This adventure took place around 20 years ago, but now, just like then, no one really knew if this could be done independently.
I started the adventure by searching the Chinese embassy website to determine visa/permit requirements. It became apparent that I could apply for a standard visa and fly from Kathmandu to any Mainland Chinese city and then train back to Lhasa to begin the adventure or I could join a package tour in order to receive a Tibet permit.
The package options included flying from Kathmandu directly to Lhasa ($300) and then paying for a minimum 15-day permit package ($160 for the permit and a ride from the Lhasa airport). A cheaper alternative with a longer permit stay was an overland jeep trip ($400) for 7 nights and 8-days, that provided a 25-day permit. I opted for the jeep trip since it would take me over some of the same roads I would be cycling and would therefore provide me with route insight and enough days to purchase a bicycle in Lhasa and cycle back to the boarder before the permit.
My only reservation was that packages tend to be cattle calls with a lot of people, of various ages, lifestyles, and personalities forced to co-habitat. I certainly didn’t want to get stuck with a bunch of losers, but had no choice given the lucrative restrictions imposed by the Chinese government for entry into Tibet from Nepal. I booked the package with some doubts, purchased a used one-man tent, a gas cooker, cooking pot, and air mattress (that leaked incidentally).
One of the English gents had also lent me his bicycle saddlebags so with my acquired gear and my existing trekking stuff I was prepared for what I assumed would be a simple 3-4 week adventure.
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