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10 Days Chengdu - Xining - Tibet Railway Tour

China Tibet Tours 427
TOT: 10 Days Chengdu - Xining - Tibet Railway Tour
Tour Type: Private Tour: Flexible Travel Date & Travel Routes
Guide & Driver: Chinese-English-speaking guide & air-conditioned
Highlights:
  • Experience the relaxing lifestyle of Chengdu and get up close and personal with the adorable giant pandas;
  • Ride a traditional Chinese train to Tibet on the highest railway in the world, the Qinghai – Tibet Railway;
  • Explore one of the most beautiful and holiest lakes in China – Namtso Lake.
Itinerary
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Day 1  Arrival in Chengdu

Welcome to the hometown of the Giant Panda! Your local tour guide will meet you upon your arrival at the Chengdu airport or train station and then escort you in a private vehicle to your downtown hotel in Chengdu. After checking in at the hotel, you will have the rest of the day free to rest and relax or explore the local area on your own.

Optional Activity: Authentic Sichuan Cuisine dinner at a local restaurant.

Accommodation: Overnight in Chengdu

chengdu panda

chengdu

Day 2  Chengdu Sightseeing: Panda Base, Wenshu Temple, Jinli

Chengdu has three famous features as a major Chinese city – the Giant Pandas, it’s ancient history, and a leisurely pace of living. For the first day of your tour, we will get to experience all three of these features. First, we’ll visit the lovely Giant Pandas at the Chengdu Giant Panda Research Base & Breeding Center, which is the number one must-do thing in Chengdu. We will pick you up early in the morning from your hotel and drive about 30 minutes to the panda base to see giant pandas as they are being fed, playing with each other, climbing trees, etc. There are many different enclosures for pandas of different ages, from baby pandas to 1-year old pandas to teenage pandas and older. Beautiful tree-lined walking paths lead you from one enclosure to the next so it’s an enjoyable morning spending time with the pandas.

After meeting the pandas, we’ll visit the sacred Wenshu Temple, which is hidden in a peaceful location right in the middle of modern Chengdu. This temple is the most popular Buddhist temple in the Chengdu region. With its beautiful, traditional and ancient architecture, the atmosphere is very calm and quiet, with some people praying, right in the midst of a busy and modern urban city. The grounds have a small garden and the monastery is very colorfully decorated, making it a fascinating place to visit.

After the Wenshu Temple, we will experience the leisurely pace of the life of the locals at Renmin Park and Jinlin Street. Renmin (People’s) Park is where the locals go for a relaxing walk, to meet friends or have a cup of tea. Jinli Street, by contrast, is a street mainly for tourists but it does offer a view of the way things were in ancient times. You can wander along this traditional old street to absorb the special atmosphere of Chengdu while tasting the local snacks, watching street performers, etc.

Optional Recommended Night Activity: Take in the incredible Sichuan Opera & Face Changing Performance in a local theater.

Accommodation: Overnight in Chengdu

wenshu temple

jinli

Day 3  Morning Tour - Flight from Chengdu to Xining

This morning you will have the opportunity to visit the Dufu Thatched Cottage, which is a museum in honor of Dufu (712 – 770 A.D., who was the greatest realist poet in China, often referred to as “the Sage of Poetry”.

After lunch, your tour guide will escort you to the Chengdu airport for your afternoon flight to Xining.

At the Xining airport, your local tour guide will greet you to take you by private car to your downtown Xining hotel, where you will have the rest of the evening free to relax or explore the local area on your own.

Accommodation: Overnight in Xining

renmin park

wuhou temple

Day 4  Day Tour to Qinghai Lake

After breakfast at your hotel, we’ll take you on a drive for around 2 and half hours to Qinghai Lake – definitely one of the highlights of your Qinghai tour. Qinghai Lake is surrounded by high mountains, and at the foot of these mountains are vast and beautiful grasslands, making for great views all around whether you are walking, riding or biking. Qinghai Lake is a paradise for numerous species of birds, which can number more than 10,000 in the summertime.

