10 Days Xi’an, Tibet and Kathmandu Tour by Train from Beijing
Tour Overview
This is 10-day Xi’an, Tibet, Kathmandu tour is one of the most welcomed and popular itineraries in Tibet and covers all the highlights. Start from Beijing, and take Qinghai-Tibet train...
Code of Tour: YCT0000003886
Length of Travel: 10 Day
Destinations of Tour: Beijing-Xi'an-Lhasa-Gyantse-Sakya-Mt.Everest-Gyirong-Kathmandu
Departure City: Beijing
Price of Tour: Request
Type of Tour:
Features of Tour: Nature History Minority Landscape
This is 10-day Xi’an, Tibet, Kathmandu tour is one of the most welcomed and popular itineraries in Tibet and covers all the highlights. Start from Beijing, and take Qinghai-Tibet train to Lhasa from Xi’an. Visit the heritage sites, such as Potala Palace, Jokhang temple and traditional Barkhor street, important Buddhist monasteries like Drepung, Sera and Tashilhunpho monasteries. Besides, the overland Tibet tour passes through the beautiful turquoise Yamdrok lake, karo glacier and Tashilhunpo monastery. You can enjoy beautiful scenery of the Everest Base camp and the Rongbuk monastery. Drive to final destination- Kathmandu to end the tour.
Highlights
- Spend some days exploring the ancient Chinese culture and history by visiting the famous World Heritage Sites in Beijing and Xian, such as Great Wall, Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City and Terracotta Warriors, etc;
- Enjoy the shorter train journey to Tibet from Xian – only about 31 hours to get to the holy city Lhasa by train from Xian;
- Have a memorable trip on the holy city on the Roof of the World to explore the famous sights, such as Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Sera Monastery, etc.
Brief Itinerary
Day 1 Beijing to Xi’an
Day 2 Xi’an
Day 3 Board the overnight train to Lhasa from Xi’an
Day 4 Sightseeing along the railway and arrive in Lhasa in the late afternoon
Day 5 Lhasa
Day 6 Lhasa
Day 7 Lhasa(3650m) to Shigatse( 3900m)
Day 8 Shigatse(3900m) to Everest(5200m) via Tingri
Day 9 Everest(5200m) to Old Tingri (4300m)
Day 10 Old Tingri(4300m) to Kathmandu via Gyirong Port
Google Map
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1 Beijing-Xi’an
Sightseeing and Activities:Take Train from Beijing to Xi’an
Accommodation:overnight train
Meals:none
Meet the Guide and other tour members, and board the overnight train to Xi’an
Stay overnight on the train
Day 2 Xi’an
Sightseeing and Activities:Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, BanPo Museum and Underground Palace
Accommodation:Xi’an
Meals:breakfast, lunch
After your arrival in Xi’an in the early morning, the guide will get you transfered to hotels. Later, you are about to visit the Eighth Wonder of the World, the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. You will not only be attracted by the life-sized warrior figures and horses, each of which has distinct facial expressions and positions, but also be astonished by various kinds of ancient weapons which reflect the highly advanced technology in weapon-making 2,200 years ago.
Then visit the BanPo Museum, the Underground Palace as well.
Stay overnight in Xi’an
Day 3 Xi’an-Lhasa
Sightseeing and Activities:Board the overnight train to Lhasa from Xi’an
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:breakfast
In the early morning, you will board the famous sky train to Lhasa in Xi’an railway station to start the wonderful journey of exploring the highest train ride in the world. The train journey will take you about 32 hours.
Stay overnight in the train
Day 4 Lhasa
Sightseeing and Activities:Sightseeing along the railway and arrive in Lhasa in the late afternoon
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:none
A full day window sightseeing along Qinghai-Tibet Railway, you will see land of snows, desert, immense grassland, ice mountain, beautiful lakes which will fairly entertaining.
Shortly after your arrival in Lhasa in the late afternoon, you will be warmly received by your tour guide and transferred to your reserved hotel in Lhasa. Have a good rest to acclimatize the high altitude.
Stay overnight in Lhasa
Day 5 Lhasa
Sightseeing and Activities:Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and Barkhor Street
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:breakfast
Today’s tour will first bring you to the Potala Palace, which is the winter palace of the Dalai lama. It was put to use since the 7th Century by the 33rd great king of Tibet. The most valuable collections of Potala Palace are the gilded burial stupas of former Dalai Lamas and meditation Cave of the 33rd great king of Tibet.
