Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
If you want to try to secure a ticket on your own you can try to find a scalper, or purchase
through
www.china-train-tickets.com
,
www.12306.cn
or
www.piao.com/train.
Again, there is
no guarantee.
Train carriages are much better than your average Chinese train and are more like the
express trains that link Běijīng with Shànghǎi. All passengers have access to piped-in oxy-
gen through a special socket beside each seat or berth and all carriages are nonsmoking
after Golmud. There are power sockets by the window seats, though be aware that laptops
and MP3 players often stop working at points during the trip, due to the altitude. Each train
has a small but decent dining car (mains ¥15 to ¥25).
Hard-sleeper (yìng wò) carriages are made up of doorless six-berth compartments with
bunks in three tiers, with sheets, pillows and blankets provided. There is a small price differ-
ence between berths, with the lowest bunk the most expensive and the top-most bunk the
cheapest. Four-bed soft-sleeper (ruǎn wò) berths come with individual TVs and doors that
close and lock. Hard seats (yìng zuò) are just that.
Sleeper tickets to Lhasa sell out quickly. Getting a ticket for a train out of Lhasa is easier
than getting a ticket into Lhasa.
GETTING AROUND
Tibet's transport infrastructure has developed rapidly in recent years. While some areas are
still a patchwork of rough roads, most of the main highways are now paved. Airports are
springing up on the plateau and the railway line is extending beyond Lhasa. Tibet's Metok
country was the very last of China's 2100 counties to be connected by road, completed in
2011 via a 3km tunnel.
Air
Tibet is one of China's biggest provinces, but flights within the Tibetan Autonomous Region
are few and far between and tickets can be hard to secure. There are airports for Lhasa,
Nyingtri and Chamdo, Ali and Shigatse. Outside of Lhasa, these are of limited use to tour-
ists, and most are not open to foreign travellers. Shigatse's Peace Airport has flights to
Chéngdū with Tibet Airlines (
www.tibetairlines.com.cn
). Tibet Airlines also has flights
between Lhasa and Ali's Ngari Gunsa Airport.
An airport in Nagchu is slated to open in 2014. It will be the highest civilian airport in the
world.
