Finding Travel Agencies
In May, I started sending out emails to several travel agencies and asked them about the price - the matter that concerned me the most. I already spent a lot for my Japan trip last year so my budget was very limited. At first, I wanted to travel in June or July, but the quote I received from the travel agencies (if they ever replied back) was insane. The price per person would be around USD 2,500 - 3,000 excluding the flight tickets. The one-way flight ticket from Hangzhou to Lhasa itself would cost already around 2,000 - 2,500 RMB. Mount Kailash seemed to be way out of reach for me.
Still, I didn't give up. When anyone asked where I would go next, I would reply "Tibet. Hopefully". May had gone. June had passed. July was ending. The price wasn't getting any cheaper. Despite my busy days at work, I somehow managed to find new travel agencies from either Nepal, India, or Tibet. and send out 2-3 emails per day to them. Most of them didn't reply back. The price they quoted me was too expensive for me. Traveling alone to Tibet was really not the best option.
Finding Travel Companions
After several months of googling, I had contacted nearly all the travel agencies in top 500 search results. Finally, the lady luck managed to lay upon my shoulders. I found a thread in TripAdvisor forum. There were someone else looking for travel companions to share the tour cost. What an awesome way!! I really never thought of it before. I read through the thread, searched for more threads. I also looked in LonelyPlanet forum as well.I started contacting several persons from the threads I found. Some replied back. Some didn't.
At the end of July, here were the options I found from both forums.
1) A Malaysian girl in a group of three would travel from Lhasa- Based camp- Lingzhi during 4th Sept - 17th Sept. Cost estimation for car rental, tour guide fees is 5,500 RMB per pax. including Tibet permit and other permits, excluding meal, accommodation & all entrance tickets. They were also on a tight budget and planned to stay in cheap guesthouses. The price they got was pretty cheap, but they wouldn't go to Mount Kailash, so their group was out of the picture.
2) A couple from Latvia would be arriving in Chengdu on 5 Sep and planning to take a train to Lhasa on 7 Sep and start tour from Lhasa on 9 Sep. They got the best offer I got so far from Tibet Highland Tours. They were going to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar for 15 days. They said the agency got a very good feedback on TripAdvisor and other forums. I didn't really care much about the travel agency's reputation as long as the price was cheap, I would go. They said the price would be around USD 1,200 - 1,300 per person for 3 pax. Actually I wouldn't wish to travel with a couple if I could choose, but everything seemed fit with my plan. Time was right. Price was okay, so I kept contacting with them for further details.
3) Another couple from UK from LP would take the train from Xining on 6th Oct. They were going to Lhasa, EBC and Kailash for 16 - 17 days. They would exit through Nepal. They were contacting with SnowLion Tours. They would be going to Mongolia for a month before heading back into China and then into Tibet. They didn't tell me the price. Their departure date was a bit too late for me. It would be during Chinese National holiday week which I would avoid at all cost, so I declined their kind offer. They seemed like a nice couple though.
4) A group of three (2 Aussies and 1 British) formed in LP were going to Lhasa, Kailash, EBC and exit via Nepal for 15 days. They were aiming to start on either 27 or 29 Aug. The price per person was USD 1,630 incl accommodation for 3 pax. For 4 pax, it would get down to 9,695 RMB. They were finalizing everything in a day or two so I had to make up my mind quickly if I wanted to join them. Their price was the best and their plan fit mine the most. I wanted to exit through Nepal coz the flight ticket with AirAsia was a lot cheaper even though I had to make a stopover in KL first. Plus, these lads sounded awesome and fun to travel with.
Four choices got down to two. So which one to choose?
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