What Is Life Like on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway?

When looking at taking a trip to Tibet, many people think that they can fly there easily. While flights are available, no international airline flies direct to Lhasa (except Kathmandu-Lhasa flight), only domestic flights are available from cities within China. However, there is an alternative to flying to Lhasa, and it takes a much more scenic route getting there.

Trains to Lhasa

The trains to Lhasa start from seven major cities in China: Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Lanzhou, Shanghai and Xining. And while each has its own route for most of the journey, all of them complete the trip along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, which starts at Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province. This is the shortest of all the routes available, and has amazing scenery along its uphill climb to Lhasa. Which city you choose to start from is up to you, and each travels through some of China’s most scenic countryside.

Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Xining to Lhasa Route

The most popular route with travelers to Tibet, the Xining train travels to Lhasa daily, and takes around 22 hours, covering 1972 kilometers. And with 4-5 trains traveling the route daily, there is more chance of getting a ticket than in other places. Two kinds of cabins are available on the train, one is the soft sleeper(￥781/pp) and the other is hard sleeper(￥495/pp). The former one promises better privacy and cozy environment, suitable for family or friends’ travel while the latter is more economically, yet with less privacy and comfort.

One advantage of traveling from Xining, as opposed to the other cities in China, is the higher elevation. One popular myth is that the train journey will help you to acclimatize to the high altitudes of Tibet. This is indeed a myth, as proper acclimatization takes at least one day, better if it is 2-3 days. In taking the train from Xining, you can spend a day or two in the city to acclimatize to its higher elevation - 2,283 meters above sea level, compared with Beijing, which is only 44 meters - which will help more for the trip to Tibet.

What to Pack for Tibet Train

The first thing to know is what you will need for your trip on the train. While you have packed for your trip in Tibet - hopefully warm clothes and stout boots at least - traveling on the train does not really require all of those things. The train does not have a luggage check-in, so you will need to keep your luggage with you. While there is little danger of theft with the police presence on the trains, it is recommended that you keep valuables on your person for safety, especially your travel documents. Adults are allowed as 20kg capacity, and cases have to be below 160cm in all dimensions. There are rules on what you cannot take, however, these are things no normal tourist would carry anyway.

Ideally, for the journey by train you should have a few essential items with you, and a small bag would be enough to contain them. Since most people prefer the sleeper berths, pajamas can be worn, or just use long shorts and a t-shirt, and an eye mask if you have trouble sleeping. Earplugs can be useful as trains can be noisy. Slippers or light shoes will also be more comfortable for the train than heavy boots.

Cameras, laptops, smartphones, books or cards can be useful items on the train, as the trip is long, and the best sights along the route are after the train has gone through Golmud, around a third of the way into the trip. Any personal medicines should be kept on your person, and keep some change handy for buying food as well. There is no ATM on board, but there is a dining car for passengers. Although there is no shower facility, there are washing sinks so toiletries should be taken along as well. Washing and toilet facilities are available in all cars, and are shared, so sanitary wipes would be useful, although they are kept neat and clean by the dedicated staff.

Additional Comforts on Board

The trains are all pressurized and air conditioned so the temperatures are kept at a comfortable level throughout the trip. Altitude displays in each cabin will let you know how high you are, and for altitude sickness there is oxygen available from individual ports. Breathing tubes are available from the train staff. For anything more serious than mild headaches, there are trained medical staff on the train who can provide temporary medical attention.

Dining and Snacks

There is food available on the train, and it is freshly prepared in the onboard kitchen. The dining car seats around 40-50 people and has wide windows to enjoy the view while you dine. The food served is a mixture of Chinese and Tibetan dishes, and is all of average quality, albeit a lot more expensive for what you are getting. That said, the food is tasty and nutritious, and it is a good start to sampling some of the Tibetan foods prior to arriving in Lhasa. There are several Tibetan dishes you can try, or there is a selection of decent Chinese meals available.

Inside Train Carriage

If you do not want to eat in the dining car, there is a food trolley brought to the cabins with a selection of Chinese dishes, packed in styrofoam food boxes. Prices range between 18-25 Yuan and there are snacks available from the train attendants who deliver the boxed meals to the cabins. Boiled and drinking water is available in all cars as well.

What to Do While Traveling

As the travel time is around 22 hours, there is a lot of time to spend looking out of the window at the scenery going by. The best scenery of the journey is on the latter part, and includes sights of some of the best parts of eastern Tibet. Yuzhu Peak, at an altitude of 4,160 meters is a breathtaking view, and the train stops there briefly at the station, and later the view of Tanggula Mountain is equally phenomenal.

For the first part of the journey up to Golmud, you can spend the time sleeping, or if you are on the train early in the day, reading or listening to music is a nice way to spend the time. There are window seats in the corridors of the sleeper cabins, so you can sit at the window and read or listen to music as the outside world rushes by. There is television on the train in the soft sleeper berths, but the programs are all local.

An alternative to reading or music, starting the journey late in the day means you can sleep through the night, and wake up to the breathtaking scenery in the morning. Whatever your preference, the trains are fully equipped to cater for most things, and the staff are very friendly and always willing to help. As a start to your tour of Tibet, there is nothing better than the relaxing trip by train.