We will have time for a boat cruise on the lake to visit Bird Island. On the way there, you will also visit the Riyue (Sun & Moon) Mountains, and the Ri and Yue Pagodas. These pagodas were built during the Tang Dynasty to commemorate the marriage of the Chinese Princess Wencheng to the first king of Tibet. Also nearby, you can enjoy the Daotong River, which flows from east to west, unlike nearly every other river in Qinghai.

In the evening, we will take you back to your hotel for an overnight stay in Xining.

Accommodation: Overnight in Xining

erlang jian scenic area

erlang jian scenic area

Day 5  Ta'er Monastery Visit, Take Train to Lhasa

After an early breakfast, we will drive about 26 kilometeres to visit another famous monastery, the Taer Monastery. This monastery is the birthplace of the Tibetan Buddhist master Tsongkhapa, the found of the Gelug sect of the Buddhist religion. It is also famous as one of the “Six Gelug Monasteries”. We’ll help you make sure that you don’t miss the “three bests” of the Taer Monastery – murals, barbola (the craft of making small models of fruit or flowers from a plastic paste) and butter sculptures. The Taer Monastery has also served as an important institution over the centuries for the learning of Buddhism, Astronomy and Medicine. There are many Buddhist ceremonies organized here at this important temple each year.

After your visit, we’ll return to Xining to catch the overnight train to Tibet, where you will be able to enjoy spectacular plateau views as you travel along the world’s highest railway on your way to Lhasa.

Accommodation: Overnight on the train

taer monastery

taer monastery

Day 6  Arrive in Lhasa

As the train takes you along your way to Lhasa, you will be able to witness the beautiful Tibetan Plateau, often spotting groups of nomads and wildlife along with the natural scenery. You will pass through the Kekexili Nature Reserve, where the wild animals and plants are protected by the Chinese government, as are their natural habitats.

Upon your arrival at the train station in Lhasa, your local tour guide will greet you and escort you in a private vehicle and take you on to your hotel in downtwon Lhasa. Once at the hotel, you will have the rest of the day free to explore the local area around your hotel and acclimatize yourself to the air, temperature and higher altitude of Lhasa.

Tips for High Altitude Acclimatization:

1) Go for a leisurely walk in the fresh high altitude air, but avoid any strenuous activity after your arrival.
2) It's better to avoid taking a bath, to avoid catching a cold.
3) Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration, and eat some fresh fruit.
4) Get plenty of rest.

Accommodation: Overnight in Lhasa

tibet tour

tibet tour

Day 7  Lhasa Sightseeing: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street

Start your exploration of Lhasa today with a visit to a world-famous landmark - the Potala Palace, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful examples of architecture in the world. Climb up the palace along zig-zagging stone paths alongside the white and red walls to the top of the palace where you can gain a greater appreciation of the exotic Tibetan-style buildings as well as for a great view of Lhasa's entire urban area. After admiring the sweeping outside views, explore the inner spaces of the Potala Palace to find the stately chapels and learn more about the fascinating history of this special place.

From one historic landmark to another, your next stop will be at the Jokhang Temple, considered as the spiritual heart of Tibetan Buddhism. Every day thousands of pilgrims come from all over Tibet and other places to the temple to worship the Buddha. The Jokhang Temple is also known as the "House of Buddha" becuase it houses the precious Jowo Rinpoche, a life-sized (1.5 meter/5 feet) image of the Shakyamuni at the age of 12.

The last stop for today's Lhasa exploration is Barkor Street, the wide, circular street that surrounds the Jokhang Temple. Local residents enjoy walking on the street, completing several circuits around the temple as a daily tradition of pilgrimage. The street also has many small shops selling a wide variety of traditional Tibetan goods, religious items and handicrafts.

Tips for today's tour:

1) There are 1,080 steps to the top of the Potala Palace, so it's best to take it slowly to avoid high altitude sickness.
2) Taking photos is not allowed inside the Potala Palace.
3) Most of today will be spent outside, so please bring a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses and some water with you to protect yourself from the more intense sun at the higher altitude.

