hours. At present, arriving overland from Nepal involves arranging a "group visa" of 15 to 20 days through a travel agency in Kathmandu. Once in Lhasa you're not obliged to stay with the group, and can extend the visa elsewhere in China.

The border is open from 9:30am to 6:30pm on the Chinese side, and from 10am to 6pm on the Nepali side, with a time difference of 2 1/4 hours. If you've hired a vehicle from Lhasa, many of the drivers are not allowed to take you the extra 8km (5 miles) to Nepali Customs, but taxis wait beyond the immigration building and the price is cheap (¥10/$1.30/65p per person).

Getting Around

Taxis are ¥10 ($1.30/65p).

Fast Facts

Banks, Foreign Exchange and ATMs -- The Bank of China (open Mon-Sat 9:30am-1pm and 3-6:30pm) is toward the top of the hill on the right-hand side. They accept traveler's checks, but not credit cards. There is no ATM.

Internet Access -- The Zhangmu Wangba (tel. 0892/874-2492), on the right-hand side, just down from the Premchi Guesthouse, charges ¥5 (65¢/35p) per hour. It's open from 10am to 11pm. Dial-up is tel. 165.

Post Office -- The main post office (open weekdays 10am-1pm and 3:30-6pm; weekends 10:30am-12:30pm) is located on the left-hand side at the top of town. A more convenient branch is located just up from the Gangyen Hotel.

Visa Extensions -- On the left-hand side, just up from the border, the PSB (tel. 0892/874-2264 or 0892/882-2241; open 9am-6pm) is located on the third floor of a wooden building. Knock loudly to rouse them. As the border is in sight, you're unlikely to need to extend your visa and, at present, you're unable to enter from Nepal overland without joining a tour group.