China15 days
Beijing, Lhasa & Everest: The Tibet Railway Route — 15 Days
Overland from Beijing to Kathmandu by train and vehicle, traversing the Tibetan plateau and Everest's north face.
This 15-day journey moves across mainland China by train and road, beginning in Beijing with visits to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, then boarding the highest railway in the world for a 45-hour passage to Lhasa. The route passes through Jokhang Temple, Sera Monastery, and the Potala Palace in Lhasa; continuing south to Gyantse, Shigatse, and Sakya Monastery; then west to Rongbuk Monastery and Everest Base Camp on the north side. The journey ends with a crossing into Nepal and arrival in Kathmandu. Throughout, a local guide accompanies the group. Acclimatization days are built into the Lhasa portion to allow adjustment to high altitude.
Highlights
- Walk the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, one of the best-preserved stretches with 22 towers winding across mountain ridges near Beijing
- Visit the Forbidden City, a ceremonial and political center built from 1406 to 1420, containing the world's most extensive collection of preserved ancient wooden structures.
- Ride the world's highest railway for 45 hours from Beijing to Lhasa, crossing provincial towns and the Tibetan plateau through mountain tunnels
- Visit Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, the spiritual center of Tibetan Buddhism, and walk the Barkhor circuit where pilgrims circumambulate day and night
- Witness philosophical debates among monks at Sera Monastery, founded in 1419, in afternoon sessions in the courtyard complex
- Ascend to the Potala Palace, the residence and meditation center of the Dalai Lamas in Lhasa.
- Drive past Yamdrok Lake and over Khamba La Pass on the approach to Gyantse, with views across the Tibetan landscape
- Visit Pelkor Chode Monastery, founded in 1418, and the eight-story Gyantse Kumbum, containing Buddhist chapels and images
- Visit Tashilumpo Monastery in Shigatse, founded in 1447 by the 1st Dalai Lama and one of Tibet's most historically significant religious centers
- Tour Sakya Monastery, known as the 'second Dunhuang,' which houses over 40,000 volumes of Buddhist scriptures and texts
- Reach Rongbuk Monastery, the highest monastery in the world, built in 1902 and home to monks and nuns.
- Arrive at Everest Base Camp on the north face and view Mount Everest.
- Cross the Nepal–China border and visit Durbar Square in Kathmandu, featuring Newari architecture and the old Royal Palaces
Day by day
1Arrival in BeijingBeijing airport · hotel in the city center · hotel · the neighborhood · local restaurant
Upon arrival at Beijing airport, your guide and driver will meet you and transfer to your hotel in the city center. The guide will leave an information note at the hotel reception. A group meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., covering trip logistics and details, followed by an orientation walk through the neighborhood and dinner at a local restaurant. Check-in at the hotel.
2Great Wall at MutianyuMutianyu section of the Great Wall · downtown Beijing · the hotel
After breakfast, drive approximately two hours northwest to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall near Huairou County, a well-preserved stretch with 22 towers spanning the mountain ridges. Spend the morning and early afternoon walking the wall, observing the stonework and views across the suburban Beijing landscape. A picnic lunch on the wall is recommended. Return to downtown Beijing in the late afternoon. An acrobatic performance is scheduled for the evening. Check-in at the hotel.
3Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square & Train to LhasaForbidden City · Tiananmen Square · Beijing West railway station
After breakfast, your guide and driver will meet you at the hotel for a walking tour of central Beijing using the metro system. Visit Tiananmen Square, one of the world's largest public squares, where the Monument of the People's Heroes and the Great Hall of the People stand. Enter the Forbidden City, the ceremonial and political center of the Chinese government from 1406 to 1420 and home to more than 500 years of imperial history. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, it contains the world's most extensive collection of preserved ancient wooden structures. In the evening, transfer to Beijing West railway station to board the train to Lhasa—a journey of approximately 45 hours. The first night passes through provincial towns, including Xi'an, before entering mountainous terrain with extended tunnel passages. Overnight on the train.
