11 Days Best of Tibet Tour from Shanghai by Train

After arrival in Shanghai, you could have a rest or look around in shanghai on your own. In the evening, you will be transferred to Shanghai Railway Station to board the train to lhasa. Train Z164 starts at about 19:16 from Shanghai and arrives in Lhasa at 17:40 on the third day, totally about 46 hours and 24 minutes.

Stay overnight on the Train.

It is quite a long journey that will take about 47 hours, two days and two nights in the Train, at the first day you will pass through two important provincial capital cities in northwest China, Lanzhou and Xining. Xining is known as the beginning of Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Travelling along the rail line, you could see the scenery of countryside and city in northwest China.

The last stop for today is Xining, where you will arrive at about 17:00.

Stay overnight on the Train.

Today, you will witness the most beautiful scenery of Qinghai-Tibet Railway. The land of snows, the desert, the grassland, Snow Mountains and the lakes will continually appear and strongly attract your heart.

You will arrive in Lhasa at about 19:40. Your tour guide will hold a board with your name on it at the exit of the train station to welcome you. A private car will take you from the train station to the reserved hotel.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Morning section to visit the famous Potala Palace and explore the grandest of this myriad chapels, you will experience its audience halls, the jeweled and Golden burial chortens(stupa Tombs) of past Dalai Lamas, and tremendous number of Buddhist frescoes, thangkas, combinations of mandala etc.

Afternoon section visiting to the holist temple in Tibet, the Jokhang Temple, built during songtsen gonpo's reign by princess wencheng of tang dynasty, 647 A.D, and its famous Barkor Kora, where you can buy or appreciate traditional Tibetan artifacts, religious implements, antiques, books, Tibetan music instrument, Thangkas, and tradition tibetan clothes etc. you will have chance to get close to appreciate how the artists draw Thangkas at the Thakangka workroom at Barkhor.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Today, you will visit two important monasteries in Lhasa, the Drepung and the Sera. Drepung Monastery is situated at the foothill of a mountain and was founded by Jamyang Choeje in 1416. It was once home of 10000 monks and Ganden podrang in Drepung is famous it was the government centre during fifth dalai lama and later moved to the famous potala palace during fifth dalai lama.

After having lunch, continue to visit the Sera Monastery, which was founded in 1419 by Tsongkapa's disciple Jamchen Choeje. The most attractive is that Monks debiting is held there in the courtyard at around 3-5 in the afternoon section most of the time.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

In the morning, drive from Lhasa to Lake Namtso. On the way, you can see Nyenchen Thanglha( snow mountain ranges )and lots of nomads tent with grazing yak and sheep densely-populated around the mountain side. Namtso Lake is the Heavenly lake which is one of the four holy lakes of Tibet and also the highest salt lake. You can do a very relaxing trekking around the lake side and Tashi Island.

To spend a night at lake shore is fantastic to see the stars.

Stay overnight in Namtso Guest house.

Enjoy the clear morning at the lake shore, and you can trek along the lake shore to Tashi Dor Island to explore the meditation caves.

After that, continue to Shigatse, the second biggest city in Tibet, you will go through a long distance of rough road between Yanpanchen and Dazhuka, and finally get to Shigatse in the late afternoon.

Stay overnight in Shigatse.

We’ll leave Shigatse after getting your Alien’s travel permit, and then drive to Lhatse. It is a small town where you can take lunch.

After that, you will drive to Shegar and if the weather is clear enough then on the way down to shegar you will view the Mt. Everest in the distance.

After 4 to 6 hours then you will arrive at Rongbuk monastery. But on the way, you will pass one of the highest passes in Tibet (pang la pass height 5050m) from that’s pass you will view the whole five highest peaks in the world.

Stay overnight at Rongphu Monastery Tent or Guest House.

In the morning, you can catch the stunning sunrise of Everest Peak if weather permits at the lodging area and then pay a visit to Rongbu Monastery - the unique highest monastery with nuns and monks living together. You’ll have the chance to take the closest picture of Mt. Everest at the base camp.

Then late in the afternoon go down from E.B.C back to Shigatse.

Stay overnight in Shigatse.

Today, we will drive back to Lhasa on the friendship Highway. The whole distance is almost 280km and it takes 6 hours along the Yarlung Tsangpo River / Bhamaputra River (the Longest and largest river in Tibet).

On the way, we will visit the largest Monastery in west Tibet, the Tashilunpo Monastery which is one of the six great Gelukpa institutions and was founded in 1447 by a disciple of Tsongkapa, contains the world's largest gilded copper image (26m high) of future god Jampa.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

You will be transferred to Lhasa airport for your flight to next destination.