Let’s take an exciting trip to the holy Lake Namtso from Lhasa. With an altitude of 4718 meters, Lake Namtso is not only the highest saltwater lake in the world but also the second largest saltwater lake in China. And it is also the highlight of this tour. You must marvel at the Namtso at the first sight. With the snowy mountains in the background, the crystal dazzling blue water will make you calm. And this “Heavenly Lake” will remind you of its holiness.
Itinerary Day by Day
Day1 Board the train to Lhasa from Xining
Fantastic Tibet travel will start with boarding on Xining-Lhasa trains from Xining Railway Station. Our local guide would sent t rain ticket and Tibet travel permit to you before train depart s. Please be sure to bring all your belongings and Tibet visa to Xining Railway Station one and a half hour ahead.
After checking in, you can find your seat or sleeper easily according to train tickets. And all the train tickets would be checked again before getting out of Lhasa Railway Station. So please keep your train tickets safe!
Today is your first day on Tibet train. Take things easy and acclimate to high altitude gradually.
Stay overnight on the train.
Note:
If you bought ticket for hard or soft sleeper, the train conductor would ask you to exchange it for berth number plate and then change it back to train ticket when reaching Lhasa Railway Station.
Day2 Arrive in Lhasa
Today, you will witness the most beautiful scenery of Qinghai-Tibet Railway. The land of snows, vast desert, boundless grassland, snow-capped mountains and stunning lakes will continually appear and strongly attract your heart.
When you arrive in Lhasa, your tour guide will hold a board with your name on it at the exit to welcome you. A private car will take you to the reserved hotel.You may view the Yarlung Tsangpo River/ Bhamaputra river (the Longest and largest river in Tibet) and Lhasa river on their way to Lhasa.
Stay overnight in Lhasa.
Day3 Lhasa Sightseeing: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and Barkhor Street (B&D)
Today, you’ll pay a visit to the famous Potala Palace, the world culture heritage. You can explore 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.
Then tourists 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 holiest statue of Buddha. Around the monastery is the famous Barkhor Street, where you can do the kora with pilgrims and locals. And then we’ll go to explore the old market and you may have chance to see the traditional jewelry trading between people from different part of Tibet.
Finally, we’ll taste Tibetan tea with locals in tea house and enjoy a welcome dinner at night.
Stay overnight in Lhasa.
Optional:
After finishing the sightseeing, if time allows, you may go with tour guide to visit Tibetan handicraft art or Tibetan Traditional Medicine center. Besides, you can also choose to upgrade your tour to enjoy Tibetan Culture Show in the evening (fr. 60USD).
Day4 Lhasa Sightseeing: Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery (B)
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. Situated at the foot of Gebeiwoze Mountain, it was once home to more than 10000 monks. Here you can see the biggest monastery kitchen inside and then pay a visit to the Buddhist Sculpture Carving near Drepung.
After having lunch, you’ll continue to visit the 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. Besides, you can also see the colorful Rock Painting of Buddha and the three sand Mandalas and then visit the Tibetan religious text printing house.
Stay overnight in Lhasa.
Day5 Lhasa to Namtso Lake and drive back to Damxung (B)
In the morning, we’ll drive from Lhasa to Lake Namtso, one of the three holy lakes in Tibet. On the way, you can see Nyenchen Tanggula Mountain Range and lots of nomads with yak and sheep grazing in the flourishing grassland (in summer). In addition, you can also appreciate the view of Sky-Road Railway with snow mountain background. Driving over Lagenla Mountain Pass(5190m), tourists can far view Namtso Lake shinning in the sun.
Then you can take a leisurely trek around Tashi Island and enjoy the stunning sunset of Namtso Lake. Finally, we will head to Damxung (or Yampachen) and spend the night there (since the accommodation facilities were closed by the government in late 2018). The lower altitude at Damxung and Yampachen shall bring you a sound sleep.
Stay overnight in Dumxung
Day6 Damxung to Lhasa via Chimelong Nunnery and Tsurphu Monastery (B, L)
The trip back to Lhasa takes you to visit Chimelong Nunnery (Phyirmil Lung Nunnery) and you may have a far view of a sky burial site nearby.