Then after lunch, you will head to Jokhang Temple which was founded by the 33rd great king of Tibet in the 7th century, in order to promote the Buddhist religion. Inside you can see the statue of Buddha Sakyamuni at the age of twelve, perhaps the only most venerated object in Tibetan Buddhism. Around the temple is Barkhor Street where you can do kora (a religious circle of a building or mountain) with pilgrims and locals, in the meantime you can buy souvenirs.
Stay overnight in Lhasa
Day 6 Lhasa
Sightseeing and Activities:Drepung and Sera Monastery
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:breakfast
In the morning, you are going to visit Drepung Monastery which was one of the “three greet” Gelug monasteries of Tibet and was founded in 1416 by Jamyang choge, one of the Tsongkhapa’s main disciples. Ganden palace is used as Dalai lama’s palace in the Drepung before moving to the Potala palace.
In the afternoon, head to the Sera Monastery which is one of the “great three” Gelug monasteries of Tibet, founded in 1419 by Jamchen chojey, one of the Tsongkhapa’s main disciples. The most popular attraction is the monk debate at around 3:00 – 5:00 in the afternoon.
Stay overnight in Lhasa
Day 7 Lhasa(3650m) -Shigatse( 3900m)
Sightseeing and Activities:Lhasa(3650m) to Shigatse( 3900m)
Accommodation:Shigatse
Meals:breakfast
In the morning, drive from Lhasa to Shigatse .On the way, drive over the Gampala pass (4790 m), and you will have a glimpse of Yamdrok Lake (4400m) .The Lake is surrounded by many snow-capped mountains and in the distance you can have spectacular views of Holy Mount Nyenchen Khangsar, (7191m) the highest mountain near Lhasa.
Gyantse was historically Tibet’s third largest city (after Lhasa and Shigatse).In Gyantse, we will visit the famous Pelkor Monastery and Gyantse Kumbum.
After one and a half driving, we arrive in Shigatse, which is the second largest city in Tibet. In Shigatse, we’ll visit Tashilunpho Monastery, the seat of Tibet’s second highest incarnation, the Panchen Lama.
Stay overnight in Shigatse
Day 8 Shigatse(3900m)-Tingri-Everest(5200m)
Sightseeing and Activities:Shigatse(3900m) to Everest(5200m) via Tingri
Accommodation:Everest Camp
Meals:breakfast
We’ll leave Shigatse after getting your Alien’s travel permit, and then drive to Lhatse, it is a small town where you can have 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’ drive , 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 tent or Rongbuk monastery guest house.
Day 9 Everest(5200m)-Old Tingri (4300m)
Sightseeing and Activities:Everest(5200m) to Old Tingri (4300m)
Accommodation:Old Tingri
Meals:breakfast
In the morning, you can see the sun rise on the top of Mt Everest and have a full view the magnificent Mt. Everest standing like a snow-capped pyramid in front of you at Rongpuk, which is the vantage point for watching Mt. Everest. Then, you can visit Rongphu Monastery which is the highest monastery in the world (5000m) and then drive to Old Tingri where you can enjoy the beauty of whole Himalaya range.
Stay overnight in Tingri.
Day 10 Old Tingri(4300m)-Gyirong Port-Kathmandu via
Sightseeing and Activities:Old Tingri(4300m) to Kathmandu via Gyirong Port
Accommodation:Kathmandu
Meals:breakfast
In the early morning, we will drive to border – Gyirong Port. On the way to Gyirong Port, you will pass a Nyalam Tong pass(5,150) where the Friendship Highway connects Kathmandu, Nepal and Lhasa, Tibet crosses at meters elevation.
The road to Gyirong Port is not bad but the altitude and the atmosphere is rabidly changing in front of your eyes. In the afternoon, you will arrive in border – Gyirong Port , and move to Kathmandu.
Our Guide will drop you off at the border bridge.
