Train Z164/Z165 from Shanghai to Lhasa

Xining

Xining, the capital of Qinghai province,also known as the starting point of famous Qinghai-Tibet Railway, is located onthe eastern edge of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the upper reaches of the YellowRiver. It is the biggest city on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Many ethnic minoritiessuch as Han, Tibetan, Muslim, and Mongolian are inhabited here; the main religionsare Islam, Tibetan Buddhism and Chinese Buddhism.

Thanks for the favorable climate; the cityis reputed as the "Summer Resort Capital" of China. Compared with easternor coastal cities in China, Xining is really cool in summer; besides the goodweather, it also has many good tourist attractions around, likeQinghai Lake,Ta’er Monastery,Dongguan Mosque, many tourists will travel tothis summer resort capital in July and August, and most of them will continuetheir way to Lhasa from here by taking the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

Three very good reasons to come to Xiningto take train into Lhasa are firstly, the altitude of Xining is about 2300meters which is very good for tourists to acclimatize themselves before headingto Lhasa. Secondly, as the starting point of Qinghai-Tibet Railway, Xining hasthe most train tickets supply which makes it easier for tourists to get traintickets compared with cities like Beijing or Shanghai. Thirdly, the train ridefrom Xining to Lhasa only takes 24 hours, and the views within those 24 hoursare the real amazing highlights of the Tibet train tours. The pre-Xining trainride over 20 hours sometimes is that necessary, particularly when the viewslook normal and boring.

Qinghai Lake

3,200m above sea level, Qinghai Lake lies 150 km northwest to Xining city; Qinghai Lake literally means Blue Sea Lake, from the vastness of its azure waters. It is the largest salt water lake in all of China. It is also regarded as holy by Tibetans and Mongolians.

The scenery around the lake resembles a breathtaking painting. The mountains and grassland wear a green blanket with herds of cattle and sheep dispersed over the grassland. The bank is connected with stretching farmlands, which is prospering with blooming rape flowers and rolling with wheat waves, sending blasts of fragrance to the lake. The water here is also very limpid, which reflects the pretty green mountains in the deep like a mirror.

Qarhan Salt Lake

The famous Qarhan Salt Lake is located in southern Qaidam Basin in the northeastern part of Qinghai Province, covering an area of 5,868 square km with 6 billion tons of of sodium chloride and table salt, which are enough to supply 6 billion people for 1,000 years. The briny water of the lake crystallizes into salt under the searing heat, forming a hardened salt bed around the lake.

The most amazing feature of the lake is the 32-kilometer-long salt bridge built across the lake. The bridge, 15-18 meters thick, is made of salt. "Floating" on the lake, the bridge is straight and smooth on the surface, which divides the lake into two parts. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the highest railway in the world, runs through the salt lake also based on the same kind of salt bed.

Sanchahe Grand Bridge

Sanchache Grand Bridge is the highest railway bridge that the Qinghai-Tibet railway crosses. The total length of the bridge is 601.19 meters with an altitude of 3800 meters. It has 20 piers, with the highest one stands at 54.1 meters above the valley.

Yuzhu Summit

The Yuzhufeng Summit is known as Sob Gangri Peak. The altitude of Yuzhufeng Summit is 6178 meters which is the highest peak of east Kunlun Mountains. It is located in the center of Qinghai Province, 10 kilometers to the east of Kunlun Mountain Pass which is about 160 kilometers to the south of Golmud. Its north and south base camps are less than 10 km from the paved, busy Qinghai-Tibet railway. The top of Yuzhufeng is covered by snow and glacier around the year, without exposed rocks.

Kunlun Mountains

The Kunlun Mountains are one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, also known as the "Spine of Asia", extending more than 3,000 km. The Kunlun Mountains are praised as "ancestor of mountains" in Chinese history.

It is the birthplace of Taoism in end of Ming Dynasty and the first holy mountain of China. The Kunlun Mountain Taoism culture is the ancient part of Chinese national culture. Hence, the Kunlun Mountain is famous as "the palace of emperor on earth and the collecting place of gods".

Chumaer River

Chumaer, literally means Red River in the Tibetan language; the color of the river water is red in summer because of the special landform and climate there. This area is the core area for the migration of the Tibetan antelope.

