TheQinghai-Tibet Railwayis known as "a magic way through the roof of the world". It starts in Xining, capital ofQinghai Province, and climbs to the holy city ofLhasa, capital of Tibet, with a total length of 1,956 kilometers(1,215 miles).
西藏Reopens for Travel!
Have you been dreaming of a Tibet tour for a long time? It's time to restart your travel plans now. Tibet hasreopened for travel.
Contact usnow to plan your tour and prepare your Tibet Travel Permit documents in advance. Don't worry about canceling. You enjoy 100% refund of any payments made to China Highlights prior to 3 weeks before departure (detail⇒).
The scenery along the青藏铁路is stunningly beautiful, with vast grasslands, crystal clear alpine lakes, deep gorges, and snow-capped mountains. Themost beautifulscenery is on the Golmud-Lhasasection
When passing through theTanggula Mountain Pass, you will reach the highest point of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway with analtitude5072米的s (16,640 feet).
Qinghai-Tibet Railway Map
We cover the14 topscenic railway features like Tanggula Pass with track altitudes below.
To know >>How to Plan a Tibet Tour
1. Qinghai Lake — altitude 3,200 m (10,500 ft)
Qinghai Lake
Starting fromXining Station, it takes an hour to reachQinghai Lake, which is thelargest salt lakein China, covering an area of 4,500 square kilometers (1,700 square miles).
The train passes by the north shore of the Lake and you can see many migratorybirdsflying there.
In the countryside along the way, you can see herdsmen and farmers in their ethnic clothes. The train will travel for more than an hour alongQinghai Lake.
2. Guanjiaoshan Tunnel— alt. 3,690 m (12,100 ft)
Leaving the pasture around Qinghai Lake, the train will enterHaixi Mongolianand Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, where Golmud is the largest city.
You will pass throughGuanjiaoshan Tunnel,thehighest tunnelin the Xining- Golmud half of the railway. It is about 32 km (20 miles) long.
Desert scenesand arid mountains appear indistinctly in the distance, and you will also see large areas of farmland.
3. Great Salt Bridge— 2,600 m (8,500 ft)
Great Salt Bridge
As the train descends south, afterDelingha Stationthe spectacular sight of Salt Bridge appears. It is the only rail track built over a 'salt lake' in the world.
Strictly speaking, it is a 32-km-long (20-mile-long) salt berm stretching across Chaerhan Salt Lake (Playa or 'salt flat').
Witness the unique spectacle of track-laid-on salt crystals. This section of railway, the only railwaybuilt on salt,is just one of the unique highlights of theQinghai Tibet Railway.
Contact us totailor-makea trip to Chaerhan Salt Lake
4. Golmud— 2,800 m (9,200 ft)
Bidding farewell to Cha'erhan Salt Lake and the salt flats area, the train will travel through the vastQaidam抑郁症沙漠一个d then reach Golmud, where the first section (roughly half) of the Qinghai-Tibet Railwayends.
Strictly speaking, the followingGolmud-Lhasa sectionis what is called"the Sky Road". From Golmud, you will continuously travel ona permafrostengineered track.
5. Kunlun Mountains Pass — 4,195 m (13,760 ft)
Kunlun Mountain ranges
From Golmud, the train goes deep into theKunlun Mountains, which is the backbone of the mountain chains in Western China. The mountain range starts from the帕米尔高原高原in Tajikistan in the west and extends to Qinghai viaXinjiangand西藏.
Running through the Kunlun Mountains, the train will passspectacular views, includingYufeng Peak— the tallest visible peak of the Kunlun Mountains there and thelongest tunnelthrough frozen soil: the Kunlun Tunnel.
6. Hoh Xil Nature Reserve— 4,500 m (14,800 ft)
Passing by Hoh Xil Nature Reserve
Located in the hinterland of theQinghai-Tibet Plateau,Hoh Xilhhas the Kunlun Mountainstoits north and the Tanggula Mountains to its south.
Human beings seldom step on it, thus it's known as the "forbidden zone for humans". It is also renowned as the "animal kingdom onthe Tibetan Plateau" with wild animals such as Tibetan antelope and wild yak.
There is a 20-km-long (12-mile-long) elevated stretch of the railroad running across the wildlifepassageway,which was elevated so as not to impede the animals'migration.
TheQinghai-Tibet Railwaywas designed to be an 'environmental protection railway'.
TheChuma'er Riveris a northern upper tributary of theYangtze River.In Hoh Xil, you can seeChuma'er Bridge, which is a 2,565 meters (1.6 miles) long elevated railroad, crossing the wide river valley.
It is in the core area foranimals' migration.The space under the bridge allows西藏an antelopesand other wild animals to pass freely.
Every summer, groups of Tibetan antelopes pass westwards under theQinghai-Tibet Railwayfrom the easternKunlun Mountainsto the hinterland ofHoh Xil.
7. Tuotuo River— 4,547 m (14,920 ft)
Sun Rise on Tuotuo River
Originating from the southeast side of the Geladaindong, thetallest peakin the Tanggula Mountains, the Tuotuo River is the source of the Yangtze River at analtitudeof 4,700 meters (15,400 feet).
The river is the most concentrated area of villages on theGolmud-Lhasasection ofQinghai-Tibet Railway, and also the most important transportation corridor.
8.Tanggula Mountain Pass — 5,072 m (16,640 ft)
Tanggula,in Mongolian, means a high mountain where eagles can't fly. Tanggula Mountain Pass is thehighest pointon the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, and it marks the border betweenQinghaiand西藏.
