6 Days Qinghai & Tibet Adventure

After breakfast, your private guide and the driver will meet you at the hotel lobby, and today’s itinerary starts with Qinghai Lake, China’s largest and most beautiful lake, hidden 3,200 meters (10,500 ft.) high on the planet’s youngest plateau, the Tibetan Plateau. Along the 2.5-hour scenic road trip, you’ll encounter not only vast grasslands dotted with yak and sheep, idyllic farming fields with rapeseed flowers blooming in July, but also view some cultural sights from the car, like Sun and Moon Mountain and Daotang River; both are involved in the story of Princess Wencheng, who was a famous cultural trailblazer sent to Tibet to marry the king Songtsen Gampo during the 7th century, contributing a lot to linking Han Chinese and Tibetan cultures.
  

★ Special Treat: Cruise on Qinghai Lake to Erlangjian Peninsula 

Upon arrival at Qinghai Lake, the guide will accompany you to the wharf, where you’ll take a 30-minute cruise across the sapphire lake to Erlangjian Peninsula, the core sightseeing area of Qinghai Lake, which stretches like a sword from the lake’s south shore. Immerse yourself in the expansive lake views set against the blue sky and surrounded by snow-covered peaks. After disembarking, laze through your day at white sandy beaches, touch the clear waters with your hands for a cool dip, and bring some bread to feed seagulls. After that, let’s take a shuttle bus back to the exit, where your private driver awaits.

► Tips:
1. The high-plateau areas feature strong and intense ultraviolet rays, so please wear a sun hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen to protect your skin.
2. Prepare a thin coat for cool temperatures in the lake area, and sometimes a scarf is necessary to protect against strong winds. 
3. There are hot air balloons and yak or camel riding chances by the lake. If you are interested, you can try at your own expense. Afterward, your guide and the driver will accompany you to return to downtown Xining and visit a local street market, Lower Nanguan Street, offering the most authentic lamb- and yak-leaning snacks, like handmade fresh yogurt made from yak milk, various fresh or dried yak meats, lamb skewers, braised mutton, glutinous rice cakes with bean paste, and naan breads. In addition, you can find fresh fruits, handicrafts, toys, clothing, and wraps. Feel free to bargain with the local sellers and prepare some street food you like for the onward long train journey. 

Later, your guide and the driver will escort you to Xining Railway Station, where you’ll board an overnight train to Lhasa, taking around 21 hours on the way. For a more comfortable journey, we’ve especially reserved a soft sleeper for you, the best overnight train option while traveling to Tibet, with four beds in one lockable compartment. Remember to wipe your train window before departure for better views. After departure, you’ll see the beautiful Qinghai Lake again within 1 hour. You may catch an amazing sunset view where the orange and purple-dyed sky casts a reflection over the lake's tranquil surface. At around midnight, the train will stop at Golmud for about 25 minutes to change to a more powerful turbocharged locomotive, when you can get off the train for a break. Since Golmud, the altitude starts to rise to over 3,000 meters (9,843 ft.) above the sea level. Don’t worry, the train’s oxygen supply system also starts to work to ensure you get a nice sleep! 

Meals: Breakfast 
Accommodation: Overnight soft sleeper train

★ Explore Tibet through the World’s Highest Railway, 5,072 Meters! 

This morning, wake up when the first sun rays shine through the window, and the train just meanders through the snow-dusted ridges, taking you over the 5,072-meter-high (16,640-foot) Tanggula Pass, the highest section of the railway. Outside the window are the snow-capped peaks, which seem to be within reach, with clouds floating low; when the sunlight pierces through, you’ll feel like in a lost paradise. When passing by the vast, uninhabited pristine area, you may also spot wild Tibetan antelopes, wild donkeys, marmots, rabbits, geese, and wolves! The pure sapphire Cuona Lake is unmissable, as the train operates along the lake for 10 minutes. White clouds, glaciers, and the azure blue waters interweave into a magnificent canvas that's truly breathtaking. 

In the afternoon, the train will finally arrive in Lhasa, where your local guide and the driver are waiting for you at the train station. Then they’ll escort you to a comfortable hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is free for you to recover from the long train journey and adjust to the city’s high altitude of around 3,650 meters (11,975 ft.). At night, if you are energetic enough, it is recommended to stroll around the Potala Palace Square on your own, where you can not only enjoy the brilliantly lit Potala Palace from afar, but also try some typical Tibetan cuisines in the surrounding restaurants. However, if it’s not your dish, Western fast food, including KFC and McDonald’s, is also available near the square. 

Accommodation: Tangka Hotel (4 stars)

Today, follow your private guide to delve deep into the Tibetan Buddhist culture, exploring the two most famous Gelug-school monasteries in Tibet and the Dalai Lamas’ summer palace. The first stop is Drepung Monastery, the largest in Tibet, boasting rows of white buildings cascading down the hillside, each following a three-layered classic layout, with the entrance courtyard at the first layer, then the collective chanting hall, and the Buddha hall at the highest point. And thus, you may need to climb a lot to cover the temple’s main halls. Take in the serene atmosphere at a slow pace to avoid high-altitude sickness.
 
