02 How To Take Tibet Train To Lhasa

How to take Tibet Train to Lhasa
Tibet, the roof of the world and a hugely popular tourist destination, has
various routes to use to get there. While flying from Nepal or China is a fast
way to get there, it can never beat traveling by train. The scenery along the
Qinghai-Tibet Railway is breathtakingly spectacular, and is certainly not
something to miss.
The train runs form seven different cities in China; Guangzhou, Shanghai,
Beijing, Chongqing, Chengdu, Lanzhou, and Xining. You can choose which
departure point you wish to take, and book tickets either online or through
your tour operator.
How to book the Tibet train
All tourists to Tibet must book their tours through a registered tour operator,
like Tibet Vista. They can also help with your train ticket booking, if you are
booking your tour with them, to save you the trouble of having to book it
yourself. You just need to let them know what station you will depart from.
Chinese ticket offices require ticket reservations in advance, to guarantee you
can get a ticket on the extremely popular routes to Tibet. There are 3 plan
types they use; annual, three-month, and monthly. Obviously, the earlier you
book your ticket, the more likely you are to get the date of travel that you
require. The Chinese ticket offices do not have an online booking facility, so
you will need to book your tickets through a local travel agency.
With their years of experience, and considerably high allowance of annual

ticket reservations, they can guarantee to get your ticket booked and in your
hands. They have a very simple form for you to fill out, and submit online. It is
best to book at least 3-6 months in advance, although the Chinese ticket
offices will not send the tickets out until 5-10 days before travel. As this is not
enough time to forward the tickets to your home country, Tibet Vista will have
them delivered to your hotel room, or you can pick them up from the local
branch of their office.
For online bookings, there are many travel agents who will book your train
ticket for you, and you should only use a reputable travel agency. However,
care should still be taken, as some travel agencies are unreliable, and may
not be able to guarantee your ticket booking. All third-party bookings will also
be subject to an agency booking fee, which can vary depending on the
agency and availability of tickets.
Travel documents you need
There are a number of documents you will need for your trip to Tibet by train,
as well as your passport and Chinese Entry Visa - which you can get from the
Chinese Embassy in your home country before you travel. The most important
of these is your Tibet Travel Permit, also known as a Tibet Tourism Bureau
Permit. Without this, you will not even be able to board the train in China. This
document is obtained by your tour operator, and will be sent to you at your
hotel by the tour operator. Tibet Vista have many years experience in
obtaining the permits, which normally takes around three working days.
However, as this only allows you to travel direct to Lhasa, and nowhere else,
you will also need an Alien’s Travel Permit. This is needed when traveling to
places outside Lhasa region, such as Mt. Everest or Shigatse. It is obtained
by your tour operator using your Passport and Tibet Travel Permit once you
get to Lhasa, and takes a few hours. It is useful to remember that the Alien’s
Travel Permit cannot be obtained on its own by any travel agent.
Another important document you will need, if you are thinking of going to
places like holy Mt. Kailash, is the Military Area Entry Permit. Some areas of
Tibet are sensitive military areas, and travel is strictly controlled there. You
may also need the Foreign Affairs Permit for certain areas, and some parts of
western Tibet will require local permits from the Cultural Antiquities
Department. But do not worry, as Tibet Vista will obtain these permits for you
once your Tibet Travel Permit has been issued.
While it all seems very complicated, Tibet Vista have made it easier for you by
taking care of many of the documentary requirements for you, allowing you to
better enjoy planning your trip without the stress and worry.
Arriving at the station
With the trains often being fully booked, it is advisable to get to the station
early, so that you can get in line. There are always long lines to board the
train, and queuing is required. You cannot just walk to the platform and board
as you do in the west. If you have already collected your ticket, which is
advisable, you can proceed to the check area, where you and your luggage
will be checked by security. Your ticket an ID (Passport) will be checked first
and then you move to the luggage check. Make sure you prepare your ticket
and passport for the checks, as well as your Tibet Travel Permit, and keep
