How to enjoy the train tour best?
Some tourists (mostly Chinese tourists) think (even in a crazy way) that taking the train tour into Lhasa can have less or even no altitude sickness. This is not correct, because there is oxygen filled in the train, there is no difference in the train compared with at other places with lower altitude. Furthermore after the long time journey the altitude symptoms may be caused more or less by the exhaustion.
Some other tourists think they may see more on the way into Lhasa. This is almost correct. But if the trains into Lhasa delay, tourists will miss the scenery on Damung-Lhasa part. Most of the beautiful landscape on the way is in the North Tibet from Lhasa to Thang-lha Mountains. So there is not much difference for taking a train into or out of Lhasa.
Why it is more difficult to get train tickets into Lhasa?
Let’s take Xining-Lhasa train for example. It is very hard to 100% guarantee train tickets from Xining to Lhasa, especially for soft sleeper. But we can well guarantee train tickets out of Lhasa for you. Check the information below
01 Train tickets in China can not be booked; they can only be bought 10 days (or sometimes just 5 days) before departure date at the railway station of the departure city. Xining-Lhasa train tickets can only be bought in Xining railway station and train tickets out of Lhasa can only be bought in Lhasa. So many people will be queuing up for a lot of hours before the tickets are on sale in order to get one.
02 Xining-Lhasa trains leave every other day. In August, 2009, it is available on even number days, such as
August 2nd, 4th, 6th, *** 14th, 16th, etc. There is only one train in two days. By the way, there are 4 beds in a soft sleeper cabin, and there are only 16 soft sleeper cabins on each train. So there are only 64 soft sleeper beds on each train. Some trains into Lhasa will have a stop in Xining, but all the tickets are in all likelihood fully issued at the departure city such as Beijing-Lhasa part, Shanghai-Lhasa part etc.
But all the trains out of Lhasa will have a stop in Xining, so it will be easier to get Lhasa-Xining train tickets as Lhasa is the departure city.
03 There is not name on the train tickets, so a lot of people are always queuing up at the railway station to get train tickets and then some partners of them sell the tickets at a high price to travel agents or sell the tickets at yet a higher price to travelers. Something likes the black market. Here below is a train ticket for Xi’an-Shanghai.
04 Most Chinese people prefer taking the train into Lhasa and flying out, because train tickets must be bought at the departure city. It is impossible for them to get train tickets out of Lhasa. But as we are based in Lhasa and there are less people taking train out of Lhasa, we can well guarantee the train tickets out of Lhasa for you. Even if we contact our partner in Xining and they can finally get the train tickets for you, they will charge you a higher commission, about 50-75USD/per person, but the soft sleeper ticket is just about 120USD/per person. If you are taking the train out of Lhasa, we will NOT charge you any commission.
