May 13, 2008
For two months we’ve watched and waited as the situation in Tibet has gradually unfolded in the absence of any reliable information on what might come next. As of this writing, it appears that Tibet will remain closed to foreign visitors for the remainder of the Olympic torch relay in that region, which is to conclude at the end of June. Our partners in Lhasa, Beijing, Kathmandu, and Delhi are providing our U.S. teams with frequent, detailed, on-the-ground reports from the area. We will provide updates on this website as we receive additional information.
This is a corner of the world that is intimately bound to our company’s heart and soul: back in the 1980’s Geographic Expeditions operated some of the first organized tours into the region for Westerners, and in the intervening 25 years we have made many close friends among the Tibetan people in Lhasa and across Asia. It is simply impossible for us not to care deeply about what is happening there.
With access to Tibet currently restricted we are working diligently to make alternate arrangements for clients whose immediate travel plans include Tibet. We will also continue to monitor the situation as it evolves, and our trip planning professionals will provide regular updates to our clients. If you are (or were) considering a trip to Tibet, please feel free to call us to discuss the situation and possible alternatives. One option worth looking at now is Ladakh, India’s “Little Tibet.”
You may also be interested in reading our article,"Should We Travel to Countries With Despotic Governments?"
Geographic Expeditions sends more travelers to Tibet, and knows it better, than any other American company. Our long experience in Tibet and our decades of partnership with our supremely competent Tibetan associates allow us to craft sublime journeys to one of the world’s most lovely and affecting places. We explore every stretch of the country, from the surprisingly verdant forests of the southeast, to the vast high-altitude desert of the Tibetan Plateau and the remote slopes of Mount Everest itself. We explore the shrines and monasteries of Lhasa, Tibet’s capital and the traditional seat of the Dalai Lama, and Tsedang, birthplace of the Tibetan nation and site of the tombs of the early Religious Kings. And, as always, we travel in good GeoEx style, with an eye for living culture and history and endless, high beauty.
Eight Days in Tibet
Highlights: Lhasa, Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Gyantse, Shigatse, Tsedang, Samye, Yarlung Valley
Himalayan Kingdoms
Highlights: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor, Shigatse, Gyantse, Kathmandu, Bhutanese handicrafts, Taktsang
Inner Tibet - Ganden Festival
Highlights: Beijing, Lhasa, Tsedang, Samye, Tsangpo, Gyantse, Shigatse, Ganden Festival
Inner Tibet - Samye Festival
Highlights: Lhasa, Tsedang, Samye, Tsangpo, Gyantse, Shigatse, Samye Festival
Khampa Heartland - Exploring Tibet’s Eastern Frontier
Highlights: Lijiang, Kham’s alpine pasturelands, Gyalthang ("Shangri-La”), Litang Horse Festival, Chamdo & Derge monasteries, Ganze, Chengdu
Mount Everest’s Unknown Kangshung Face
Highlights: Trekking, Lhasa, Gyantse, Shekar, Kangshung Valley, Everest, Rongbuk Monastery, Kathmandu
Trekking to Lhamo Lhatso, the Visionary Lake
Highlights: Lhasa, Samye, forests of Bayi and Lunang, Lhamo Lhatso
Custom Journeys in Tibet
Highlights: Sagadawa Festival (May–June); Ganden Thangka Festival (July); Shoton Festival (August); access to permit-only destinations
