A 10-day tour from Lanzhou and Xining to Lhasa on the Qinghai–Tibet Railway, with flights included and Khun Pup lecturing in person.
Trip highlights
- Qinghai–Tibet Railway: a sky-train adventure to the roof of the world
- Embrace the Himalayas and spot yaks from the train, with Khun Pup lecturing in person
- Check in at the Mirror of the Sky, Chaka Salt Lake
- Ride the highest railway in the world with a million-dollar view
- Visit the Potala Palace, the great World Heritage site, while you still can
- See Yamdrok Lake, one of Tibet's sacred lakes
Highlight places
Led by historiansEvery trip travels with an expert history lecturer who brings each site to life in plain language.
Off the beaten pathCentral Asia, the Middle East, the Himalayas — places most tour companies never go.
Private groups, no rushingRight-sized groups and unhurried time at the places that matter most.
Beyond ordinary travelEvery tour is designed by writers and professional travellers to create experiences that reflect who you are — for travellers who want more than an ordinary holiday.
About this tour
Above the Clouds Across the Sky is a 10-day, 8-night tour by The Wild Chronicles through Gansu, Qinghai and Tibet. It departs on the night of 26 July 2026 and returns on 4 August 2026, and travels by train from Xining to Lhasa across the Tibetan Plateau.
The route starts in Lanzhou and Xining, continues to Qinghai Lake and Chaka Salt Lake, then boards the Z165 sleeper train for the roughly 23-hour journey to Lhasa. In Lhasa the programme covers the Potala Palace, Norbulingka, Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street, Sera, Ramoche and Drepung monasteries, the Tibet Museum and Yamdrok Lake via Kamba La Pass.
The tour is led by Khun Pup (Pongsorn Phumwat) with a local guide. The price includes economy flights, and hotels are rated 4 stars. The minimum group is 10 travellers and the maximum is 25.
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1Bangkok departure
Meet at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 23:30 to check in with China Eastern Airlines.
Day 2Bangkok – Guangzhou – Lanzhou
- 03:00 depart for Guangzhou (CAN) on MU2078, arriving 07:50, with a layover of about 4 hours 5 minutes.
- 11:55 depart for Lanzhou (LHW) on MU2220, arriving 15:10.
Lanzhou, capital of Gansu, has a history of over 2,200 years, was once called Jincheng (Golden City) in the Han era and was a hub of the Silk Road. Stroll the Zhengning Road Night Market.
Day 3Lanzhou – Gansu Museum – Xining
Gansu Provincial Museum, founded in 1956, holds over 350,000 artefacts including the Flying Horse of Gansu, a Han-dynasty bronze sculpture.
Then drive about 3 to 4 hours to Xining, capital of Qinghai and the gateway to the Tibetan Plateau, an important city on the western Silk Road.
Day 4Xining – Qinghai Lake – Chaka Salt Lake
- Qinghai Lake: China's largest saltwater lake, twice the size of Bangkok, ringed by mountains (about 3 to 4 hours' drive).
- Chaka Salt Lake: the Mirror of the Sky, where a shallow film of water over white salt crystals reflects the sky and mountains (a further 3 to 4 hours' drive).
Day 5Chaka – Xining – Train to Lhasa
Drive back to Xining, about 3 to 4 hours.
- China Tibetan Medicine Culture Museum: one of the largest and most complete Tibetan medicine museums in the world.
- Dongguan Mosque: the largest mosque in Qinghai, built about 600 years ago and the centre of the local Hui Muslim community.
- Dongguan Market: a lively old market in central Xining.
Then go to Xining Railway Station and board train Z165 for Lhasa, a journey of about 23 hours in a soft sleeper. The route crosses the Tibetan Plateau with grasslands, scattered yaks and snow-capped ranges.
Day 6Arrival in Lhasa
Arrive at Lhasa Railway Station and in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region at about 3,650 metres above sea level, the highest capital city in the world and the centre of Tibetan culture and Buddhism.
Day 7Lhasa: Norbulingka, Jokhang, Barkhor, Tibet Museum
- Norbulingka Summer Palace, the Jewel Park, the Dalai Lamas' summer residence built in 1755 and the place from which the 14th Dalai Lama fled in 1959.
- Jokhang Temple: Tibet's most sacred temple, built in the 7th century and housing the Jowo Sakyamuni; a UNESCO site since 1994.
- Barkhor Street: the market ringing the Jokhang, about 800 metres long.
- Tibet Museum, with over 520,000 artefacts.
Day 8Lhasa: Potala Palace, Sera and Ramoche
- Potala Palace: winter residence of the Dalai Lamas from 1649 to 1959, at 3,700 metres with 999 rooms, divided into the White and Red Palaces; a UNESCO site since 1994.
- Sera Monastery: a Gelug college for lamas founded in 1419, the second-largest monastery in Tibet.
- Ramoche Temple: a 7th-century temple housing the Jowo Mikyo Dorje image.
Day 9Drepung Monastery, Kamba La Pass and Yamdrok Lake
- Drepung Monastery: the largest Gelug monastery in Tibet, founded in 1416.
- Kamba La Pass at almost 4,800 metres (about 5 to 6 hours of travel), with views of Yamdrok Lake, one of Tibet's three great sacred lakes.
Day 10Lhasa – Kunming – Bangkok
At 08:00 drive about 1 hour to Lhasa Gonggar Airport (LXA), checking in 3 hours before departure.
- 12:00 depart for Kunming (KMG) on MU9696, arriving 14:30, with a layover of about 3 hours 45 minutes.
- 18:15 depart for Bangkok on MU9613, arriving at Suvarnabhumi at 19:50.
Included
- Return international economy airfare
- Transfers and sightseeing transport with experienced drivers
- Accommodation as specified, two travellers per room (tell us in advance if you need a triple room; some hotels may not have rooms with three beds)
- Admission fees as specified in the programme
- Meals as specified in the programme
- Experienced local guide
- Thai lecturer and tour leader
- Travel accident insurance (subject to policy terms), coverage of 1,000,000 baht per person
Not included
- Upgrade to Business Class, starting from 26,000 to 40,000 baht per person (price varies with seat availability)
- Single room supplement of 12,000 baht per person
- Personal expenses such as passport fees, phone, internet, laundry, minibar, meals outside the programme, extra drinks, excess baggage, seat reservation fees, medical costs for pre-existing conditions and portable oxygen canisters
- Tips for tour leader, local guides and drivers (recommended 530 yuan per person)
- 7% VAT, 3% withholding tax and other taxes if a tax invoice is requested
- Fuel surcharges and airport taxes if the airline raises them after the price is quoted and the booking confirmed
About this tour
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China: Qinghai–Tibet Railway, Above the Clouds Across the Sky
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