The Great Chinese Train Tour
Beijing to Tibet

September 16-28,  2012 - 

We are exited and pleased to be the only company to add one of the world's great train journeys to our collection of train tours. 

ITINERARY

Oct. 17 -  Depart the US for the flight to Beijing.

Oct. 18 - Arrive in Beijing where you will be met by a private guide and transferred to a 5-star hotel. If you arrive in the morning you can opt to take a tour to the beautiful Summer Summer Palace in the hills outside of Beijing. If you come in at noon or later in the afternoon, just take the day to relax. In the evening meet your fellow travelers over a special welcome dinner in a local restaurant to have your first taste of authentic Chinese cuisine, not the kind the tour bus crowd gets. D

Oct. 19 - After breakfast embark on a day tour of Beijing and a visit to the Great Wall. In the morning visit the Forbidden City, the Royal Palace of the Chinese Emperors which has been stunningly restored to its original splendor. After lunch drive to Badaling to visit the Great Wall of China where you have time to walk on the restored sections of the Wall. After returning to Beijing visit Tiananmen Square  before dinner in a local restaurant. B L D

Oct. 20 - After breakfast visit the Temple of Heaven, a grand structured all put together without a nail, and built with timber from Oregon. After lunch there is free time to perhaps so some shopping before we board the Shangri La Express for the night journeys to Lhasa in Tibet.  After settling into your private cabin you may enjoy a drink in the club car before a delicious dinner in the dining car. For your safety and comfort the train is equipped with a onboard oxygen enrichment system to let you travel at ease when the train crosses altitudes as high as 15,000 feet. B L D

Sept. 21 - This morning the train arrives in Luoang and you have the full day to discover this ancient former capital situated in the middle reaches of the Yellow River Valley. You will first visit a local museum with artifact from the towns past including artifacts from tombs and sculpted horses and camels. After lunch visit the stupendous Longmen Grottos, one of China's most important historic and artistic sights and a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a network of 1,350 caves containing 110,000 statues. B L D

Sept 22 - Today you arrive in Xian, famous for its Terra Cotta Warriors. Embark on a morning visit to the Terra Cotta Museum which holds some 6000 statues dating back 2000 years to China's first Emperor Qin Shihuang who had the Terra Cotta Army built to guard his tomb. After pausing for lunch visit some Xian's other sights, its great Town Wall, wide enough for a 4-lane freeway which still circles the old city center, the Drum and Bell Tower, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and time permitting you will have a stroll through the old Muslim Quarter with its winding lanes and fascinating bazaars. In the evening enjoy the stunning Tang Dynasty show while having dinner. B L D

Sept. 23 - After an early arrival in Golmud which is the starting point for the 1,142 km Roof of the World line to Lhasa, we say goodbye to the China Orient Express and change to the new high-altitude train for the 14-hour daylight journey to the Tibetan Capitol of Lhasa. Six hours after leaving Golmud we crest the 16,640 foot high Tangula Pass. This is the world's highest train pass, certainly something to brag about when you get home. Due to the high latitude extra oxygen is pumped into the train through the ventilation system and person oxygen masks are available if desired by passengers. On arrival  in Lhasa you will be transferred to the luxurious Brahmaputra Hotel for a four night stay. B L D

Sept. 24   - In Lhasa. Lhasa is located in a small basin surrounded by mountains, its name meaning Place of the Gods. Lhasa is located at an elevation of 12,000 feet and is the former seat of the Dalai Lama and the holiest place in Tibet with over a thousand years of cultural and spiritual history. Today you are at your leisure to acclimate yourself with the altitude, to rest and to explore the city at your own pacr . B 

Sept 25 -  After breakfast we visit the nearby Jokhang Temple built in the 7th century by King Sangsten Gampa to celebrate his marriage to a Tang Dynasty Princess. It has been and still is one of the most important sacred temples in Tibet. After visiting Jokhang lunch in a local restaurant is accompanied by traditional Tibetan Folk music. In the afternoon we visit the grand Potala Palace which dominates the skyline of Lhasa only topped by the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas.  Later there is time to shop at the colorful bazaar on Barkor Street. B L D

Sept. 26 -  Today we visit the Norbu Lingka, the Dalai Lama's former Summer Palace built in 1740 to escape the hot summer days in Lhasa. It is a tranquil haven, its name meaning precious garden or jewel garden and as lovely today as it was some 260 years ago. After returning to Lhasa you have the afternoon to enjoy Lhasa, go shopping at the bustling Bazaar or just relax at the hotel. In the evening a special farewell dinner will be an apt ending of  your Great Chinese Train Tour. B L D

TOUR COST PER PERSON: $11,430.00 per person for a deluxe two bedroom compartment with a washroom between them. Although each compartment has one lower and one upper berth, we are offering the two adjoining compartments so each person has a lower bed and the washroom will not have to be shared with someone else.

SINGLE COST: $13,680, however, the washroom will be shared with passengers in the adjoining stateroom.

DEPOSIT: $2500.00 per person - the balance is due 60 days before departure.

EARLY RESERVATIONS ARE ADVISED SINCE ONLY A LIMITED NUMBER OF PRIVATE SLEEPER ACCOMMODATIONS IS AVAILABLE.

Posh Journeys
530 E. Patriot Blvd. #172
Reno NV 89511
Tel./Fax 775-852-5105
E-mail: contact@poshjourneys.com