them on your person at all times. There may be another 1-2 ticket checks
before you reach the train.
Where to wait for boarding the train and how to find your seat in the
right cabin
When you have had your luggage checked, you can go to the waiting area for
your train. Large LED screens will tell you which waiting area you need, and
which gate to go to afterwards to board. The train’s number is printed on the
top-middle part of the ticket; e.g. K9821 or Z6801. The waiting room will be
displayed as a floor and room number, such as 2 楼 1 候, meaning second
floor, first waiting room.
As each waiting room may service several trains, make sure you get the right
gate, and platform from the LED screens. Once you have the right gate, you
can normally check in and board 15 minutes before departure. The stairs
show the platform number above each, so you can easily find your platform.
Each car is numbered, and has staff at the door who will help if you have
problems. Board the car, and check for your bunk number, which is also on
your ticket. A good tip is to have some phrases in Chinese on your phone, so
you can ask help more easily.
What is the information on your train ticket?
Your ticket is full of information that you will need to find the right waiting
room, platform, train, carriage and berth. The top of the ticket has the
departure and destination in Chinese and English, with the train number in
between. The departure date and time is below to the left, with the car and
berth numbers to the right. Your berth position will be shown in Chinese, with
上 for top, 中 for middle, and 下 for bottom.
Below your berth details you can see your ticket class, and to the left you will
see the price of the ticket, your name and passport number, and some helpful
tips in a little box, which are useful, if you can read Chinese. On some tickets,
your departure platform will be listed in the top right corner.
Luggage
Your luggage should always be in your cabin with you, and can be stored on
the luggage shelf above the top berth, or below the bottom berth. You will
need to carry the luggage on the train yourself, as there is no luggage check-
in service.
Dining, Restrooms and Oxygen on the train
On every car there is a washroom, as well as restrooms. The trains have both
Chinese and western style toilets, and are clean and well sanitized.
Unfortunately, the trains to not have private washrooms in the sleeper cabins,
and all are shared facilities.
For those who are feeling the effects of altitude sickness, there are oxygen
points on the train, as well as the train having a general oxygen supply system
to keep the oxygen levels up to normal during the trip. The oxygen tubes are
available from the conductors, and there are outlets in every cabin, as well as
along the wall in the corridors.
There is food available on the train, and it is freshly prepared in the onboard
kitchen. The dining car seats around 40-50 people and has wide windows to
enjoy the view while you dine. The food served is a mixture of Chinese and
Tibetan dishes, and is all of average quality, albeit a lot more expensive for
what you are getting. That said, the food is tasty and nutritious, and it is a
good start to sampling some of the Tibetan foods prior to arriving in Lhasa.
There are several Tibetan dishes you can try, or there is a selection of decent
Chinese meals available.
If you do not want to eat in the dining car, there is a food trolley brought to the
cabins with a selection of Chinese dishes, packed in styrofoam food boxes.
Prices range between 18-25 Yuan and there are snacks available from the
train attendants who deliver the boxed meals to the cabins. Boiled and
drinking water is available in all cars as well.
In Lhasa
Once you get to Lhasa, there will be a guide to meet you off the train, and
take you to your hotel. Lhasa train station is situated on the south bank of the
Lhasa River, in Liuwu village, 25km from Lhasa itself. The front of the station
boasts a 60,000 square meter square, and to make things easier in the high
elevation, there are no long distances to walk between your train and the exit.
For more information on tours to Tibet, you can visit the Tibet Vista website at
www.tibettravel.org, where their friendly staff will be more than happy to help
you book your trip.

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02 How To Take Tibet Train To Lhasa

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How to take Tibet Train to Lhasa

How to book the Tibet train

With their years of experience, and considerably high allowance of annual

Travel documents you need

Arriving at the station

What is the information on your train ticket?

Dining, Restrooms and Oxygen on the train

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