11 Days Tibet Tour from Shanghai by Train

Tour Overview

This 11 Day Tibet Tour from Shanghai by Train will start from Shanghai. Tourists will take Qinghai-Tibet train to Lhasa to experience Tibetan Buddhism and appreciate fabulous natural landscape. You will...

Code of Tour: YCT0000001827

Length of Travel: 11 Day

Destinations of Tour: Shanghai - Lhasa - Namtso Lake - Shigatse - Everest Base Camp - Lhasa

Departure City: Lhasa

Price of Tour: Request

Type of Tour:

Features of Tour: Culture History Minority Landscape

More Map & Picture

This 11 Day Tibet Tour from Shanghai by Train will start from Shanghai. Tourists will take Qinghai-Tibet train to Lhasa to experience Tibetan Buddhism and appreciate fabulous natural landscape. You will see stunning lakes, grand snow mountains, vast grassland, boundless desert, majestic glaciers and so on along the train ride. Namtso Lake and Everest Base Camp are the two most important destinations of this tour.

Brief Itinerary

• Day 1: Shanghai Arrival-Train to Lhasa
• Day 2: Train to Lhasa
• Day 3: Lhasa Arrival
• Day 4: Lhasa
• Day 5: Lhasa
• Day 6: Lhasa-Namtso
• Day 7: Namtso-Shigatse
• Day 8: Shigatse-EBC
• Day 9: EBC-Shigatse
• Day 10: Shigatse-Lhasa
• Day 11: Shigatse Departure

Google Map

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Shanghai

Sightseeing and Activities:Arrive in Shanghai
Accommodation:on the train
Meals:None

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 overnight train to lhasa. Train Z164 starts at about 19:16 from Shanghai and arrive in Lhasa at 17:40 on the third day, totally about 46 hours and 24 minutes.

Day 2 Shanghai-Lhasa

Sightseeing and Activities:A full day window sightseeing along Qinghai-Tibet Railway
Accommodation:on the train
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

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.

Day 3 Lhasa

Sightseeing and Activities:Arrive in Lhasa
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

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 of third day, you will be warmly received by your tour guide who would say Tashi Delek, which means wishing you all the best and transferred to your reserved hotel in Lhasa. You can have a good rest to acclimatize the high altitude. Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Day 4 Lhasa

Sightseeing and Activities:Potala Place, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

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, tourists 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 some souvenirs. Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Day 5 Lhasa

Sightseeing and Activities:Drepung and Sera Monastery
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

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 was used as Dalai lama’s palace in the Drepung before moving to the Potala palace.

In the afternoon, Sera Monastery–It was one of the “three great” Gelug monasteries of Tibet and was founded in 1419 by Jamchen chojey, one of the Tsongkhapa’s main disciples. The Most attraction is the Monks debate at around 3 – 5 in the afternoon. Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Day 6 Lhasa-Namtso Lake (250km, 5 hours )

Sightseeing and Activities:Namtso Lake (250km, 5 hours )
Accommodation:Namtso Guest House
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

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。

Day 7 Namtso-Yanpanchen-Dazhuka-Shigatse (385km, 8-9hours driving)

Sightseeing and Activities:Namtso to Shigatse via Yanpanchen and Dazhuka (385km, 8-9hours driving)
Accommodation:Shigatse
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

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.

Day 8 Shigatse(3900m) -Lhatse-Shegar-Everest Base Camp(5200m)

Sightseeing and Activities:Shigatse(3900m) to Everest Base Camp(5200m) via Lhatse, Shegar
Accommodation:Everest Base Camp
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

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 in tent or Guesthouse.

Day 9 Everest Base Camp (5200m) -Shigatse (3900m)

Sightseeing and Activities:Everest Base Camp (5200m) and return to Shigatse (3900m)
Accommodation:Shigatse
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, you can see the sunrise appearing 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, tourists can visit Rongphu Monastery which is the highest monastery in the world (5000m) and belongs to Nyingma sect. After that drive back to Shigatse Stay overnight in Shigatse.

Day 10 Shigatse(3900m)-Lhasa(3650m)

Sightseeing and Activities:Shigatse(3900m) to Lhasa(3650m)
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

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). Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Day 11 Departure from Lhasa

Sightseeing and Activities:Departure from Lhasa
Accommodation:None
Meals:Breakfast

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

Recommended Hotels

Service Included:

• Tibet travel permit and all other necessary permits to Tibet;
• All entrance ticket fees for all tourist sites listed in the itinerary;
• Personal knowledgeable English-speaking Tibetan local tour guide;
• Personal comfortable, clean and safe vehicle with reliable Tibetan local driver; vehicle ranging from 4WD land cruiser to minibus depending on your group size;
• All lodging listed in the itinerary; it’s your decision about the accommodation class: luxury 5-star international hotel, comfortable 4-star hotel, economic 3-star hotel or budget hostel, guesthouse or tent. Please tell us your accommodation preference when submitting the enquiry; we will arrange the best-value hotels for you.
• Domestic flight/train tickets listed in the itinerary;
• All meals listed in the above itinerary;

Service Excluded:

• International flight to and out of China;
• Chinese visa (Note: we could help you with the Chinese visa application, like providing the invitation letter, presenting the hotel or domestic flight reservation copies, etc that you may need. )
• Domestic flight/train not listed in the itinerary. (We can provide you the domestic flight/train ticket booking service at the BEST discount price; please contact us our travel experts for the details.)
• Meals not specified in the itinerary; usually it costs about USD3-15 per person for one meal in TAR (Tibet Autonomous Region).
• Tips and gratitude to tour guide and driver;
• Personal expenses, like laundry, phone call, snacks, soft drinks (please do the best to avoid the alcoholic beverages during your Tibet trip), optional tour activities, etc.

Travel Tips:

1. 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.)

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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).

5. 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.