Tibet Travel to Lhasa and Namtso with My Best Friend

My best friend from university and me flew to Beijing for a seminar. Since we had another week after for travelling, we thought about places “nearby”. From friends we heard about the beautiful landscape of Tibet and the interesting culture and religion. In the beginning we wanted to do a tour to the Mount Everest base camp, but as flights have been very expensive and taking the train from Beijing takes quite a while, we decided for a six days itinerary to Namtso Lake. We had three days in Lhasa and two days at the Namtso Lake. From Beijing to Lhasa, we decided to take the train for 42 hours while on the way back we decided to take the train from Lhasa to Xining and then the plane to Beijing. Initially we booked hard sleepers for all trains.

After reading many reviews on the internet about the train ride we wanted to change but it was too late, since we already got the original tickets from the train station. On our way to Lhasa we experienced two times hard sleeper, while on the way back we exchanged the hard sleeper to soft sleeper tickets. While some people say there is not a big difference, I would from now onwards always buy the softsleeper. It is more private; you can lock the door and escape the smells around you. If you are a group of four it is perfect, so you can even have your own cabine.

Things You Should Know for Tibet Train Tour

Upfront it is important to know that you receive the travel permit and exact time of the train only one week before your travel starts. So be prepared that the train tickets can vary from the ones you asked for. We were not able to get the direct train to Lhasa, so we had a four hour stop in Xining after a 21-hour train ride from Beijing. At the end we found it quite nice to get off the train, having a lunch and a nicer bathroom than the one in the train.

Also, keep in mind the time you are traveling by train. The great Landscapes starts after Golmud and is really amazing around Ando to Lhasa. Our way there we had the train starting in Xining from 2 pm, so we have been at Golmud exactly at sundown. The way back we took a train from Lhasa at 9 am, meaning less sleep but an entire day of a great landscape and train ride. We really enjoyed it.

Make sure to think of the beds you want to get upfront (lower/middle/upper). From my point of view, it is always better to have at least one lower bed but keep in mind that people sit on your bed. Especially, for the hardsleeper you cannot sit on the middle and upper bed and therefore people have to sit on your bed. Also, have in mind that you have enough food with you and tea bags can be nice as there is hot water in the train. Sanitizer and toilet paper are also a must as toilets are not cleaned for 21 hours. We also experienced people smoking. However, if you tell them to stop, they stop. Everyone is eating instant noodles, eggs, sausages and chicken legs. So, in case you are sensitive to smells you should rather think twice if you want to take the train.

One day before the train ride we started taking a Chinese root for high sickness. People from Tibet told us that it is placebo. I cannot tell you whether it’s true or not but my friend and me did not have any huge symptoms. A bit of a headache at the arrival date but that's it.

Our Journey in Tibet

Still we liked it to have the first day off when arriving in Lhasa. We went around the city by foot from our hotel (Gang Gyang Hotel) and explored the neighborhood. Although, the hotel has an AC that is not working well, the location is amazing and better than St. Regis or Shangri-La. We really enjoyed our first night on the rooftop terrace of the Tibetian Familiy Kitchen Restaurant. It has great food and an amazing view over the Jokangh temple. Go there by sunset and see the entire temple lighted. Also Dunya is a good restaurant near the hotel. - Check the classic Lhasa tour in Tibet.

The second day our tour started. We went to two monasteries since Potala Palace involves a lot of stairs which can be exhausting for the first day. The first monastery had a great view over Lhasa and the second one let us listen to a debate of Monks - super interesting.

Day 2: Drepung Monastery and Sera Monestary

Our Excellent Guide Tenwang

Our guide was Tenwang and we enjoyed every second with him. He answered us all our questions, was always beyond helpful and even went with us to the train station after the group tour finished to change our train tickets to soft sleeper. He really is the best guide we could have imagined. He knows so much about the religion and was able to answer all our questions, was always motivated and energetic. We have been able to see that he loves his job and is concerned about yourself having an amazing holiday. So, we recommend you request him as a guide to have the trip with him. Also, our driver to Namtso lake was super! - Choose your favorite guide from our team.

The Trip from Lhasa to Amazing Namtso Lake

The third day we went to the Potala Palace. It is a very impressive building and bigger than any castle I have seen before. It is more than impressive. After we visited the Jokhang Temple.

The fourth and fifth day we went to Namtso Lake. If you are interested in beautiful landscape, I can recommend it. We drove up to 5090 meters and the lake is huge and has an amazing blue color. Since there are construction works at the lake, you are not able to sleep in a tent there. Therefore, we drove back to Damxung (one and a half hours drive) and stayed in a hotel. However, if you don't like Chinese/Tibetian breakfast I recommend taking something for the morning after as Damxung is very local. On the way back we enjoyed the visit to a small nunnery, while we did not like the hot springs. It looked very fake with loud music. - Book 6-day Lhasa to Namtso Lake tour with us.

Overall, we are more than impressed by Lhasa and the beautiful landscape around. Because of having an organized tour our entire trip was relaxing for us. Everything was perfectly organized and every person from Tibet Vista was always friendly and willing to help us out. Also, do not overthink the high sickness. In case you get sick, there are many doctors and pharmacies around the hotel to help. From our group only two had problems with the high sickness and they came with the plane. So, it might be a bit better to go by train.

Other Memorable Moments in Tibet

Day 3: Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple

Day 4 & 5: