Xining Lhasa Train Tour

Please arrive at Xining Railway Station on your own. It is recommended to arrive at least 1 hour in advance to allow sufficient time for security checks and boarding procedures. Present your passport and Tibet Travel Permit and proceed through the manual verification channel. Trains are departing from Xining to Lhasa every day, taking about 22 hours and covering a distance of 1,960km. 

You will spend the rest of the day on the train and enjoy the fabulous scenery along the highest railway in the world - Qinghai Tibet Railway. You will see the gorgeous natural scenery of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, such as nomadic pastures, sapphire lakes, flocks of goats and yaks, snow-capped mountains, 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, 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

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

After breakfast in the hotel, you will visit Drepung Monastery which was the world's largest monastery that ever housed over 10,000 monks, also the highest-ranking monastery in the Gelug Sect. Drepung means Rice Heaps in the Tibetan language and the whole monastery does look like rice heaps in the distance.

After that, we will go to visit Norbulingka, which is a typical Tibetan-style royal garden, the summer resort of the Dalai Lama. There are a lot of towering trees, exotic flowers and plants in the garden, as well as many collections of cultural relics, Buddha statues, pagodas, thangkas, murals, etc. They are all very precious treasures.

Stay overnight in Lhasa