Food & Meals

Indulging in delicious local eats is one of the best things about travel. Traveling with 3rdpoletour you will experience the vast array of wonderful local food that is only available in the places we visit.

Meals Arrangement

We will have most of the breakfast in the hotels except for the camping. Included breakfasts will usually be asian style consisting of noodles or congee (rice porridge) or bread and eggs and some fruits, although in some remote areas the choice maybe very limited. Generally lunches and dinners are not included in the trip price when there is a choice of eating options, to give you the maximum flexiblity in deciding where, what and when to eat. It also gives you more budgeting flexibility, though generally food is cheap.

Meal Budget  

The cost of food is different in each region of Tibetan plateau. In the cities like Chengdu, Kunming, Lijiang, Lhasa, Urumqi, Xining, it will generally cost about RMB50-120 or USD 10-20 per day per person for lunch and dinner. Outside of cities or in towns and remote villages along the road, it should cost about RMB 30-80 or USD 5-15 per day.

Be a Vegetarian

Having the vegetarian dishes is not a problem when traveling in the third pole area. Buddhism is strongly practiced here so many local people prefer to be vegetarian. You can find good vegetarian restaurants in the cities. In small towns and villages, you can order vegetable noodles or dishes at local restaurants.

Meals for the Trip Leaders and Drivers

Our trip leader will only suggest you where and what to eat based on your interests and oder the food for you, and they don't join in you for the lunch and dinner. You don't need to pay our staff's food and lodging expenses.

Meals for Trekking & Camping

During the trekking days, your private cook or our trip leader will make dishes like Chinese cuisine, noodles, pancakes, fried rice and fruit salad. If you have any conditions, please let us know so we can prepare materials before the trek and your cook can make the appropriate dises for you.

Meal Options

In cities like Chengdu, Kunming, Lijiang, Urumqi, Lhasa, Shigatse, Zhangmu, Xining and Lanzhou, you can easily find clean restaurants that serve continental, western, indian, nepalese, Tibetan and Chinese dishes. Chinese cuisine and noodle restaurants can always be easily found even in the small towns and remote villages during your trip.