13-Day Tibet Flights & Qinghai-Tibet Railway: Lhasa, EBC., Nyingchi & Namtso
Classic Route
Details
Arrival in Chengdu
Upon landing at Chengdu airport, you’ll be met and transferred to your hotel to settle in and rest ahead of the days ahead.
Meals: Not included
Accommodation: Overnight in Chengdu.
Chengdu Panda Base & Jinsha Site Museum
An early start, around 7:30–8:00 am, takes you to the Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center, about a 30-minute drive from the city. Arriving during feeding time gives you the best chance to see both adult pandas and cubs at their most active. A visit to the on-site Panda Museum follows, with a short film covering panda life, from birth to daily behavior.
After returning downtown for lunch, the afternoon is spent at Jinsha Site Museum, home to remarkable relics of the ancient Shu Kingdom and a window into early Chinese civilization in the region. You’ll also have time to stroll through Jinli Ancient Street, one of Chengdu’s most atmospheric historic lanes. In the evening, those interested can catch a Sichuan Opera performance, famous for its fire-spitting and face-changing acts (additional fee).
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Overnight in Chengdu.
Chengdu to Leshan Grand Buddha, then Overnight Train to Lhasa
Around 8:00 am, you’ll be driven roughly two hours to Leshan to see the Leshan Grand Buddha, the largest stone-carved sitting Buddha in the world at 71 meters tall. Housed at Lingyun Temple and carved directly into a cliff face, the statue took 90 years to complete during the Tang Dynasty and features an ingenious drainage system that has helped preserve it for over a millennium. Those interested can also take an optional boat tour for a different vantage point (extra cost).
In the afternoon, you’ll return to Chengdu with some free time before heading to Chengdu Railway Station in the evening to board your overnight train to Lhasa (Train T22/3, departing 20:59, arriving two days later at 16:10).
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Onboard train
On the Train to Lhasa
A full day aboard the train as it climbs onto the Tibetan Plateau, offering a front-row seat to changing scenery along the world’s highest railway.
Accommodation: On the Train
Arrival in Lhasa (3,595m)
Today’s rail journey passes through some of the plateau’s most striking scenery, including the Kekexili Nature Reserve and open grasslands dotted with nomadic herders. You’ll arrive in Lhasa in the afternoon, where your guide will meet you at the train station and transfer you to your hotel.
Accommodation: Overnight in Lhasa.
Lhasa City Sightseeing — Potala Palace & Jokhang Temple
Your first sightseeing day in Lhasa is kept intentionally light to ease the adjustment to altitude, focused on two essential sites. Jokhang Temple, built in the 7th century, sits at the heart of Lhasa’s old town and is considered the most sacred shrine in Tibet; the circular pilgrim path around it, Barkhor Street, doubles as one of the city’s best spots for souvenir shopping. Potala Palace, Tibet’s most recognizable landmark, was long the residence of the successive Dalai Lamas and remains a vast complex containing what feels like a self-contained world. Both sites draw constant streams of pilgrims prostrating and circling in devotion.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Overnight in Lhasa.
Lhasa Sightseeing — Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery & Norbulingka
Today covers three more of Lhasa’s key sites. Drepung and Sera are both Gelug (“Yellow Hat”) sect monastic colleges — Drepung once served as the seat of Tibet’s government before the Potala Palace was built, and at its peak was the largest monastery in the world, home to some 7,700 monks. Sera Monastery is known for its lively philosophical debate sessions, where monks challenge one another with sharp gestures and clapping, a tradition well worth witnessing firsthand.
The day also includes a visit to Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama’s traditional summer palace, where you can explore the residences built by different generations of the lineage. During the Shoton (Yogurt) Festival each August, the surrounding park fills with picnicking locals and traditional festivities.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Overnight in Lhasa.
