What to Experience on A Beijing Lhasa Train Journey

If you are planning a trip to Lhasa from Beijing by train, you may just wonder what you will experience on your lifetime train journey to Tibet. A 41 hours’ train ride from Beijing to Lhasa is a quite long journey that you may expect something special, unique, and enjoyable onboard.

1. Altitude Changes from Plain to the Highest Plateau

Taking a train from the very low North China Plain to Tibet, the roof of the world will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience you can get only from the train ride from Beijing to Lhasa. And the journey from Xining to Lhasa is the most important part for you to experience and acclimatized to the high altitude before arriving in Lhasa.

Check the graph of the altitude trajectory of the train journey.

When driving into the plateau zone after Golmud, the Oxygen Supplement System starts to work in two ways to release high altitude sickness, like headache, out of breath inside the Oxygen filled cabins. The concentration of oxygen in cabins will rise after oxygen pumped in. And there are also oxygen outlets for individual passengers. You don’t need to worry too much about the high altitude sickness for Tibet trains’ oxygen supplement system and also a doctor onboard every train to Lhasa.

Passengers can see the recent changes of altitude on the screen of oxygen generator machine.

Since the journey is running through the world’s highest railway, to record the altitude past is also fun for some travelers. You can see the changes of altitude on the screen of Oxygen Generator Machine. And many travelers want to record the highest altitude when reaching Tangula Pass at 5,072m.

Note: The train from Beijing to Lhasa passes through Tangula Mountains in the early morning on the third day.

2. Splendid Landscapes along the way

It is a good way to see the high Tibetan plateau and other more remote areas of china. But it doesn’t mean that there is always “WOW” along all the way. Compared with the journey from Xining to Lhasa, the first day journey from Beijing to Xining is not so spectacular. After the first night onboard the train, you will see the remote areas of north China, and passing Shapotou Tourism Area on the north bank of the Yellow River, which is recognizes as one of the five most beautiful deserts in China. The journey from Beijing to Xining is mainly in the northwest China, which offers you a view of remote Chinese towns and villages you cannot seen by other ways of travel.

Shapotour Tourist Area can be seen from the train from Beijing to Lhasa when passing Zhongwei.

Qinghai Lake, Kunlun Mountains, Kekexili, and many amazing landscapes will jump into your eyes after driving to the most essential part of Qinghai-Tibet railway on the third day. From the endless plains to deserted Loess Plateau, from the dusty world to the pure Tibetan plateau, from the urban areas with little towns, cities and factories to the no-man’s land in Kekexili, the landscapes changes a lot through the way.

You can see the majestic Kunlun Mountains with Qinghai-Tibet railway on the train.

3. The Most Chinese way of Travel

It is one of the cheapest ways to travel in China by train, and it is more and more popular for both natives and foreign travelers to travel Tibet by train. The over 40 hours you spend onboard the Lhasa Express will be a special experience for you to deeply know China for its amazing landscapes and people as well. Having a basic idea of train journeys in China that most staff on the trains can’t speak English, but they are always willing to help. Check more facilities onboard China Tibet train.

How to Make Your Train Journey to Tibet More Enjoyable

1. To take some books, or cards with you to kill time on the first day before going to the most marvelous part of journey from Golmud to Lhasa on the third day.
2. The dining car offers very basic Chinese food, so you can bring some instant noodles with you. Hot water dispenser is available in every carriage, so you can bring teas, coffees for the long journey.
3. You can take some wet wipes with you for the 2 days journey onboard, since there is no shower onboard.