Renewed protests and troubles in Tibet force Chinese authorities to close down again the region to foreign travellers. Tour operators look now for alternative such as Bhutan or Sikkim. ..
BANGKOK- Situation seems to worsen again in Tibet. A new wave of protests last week following renewed monks immolation was followed by a muscled answer from Chinese authorities who clamped down across the autonomous region. According to reports, security forces asked on Monday morning all the tourists to leave hotels along the pilgrimage trail to Jokhang Temple. Hotels confirmed to German Press agency Dpa about the order from Chinese security forces not to take any booking.
As staying in Tibet becomes a challenge, tour operators look for alternative destinations. This is the case of Cycle tour operator Spice Roads which posted on its website new information about its tours to Tibet. Getting into Tibet to take part to Spice Roads Tour Operator’s cycling trail between Lhasa and Kathmandu is turning increasingly difficult due to an abrupt change in group requirements. According to latest information available in May, groups now need to be a minimum of four people, all of the same nationality to be able to get a visa. Spice Roads explains that tours generally appeal to a wide range of nationalities and it might consequently be difficult to fill up this requirement. So far, Spice Roads plans to operate two tours, one on Sept. 6 (3 US citizens!) and another one of Sept. 27 and request possible participants to contact the TO or its representatives as soon as possible. As alternatives, Spice Roads now highly recommend some of its other tours such as ‘Mystical Bhutan’, ‘Biking India’s Nubra Valley’ and its most recent tour ‘Cycling Sikkim’s Tea Trails’.
Spice Roads’ newest tour is to rugged and remote Sikkim in northeast India. While cycling Sikkim’s Tea Trails, participants will feel more like being in Nepal or Tibet than India, primarily due to the strong Buddhist culture and the presence of soaring snow-capped peaks. The 10-day tour starts in the state capital of Gangtok, where we get acclimatized to the altitude (1,437 m/4,715 ft) and visit the 200-year-old Enchey monastery. The next days of cycling consist of riding down into valleys and then up over passes (none higher than 2,100 m). The trail is 330 km long and done in six days of cycling. It includes breaks to make a wish at Sikkim’s holiest lake, sample tea from local plantations, and ride a toy train in the colonial hill station of Darjeeling. The tour starts and ends at Bagdgora airport in Sikkim with three departures planned from 28 Oct–6 Nov, 25 Nov–4 Dec and 23 Dec–1 Jan.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
