14 Days Chengdu and Tibet Tour with Mt. Everest Adventure by Train

This 14 Days Chengdu and Tibet Tour with Mt. Everest Adventure will take you to first experience the top attractions of Chengdu and Xining, including Chinese Buddhism in Leshan, Mt. Emei and Qinghai Lake. Then, take the  Qinghai-Tibet Train to Lhasa, this train tour will be the most unforgettable part in yourtour as you will pass by grasslands, snow mountains, plateau lakes, Tibetan Villages and rare animals out of your window. After arrive at Lhasa, you will visit several significant monasteries in tibet, including Jokhang temple, Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery and Tashilunpo monastery. Then drive to Shigatse to appreciate the stunning sunrise of Mt.Everest and visit the highest monastery in the world-Rongphu Monastery

Highlights:

  • Visit the top attractions of Chengdu and Xining including Leshan Buddha and Qinghai Lake.
  • Take the Qinghai-Tibet Trian to Lhasa with the most beautiful sceneries passing by.
  • Experience Tibetan Buddhism in significant monasteries in Lhasa.
  • Meet the tranquil lakes, white snow mounatians, shimmering rivers and rare animals in Lhasa.
  • Enjoy the starry sky and stunning sunrise of Mt. Everest.

Brief Itinerary

  • Day 1: Chengdu Arrival
  • Day 2: Chengdu-Leshan-Mt.Emei
  • Day 3: Mt. Emei-Chengdu
  • Day 4: Chengdu-Xining
  • Day 5: Xining
  • Day 6: Xining-Lhasa
  • Day 7: Lhasa Arrival
  • Day 8: Lhasa
  • Day 9: Lhasa
  • Day 10: Lhasa-Gyantse-Shigatse
  • Day 11: Shigatse-Lhatse-Shegar-E.B.C.
  • Day 12: Everest Base Camp-Shigatse
  • Day 13: Shigatse-Lhasa
  • Day 14: Lhasa Departure

Google Map

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Chengdu

Sightseeing and Activities:Arrive in Chengdu
Accommodation:Chengdu
Meals:None

Upon arrival in Chengdu airport or railway station, you will be transferred to your hotel in Chengdu. The rest of the day is at leisure. Stay overnight in Chengdu

Day 2 Chengdu-Leshan-Mt.Emei

Sightseeing and Activities:Leshan Giant Buddha, Mt. Emei
Accommodation:the foot of Mt. Emei
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, drive about 2 hours from Chengdu to Leshan to have an overlook at the famous Giant Buddha by boat. The grand Buddha carved out of the cliffs at the confluence of the Dadu, Minjiang and Qingyi Rivers. You will take a sightseeing cruise to the center of the river and face the huge stone Buddha.

In the afternoon, drive from Leshan to Mt. Emei to visit Baoguo Temple at the foot of Mt. Emei, known as one of the four sacred Buddhism mountains in China and added to UNESCO’s Natural and Cultural Heritage List in 1996. Baoguo Temple is the largest temple on the mountain. Later, you can enjoy a hot spring bath at the foot of Mt. Emei. There are many hot springs near the Baoguo Temple, such as Hongzhu Hot spring Clubhouse, Lingxiu Hot Niton-spring, Yoga Hot Spring of Mt. Emei Hotel, etc. Stay overnight at the foot of Mt. Emei

Day 3 Mt.Emei-Chengdu

Sightseeing and Activities:Mt. Emei, Golden Summit, Wannian Temple
Accommodation:Chengdu
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, visit the famous Mount Emei. Many ancient temples are scattered in the deep mountain, and the nature is beautiful. Dense forest, naughty monkeys, clean rivers and something else are beyond your expectation! With an elevation of over 3,000 meters above sea level, Golden Summit is the highlight of Mount Emei and an important attraction integrating the temples and scenic sites together.

After breakfast, move on to the entrance to Mt. Emei and take bus and cable car to the Golden Summit. Standing on the Golden Summit, you are truly among the clouds, as clouds can be seen above and below you. You might have the good fortune to see Cloud Sea even Buddha light if it is a nice day.

After having an eyeful of the spectacular view at the Golden Summit, you can take the cable car down and the bus back to Wannian parking lot which is located halfway of Mt. Emei. Take another cable car to visit Wannian Temple where you can have a simple lunch. Then walk along the scenic mountain path for around two hours to another parking lot to take a bus out of the Mt. Emei Scenic Area. Drive back to your hotel in Chengdu. Stay overnight in Chengdu.