4High-Altitude Railway: Lanzhou to XiningLanzhou · the world's highest rail line · Tibetan plateau
Day two aboard the Tibetan railway, the world's highest rail line, traversing remote mountainous terrain. The train stops briefly in Lanzhou, a major crossroads along the historic Silk Road and gateway to the Tibet-Qinghai plateau. Continue past the city of Xining as the elevation climbs. The second night brings views of snow-covered black cliffs and illuminated mountain peaks in the moonlight across the Tibetan plateau. Overnight on the train to Lhasa.
5Arrival in Lhasa at 3,940 Meterstrain station · hotel in the city center near the Lhasa River · Barkhor Square
The final hours of the train journey pass through wide brown grasslands, terracotta foothills, grazing herds of yaks and sheep, and scattered lakes and streams bordered by brick village houses across sparse, treeless terrain. Arrival in Lhasa occurs after midday. Your guide and driver will meet you at the train station and transfer to the hotel in the city center near the Lhasa River. An orientation walk to Barkhor Square introduces the immediate surroundings. Lhasa sits at 3,940 meters elevation. Four days are scheduled here to allow for acclimatization to high altitude. Check-in at the hotel.
6Jokhang Temple & Sera MonasteryJokhang Temple · Sera Monastery · Barkhor circuit
After breakfast, your guide and driver meet you for a day of temple visits. At Jokhang Temple, the spiritual center of Tibetan Buddhism, observe pilgrims performing full-body prostrations circling the temple at all hours of the day and night; many have journeyed across the Tibetan landscape on foot to arrive here. Walk the Barkhor circuit, the holiest devotional circumambulation surrounding Jokhang, now also a bazaar market where vendors sell Buddha images, yak skulls inlaid with rubies, woodcarvings, carpets, and prayer wheels. In the afternoon, travel just outside the city boundaries to Sera Monastery, a complex of structures founded in 1419 containing the Great Assembly Hall and three colleges. Walk the massive compound and observe the architectural features and centuries of scholarly teaching. Witness monks engaged in Buddhist philosophical debate in the courtyard during afternoon sessions (except Sundays), a daily practice where monks question and defend Buddhist doctrine in rigorous dialogue. Listen to ritual chanting in the assembly halls. Check-in at the hotel.
7Potala PalacePotala Palace · hotel
After breakfast, visit the Potala Palace, an architectural structure built in the 1600s and the former seat of the Dalai Lamas. The palace served as both a meditation retreat and center of state affairs; burial stupas of successive Dalai Lamas remain within its walls. Observe golden statues, three-dimensional mandalas, and ancient Buddhist scriptures. Devoted pilgrims circle the palace day and night. Check-in at the hotel.
8Free Time in Lhasa; Optional Ganden or Drepung MonasteryDrepung Monastery · Ganden Monastery
After breakfast, the day is free to visit Lhasa independently. Your tour leader can arrange optional visits to Ganden Monastery, built in the early 15th century as the site of Zongkapa's 1409 Grand Summons Ceremony, where over 8,000 lamas gathered at Jokhang Temple to commemorate Sakyamuni Buddha. The kora, or circumambulation circuit, around Ganden Monastery is a traditional practice. Alternatively, visit Drepung Monastery on the western outskirts, whose name means 'prosperity' in Tibetan. Established centuries ago, Drepung once housed more than 10,000 monks and was the primary school where many Dalai Lamas studied, earning it the title 'Mother School of Dalai Lamas.' Both monasteries offer insights into Gelug (Yellow Sect) Buddhism and Tibetan monastic life. Check-in at the hotel.