Then, you will go to visit Tsurphu Monastery, the seat of the Karmapa branch of the Kagyupa order of Tibetan Buddhism. Here, you can learn more about the ‘Black Hats’, THE Karma Kagyupa school of Tibetan Buddhism. In the summertime (June to September), we can also go for a ‘Linka outing’ (Tibetan-style picnic) in the small village at the foot of the hill of Tsurphu Monastery.
Stay overnight in Lhasa
Cultural Tips: Tibetan Buddhists believe that the corpse is nothing but a discarded shell, and offering their bodies to vultures is an offering of generosity back to the earth that gave them life. The master of the sky burial ceremony will perform rituals over the body, summon vultures by burning incense and tsampa, and dispose of the body into pieces. Sky burial is a private and sacred matter, it is not recommended to go to sky burial sites or take pictures.
Day7 Depart from Lhasa (B)
The driver will take you to airport or train station.
Service end.
Route Map

Dates & Cost
Please Note:
1. The inclusive train ticket price above is the NET price for reference only. You may need to pay more than the above price to buy train tickets, as the Tibet train journey is so popular that actual ticket demand far exceeds the supply. For exact price, we will get you a quote based on your departure date.
2. The train ticket included in our price is for one hard sleeper berth only. If you want to upgrade to a soft-sleeper berth, you need to pay the difference of the fare.
3. Since all Chinese train tickets are released only 60 days ahead of departure, you may not get the train ticket information as soon as you book the tour. Please be patient. We will offer you the train ticket information immediately when your ticket is issued.
4. Please make sure you will arrive in Xining in advance so that you can catch the train to Tibet.
5. The dates marked on the calendar are the starting day of the tour. If you join in a tour on May 5th, you will take a train from Xining to Lhasa on that day and arrive in Lhasa on May 6th.
6. Our Tibet train group tour packages include the train journey from Xining to Lhasa. You can change the train route to Tibet from other major cities in mainland China. In this case, you need to pay the price difference of the train tickets.
7. If you decide to take other trains to Tibet, please make sure you will arrive in Lhasa on the same day as our scheduled tour.
8. If you take a train from Beijing / Shanghai / Guangzhou / Chengdu / Chongqing, you need to go 1 day before our fixed departure date.
9. If you prefer to depart from Lanzhou or Xi'an, you can take a train on the same day as our tour start.
10. Please feel free to contact us and tell us your travel plan. We will help you choose the proper train route according to your needs.
Service Inclusion
- Tibet Travel Permit and all other necessary permit to Tibet
- A hard sleeper train ticket from Xining to Lhasa (Price difference need to be paid for upgrading to a soft-sleeper train ticket.)
- All lodging listed in the itinerary. If you travel individually, you will need to share one room with another tourist. If you prefer to stay in one room by yourself, you will have to pay the single room supplement
- Meals listed in itinerary
- Entrance fees of all tourist sites listed in the itinerary
- Local Tour Transfers according to group size
- Local Tibetan English-speaking guide
- One shared big Oxygen tank in the car
Service Exclusion
- Chinese visa
- International flight to and out of China
- Domestic train/flight out of Tibet.(We offer domestic train/flight ticket booking service, please contact our travel experts for the details.)
- Price difference occurred if you upgrade your train ticket or choose to take other trains to Tibet
- Meals not specified the itinerary
- Tips and gratitude to tour guide and drive
- Personal expenses, like laundry, phone call, snacks, soft drinks, optional tour activities, etc.
Let's Start Your Hassle-free Tibet Train Tour with Us!
From handling and delivery of your Tibet Travel Permit to sorting out the details like itineraries, hotels and booking the Tibet train tickets and flight tickets, we care deeply about your ideas and work 24/7 to ensure you a worry-free and pleasant travel.
Enquire Now7 Days Join-in Tibet Train Tour from Xining to Lhasa with Holy Lake Namtso
From USD 835p.p
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