Recommended Hotels
| City | 5 Star | 4 Star | 3 Star |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xi’an | Sofitel Xian on Renmin Square | Grand New World Hotel | Mercure on Renmin Square |
| Lhasa | Luxury St. Regis Lhasa Resort | Lhasa Gang Gyan Hotel | Lhasa Xiongbala Hotel |
| Shigatse | / | Shigatse Manasarovar Hotel | Jiumu Yamei Hotel in Shigatse |
| Rongbuk | / | / | Everest Guesthouse |
| Tingri | / | / | Tingri Everest Shanghai Hotel |
Quotations
| Group size(person) | 5 Star ($) | 4 Star ($) | 3 Star ($) |
|---|
Service Included:
1.Admission fees for all of the sightseeing spots listed in the itinerary;
2.Meals as listed in the itinerary;
3.Accommodation with breakfast as listed in the itinerary;
4.Private English-speaking tour guide and vehicle for transfers & sightseeing;
5.Service charge & government taxes;
6. Luggage transfers between airports and hotels;
7. Two bottles of mineral water each day;
8.Domestic air tickets /or train tickets as mentioned in the program;
9. Tibet Travel Permit.
Service Excluded:
1.Any arrival and departure international airfares or train tickets;
2.Chinese visa fees;
3.Excess baggage charged by Airlines;
4.Single room supplement;
5.Tips to guides and drivers;
6.Personal expenses and gratuities to service staff;
7.Personal travel insurance;
8.All optional programs;
Travel Tips:
- Tibet Permits
There are several permits required to visit Tibet. Tibet Entry Permit, issued by Tibet Tourism Bureau, is the most important one which has to be obtained before your trip because you must have it to take your flight/train to Tibet. To get the permit, you have to book a Tibet tour with us, and send us your passport and Chinese visa about 20 days in advance, and then let us apply for the permit (all Tibet permits can only be applied by travel agency). If you travel to other prefectures like Shigatse, Nyingchi, Shannan, etc, you also have to obtain an Alien Travel Permit. If you travel to Mount Everest, you have to obtain a Border Permit. (Tibet Discovery, with office in Lhasa, has always kept up with the latest news on Tibet Permits. Traveling with us, all your permits are guaranteed as long as you are qualified to the requirements.)
- Available Months to Visit Tibet
Generally speaking, May to early October is the best time to for a Mount Kailash trip. July and August are the peak season and rainy season. It may be too cold to travel in Kailash area from November to March. There is usually heavy snow. The conditions in Namtso Lake and Mount Everest area are quite similar with Kailash. While other places like Lhasa, Gyantse and Shigatse are suitable for travel all year around.
- High Altitude Sickness
The average altitude of Tibet is about 4000 meters above the sea level (Lhasa: 3700m; EBC: 5200m; Namtso: 4718m). You may suffer a bit from High Altitude Sickness in the beginning days of your Tibet trip if you haven’t had rich high plateau travel experience. But don’t worry too much, the high altitude can be acclimatized usually in 2~3 days. Our suggestion is to take a physical examination and get suggestions from your doctor, and also bring some medicines to prevent from High Altitude Sickness before your trip. While in Tibet, you should keep warm all the time, avoid strenuous activities, drink more water and eat more vegetables and carbohydrates. You’d better not take showers during the first two days after your arrival at Tibet. If you don’t feel well, get help from your tour guide or go to the hospital without any delay.
- How to Go to Tibet
Basically you have two options – flight and train. Currently, you can take a flight to Lhasa from Beijing(4.5hrs), Xian(3.7hrs), Chengdu(2.5hrs), Chongqing(3hrs), Kuming(3hrs), etc. Among all these cities, Chengdu and Xian have more frequent flights to Lhasa. Kathmandu also has several flights to Lhasa each week.
If you a train travel, you can take a train to from Beijing(40.5hrs), Xian(32hrs), Chengdu(43hrs), Shanghai(47hrs), Chongqing(42hrs), Lanzhou(25hrs), Xining(22hrs), Guangzhou(54hrs).
- Packing and Wearing Ideas
Firstly you can’t forget your passport and Chinese Visa. A large backpack and a smaller one are recommended (the smaller one can be used for daily activities). Also bring the necessary medicine you need. Other stuffs like sunglasses, snow glasses, hats, lip balm, sun block are recommended. As for wearing, you are suggested to dress in layers (both thin and thick jackets). Down jacket is necessary in Spring and Autumn. A pair of durable and comfortable shoes is necessary.