9Gyantse via Yamdrok Lake & Khamba La PassGyantse · Yamdrok Lake · Khamba La Pass · Lhasa
After breakfast, depart Lhasa for Gyantse, a 6–7 hour drive south across the Tibetan plateau. The route passes several high-altitude passes through dramatic mountain terrain. Views include Yamdrok Lake, a large glacial body of water that reflects the sky, and Khamba La Pass, where yaks graze on steep mountainsides. The landscape alternates between grassland and rocky peaks rising sharply above the road. Check-in at the hotel in Gyantse.
10Pelkor Chode & Gyantse Kumbum; Tashilumpo Monastery in ShigatseGyantse Kumbum · Tashilumpo Monastery · Pelkor Chode Monastery · Gyantse to Shigatse · hotel in Shigatse · local market in Shigatse
After breakfast, visit Pelkor Chode Monastery, founded in 1418 and the center of Gyantse's religious life. Adjacent stands the eight-story Gyantse Kumbum (meaning '100,000 images'), a structure containing a series of small chapels filled with Buddhist sculptures—Buddhas, protective deities, and saints. Travel approximately 1.5 hours to Shigatse, Tibet's second-largest city. After lunch, check-in at the hotel and visit Tashilumpo Monastery, founded in 1447 by the 1st Dalai Lama. The monastery is historically and culturally significant to Tibetan Buddhism. A kora circuit around the monastery is available, as is time to visit the local market. Check-in at the hotel.
11Sakya Monastery & Sakya SchoolSakya Monastery · a nunnery perched on a hilltop above Sakya · the hotel
After breakfast, drive to the town of Sakya to visit Sakya Monastery, one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism alongside Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug. Known as the 'second Dunhuang' for its massive collection of Buddhist texts, Sakya Monastery houses over 40,000 volumes of sacred Buddhist scripts and teachings. Single bookshelves in the monastery contain approximately 10,000 ancient scriptures. After a guided tour of the monastery, an optional hike to a nunnery perched on a hilltop above Sakya is available. Check-in at the hotel.
12Rongbuk Monastery & Everest Base Camp at 5,200 MetersRongbuk Monastery · Everest Base Camp · Friendship Highway
After breakfast, begin a long drive westward along the Friendship Highway toward Everest Base Camp on Tibet's north side. Upon arrival, check-in at the Rongbuk guesthouse and rest. Visit Rongbuk Monastery, the highest monastery in the world, built in 1902. Originally founded by a Nyingma lama, it housed more than 500 monks during its peak; today approximately 50 monks and nuns reside here, sharing a prayer hall while maintaining separate quarters. The nuns welcome visitors to join evening prayer sessions. Continue to Everest Base Camp on the north face of Mount Everest. Check-in at the hotel.
13Border Drive to KerungKerung · Rongbuk
After breakfast, depart Rongbuk and drive to Kerung, a customs town and port of entry on the Nepal–China border. This is a long day of driving across high-altitude terrain and begins the transition toward Nepal.
14Cross into Nepal; Durbar Square in KathmanduDurbar Square · Kathmandu · hotel · China–Nepal border
After breakfast, cross the border from China into Nepal. Arrive in Kathmandu and visit the city on a walking tour with your local guide. Visit Durbar Square, a vast plaza opposite the old Royal Palaces, notable for its Newari architectural style and historic significance. Check-in at the hotel.
15Departureyour hotel · the airport
End of tour. Check-in at your hotel or arrange a transfer to the airport for your onward travel.
Where you go
- 1Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall
- 2Forbidden City
- 3Tiananmen Square
- 4Jokhang Temple
- 5Sera Monastery
- 6Potala Palace
- 7Lhasa
- 8Rongbuk Monastery
- 9Everest Base Camp
Included
- Liability insurance stipulated by Chinese government.
- Transportation by private vehicle and Airport transfer on group basis
- Hotels as listed below with daily breakfast
- Entrance fees as listed below
- 1 lunch +1 dinner (if more meals are needed, we can arrange more) f.English speaking tour guide
Not included
- International air fares and China entry visa
- Expenses of personal nature, ie laundry, alcoholic drinks, and etc.
- Gratuity