Accommodation: Overnight in Lhasa

potala palace

barkhor street

Day 8  Lhasa Sightseeing: Norbulingka Palace, Sera Monastery

After breakfast at your hotel, we will visit the beautiful Norbulingka Palace and Park, the location of the former summer palace of the Dalai Lamas from the 1780s up until 1959. It features the famous Potrang, the private palaces of former Dalai Lamas built in the grandiose style of traditional Tibetan architecture.

After visiting the palaces and park at Norbulingka, we will travel around 5 kilometers to the western outskirts of Lhasa to visit the Drepung Monastery. The word "drepung" in Tibetan language means "prosperity". Since its establishment in 1416, Drepung Monastery has served as one of the most important Buddhist monasteries in Tibet. During its prime, more than 10,000 monks lived and studied in the monastery. Throughout its history, many important and famous Tibetan leaders studied at this monastery, including the Dalai Lamas. Accordingly, Drepung Monastery is also respectfully known as the “Mother School of Dalai Lamas”.

In the afternoon, we will escort you on to another famous monastery in Lhasa - the Sera Monastery. Sera Monastery is famous for its spectacular “Buddhist Debates”. As a daily routine, the monks gather in a courtyard, and debate on the various Buddhist doctrines with exaggerated gestures, which is thought to be helpful in facilitating a better comprehension of the Buddhist philosophy to attain higher levels of study. After enjoying the "Buddhist Debates", we will take you back to your hotel with the rest of the day and evening to relax or explore on your own.

Tips for Proper Etiquette While Visiting Monasteries

1) For clothing, shorts and/or bare shoulders are not allowed.
2) Hats and sunglasses should be removed before entering the chapels.
3) Taking photos is usually not allowed inside the chapels.

Accommodation: Overnight in Lhasa

nurbulingka palace

sera monastery

Day 9  Day Tour to Namtso Lake

Since we have already explored some of the most famous monasteries, today we’ll take in some more natural scenery with an exciting trip to holy Namtso Lake, which is located about 5 hours drive time from Lhasa. With an early start, we’ll arrive at Namtso Lake in the early afternoon with some time to rest and relax around the incredible landscapes of this holy lake.

Namtso Lake is the highest altitude saltwater lake in the world at an altitude of 4718 meters above sea level. This lake is also the second largest saltwater lake in all of China, just behind Qinghai Lake in size. It’s quite common for first-time visitors to Namtso Lake to be awestruck when they first observe this fantastically beautiful lake. With snowy mountain peaks in the background and crystal-clear, dazzingly blue waters, Namtso stretches all the way out to the horizon. On clear days, the lake looks like a beautiful turquoise gem surrounded by the magnificent snow-capped Tanggula Mountains. The shores surrounding the lake are a verdant green, wide and open, dotted with the tents, yaks and sheep of the local nomads. For travelers, Namtso is an ideal place for phototography, while for Tibetans, it is a sacred and magical lake for pilgramige.

After visiting the lake, we will drive back to Lhasa to stay overnight.

Tips for today’s tour:

1) The Namtso Lake region surrounding the lake sits at an altitude of about 5,000 meters above sea level, so you should take preparations to avoid high altitude sickness. Remember to keep warm and drink plenty of water while avoiding any strenuous activities.
2) If you would prefer to spend more time at the lake and observe the sunset and sunrise over Namtso, we can stay overnight at Namtso but please keep in mind that accommodation conditions there are very basic as is the food, so it is not nearly as nice as the hotel in Lhasa.

Accommodation: Overnight in Lhasa

namtso

namtso

Day 10  Departure from Lhasa

Today we will meet you in the lobby of your hotel to transfer you to the Lhasa airport or train station for your departing flight or train.

Today's Tips:

1) Please take care to pack all of your belongings, particularly the small things that are easy to forget about, such as phone and camera chargers, power adapters, mobile phones, wallets, etc.
2) If your flight or train is in the afternoon, please be sure to check out of your hotel room by 12 p.m.

