Travel Guide

Race Headquarters:
Everyone will be staying at Hotel Shanker and the lobby will be our race headquarters. Upon arrival all runners will be given important information on Tibet and the Marathon.

Lodging While in Kathmandu & Tibet:
Our host hotel will be the Hotel Shanker, located in Lazimpat, close to Thamel. All rooms are double occupancy unless other wise stated. There is an extra fee for single rooms. All meals are included while in Kathmandu.

Similarly, in Tibet Hotels are based on sharing twin room unless booked for single room paying extra surcharge. All meals are included in Tibet as well. Normally we will take you out to different restaurant in town in Kathmandu as well in Tibet for lunch & dinner to give you change of varieties.

Storage of extra luggage:
Hotel Shanker in Kathmandu will store your extra luggage for you in a safe claim check area. Your travel bag should be ready to go the night before your flight to Lhasa and your extra luggage should be checked in with the front desk. Similarly you can also store your valuables in safety vault.

Similarly you can store your valuables in Safety Deposit Box in Lhasa.

How much extra cash should I bring?
You will need to purchase bottled drinking water, snacks or other personal items in Kathmandu or in Tibet.

It is suggested to bring a total of US$500. This can be broken down: $300 in travelers' checks and $200 in cash, some small bills.

There are ATM machines in Thamel, Kantipath and Durbar Marg areas that takes most major bank cash cards, or credit cards. You will receive your cash from the ATM machine in Nepali currency the Rupee. As of August 10, $1 USD = Rs 73.50. The fee for using the ATM machine will depend on your banks transaction fees. Most fees are around $1.50 per transaction. Similarly, you will find ATM machine in central Lhasa.

Tipping of staff:
Each person should plan to bring $ 40 in Chinese Yuan for tipping. It should be set aside for the end of the trip. You will be advised on how the tipping process works. Here is a suggestion.

1. Tour Escort / Guide: US$ 25
2. Driver: US$ 15

Travel Insurance:
Please purchase travel insurance that covers the following things.
a. Trip cancellation
b. Trip interruption
c. Travel delay
d. Rescue Evacuation

Medical emergency /evacuation:
If you have never purchase this type of insurance you can ask your health care provider, travel agent, homeowner's insurance agent or we can suggest Global Care. They can be found at www.globalcare-cocco.com. Also if you do a search on the internet, there are quite a few to choose from.