Chengdu Tibet Nepal Overland Tour by Train

Upon arrival at the airport/railway station, you will find your guide/driver holding your name sign at the exit. Then they will transfer you to your hotel in downtown Chengdu. The rest of the day is your free time.

Stay overnight in Chengdu

You will be picked up from your hotel and then set out for Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda, which is a non-profit research and breeding facility for giant pandas as well as other rare animals. Chengdu Panda Base is located in the northern suburbs of Chengdu. It is a national 4A-level scenic spot. The scenic spot is verdant with bamboo and trees, birds, and flowers, as well as integrated natural mountain scenery and beautiful artificial landscape. The highlight of the visit is the Panda Birth Room where the baby pandas can be seen growing up, and the Giant Panda Activity Field where visitors can see the relaxed daily life of pandas of different ages.

After sightseeing here, we're heading for Leshan to visit Leshan Giant Buddha, which is the tallest rock Buddha statue in the world. It was carved out of a cliff by monks in southern Sichuan province during the Tang Dynasty (618–907AD). Visitors also can get to the footsteps of the Giant Buddha or take a cruise to worship the Buddha from the river.

Stay overnight in Chengdu

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You will visit Wenshu Monastery in the morning, the best-preserved Buddhist temple in Chengdu. It is the home of the Buddhist Association of Sichuan Province and Chengdu City. In Wenshu Monastery, you can visit the cultural relic and taste the delicious vegetarian food for lunch.

In the afternoon, you will visit a nostalgic place - Kuan Zhai Lane. It shows the courtyard culture of old Chengdu. Most of these courtyards are occupied by stylish bars and restaurants. Tourists and youths stay in the alleys and spend the whole afternoon leisurely, feeling the stop of time.

In the evening, your tour guide will escort you to Chengdu West Railway Station to board the Chengdu-Lhasa train.

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Today, you will spend the whole day on the train. You will see the majestic mountains, barren land, and the Yellow River. In the afternoon, you will arrive in Xining - the start point of the Qinghai Tibet Railway. You will see massive deserts, immense grasslands, vast valleys, snow-capped Mountains, picturesque lakes, and flocks of yaks and sheep.

Stay overnight on the train

Our local Tibetan guide will wait for you at Lhasa railway station by holding your name sign. You will be greeted with a warm Tashi Delek (a kind of blessing), and be presented with a white Hada (traditional Tibetan ceremonial by giving you a white scarf). Then transfer to the hotel in Lhasa city. On your first arrival day in Lhasa (3,650m), it's essential to have a good rest to avoid Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS, also known as altitude sickness). Remember to drink lots of water, eat lighter and have high carbohydrate food which will be helpful to you to adapt to the high altitude better.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

You'll spend a day exploring two of three ‘Great Three’ Gelug monasteries - Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery.

In the morning, you will head to the Drepung Monastery, which is the largest of all Tibetan monasteries that housed more than 10,000 monks in the past. It was the residence of the Dalai Lamas until the great fifth Dalai Lama constructed the Potala Palace. It was known for the high standards of its academic study and was called the Nalanda of Tibet. And then you also can visit the biggest monastery kitchen in the monastery and enjoy a Buddhist sculpture carving workshop near Drepung.

After lunch, drive to the Sera Monastery, which is renowned as the most beautiful Tibetan Monastery. It is famous for the Buddhis debate from 3 pm to 5 pm. You can also appreciate three sand Mandalas and colorful Rock Paintings of Buddha in the monastery.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

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In the morning our guide will meet you at the hotel and first take you to visit the famous Potala Palace, the cardinal landmark of Tibet and the masterpiece of Tibetan architecture. It was first built by the 33rd King - Songtsen Gangpo in the 7th century and rebuilt later by the 5th Dalai Lama in the 17th century. Now it's a museum and world heritage site. 

