16 Days Beijing Xining and Lhasa to Kathmandu Overland Tour with Qinghai-Tibet Train

Welcome to Beijing! Upon your arrival in Beijing, your driver will pick you up and take you to your hotel in Beijing in a private car. Then you could have a rest in your hotel or walk around on your own.

Stay overnight in Beijing.

Your guided tour starts with a visit to the famous Forbidden City, which used to be the imperial palace from around 1420 to 1912 and now houses the Palace Museum. Then you will visit Summer Palace. Summer Palace is the largest and most well-preserved royal park in China, and is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens, and palaces. These beautiful attractions show visitors what life was like for the royal household in ancient China, and how the Chinese emperors managed their empire.

Stay overnight in Beijing.

Today, you will get up early to visit the Temple of Heaven, an imperial complex of religious building. It was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremony of prayer to Heaven for good harvest. You can visit the grand prayer hall which was built without using a single nail. Then you will visit Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. Stretching 2,250 meters long and including 22 watchtowers, Mutianyu Great Wall is the longest, fully restored Great Wall section open to tourists.

Stay overnight in Beijing.

Today, you will be transferred to airport to take the flight from Beijing to Xining, and the flight takes about 3 hours. Upon your arrival in Xining, you will be transferred to your hotel and have a good rest. At night you will head for Mo Street, the famous gourmet street in Xining, to taste local delicacies such as mutton, lamb soup, noodles with chicken shreds and so on.

Stay overnight in Xining.

In the morning, you will take a car ride for about 2.5 hours to Qinghai Lake, the largest inland salt water lake in China. On the way to this charming lake, you can get a view of the famous Riyue Mountain. The most attractive place in Qinghai Lake is the Bird Island situated on the western shore. In April and May, tens of thousands of birds nestle and lay eggs here, making it a great place to watch various kinds of birds. You can also take a cruise for about 30 minutes to appreciate the lake.

Stay overnight in Xining.

Ta’er Monastery (Kumbum Monastery) is located about 25 kilometers to the northeast of Xining City. It’s built in 1577 to commemorate Tsong Khapa, founder of the Yellow Hat Sect which is also called Gelupa Sect. Here you can watch the magnificent Buddhist halls, exquisite murals, and Tibetan butter sculpture. In the afternoon, you will board Tibet train at Xining Railway Station.

Stay overnight on the train

Upon your arrival in Lhasa, your tour guide will hold a board with your name on it at the exit. A private car will take you to the reserved hotel, and the guide will give a brief introduction of the itinerary as well as dos and don'ts in Tibet. Then, you can take a good rest at hotel to acclimatize to Tibetan plateau environment.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Today, you’ll pay a visit to the famous Potala Palace, the world culture heritage and the winter palace of Dalai Lama. You can explore its audience halls, the jeweled and golden burial chortens (stupa tombs) of past Dalai Lamas, meditation cave of the 33rd Great King of Tibet, and tremendous number of Buddhist frescoes, thangkas, combinations of mandala, etc.

Then you will head to the holiest temple in Tibet, the Jokhang Temple, built during Songtsen Ganpo's reign by Princess Wencheng of Tang dynasty, 647 A.D. Here you can observe sincere pilgrims making prostration in front of Jokhang Temple. While entering inside the temple, you can see the statue of Buddha Sakyamuni at the age of twelve. On the top of Jokhang Temple, you can enjoy the panorama of old Lhasa City and great vista of Potala Palace.

Then you can do the kora with pilgrims and locals by circling the Barkhor Street around the temple, buy some souvenirs, and taste sweet tea and local snacks in local tea house. Later, you can take your family to explore farm products like yak butter in Tromzikhang, the famous farm produce market.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Today, you will visit two important monasteries in Lhasa, the Drepung and the Sera. Drepung Monastery, the largest monastery in Tibet, was founded by Jamyang Choeje in 1416 and used to be home to more than 10,000 monks. Hiking along the mountain steps, you can see Buddhist painting on the rock face. During Shoton Festival, locals and pilgrims swarm to Drepung Monastery to celebrate the gigantic Thangka Buddha unveiling ceremony on the Gambo Utse Mountain. Then you will stop by the nearby carpet factory to appreciate the Tibetan artisans make traditional carpets with great skills.

