China Travel Forum

[armando]

I am from the UK with a 6 month multiple entry tourist visa. I am coming into China to make a long tour via Beijing and have a trek booked in Nepal in October.
1) From what I understand from reading around here if I go with my current plan (fly to KTM from somewhere in China (Shanghai or Xian) then make my way back into China overland from Nepal via Tibet) then my Chinese visa will get cancelled when I get a Tibet group visa and I will have to get a new one - is this true even on a 6 month multiple entry?
2) If that is true then will I be able to get a visa to cover another 6 weeks travel in China including a quick trip to Hong Kong (I guess a double entry visa?)
2) Do I still lose my visa if I fly from KTM to Chengdu via Lhasa? (I was thinking the Air China flight that goes via Lhasa as there don't seem to be any direct flights to Chengdu from KTM)?
3) I would like to make sure I get my flight ticket to KTM booked in advance to ensure I arrive in time for my trek. Most of the advice seems to be to book that when I arrive in China - can I do that from Beijing even if I don't fly from Beijing? Any recommendations for travel agents there? Any way of doing it in advance from Europe?
4) When I fly to KTM from China it will be national holday week (1st oct ->). Will I have any trouble buying tickets or getting a seat on a flight to KTM in Chinese national holiday week?
Thanks for any advice to help me out of my confusion.......

[kamal]

I think the following will help your tour:
1: Yes, it's true. Your multi entry visa will be cancelled and replaced by a group visa. It's absolutely mandatory that you get a group visa with only your name on, as the rules are that you enter and leave with the group. getting a split from a group is not easy.
2: The absolutely max stay on the group visa is 28 days, but you can get it changed in Chengdu (and Xining) to an ordinary tourist visa but not a double entry visa. You will have to get a new visa in HongKong.
2: probably not as you will not leave the airport in that way but only be in transit. But Im not sure.
3: You can probably do it from abroad but at a higher costs. Try contacting one of the agencies in Chengdu like the one at Sims Cozy Guesthouse, www,gogosc.com. There's a flight 2 times per week to KTM from Lhasa.
4: Probably not as the Chinese travels at that time. It can be difficuty getting a flight to Lhasa though at that time.
I don't know if you want to visit and travel around Tibet a bit. If so do all that travelling in Tibet before going to Nepal. You can also take the overland route to KTM, / days for the big tour including the major sights and 2 days for a tour straight to the border.

[johne]

I think you could save yourself some trouble and probably cost if you changed your itinerary and did Tibet before Nepal--you can go overland to Kathmandu from Lhasa if you want that particular experience. Then fly Kathmandu back to China--anywhere besides Tibet. I think there are now some directs from KTM to Shanghai, but not daily, or you could go via Bangkok, from BKK there are flights to a number of cities in China (Xi'an, Chengdu, Zhengzhou, Hangzhou, Guilin, Kunming, Jinghong + Beijing/Shanghai of course). Done this way, your multiple entry visa should be fine for the re-entry back to China.