After the visit, take a rest in your private car, and we’ll then pay a visit to Norbulingka. Built in the 18th century, it once served as Dalai Lamas’ summer residence, composed of traditional, vibrant Tibetan architecture, gardens, lawns, a lake, and pine forests. Today, it is open to the public and here you may encounter locals going on picnics and enjoying outings from May to October. It attracts far fewer visitors so that you can fully enjoy the tranquility and beauty. 

★ Unique Spectacle: Witness Heated Tibetan Monks Debating!

Today’s itinerary terminates at Sera Monastery, where you’ll not only enjoy its magnificent structures but also be treated to a unique monk debate, which starts from 3 to 5 pm daily (except for Sundays). Follow the guide to the debating courtyard early for a front position and watch how the monks interpret the Dharma with intense body language and debate logically to enhance their understanding of Buddhist philosophy. You’ll see monks clap, wave their prayer beads, and stomp on one foot to question in the debate, representing special religious rituals. Generally, the debate is processed in pairs, with the standing monk asking and the seated one answering. The answerer can only say "agree" or "disagree" and then express their own opinions. However, they can’t ask a question in return. 

After seeing the impressive debate, your guide will accompany you to admire the temple’s layout and escort you back to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Tangka Hotel (4 stars)

After breakfast, your guide and the driver will meet you at the hotel and head to the itinerary’s most striking highlight, the Potala Palace. The UNESCO-listed white and red palace complex dates back to the 7th century, but the reconstruction in 1645 AD and the following expansion formed today’s spectacular scale. Dubbed the world’s highest palace, it is located about 3,700 meters (12,139 ft.) above sea level, comprising the White Palace, where the Dalai Lamas ruled and lived, and the Red Palace, which is for religious activities and the burial stupas of past Dalai Lamas. The whole complex encompasses over a thousand rooms, including ceremonial halls and the Dalai Lama’s private rooms, stupa halls, Buddhist halls, administrative offices, as well as monk schools and quarters. You’ll be amazed by numerous treasures, Thangkas, golden statues, and Buddhist murals, but the most precious one is the fifth Dalai Lama’s opulent stupa inlaid with about 20,000 diamond jewels, emeralds, pearls, and rubies, using more than 3,700 kilograms of gold. 

► Visit Tips:
1. During the visit, we need to climb over 1,000 steps, so please wear comfortable shoes and bring oxygen tanks for altitude sickness relief.
2. Please dress modestly to enter the palace, and don’t touch any statues or Buddhist scriptures. To show respect, please step over thresholds of the halls rather than step on them. Referring to the holiest place in Tibet, you may consider it the Potala Palace, but that’s not true. It is our next destination, Jokhang Temple, undoubtedly the most sacred place and spiritual heart of Tibetan Buddhism. Stepping into it, you’ll see a lot of Tibetan pilgrims kowtowing devoutly, having come from all over the country to pay their respects, including the young, strong men, gray-haired elders, and even children babbling on their mothers’ backs. What makes the 1,400-year-old monastery the final stop of the pilgrimage is a life-size golden statue of Sakyamuni at the age of 12, which was brought by Princess Wencheng from the Chinese Tang Dynasty to Tibet in 641 AD. It is said that there are only 3 life-sized Buddha statues in the world that have been consecrated and blessed by Buddha Shakyamuni himself, and this is the only existing without any damage. Pilgrims believe that to see the statue is to see the Buddha. 

Getting out of the temple, we’ll stroll around the bustling Barkhor Street, which comprises a labyrinth of lanes that surrounds Jokhang Temple, also a must-visit pilgrimage circuit for Tibetans. Today, in addition to devout pilgrims, the street is brimming with restaurants, shops selling local Tibetan clothing, accessories, religious items, and boutiques offering handicrafts like silver bracelets and Thangka scrolls. Today’s last stop is to explore an old nunnery tucked away in the old town, Ani Tsankhung Nunnery, which enshrines the image of the multi-armed bodhisattva, and thirteen Thangka scrolls preserved for hundreds of years. The nunnery also holds a famous chamber used by the former Tibetan King Songsten Gampo to meditate in the 7th century. Apart from that, a small tea house operated by the nunnery is also popular, offering authentic Tibetan-style sweet tea. After the visit, your guide and the driver will accompany you back to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Tangka Hotel (4 stars)

Today, wave goodbye to your 6 days Xining Lhasa tour! After breakfast, if your flight departs late, you can enjoy your free time to linger over hidden temples like Gandan Monastery, explore Tibet’s largest open market, Chongsaikang Market, or visit the Tibetan Museum to dive deep into the region’s art and culture. 

Your guide and the driver will wait for you at the hotel at the appointed time and then drive to the airport. Nice journey home! If you want to take in Lhasa’s natural beauty, like Yamdrok Yumtso and Namtso Lakes, challenge yourself to reach the 5,150-meter-high (16,900-foot) Mount Everest Base Camp, or extend your Tibet culture exploration to neighboring Nepal, Laos, and India, just contact us to tailor your trip!

Meals: Breakfast