Lhasa is not only the largest city but also the transportation hub in Tibet. Most of the Tibet travel routes start from Lhasa. If you want to enjoy the scenery of the roof of the world, your first stop should definitely be Lhasa. The linear distance between Lhasa and Beijing is about 2,600 km, which is about the same of the linear distance between Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong.
Today, there are only two places where people can enter Tibet directly: mainland China and Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal.
People can get to Lhasa through flights, trains, and via the overland. This article will give you detailed information about these three means of transportation.
Tourists can either take flights from mainland or Kathmandu to Lhasa. Lhasa Gongga International Airport is the only international airport in Tibet, witnessing a large of amount passengers leaving and entering Tibet every day.
It only takes about 4 hours to get to Lhasa from Beijing by flights, while it will take 40 hours by trains. And if you go there via the overland, the duration will be as long as over 5 days.
Directly flights to Tibet are available in cities such as Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi'an, Xining, Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Kunming, and Urumqi, etc. There is no direct flights to Tibet in Hong Kong and Macao, so you need to transfer flights in the mainland if you take flights from these two places.
Chengdu – Lhasa and Chongqing – Lhasa flights are the most recommended among the flights to Tibet. You can save both time and money if you choose to take flights to Tibet from Chengdu and Chongqing. Several flights to Tibet are available in the two cities every day. And you are more likely to get discounts when you buy flight tickets. Therefore, Most tourists from Southeast Asia prefer to enter Tibet from these two cities.
Nepal is adjacent to Tibet. The distance between Lhasa and Kathmandu is shorter than the distances between Lhasa and nearly all the provincial capital cities in mainland China. Therefore, it costs shorter time to take flights to Tibet from Kathmandu than from other cities.
There is only one Kathmandu – Lhasa flight every day, with a duration of 1 hour 35 minutes. The flight will fly over Mt. Himalayas, so passengers can get a birds’-eye view of the highest mountain in the world and other towering and steep mountains. The world-class experience is the major reason for many tourists to choose to take a flight to Tibet from Kathmandu.
Qinghai-Tibet Railway - Up till 2019, only the railway of Xining-Lhasa section has been into operation.
Sichuan-Tibet Railway – The Sichuan-Tibet Railway has already been under construction and planning. So far, the Chengdu-Ya’an section has been put into operation, the Lhasa-Nyingchi section is still under construction, and the Ya’an-Nyingchi section is undergoing the stage of feasibility study. It is said by the officials that the Sichuan-Tibet Railway will be fully put into construction within 10 years.
Sino-Nepal Railway – The railway from Kathmandu and Lhasa is also under planning. So far, the Lhas –Shigatse section has been put into operation, which will be part of the Sino-Nepal Railway in the future. Then tourists will be able to get to Beijing from Kathmandu by transferring trains in Lhasa. We believe that tourists can travel between Tibet and Nepal via flights, trains, and the overland in the near future.
Qinghai-Tibet Railway has been put into operation since July, 2006. Average altitude of the railway is above 3,500 meters, with parts of the railway running through areas which is located at an altitude of 4,000-5,000 meters. Advanced oxygen supply facilities are equipped on all the Tibet trains, which can guarantee passengers a pleasant train journey. At the same time, you can also enjoy the unique plateau scenery and have a look at the rare wild animals while taking the trains.
The Qinghai-Tibet train sets off from Qinghai Province. Along the way it will pass through places such as the Qinghai Lake (the largest salt water lake in China), Qaidam Basin, Kunlun Mountains, Tuotuo River (the source of Yangzi River), Tanggula Mountain, and the unpopulated Hoh Xil Nature Reserve. When the train enters in Tibet, you will see scenery such as pastures and prairies. Because of the amazing scenery along the way, Qinghai-Tibet Railway is also recognized as the most beautiful railway in China. And you will find it worthwhile spending long hours to take a train to Tibet once you have seen the scenery along this “Heavenly Road”.
There are five trains to Tibet every day, setting off from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Xining respectively. One thing should be noticed is that it is difficult to buy a sleeper train ticket to Tibet. If you want a good sleeping environment on the train, you should go to Tibet in non-peak season. For more information about the trains to Tibet, please read related articles on our website.