The Tanggulas is a mountain chain in the middle of theQinghai-Tibet Plateauthat runs east-west.Geladandongis theirhighestpeak at 6,621 meters (21,720 feet) above sea level.
Theoxygencontent in the air there is only 60% of that at sea level, so people often have serious高原反应when stepping off the oxygenated train at Tanggula Station.
Shortly after Tanggula Mountain Pass, the train will reachTanggula Station,which is not only thehighestrailway station in the world at 5,068 m (16,627 ft), but also theonly railwaystation at an altitude of more than 4,786 m (15,702 ft).
You might like to know >>How to deal with Altitude Sickness
9.Amdo County— 4,700 m (15,420 ft)
Leaving Tanggula Mountain Pass, the train enters the first county in Tibet on theQinghai-Tibet Railway: Amdo inNagquPrefecture.
Amdois an important town in northern Tibet where the Qinghai-TibetRailwaymeets the Qinghai-Tibethighway.
The train goes all the way along the edge ofChangtang Grassland, the most charming and wonderful section of the whole rail line. There, you will have your first chance to see the distinctive dwellings of Tibet.
The houses are low and crude in pastoral areas, the cornerstone of (nomadic)西藏anlifestyles.
10.Cona Lake — 4,594 m (15,070 ft)
Cona Lake Station
Soon after leaving Amdo Station, the train will pass byCona Lake, also calledTsonag Lake, which is regarded as a sacred lake by西藏an people.
Tsonagmeans'Black Lake' in Tibetan, but it is definitely a lake without pollution. It is totally different from the pale salt lakes in Qinghai: the water is like a deep-green mirror inlaid on the plateau grassland.
It is the closest lake to theQinghai-Tibet Railway, which is only a few meters away. Therefore, you can sit on the train and enjoy the beautifullake through a window.
11. Changtang Grassland— ~4,500 m (15,000 ft)
Changtang Grassland
The area aroundNagqu Stationis known asChangtang Grassland. The Changtang (Qangtang) Plateau is the hinterland of the西藏an Plateau.
The hugehigh-altitudegrassland/arid area is surrounded by the Tanggula Mountains, Kunlun Mountains, and Kailas Mountains.
Changtang Grassland is thelargest grasslandin西藏with a total area of more than 400,000 square kilometers (150,000 square miles).
It is almost totally wild anduninhabitedwith beautiful desert, mountain, and lake scenery. You can see herdsmen with their livestock from the railway.
12.Damxung— 4,293 m (14,080 ft)
Lake Namtso
After passingNagqu,you will find that the grasses become more luxuriant and wet. Thewetlandarea of Damxung County has an important station on theQinghai-Tibet Railway.
Innorthern Tibet, Damxung is170 kilometers (110 miles) from Lhasa and 70 kilometers (40 miles) fromLake Namtso.
On the grasslands of Damxung, you can often see herdsmen's cottages with cattle, sheep, and horses eating grass nearby.
Recommended Tibet Tours:
13. Mount Nyainqentanglha — 7,162 m (23,497 ft)
Mount Nyainqentanglha
In Damxung County, the train will run through the last mountain range on theQinghai-Tibet Railway— theNyainqentanglha Mountains.
In central Tibet, they divide Tibet into three regions: northern, southern, and southeastern. You will see a lot of colorfulprayer flagshanging on pillars to worship mountain gods.
Mount Nyainqentanglha, thetallest peakin its range and the tallest peak alongside the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, and nearbyLake Namtsomake up a sacred area in Tibet that attracts many Tibetan Buddhists forkora pilgrimagesand meditation, making circumambulations around the mountain and lake.
14. Yambajan— 4,306 m (14,130 ft)
Yambajan
Yambajan'ssteamy springsand geysers are the last types of scenery on theQinghai-Tibet Railway.
Yambajanis famous for itsgeothermal resources. It is a long and narrow fault basin at the southern margin of theNyainqentanglha Mountains, covering an area of about 7,000 square meters (1.7 acres).
Its geothermal energy and hot springs have been developed for power and tourism. Read more on Yambajan
You may also like to >>Explore China's 7 Most Scenic Train Journeys
- 8-Days Lhasa to Everest Base Camp Tour
- 7-Days Tibet Tours by Train from Xining
- 4-Days Lhasa Highlights Comfort Tour
Best Times to take a Qinghai-Tibet Train
Generally speaking, the best times to experience aQinghai-Tibet trainjourney areApril, May, September,andOctoberdue to pleasant weather as well as better views of the西藏an Plateauthan in the more cloudy summer months.
Also, these months are thebest times to take a西藏tour, unless you want to see one of the summer festivals.
See more on >>the best times to visit Tibet.
How to Take a Train to Tibet
There are more than20 citiesin China that havetrainsto Tibet. The major cities are Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Lanzhou, and Xining. Trains to Lhasa are very popular and always getfully booked.
To successfully book your train ticket, we suggest you book it from a travel agency by paying aservice fee.We, at China Highlights, are some of the best at getting西藏train tickets.
To see more about >>Qinghai-Tibet Train
A西藏Entry Permitis required to enter Tibet. You will need to show a copy of your Tibet Entry Permit or the original toboard a Tibet train.Only a China-based travel agency can acquire Tibet permits.
188金宝搏官方下载is able to help you with booking train tickets and getting a Tibet permit.
>>Contact usfor assistance.
Travel on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway with Us
To visit Tibet, you must travel with a China travel agency. Some of our recommended西藏touritineraries include theQinghai-Tibet Railway, and all of our tours can betailor-madeto include a Tibet railway journey.Tell usyour requirements and interests, and we will expertly create your own unique Tibet tour.
