13 Days Beijing to Lhasa with Everest Base Camp Tour by Train

After breakfast the guide meets you for Tian'anmen Square, then the Forbidden City. The palace was the political center of the Ming and Qing courts for about 500 years and is a World Heritage site.

The afternoon is the Summer Palace, the old imperial garden of halls, bridges, and the lake.

The drive northwest to Mutianyu Great Wall takes about 1.5 to 2 hours, around 73 km.

On the way back you stop for exterior photos of the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube.

The morning is the Temple of Heaven in Tiantan Park, a World Heritage site laid out on a strict symbolic plan. If time allows, a rickshaw ride through the old hutongs comes before the station.

In the late afternoon the guide takes you to Beijing West Railway Station. Train Z21 leaves for Lhasa at 19:55. The ride is about 3,753 km and about 40 hours, on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

The day is on the train. The carriage is often shared with Tibetan pilgrims. From the window: the plateau, lakes, yak pastures, and the climb toward the high country.

Around Xining, passengers change to a train with an oxygen supply for the higher stretch. Dining cars serve Chinese and Tibetan dishes. Bring snacks if you prefer something else. Toilets are both Western-style and squat.

The train arrives in Lhasa at 12:29. Your guide and driver meet you and take you to the hotel. The rest of the day is for rest at about 3,650 m.

• Altitude: Walk slowly, keep warm, drink water often, and skip a shower on the first day or two.
• Health: Follow your own doctor's advice. Tell the guide or the hotel if you feel unwell.

Jokhang Temple has stood in the center of Lhasa for more than 1,300 years. Tradition says it was built for King Songtsen Gampo's Chinese and Nepalese queens. It is a World Heritage pilgrimage site.

The afternoon drive is about 30 km, around 50 minutes, to Sera Monastery, one of the three great Gelug universities. The monks' debate is usually between 15:00 and 17:00.

Between the two, walk Barkhor Street around the Jokhang.

The morning is the Potala Palace, the Dalai Lama's winter residence from 1649 to 1959. About 365 steps lead from the gate to the Red Palace, at about 3,700 m.

Then about 35 minutes, 12 km, to Drepung Monastery, once the largest Gelug monastery in Lhasa and the Dalai Lama's seat before the move to the Potala. The Shoton Festival is held here each August.

The drive to Shigatse takes about 8 to 9 hours, around 340 km, with two stops.

After about 3 to 4 hours you reach Kampala Pass at 4,797 m, looking down on Yamdrok Lake and, in clear weather, Mount Nyenchen Khangsar.

Later, about 1.5 hours and 70 km, is Karola Glacier, below Naiqinkangsang at 7,191 m. The drive ends in Shigatse.

The drive toward Mount Everest is about 6.5 hours, around 330 km.

After about 4.5 hours and 240 km, Gyawu La Pass (also called Gyatso La) at 5,200 m is the first clear view of the peak, between Lhatse and Shelkar.

About 3.5 hours and 122 km later is Rongbuk Monastery at 5,154 m, the highest monastery on this road, and the first close view of the mountain. The night is at Everest Base Camp.

If the sky is clear, an early walk to a nearby viewpoint is the way to see the sunrise on Everest. It is optional.

The return stops again at Gyatso La for a short photo, about 122 km and 3.5 hours from base camp, then continues to Shigatse, about 240 km and 4.5 hours.

The Shigatse to Lhasa leg the next day is by train or by road, depending on the day.

The morning is Tashilhunpo Monastery, founded in 1447 by the 1st Dalai Lama, Gyalwa Gedun Drup. It is the seat of the Panchen Lamas. The halls include the tombs of later Panchen Lamas.

Afterward, return to Lhasa by train, about 2.5 hours, or by road, about 8 hours and 340 km. Which one runs depends on the day.

The morning is free in Lhasa until the guide takes you to the airport or railway station.

Longer stays sometimes add Namtso, Mount Kailash, or the Guge kingdom. Those are separate days, not part of this itinerary.