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Tibet Travel (Tibet Vista) · Private escorted tour

10 Days Beijing Xi'an Lhasa Everest Base Camp Kathmandu Tour by Tibet Train

Beijing to Kathmandu via Tibet Train, Everest Base Camp overnight

Illustration of 10 Days Beijing Xi'an Lhasa Everest Base Camp Kathmandu Tour by Tibet Train

Tibet Travel operates this 10-day private escorted journey from Beijing to Kathmandu, combining two spectacular train rides across China's highest terrain with overland travel through Tibet and the Himalayas. The tour departs 365 days a year with a personal English-speaking Tibetan guide and dedicated driver. You begin with an overnight train from Beijing to Xi'an to visit the Terracotta Warriors Museum, then board the Qinghai-Tibet Railway sleeper for a roughly 32-hour ascent to Lhasa, viewing snow, desert, grassland, and ice mountains from your seat. In Lhasa, spend three days touring the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and the great monasteries of Sera and Drepung. The itinerary then shifts to overland coach travel south via Gyantse and Shigatse to Everest Base Camp, where you sleep beneath Mount Everest before crossing the Himalayas into Nepal and finishing in Kathmandu. The tour suits first-time rail travellers, history lovers, and families, with activity rated as easy across all fitness levels.

What to know before you look closer

  • The itinerary includes a night at Everest Base Camp in a tent, or nearby village accommodation in winter; final accommodation depends on the season.
  • Accommodation class is traveller-selected from four tiers (luxury 5-star, standard 4-star, economic 3-star, or budget guesthouse/tent); the price and hotel vary with your choice.
  • The tour crosses the Nepal border at Gyirong on Day 10; you must arrange a Nepal visa in advance, though Tibet Travel offers application support.
  • Meals not listed in the itinerary cost extra, estimated USD 3 to 15 per meal in Tibet.

Day by day

  1. Day 1railovernight: Train

    Take Train from Beijing to Xi'an

    Meet the guide and other tour members and board the overnight train to Xi'an.

  2. Day 2overnight: Xi'an

    Xi'an Tour: Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, and BanPo Museum

    Arrive in Xi'an in the early morning and transfer to the hotel. Visit the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, then the Neolithic-era Banpo Museum on the eastern outskirts of Xi'an.

  3. Day 3railovernight: Train

    Board the Overnight Train to Lhasa from Xi'an

    Board the sky train to Lhasa at Xi'an railway station in the early morning for the roughly 32-hour journey on the world's highest railway.

  4. Day 4railovernight: Lhasa

    Sightseeing along the Railway and Arrive in Lhasa in the Late Afternoon

    A full day of window sightseeing along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway - snow, desert, grassland, ice mountains and lakes - before arriving in Lhasa in the late afternoon and transferring to the hotel to acclimatize.

  5. Day 5overnight: Lhasa

    Lhasa Sightseeing: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and Barkhor Street

    Visit the Potala Palace, winter palace of the Dalai Lamas, then Zhongjiao Lukang Park behind it. In the afternoon visit the sacred Jokhang Temple and walk the Barkhor Kora with pilgrims.

  6. Day 6overnight: Lhasa

    Lhasa Sightseeing: Drepung and Sera Monastery

    Morning visit to Drepung Monastery, one of the three great Gelug monasteries; afternoon at Sera Monastery to watch the monks' philosophical debate.

  7. Day 7overnight: Shigatse

    Lhasa-Gyantse-Shigatse 360km

    Drive over Gampala Pass (4,790m) for views of Yamdrok-tso Lake, pass the Korola Glacier and Simila Mountain Pass, visit Gyantse, then continue to Shigatse, Tibet's second-largest city.

  8. Day 8overnight: Everest Base Camp (tent, or nearby village in winter)

    Shigatse (3,850m) to Everest Base Camp (5,000m)

    Drive via Gyatsola Pass and Gawula Pass for successive views of Mount Everest, then the zigzag road to Everest Base Camp for an overnight beneath the peak.

  9. Day 9overnight: Gyirong

    Everest Base Camp to Gyirong Border

    Visit Rongbuk Monastery, the world's highest monastery, then cross the Himalayas past Mt Shishapangma and Pelku Tso Lake to Gyirong at the Sino-Nepal border.

  10. Day 10overnight: Kathmandu (tour ends)

    Gyirong Border to Kathmandu

    Cross the Nepal border with assistance from Nepali staff (Nepal visa, luggage), then transfer overland to the hotel in Kathmandu via the Friendship Highway.

The moments this trip is built around

  • Day 2Visit the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum in Xi'an, then the Neolithic-era Banpo Museum.
  • Day 3Board the Qinghai-Tibet Railway sleeper train for the roughly 32-hour journey on the world's highest railway.
  • Day 4Spend a full day viewing snow, desert, grassland, ice mountains and lakes from the train before arriving in Lhasa.
  • Day 5Visit the Potala Palace, winter palace of the Dalai Lamas, then walk the Barkhor Kora with pilgrims around Jokhang Temple.
  • Day 8Overnight at Everest Base Camp at 5,000 metres, beneath Mount Everest.

Included

  • Tibet travel permit and all other necessary permits to Tibet
  • All entrance ticket fees for all tourist sites listed in the itinerary
  • Personal knowledgeable English-speaking Tibetan local tour guide
  • Personal comfortable, clean and safe vehicle with reliable Tibetan local driver (4WD land cruiser to minibus depending on group size)
  • All lodging listed in the itinerary (traveller chooses accommodation class: luxury 5-star, standard 4-star, economic 3-star, or budget guesthouse/tent)
  • Domestic flight/train tickets listed in the itinerary
  • All meals listed in the itinerary
  • Tourist accident/casualty insurance
  • First aid kit

Not included

  • International flight to and from China
  • Chinese visa (application support available on request)
  • Domestic flight/train not listed in the itinerary
  • Meals not specified in the itinerary (approx. USD 3-15 per meal in Tibet)
  • Tips and gratuities for guide and driver
  • Personal expenses (laundry, phone calls, snacks, drinks, optional activities, etc.)

Questions travellers ask

Is train travel included?
Yes. The package includes two sleeper train journeys: Beijing to Xi'an (overnight) and Xi'an to Lhasa on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway (approximately 32 hours). The remaining days use coach transport and private vehicle.
Is the tour escorted or independent?
It is a private escorted tour. Tibet Travel provides a personal English-speaking Tibetan local guide and a dedicated driver throughout in a private vehicle (4WD Land Cruiser to minibus depending on group size).
What is included in the price?
Tibet Travel includes Tibet travel permit and all required permits, entrance fees to all sites, personal guide and driver, private vehicle, accommodation (traveller selects the tier), domestic train tickets listed in the itinerary, all listed meals, tourist accident insurance, and a first aid kit.
When does the tour run and how often?
Tibet Travel operates this tour 365 days a year, so departures are available every day.
What is the accommodation like?
You choose your accommodation class before booking: luxury 5-star hotels, standard 4-star hotels, economic 3-star hotels, or budget guesthouses and tent (at Everest Base Camp in season).
How much walking and physical activity is involved?
The tour is rated as easy and suitable for all fitness levels, families with children, and senior groups. Days involve city walking in Lhasa and monastery visits; the altitude rises to 5,000 metres at Everest Base Camp, which requires acclimatization days.

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