Vehicle Rental in Tibet

The period between July and September is the peak season of Tibet tour, and the vehicle demand always exceeds the supply in this season. Tourists planning to rent a vehicle for your self-help trip in Tibet are strongly suggested to contact the local travel agency in advance, or it is difficult to rent a vehicle matches your request after you land on Lhasa.

Tourists planning to rent a vehicle in Tibet should note that the price of the vehicle is based on your planning mileage. For tourists willing to do some special trip to some faraway regions on Tibet Plateau, the calculation of the price is not based on the unit price of each mile; instead, the agency will provide a total price for vehicle rental.

As an experienced Tibet tour operator based in Lhasa, Tibet Tour would like to provide some useful tips for tourists planning to rent a vehicle to visit the scenic spots in different regions in Tibet. First and for most, tourists are strongly suggested to rent a vehicle with all required licenses. The qualified vehicles could provide necessary guarantee for tourists. In addition, it is also advisable to employ an experienced driver while renting a good conditioned vehicle. Though the road condition in Tibet improves obviously in recent years compared to the earlier years, the road condition of the road to the remote or less developed regions is still quite limited. The local experienced drivers are more familiar with the local road condition and can ensure visitors a safe journey.

While choosing a suitable vehicle, tourists should take both the vehicle condition and road condition into full consideration. For tour groups with more than 7 members and just willing to visit some regular spots in Lhasa, Shigatse, Nyinghchi and Shannan, a common tourism bus is very cost effective. For tourists willing to visit Mt. Everest Base Camp, a good conditioned 4WD is very necessary for there is a washboard style section near the Base Camp and it must be very bumpy for tourists choosing a large sized bus. Besides, tourists willing to visit Namtso Lake in winter are also kindly suggested to rent a good conditioned 4WD for the road to Namtso Lake might be very slippery in the snow or extremely cold days.

Tourists planning to rent a vehicle to complete a Tibet tour should note that that April, May, September and October are good seasons for driving on Sichuan-Tibet Highway and Yunnan-Tibet Highway in consideration of the natural environment and weather condition along these two highways. For tourists willing to drive to Mt. Everest Base Camp from Kashgar along the Xinjiang-Tibet Highway, the period between May and September is the best season for the weather condition would be much better compared to the other seasons. The road condition of Qinghai-Tibet Highway ranks first among the four highways to Tibet, and it is suitable for driving on this highway all year around. None of the four highways is opened to foreign visitors according to the current local policy.