Day 4 Chengdu-Xining

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

Take a flight from Chengdu to Xining. You will be transferred to your hotel after arriving in Xining airport. The rest of the time is at leisure. You can have a good rest or walk around in the city. Stay overnight in Xining

Day 5 Xining-Qinghai Lake-Xining

Sightseeing and Activities:Qinghai Lake 
Accommodation:Xining
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

Qinghai Lake in Haibei and Hainan of Qinghai

In the morning, drive about 2.5 hours from Xining to Qinghai Lake, China’s largest inland salt water lake. The ellipse-shaped lake looks like a huge poplar leaf sitting on the alpine prairie. Scenery in Qinghai lake varies according to seasons. Summer and autumn have the most comfortable weather conditions and the lake’s scenery is most beautiful during these seasons. The most charming and attractive place in Qinghai Lake is the Bird Island. It situates on the western shore of the Lake. Cruising for about 30 minutes is a popular way to appreciate the lake. On the way to this charming lake, you can get a view of Riyue Mountain. After the day tour, we will head back to city of Xining. Stay overnight in Xining.

Day 6 Xining

Sightseeing and Activities:Ta’er Monastery and Board the Overnight Train to Lhasa
Accommodation:None
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, we are about to visit Ta’er Monastery, one of the must-see religious sites in Xining. Located 25km to the northeast of Xining City, Ta’er Monastery is also called “Kumbum Monastery”. It’s one of the major Gelugpa monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism and the birthplace of Tsongkhapa, well-known Tibetan Buddhist master. You can see many devoted Tibetan pilgrims doing full-body prostration to the Buddha, magnificent Buddhist hall and exquisite murals and Tibetan butter flowers, etc.

In the afternoon, tourists will be transferred to railway station for your overnight train to Lhasa. Stay overnight in the train.

Day 7 Xining-Lhasa

Sightseeing and Activities:Sightseeing along the railway and arrive in Lhasa
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

You will spend a whole day on the train to Lhasa and enjoy fabulous scenery along the world famous Qinghai-Tibet railway, the highest railway in the world. Spectacular land of snows, boundless desert, vast grassland, grand ice mountains, and beautiful lakes will continually appear and strongly attract your heart. You will arrive in Lhasa in late afternoon or evening. Then transfer to your hotel. Stay overnight in Lhasa

Day 8 Lhasa

Sightseeing and Activities:Potala Palace, Tibet Museum, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street
Accommodation:Lhasa
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, visit the famous Potala Palace and explore the grandest of this myriad chapel. You will appreciate 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. Tibet Museum is an important window to introduce the glorious culture of Tibet, and as a free Museum in Lhasa, you should not miss.

In the afternoon, visit 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 Barkhor 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 a chance to get close to appreciate how the artists draw Thangkas at the Thangka workroom at Barkhor. Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Day 9 Lhasa

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

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 3:00 – 5:00 in the afternoon. Stay overnight in Lhasa.

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

Sightseeing and Activities:Yamdrok-tso Lake, Pelkor Monadtery
Accommodation:Shigatse
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

Today, we will drive from Lhasa to Shigatse. On the way, the group will pass over the Gampala pass (4790 m), and tourists will have a glimpse of Yamdrok-tso Lake(4400m) .The Lake is surrounded by many snow-capped mountain and in the distance you have spectacular views of Holy Mount Nyenchen Khangsar, (7191m) the highest mountain near Lhasa .

We head westward along the lake and drive towards Gyantse. 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 hour’s driving, we arrive in Shigatse, which is the second largest city in Tibet.  Stay overnight in Shigatse.

Day 11 Shigatse(3900m)-Lhatse-Shegar-Everest Base Camp(5200m)

Sightseeing and Activities:Shigatse(3900m) to Everest Base Camp(5200m) via Lhatse, Shegar
Accommodation:Tent or Guesthouse
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 12 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 of 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 13 Shigatse(3900m)-Lhasa(3650m)

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

Tashilhunpo Monastery 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 Tashilhunpo 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.

Day 14 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

Destination 5 Star 4 Star 3 Star
Chengdu Crowne Plaza Tianfu Sunshine Hotel Garden City Hotel
Xining Wanda Realm Xining Mehood Hotel (Xining Haihu New District) Home Inn Plus
Lhasa Luxury St. Regis Lhasa Resort Lhasa Gang Gyan Hotel Lhasa Xiongbala Hotel
Shigatse / Shigatse Manasarovar Hotel Jiumu Yamei Hotel in Shigatse

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.)

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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).

  1. 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.