How do I travel from Tibet to India overland?

India to Tibet by Rail?

• After a two month stay in India, I was hoping to pass through China on my way to board the Trans Siberian express in Beijing. Having been only to Japan, I am largely a travel virgin, and therefore ignorant about many things, so forgive me for the naivete' (sp?) of my question(s). Is it possible to go to from India to Tibet by rail? I heard the railway was finished, buy I'm still not sure... Given nine months or so in advance, can a westerner like me even obtain the necessary Visa for Tibet? Furthermore, is rail travel possible from Tibet northeast to Beijing? Any links or helpful advice would be appreciated. Douchebaggery is discouraged as always. Thanks :)

• Answer:

  Shortly after they opened the Qinghai-Tibetan railway in 2006, connecting Tibet with mainland China, they also announced the plans on a railway connection Tibet-Nepal/India. Two years later it was announced that the building work was begun, but wouldn't be finished until about five years later, so for the time being the answer is no: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JE15Df01.html From Lhasa, however, you will have no problem continuing by train to whatever destination you might want in mainland China: http://www.chinatibettrain.com/ Before you travel to Tibet, you might want to consider checking out the information about travelling to China under the present political conditions: http://www.tibet.org/Travel/ The visa rules are constantly changing, given the delicate political situation, so you're strongly advised to check out the current situation with others who have travelled the same way recently. You can for example check this discussion forum: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forum.jspa?forumID=19&keywordid=90 Even better is probably to talk with other travellers you meet on the way to Tibet, for example in Kathmandu. You might have to form a casual group with some fellow travellers to get a group visa, but again, rules are changing all the time. You can find prices for the visa on this site of an official Chinese travel bureau: http://www.tibettravel.org/tibettravel/html/20081119201453-1.Html And just a last piece of personal advice: you should always be aware when travelling to Tibet, that you often get widely different answers on many questions depending on if you ask local Tibetans or Chinese tourism personnel and officials - and that goes for anything from Tibetan history, religion and current situation to where you should eat, sleep, shop and which places you're recommended to visit. It's totally your own choice if you want to trust the official, ideologically adopted Chinese views or the views of the local Tibetans (who by the way sometimes might also give the Chinese view if they are too afraid to speak from their hearts). And remember, not everyone posing in Tibetan clothes - especially in places where tourists gather, like shops, restaurants, hotels, and, incidentally, temples and monasteries - are really a Tibetan.