In June, July and August, you could see herds of Tibetan antelopes; donkey and other animals migrate northward to Hohxil Nature Reserve crossing the river through the piers of the Chumaer Bridget.

Tangula Mountain Pass

Tanggula means "Mountains not to be passed by flying eagles" in Tibetan. Its highest peak is Mt. Geladandong and marks the border of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province.

The famous Qinghai-Tibet railway reaches its highest point in Tanggula Mountain Pass Station at 5072 meters high; this point is also the highest point than any other railways in the world. Here gusty wind churns up large flakes of snow. It is biting cold. The oxygen is 40% less than that at sea level.

Cuona Lake

Covering an area of over 400 square kilometers, Cuona Lake is regarded as the highest freshwater lake in the world. Like Namtso Lake in Lhasa, Cuona Lake means ’Heavenly Lake’ to the locals. Numerous believers often come all the way to worship this holy lake.

The water here is crystal clear with fish jumping freely. Together with the boundless plains and clear sky, the scenery surrounding Cuona Lake are of great beauty, attracting cranes, mandarin ducks, swans and other wild animals. Around the lake is the famous Qiangtang Nature Reserve where Tibetan yak, donkey, snow leopard and so on live. Cuona Lake is the nearest lake to Tibet Railway with the nearest shore only tens of meters distant, so passengers can enjoy the serenity of the lake with great ease.

Sangdankangsang Summit

The Sangdankangsang Summit is of 6590 meters high, and it is located at the middle section of the Nyechen Tanggula Range within Naqu. Among the numerous peaks on North Tibet Plateaus, the Sangdankangsang Snow Mountain is quite well-known. As one of the 25 highest mountains in Tibet which are correspondingly called the 25 hermits living in fairyland, the lord god of this mountain is called "Yechagangbusangbu" which means patron saint with unparalleled supernatural power, and the mountains and lakes around it are regarded as his wives and attendants.

The Sangdankangsang Summit sits on the Tang-Tibet Ancient Road. it is said that as the Princess Wencheng entered Tibet, an elephant carrying a lot of valuables felt due to tiredness, and hence this mountain pass is called "Kanglvla" (means a mountain that makes an elephant exhausted), the ancient road is called "the golden bridge between the Tibetan and Chinese" which is an inevitable path that leads to the mainland, Qinghai, Mongolia and other regions in Tibet. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway passes by it, so people have the opportunity to have a view of it just in front.

Travel to Tibet from Beijing to Lhasa by train is the most popular way for tourists to enter Tibet, we not only provide tourists with the most informative info about the train, but also with reliable Beijing to Lhasa train tickets and Tibet travel permit service. Our most popular Beijing to Tibet train tours incl.

Nyenchen Tangula Mountain

Nyenchen Tanggula Summit is the highest peak of Nyenchen Tanggula Mountains, a massive 600 km long range in central Tibet dividing the Yarlung Tsangpo (Bramaputra River) drainage from the Chang Tang (northern high plains). The central part of the main range is about 150 km long. The massif is heavily glaciated, however presently the glaciers have receded dramatically due to low precipitation, exposing sharp ridges and peaks. Snowline in the Nyenchen Tanggula range is as high as 5700 m. The peak has one main peak and three slightly lower sub-peaks.

Nyenchen Tanggula Mountains are located close to Lhasa near the Qinghai-Tibet railway. It is bounded by grassy plains of Damshung to the south and the scenic holy lake Namtso (4700 m, one of the highest large lakes in the world) to the north.

Lhasa

Though the holy city is one of the highest cities in the world, it does not have extremely frigid winters or unbearably hot summers. It enjoys 3,000 hours of sunlight annually, giving it the nickname of "sunlit city." Generally, the best period to visit Lhasa is from May to October, and thanks to its rich sunshine, in daytime, it is even warmer than Beijing and other cities of the same latitude on earth.

Lhasa is an important transportation hub in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Lhasa Gongga Airport is located in Gongga County, about 65 km south of Lhasa city. It connects Lhasa with most western Chinese cities, and big cities like Beijing and Shanghai.

Traveling by train to Lhasa is another highlight for visitors. With a total length of 1,956 km, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is the longest plateau railway and also the highest in the world. It starts at Xining in Qinghai and ends at Lhasa in Tibet.