In the afternoon, we will go to visit Jokhang Temple in the center of the Lhasa old town. Jokhang Temple is the most sacred temple in Tibet and it is always bustling with earnest local pilgrims since the early days. After that, you will take a walk around the Barkhor Street - one of the most devotional circuits as well as a crowded central market of Lhasa. Barkhor Street is a very ancient round street surrounding the Jokhang Temple and the locals are always proud of it. As a symbol of Lhasa, it‘s also a must-see place for visitors.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

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From Lhasa to Gyantse is about 264km, en route you will pass by Gambala Mountain Pass (4,790m), where's the best place to overlook the Yamdroktso Lake. Later we will pass and enjoy the Karola Glacier, which looks spectacular from the highway. Then visit the main monastery in Gyantse - Pelkor Chode Monastery, famous for its exquisite architecture and intact murals and statues. Finally head to Shigatse via the fertile Nyangchu Valley, a wide agricultural plain where yaks and horses are used by Tibetan farmers to cultivate this land.

Stay overnight in Shigatse

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In the morning, you will visit the home of Panchen Lama - Tashilhunpo Monastery, which was founded by the 1st Dalai Lama in 1447, a culturally important monastery in Shigatse. Then you will leave Shigatse for Lhatse for lunch. After a short break, you will continue to Tingri via Tsola Pass (4,600m), and Gyatsola Pass (5,248m). In the late afternoon, you enter Mt. Everest National Nature Reserve, with countless prayer flags flying in the wind. After ascending to Gawula Pass (5,198m), you can enjoy the panorama of the Himalayas. Then you will drive along the zigzag road to Rongbuk Monastery .

You will stay overnight at Everest Base Camp (5,200m). You can see the glorious sunset of Golden Everest Peak if the weather is good.

Stay overnight at EBC

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You can get up early and enjoy the sunrise of Everest Peak at the lodging area if the weather is good. After sightseeing, we will drive to Gyirong, the border that connects Tibet & Nepal. On the way, tourists can enjoy the breathtaking vista of Mt. Shishapangma and Peikutso Lake. After passing the Ghungtang Lhamo (5,236m), we will arrive in Gyirong in the late afternoon.

Stay overnight at Gyirong Town

Drive to Gyirong Port in the early morning. You are required to walk on your own to cross the border bridge which is about 50m long. Your Nepali driver will greet you on the other side of the bridge and transfer you to Kathmandu. Although the distance between Gyirong Port and Kathmandu is only over 160 kilometers, due to the poor mountain road conditions, it takes 7~9 hours from Gyirong Port to Kathmandu.

Stay overnight in Kathmandu

Today you will start to explore Kathmandu with our experienced Nepali guide.

Firstly, you will go to Swyambhunath Temple to see the stupa there. Swyambhunath was built 2000 years ago, even older than Kathmandu city! It's one of the World's Cultural Heritages in Nepal. And it's also called "Monkey Temple" as there are hundreds of wild monkeys living around it. The Swyambhunath Stupa is the second largest stupa in Nepal. The Buddha's eyes were painted on the four sides of the stupa, which means Buddha is watching you. The paint makes it so sacred that many pilgrims come to worship.

Then you will go to see the largest stupa in Nepal, as well as in the world. Boudhanath Stupa is located in the eastern of Kathmandu. 90% of Nepalese are Hindu devotees. You can see Lord Shiva everywhere. But here, Boudhanath is a holy place of Tibetan Buddhism as it's located in the main trading pass between Nepal and Tibet. So, every morning, there are many Tibetan Buddhists doing kora here, which is really an impressive scene.

In the end, we are heading to Pashupatinath Temple, the largest Hindu temple in Nepal. The god of destruction - Shiva is enshrined in it. "Pashu" means "all living creatures", and "Patinath" means "the lord". This temple is also known as the "corpse cremation temple" because it's the place where Hindu devotees cremate the dead bodies in public.

Stay overnight in Kathmandu

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Guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel according to your flight schedule to transfer you to Kathmandu Airport for your flight home.