Chongqing Tibet with Mt.Everest Train Tour

Go to the West Railway Station on your own. Exchange your e-tickets for the actual paper tickets at the ticket booth by showing them your Tibet travel permit and passport. You are recommended to arrive at the railway station 1 hour in advance.

Stay overnight on the train

The train from Chongqing to Lhasa will run through Xian and Lanzhou where you can also see the Gobi desert landscapes of western China. When the train passes through Xining - the start point of Qinghai Tibet Railway, the breathtaking sceneries will appear one after another. Be sure to capture the memorable scenes with your camera. Major attractions are Qinghai Salt Lake, Yuzhu Peak, Kekexili Nature Reserve, Tuotuo River, Tangula Pass, Tsonag Lake, Qiangtang Prairie, and Namtso Lake, etc.

Stay overnight on the train

Welcome to Lhasa! Your local Tibetan guide and driver will wait for you at Lhasa Railway Station by holding your name sign. You will be greeted with a warm Tashidelek (meaning hello with blessing), and be presented with a white Hada (traditional Tibetan ceremonial). Then transfer you to the hotel in Lhasa city. On the way, you can enjoy the stunning views of the Yarlung Tsangpo River. After checking in at your hotel, you will be free for the rest of the day to have a good rest and acclimatize to the high altitude at the top of the world. If you physically feel good, you can visit the Potala Palace Square, have a far view of the Yaowang Mountain, and take a panoramic view of the Potala Palace. Remember to drink lots of water, eat lighter and have high-carbohydrate food, which will be helpful for you to adapt to the high altitude better.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

In the morning, you are heading to Drak Yerpa, the most famous meditation retreat near Lhasa. It's a monastery embedded in the cliff wall. Drak Yerpa is described as the "life tree" or spiritual axis of Lhasa. The site had strong spiritual power, having been visited by almost all great Tibetan masters. You can feel the power of the meditation caves here.

In the afternoon, you will pay a visit to Sera Monastery, which is one of the "great three" Gelug monasteries of Tibet. Monks debate from 3 pm to 5 pm. If the debate is not your type, you can also enjoy the three sand Mandalas and colorful rock paintings of Buddha. The sight here is splendid because you can see wild roses around. That's why people also call it "the Court of Wild Rose."

Stay overnight in Lhasa

In the morning, your guide will meet you at the hotel and take you to Potala Palace, the landmark of Tibet and an outstanding example of Tibetan architecture. Originally built in the 7th century by King Songtsen Gampo and later expanded by the 5th Dalai Lama, it is now a museum and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In the afternoon, you will visit Jokhang Temple in the heart of Lhasa Old Town. As the most sacred temple in Tibet, it attracts devoted pilgrims throughout the day. Afterwards, you will stroll along Barkhor Street, the traditional pilgrimage circuit and bustling old market surrounding Jokhang Temple.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

Today you are going to Shigatse. After passing Kampala pass (4,790m), you will be amazed by the breathtaking glimpse of the holy Yamdroktso Lake with its turquoise color and snow-capped Mt. Nyenchen Khangsar. Yamdroktso Lake is known as one of the "Three Holiest Lakes" in Tibet. Peaceful Tibetan villages surround the lakeshore in the neighboring flat valleys. Looking in the distance, you can see yaks and sheep grazing on the grassland. Next, you will see the grand and vast Karola Glacier. It isn't a big glacier, but the white glacier looks spectacular from the highway, and it's close enough (about 300 yards) from the highway.

In Gyantse, you will pay a visit to the key landmark Pelkor Chöde Monastery. Gyantse Kumbum is the symbol of the monastery, famous for its 100,000 Buddhist figures, paintings, and statues in the chapels, and wall niches.

Stay overnight in Shigatse

In the morning, you will visit Tashilhunpo Monastery, the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama and an important monastery founded by the 1st Dalai Lama in 1447. Afterwards, you will drive westward via Lhatse toward Tingri.

Along the way, you will cross Tsola Pass and Gyatsola Pass, where colorful prayer flags flutter across the mountain passes. In the late afternoon, you will enter the Mount Everest National Nature Reserve. From Gawula Pass, you can enjoy a spectacular panorama of the Himalayan peaks before continuing along the winding mountain road to Rongbuk Monastery.

Tonight, you will stay at Everest Base Camp (5,200m). If weather permits, you may witness the beautiful sunset over the golden summit of Mt. Everest.

Stay overnight at EBC

You are highly suggested to get up early to catch the sunrise of Everest Peak at the lodging area if the weather is good. And then, we can drive you to the Everest Base Camp. After sightseeing, we will drive back to Shigatse and enjoy the fabulous view along the way back.

Stay overnight in Shigatse

Today you will visit Yungdrungling Monastery, the most mysterious Bon monastery. Don’t miss the legendary gilded silver lamp in Tongzhui Lakhang, said to reveal past and future lives; the century-old scripture wall in the circular corridor, whose raised carvings leave a deep impression at your fingertips; and the curious mystery of the prayer wheels spinning in the opposite direction of those in Buddhism.

Stay overnight in Lhasa