There are currently five roads to Lhasa: the 318 National Road (south line), the 317 National Road (north line), the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, the Yunnan-Tibet Highway, and the Xinjiang-Tibet Highway. Each of the road covers a length of over 2,000km. The time for an overland journey to Tibet can be as short as 4-5 days, and it can be as long as nearly half a month as well. So an overland journey is very time-consuming. Scenery along the way is as beautiful as the scenery along the railway. And road conditions are pretty well, but altitude changes can be huge.
Before the Nepal Earthquake in 2015, Zhangmu Port had always been the trading port between Nepal and Tibet. However, the earthquake seriously damaged the highway, and the Sino-Nepal Highway passing through the Gyirong Port has now become the newest international highway to Tibet.
While entering Tibet via the overland, tourists can see the differences of natural scenery between the south slope and north slope of the Himalayas. Foreigners and people from Taiwan can’t enter Tibet via the overland in mainland China currently, but they can enter Tibet through the international Sino-Nepal Highway. We have many classic travel routes to meet different demands of different people.
For people who has never been to Tibet before, it is difficult for them to decide whether to go to Tibet by trains or by flights. The followings are the advantages and advantages of the two means of transportation.
You can enjoy the scenery along the way causally – the snowy mountains, the grasslands, the flower seas, the rivers and lakes, etc. In addition, you can gradually adapt to the high altitude as the train runs slowly on the plateau, so that you won’t get altitude sickness easily.
It is time-consuming to enter Tibet by trains. The space on the train is small, so you can’t take satisfactory pictures easily. Besides, it is extremely difficult to buy a sleeper ticket in peak season. And if you couldn’t get a sleeper train ticket, you may have a tough experience on the train.
It will save you a lot of time if you go to Tibet by flights. And you can have a bird’s-eye view of the stunning Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from the flight.
You are more likely to get altitude sickness because of the abrupt altitude changes.
It is said that people are less likely to get altitude sickness if they go to Tibet by trains, and are more likely to get altitude sickness if they go to Tibet by flights. Such statement is kind of reasonable, yet it is not absolutely right.
Take the Chengdu-Lhasa journey for an example. It takes 35 hours to get to Lhasa from Chengdu by trains, and 2 hours by flights. When the train arrives in Xining, the altitude will increase at first and then decrease. During this process, passengers can get enough time to adapt to the altitude changes, so that they won’t have severe symptoms of altitude sickness.
When it turns to flights, the altitude will increase all the way from 300 meters to 3,600 meters within 2 hours, so tourists will easily to get altitude sickness. Assumed that the train passengers and flight passengers set off from Chengdu simultaneously, the flight passengers will arrive in Tibet more than 30 hours ahead of the train passengers. And when the train passengers are still taking the trains, the flight passengers can use the 30 hours to adjust themselves to the altitude changes, while at the same time, they can also enjoy the scenery in Tibet. Isn’t it more pleasant than enjoying the scenery along the railway? Besides, although train passengers have enough time to adapt to the altitude changes, the altitude sickness won’t completely disappear. And both the train passengers and flight passengers will need about 2 days to adapt to the plateau climate.
There is only one difference between taking trains and taking flights to Tibet: whether to adapt to the plateau climate while taking the trains or while taking a sunbath in Lhasa. You can decide the transportation means based on your own needs. Although it is difficult to get a train ticket in peak season, you can trust us and we can arranger for you to take a train to Tibet.
Tourists can enter Tibet either from mainland China by trains or flights, or from Kathmandu by flights or via the overland. Taking flights to Tibet is time-saving. We recommend that you go to Tibet by flights in peak season, and by trains in slack season. If you want to see as much as scenery along the way, we recommend that you enter Tibet from Nepal via the overland, and then go back by trains or flights.
People from Hong Kong and Macao can choose all the three ways to travel between Tibet and Nepal. For example, you can firstly enter Tibet via the 318 National Highway, then go to Kathmandu via the Sino-Nepal Highway, and finally go back to Hong Kong or Macao by flights. And people from Taiwan can go to Tibet either by flights or trains. The Chengdu-Lhasa tour route is the most popular among Taiwan tourists. For more information about Tibet travel routes from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, please read related articles on our website.
If you have more different ideas about your Tibet tour, please contact us and we will try our best help you realize your Tibet tour dream.
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