Line I: 📍 —— 📍 —— 📍 —— 📍 —— 📍 —— 📍 —— 📍
Arrive in Xining, the gateway to the plateau, and take a short orientation through the city’s markets and the famed Ta’er (Kumbum) Monastery—an important centre of Tibetan Buddhist learning with ornate chapels and vivid murals.
In the evening we board the legendary Qinghai–Tibet Railway. Settle into your cabin, watch the landscape flatten into plateaus, and feel the train climb toward the world’s highest rail line. Overnight on the train gives you your first taste of the thin, crystalline air.
Overnight on the Qinghai–Tibet train
Spend the day on the train as the land unrolls: salt lakes mirror the sky, herds of Tibetan antelope graze on steppe, and prayer flags dot the passes. Our guides provide an induction to high-altitude travel and practical acclimatization tips while you rest and absorb the enormity of the plateau.
Late afternoon arrival into Lhasa. Transfer to your hotel and take the evening slow—sip tea, rest, and prepare for cultural immersion ahead.
Overnight in Lhasa
Begin the morning at Potala Palace, a towering symbol of Tibetan spiritual and political life. Wander its chapels, prayer halls, and terraces, then descend into the bustling Barkhor circuit to experience market life and devotion around Jokhang Temple.
Afternoon: explore hidden lanes, try local snacks, and enjoy time for gentle acclimatisation. Evening: optional visit to a traditional butter-lamp ceremony or a quiet stroll beneath prayer flags.
Overnight in Lhasa