Traveling to Tibet in 2012. Why do I have to join a tour group & pay obscene $$?

Because Tibet is a politically sensitive area. Keep in mind that this restriction only applies to Tibet. I've been to China twice. While in Beijing, I was able to move around without any tour group. I also made the 2hr trip from my mother in law's house to the Great Wall at Badaling entirely by myself. I strongly suggest that you just follow your tour group while in Tibet and aoid problems for you and your group. Enjoy your trip!!

Your tour group doesn't have to be an organised tour. Best advice. Go to a hostel somewhere like Chengdu, post a notice on the board for travel companions. Chat about what you want to do and plan an itinerary over a beer and some hot pot. As a group, apply for your permit and go. A guide from the OFFICIAL agency in Lhasa will meet you at guide you around your desired places. As a group it's cheaper. You don't have to go on a package tour, but you do need a guide and itinerary. It can be a bit of a ball ache, but thems the rules. The rules are set by the local government in Lhasa, not Beijing. At the moment Tibet is closed to foreigners as are large areas of Sichuan with substantial tibetan populations as there is a lot of unrest at the moment. October should have calmed down again. Keep an eye on the situation.

Blame on the dirty shameless foreign regimes who created this situation. The notorious foreign regimes have been trying to fund the terrorists to mess up Tibet, that's why the Chinese government needs to make sure that tourists who go to Tibet are for sightseeing only and make sure that the visitors are not the idiotic terrorists who work as the cheap TOOL for the dirty foreign regimes to damage Tibet. My advice, take it or leave it.

help you out on what??? the government say that you have to go with the agent and unless you are looking for trouble you better go to the travel agent as soon as you can or else you are not going

You have to remember Tibet is a eye sore for the CCP. Now you have people who live there setting themselves on fire to protest the occupation of their country. This is not something the CCP wants foreigners seeing and taking pictures of. The tour groups are controlled by the CCP and they do not let you go where you want, they take you to see the best side the CCP can show you. I read a article just a few weeks ago about a group of news reporters who went there. They had to stay in one hotel together with guards that did not allow them to go out and talk to anybody. They were awaken and put on a bus then taken to a area that was set up for them to get out and talk to these people. The article talked like it was a movie set and the people were actors for the CCP. They reported that they did see people who looked in very bad condition but the bus would not stop and let the news reporters talk to these people. I do not know if it still the same but I would think so because of the protest. You must remember the CCP invaded (by the description of the Tibetans who lived there, not me) Tibet after the ROC escaped. They occupied this country with their military and it has been there ever since. In reading the latest news it appears the CCP can claim anything and they think it belongs to them, so went Tibet.

Visit, or, contact the Embassy or Consulate, they will be able to provide you with more info. Also there is a chinese tourism agency. Google it. Love to do the same train travel. It is part of the TranSiberian.

Just go with it for safety reasons.