Chengdu & Tibet Train Tour

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

We’ll pick you up at your hotel in Chengdu and then drive to visit the Panda Research Base in the northern suburb of Chengdu this morning. The Chengdu Panda Base was founded in 1987. It started with 6 giant pandas that were rescued from the wild. Through 2007, it has had 110 panda births, and its panda population has grown to 62. It is a huge, beautifully landscaped park.

After lunch, drive to Leshan city to see the famous Giant Buddha which is a statue of Maitreya in sitting posture. It is 71 meters (about 233 feet) high and has 8.3-meter-long (about 27 feet) fingers. The 9-meter-wide (about 30 feet) instep is big enough for one hundred people to sit on and the 24-meter-wide (about 79 feet) shoulder is large enough to be a basketball playground. (Optional: ferry boat ride at Leshan Giant Buddha, about USD 10/person). We’ll continue to go to the foot of Mt. Emei in the late afternoon. 

Stay overnight in Emei

Today, you will spend the whole day exploring Mount Emei. In the early morning, you will take the shuttle bus in the Scenic Spot to Leidongpin, then hike to Jieyin Palace to take the cable car up to Golden Summit which is the mountain's main peak at 3,077 meters above sea level, seems to almost touching the sky. At Golden Summit, the highest peak of the mountain, you will be amazed by the awe-inspiring view of the Huazhang Temple and enjoy the magnificent view of the clouds, mountains, and forests. Then take the sightseeing bus down to Wannian Temple, you’ll experience the beautiful scenery by walking from Wannian Temple, Qingyin Pavilion and Moneky Zone to WuxianGang.

Later, you will go down the mountain by the eco bus and then drive back to Chengdu. We will send you back to your hotel in Chengdu.

Stay overnight in Chengdu

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.

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

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

In the morning, we will visit Norbulingka, which is a typical Tibetan-style royal garden, the summer resort of the Dalai Lama. There are a lot of towering trees, exotic flowers and plants in the garden, as well as many collections of cultural relics, Buddha statues, pagodas, thangkas, murals, etc. They are all very precious treasures.

In the afternoon, you are heading to Drepung Monastery, which means Monastery of Rice Heap in the Tibetan language. The entire monastery is large in scale and the white buildings cluster and cover the hillsides. Drepung monastery is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery, also the highest-ranking monastery in the Gelug Sect.

Stay overnight in Lhasa

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

In Shigatse, we will visit the Tashilhunpo Monastery - the home of Panchen Lama. It was founded by the 1st Dalai Lama in 1447 and is a historic and culturally important monastery in Shigatse. It's located on the central hill of the city, the full name in Tibetan of the monastery means "all fortune and happiness gathered here" or "heap of glory".

In the afternoon, we will drive back to Lhasa from Shigatse along the Friendship Highway, via the northern route to Lhasa. It is the most direct route and usually takes around five hours to reach the capital. We will make several stops on the way to enjoy the views of the Yarlung Tsangpo River Valley.

Stay overnight in Lhasa