There are hundreds of guidebooks for Tibet travel, and we selected some good ones below to help you make the travel plan:
Lonely Planet:
Speaking of Tibet travel guide books, of course the most famous one is Lonely Planet. A lot of people have it as a travel bible when they visit some places. Lonely Planet series have become the most important reference book for backpackers in the world, and its authority is evident.
Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel media company with guidebooks to every almost destination, an award-winning website and a dedicated traveler community. It includes detailed up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, even the hours of operation for the tourism sites, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices, etc.
Also lots of honest reviews could help you make wise choice. Plus the advice for transportation and itinerary plan, this guidebook can be a great help.
But no matter where you go, make sure to remember "The guidebook is not a textbook, you are the master of your trip".
Although the content of the book is in constantly updated, the city, the road, the restaurants are changing all the time. Definitely changes faster than the books.
If you plan your trip according to some inaccurate information in the book, it may cause some inconveniences, trouble or the waste of time.
Magic and Mystery in Tibet by Alexsandra David Neel
Long sealed to outsiders, Tibet is believed to be the last home of mystery and fantasy, the hidden, sealed land, where ancient mysteries still survive that have perished in the rest of the Orient.
Madame Alexandra David-Neel, a French orientalist, who lived in Tibet for more than 14 years. A practicing Buddhist, a profound historian of religion, and linguist, tells the story of her experiences in Tibet.
Her unique experience includes studying philosophical Tibetan Buddhism and Tibetan Tantra, meditating in sacred caves, paying visit to the hermits in Tibet, even witnessed forbidden corpse-magic in forest.
What she witnessed would touch the heart and mind of every traveler. The book includes a lot of special stories that she herself experienced. We do not sure whether it’s a travel book or an autobiography or a mystical story book. But you can draw your own conclusion by the matter-of-fact manner and experience.
Trekking in Tibet by Gary McCue
Despite the various political upheavals, Tibet still intrigued the travelers from all over the world. Fascinating monasteries, friendly people, valleys, turquoise lakes and paths cutting through raw highlands swept by relentless winds that no expedition has ever beheld.
Trekking in Tibet is a superb guide to this cultural and natural landscape, as well as a book to be read by anyone who dreams of adventure.
This book includes a lot of info, even the history of trekking and exploration in Tibet, giving different advice for trekking as an individual, trekking with a private group or commercial company.
Listed a lot of pre-trek preparations to do like first-aid kit, how to deal with dogs, where to shop food in Tibet, even the info of the hospitals and health facilities included.
The trekking routes include classic Lhasa area trekking trails like Lhasa to Phenpo Chu Valley, Ganden to Samye Trek via Reting and Drigung Til Monastery, as well as the Yangpachen Valley Trek and the Namtso Loop Trek.
Trekking in Tibet is not easy, lack of oxygen environment, so a lot of preparations are required to ensure your safety. Also the price is not cheap, so trekking with a group and have more people sharing the cost of the vehicle, guide, arrangement, which could bring the cost down.