After having lunch, you will visit Sera Monastery, which was founded in 1419 by Tsongkapa's disciple Jamchen Choeje. The most interesting thing is to see monks debating in the courtyard at around 3-5 in the afternoon. By yelling at each other, slapping hands and rolling mala, two monks make a pair to debate on philosophical issues. You can also appreciate the delicately-made Mandala, sanding paintings, and massive Buddhist scriptures inside Sera Monastery.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

At first, you will pass over the Gampala Pass (4790m) and have a far view of Yamdrok-tso (4400m) at the viewing platform there. Then at the lake, you can see many snow-capped mountains surrounding it and and have spectacular far view of the holy Mount Nyenchen Khangsar (7191m), the highest mountain near Lhasa. Later, you will stop by the Karola Glacier on the roadside. When arriving at Simila Mountain Pass, you can hang auspicious prayer flags on the mountain pass and view Manak Dam Lake.

Then you’ll go to the heritage Gyantse, Tibet's third largest city after Lhasa and Shigatse. In Gyantse, you can visit Pelkor Monastery and Nepali-style Kumbum Stupa, with nine floors and unique chapels in each tier, this stupa is considered the largest one in Tibet. After about 1.5 hours’ car ride, you will arrive in Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet after Lhasa.

Stay overnight in Shigatse.

In the morning, you will go to the home of Panchen Lama - Tashilunpo Monastery, and visit the golden statue of Future Buddha and assembly hall there. After getting your Alien’s Travel Permit, you will head for Lhatse and have lunch there.

Afterwards, you will pass Tsola Pass (4,600m) and Gyatsola Pass (5,248m). Shortly after entering Mt. Everest National Nature Reserve, you can appreciate the panoramic view of Himalaya at Gawula Pass (5,180m). Keep marching along the new zigzag road to Everest Base Camp, you can get closer view of Mt. Everest peak. After having a full view of the magnificent Mt. Everest, you will visit Rongbuk Monastery, the highest monastery in the world as well as the unique Nyingma Sect monastery where nuns and monks live together. You can also enjoy the sunset of golden Everest peak at the lodging area if time and weather permits.

Stay overnight at tent or Rongbuk Monastery Guesthouse.

In the morning, you can admire the stunning sunrise of Everest peak if weather permits. After having a full view of the magnificent Mt. Everest, you will visit Rongbuk Monastery, the highest monastery in the world as well as the unique Nyingma Sect monastery where nuns and monks live together.

After that, set off from EBC to Gyirong Border. On the way, you can enjoy breathtaking vista of Mt. Shishapangma and the Pekutso Lake. After passing the Ghungtang Lhamo (5236m), you will arrive at Gyirong Town in late afternoon.

Stay overnight in Gyirong Town.

After passing through China Customs with the assistance of you Tibetan guide, you will meet you Nepali guide on the other side of the border and enjoy the jeep transfer service to your hotel in Kathmandu.

The day starts with a tour of Kathmandu City, and takes in the famous Kathmandu Durbar Square. The most famous square in the city, the Durbar Square is the Royal Palace square in the city, and is surrounded by ancient buildings from the early 16th century. The magnificent architecture, exquisite decorations, and the intensity of historical items gives a great insight into Nepali culture.

You then continue the tour with a visit to the Swayambhunath Pagoda, which is one of the oldest Buddhist sites in Nepal. Swayambhunath is a huge golden stupa festooned with prayer flags that flutter in the breeze, on a hill that overlooks the entire city. Then it is on to Patan City, the second largest city in the Kathmandu Valley area. Patan City has one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Nepal that dates back to the 12th century, and is a great place to explore the Buddhist culture of Nepal.

Stay overnight in Kathmandu.

You will also get to go further afield in Nepal, to visit the ancient Hindu temple of Pashupatinath, and Boudhanath, one of the largest stupas in Asia, and a focal point for Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal. Set on the banks of the Baghmati River, Pashupatinath is one of Nepal’s famous UNESCO sites, and the sunset over the temple roofs is spectacular.

Another great place to see is Boudhanath, located on the ancient trade route. It is a place of meditation and part of the spiritual journey around Kathmandu. With one of the largest stupas in the world, it has been the site of many Tibetan prayers over the centuries. Bhaktapur Durbar Square is the last place to visit for the day, with its pagoda and shikhara temples strewn around the royal palace. The square really highlights the ancient building arts of Nepal.

Stay overnight in Kathmandu.

Your guide will pick you up from your hotel in a private car, take you to Tribhuvan Airport, and help you with your luggage and checking in for your flight from Nepal.