Accommodation: None

lhasa airport

lhasa airport

Price Includes.
    • Private professional English-Speaking local tour guide
    • Licensed Vehicle with experienced driver
    • All necessary Tibet travel permits.
    • All accommodations listed in the itinerary
    • Meals specified in the itinerary as "B,L,D".
    • Entrance tickets listed in the itinerary
    • Tourists Accident/Casualty Insurance
    • A container of Oxygen for emergency use in Tibet
    • All taxes, fees and handling charges
    • Lodging and meal allowance to the guide & driver
    • 2 bottles of drinking water per person per day
Price Excludes.
    • International flight to and from China.
    • China visa.
    • Sightseeing not listed in the itinerary.
    • Meals not listed in the itinerary.
    • Personal expenses such as laundry, drink, fax, telephone call, optional tour activities, etc.
    • Tips to guides, drivers, bellboys, etc.
    • Entrance tickets not listed in the itinerary
    • Single room supplement.
Booking Information

1.The above routes accept Chinese people(people from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) and foreign visitors to attend the group booking, foreign guests and Taiwan tourists to Tibet, please contact us to apply for Tibet Permit!

2.Due to Covid-19, there has international travel restrictions for Tibet travel, so we can not guarantee travelers in one group are all English speakers. Our professional tour guide will provide Chinese-English service if there has English speakers in the join-in group. Therefore, we will not make any reimbursement for tour guide language reason.

3.June, July, August, September is peak season. Joining our group can guarantee the ticket of Potala Palace. The Potala Palace may be adjusted to the other days because of the current limitation of 2,300 visitors per day to protect the historic site.

4.Without affecting the original standards and scenic spots, we might change the sequences of scenic spots according to the actual situation on the day of the trip.

5.Patients with severe hypertension, asthma or heart disease should not join the group. Patients with colds should only go to Tibet after recovery.

6.Due to force majeure factors in case of landslides, mud-rock flow, avalanche, flood, earthquake and other natural phenomena influence or airline flight delay, cancel to causes such as the increase of expenses or unable to follow a normal schedule, we shall not bear the liability for compensation according to the tourism related regulations, but we will actively coordinate processing, in order to ensure a smooth trip.

7.Any failure to complete the activities during the tour due to the guests' own reasons or early departure will be considered as a waiver and the fee will not be refunded.

8.Tibet is a borderland area inhabited by ethnic minorities with limited tourist reception conditions. We hope that visitors can have reasonable expectations, respect the cultural beliefs and living habits of ethnic minorities and live in harmony with each other.

9.If there is a single room due to gender reasons, we will arrange a triple room (or double standard room with and extra bed) or fill the single room difference by the guest.

10.The shops in scenic spots do not belong to the travel agency's shopping shop arrangement. Please consider carefully.

11.Self-paid items are considered according to the time and the proportion of the approved members on the day, and no mandatory consumption is made.

Warm Tips

1.Travelers with severe high blood pressure or heart disease should not go to Tibet. Please do not bring serious colds into Tibet. Don’t go before the serious colds recovered!

2.Tibet is located in the plateau and most of the travelers might have plateau reaction. Please pay attention to rest and have proper diet (do not eat too full, because it will increase the burden of the stomach). Travelers can be appropriate to take some drugs, such as: Gaoyuan An, Rhodiola, Nuodi Kang; travelers with serious can appropriately take oxygen or hanging saline.

3.Because of the long drive in Tibet, travelers will spend a lot of time in the car, and inevitably can not eat on time, please bring some snacks and biscuits during drive.

4.Due to the special conditions in Tibet, please pay attention to keep warm. On the first day of arrival, please do not try to take a bath. Taking a bath will accelerate blood circulation and increase the body's demand for oxygen.

5.Tibet has a strong sunshine, especially dry climate, sunscreen, sunglasses, lip balm and other essential are necessary.

6.From April to November is the best time for sightseeing.

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