Lhasa to Shigatse via Yamdrok Lake & Gyantse — 360 km, 7 hrs
The day begins with a climb to Kampala Pass (4,794m) for your first view of Yamdrok Lake, one of Tibet’s three holy lakes, its turquoise waters set against the backdrop of Mount Nyenchen Khangsar in the distance. From Karo La Pass, you’ll also catch striking views of the Nyenchen Khangsar glacier.
Continuing along the Friendship Highway, you’ll reach Gyantse to visit the Gyantse Kumbum, a multi-tiered stupa regarded as one of Tibet’s most remarkable architectural achievements. In the late afternoon, the drive continues to Shigatse for the night.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Overnight in Shigatse.
Shigatse to Everest Base Camp via Rongbuk Monastery — 340 km, 7 hrs
An early departure takes you toward Rongphu via Lhatse and Shegar, crossing Gyatsola Pass (5,200m) and Gawula Pass (5,250m). From the top of Gawula, five towering Himalayan peaks come into view side by side: Makalu (8,463m), Lhotse (8,516m), Everest (8,844m), Cho Oyu (8,201m), and Shishapangma (8,020m). The road then winds down through the dry valley of Tashi Zom toward Everest Base Camp.
Along the way, you’ll pass Rongbuk Monastery, the highest monastery in Tibet, home to both monks and nuns, and still one of the best vantage points for viewing Everest.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Overnight at local guesthouse.
Everest Base Camp to Shigatse via Shegar — 340 km, 6–7 hrs
Weather permitting, an early rise offers the chance to see sunrise over Everest. By late morning or early afternoon, you’ll begin the drive back to Shigatse.
Accommodation: Overnight in Shigatse.
Shigatse to Lhasa — 300 km, 6 hrs
The morning is spent at Tashilhunpo Monastery, seat of the Panchen Lamas and home to their striking tombs — a site often busy with local pilgrims. In the afternoon, the drive back to Lhasa follows the northern Friendship Highway, tracing the Brahmaputra River through scenic countryside the whole way.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Overnight in Lhasa.
Departure from Lhasa
In the morning, you’ll be transferred to Lhasa Airport or Lhasa Railway Station for your onward journey, bringing the tour to a close.
Meals: Breakfast
Dates & Prices
| Month | Date | Price | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul | 2026-07 | $ 1470 | Book now |
| Aug | 2026-08 | $ 1470 | Book now |
| Sep | 2026-09 | $ 1470 | Book now |
| Nov | 2026-11-16 | $ 1250 | Book now |
| 2026-11 | $ 1320 | Book now | |
| Dec | 2026-12 | $ 1250 | Book now |
| Jan | 2027-01 | $ 1250 | Book now |
| Feb | 2027-02 | $ 1250 | Book now |
| Mar | 2027-03 | $ 1320 | Book now |
| Apr | 2027-04 | $ 1320 | Book now |
| May | 2027-05 | $ 1320 | Book now |
| Jun | 2027-06 | $ 1320 | Book now |
| Oct | 2026-10 | $ 1320 | Book now |
You are consulting 2025-04-12 12-Day Chengdu to Lhasa Train Tour to Everest Base Camp
Fee Description
Tour Notes
Prices are quoted in CNY (Chinese Yuan).
What’s Included
- All required government taxes and fees
- All required Tibet permits and domestic travel documents
- Comfortable 7–8 seat minivan for groups of up to 5; larger groups will use a minibus or coach (no private vehicle on walking-tour days)
- Hard sleeper (6-berth) train ticket to Lhasa included; soft sleeper (4-berth) upgrade available on request
- Admission tickets for all attractions included in the itinerary
- Professional licensed English-speaking local Tibetan guide (other languages, including Spanish, German, and Japanese, available on request)
- Accommodation in standard 4-star hotels throughout the trip (specific hotels of the same class cannot be designated; hotel upgrades available for an additional fee)
What’s Excluded
- Personal expenses such as laundry, drinks, internet access, fax, and telephone calls
- Tips for your guide and driver
- Flight or train tickets to the first city and from the last city of the tour
- Optional attractions not specified in the itinerary
