Asked by Carrie | Dec.31,2014 09:26

Hi Ramesh, yes, it is a very long journey with almost 44 hours. Actually, the most awesome scenery along the train journey is from Xining to Lhasa, so we suggest you take the flight to Xining first and stay two or three days to explore the Amdo area, Qinghai Lake, Kumbum monastery and more. Xining's altitude is high enough to help you begin to acclimate but not so high as to make most people feel sick. Then take the train to Lhasa from Xining, which is the best section to view the amazing scenery outside the window. It takes about 22 and more hours to get to Lhasa from Xining, and departing at 14:56, 15:21, 19:48, 20:10, 14:56 and 17:01 daily. It's better to take the two night-departing trains so that it will arrive in Golmud in the early morning, you'll enjoy the northern Tibeten scenery in daytime. In addition, it is much easier to book the train tickets from Xining to Lhasa than from Beijing.