| Transportation |
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| To travel to Tibet in ancient time was called
"Adventure" in ancient time. Land transportation was the only option on Tibetan plateau. People have to spend years on the road in order to reaching at Tibet, or the eastern Tibet of Kham and Amdo. Horses of Caravan were the majority force on transporting goods from one place to another, which once formed
"Tea-horse Trading route" in the ancient time and even last more than 1,000years. This was the first road-network of Tibetan plateau. |
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| Nowadays, the transportation on Tibetan plateau has been well developed, paved-road-network has been built to cover the majority towns of central Tibet, Kham and Amdo; Due to harsh natural condition, the road can not be built to reach some of the remote villages; however, dirt road is still available, which makes 4Wheel Drive vehicle or tractor are popular, and to replace horse-transportation traditionally as to be the main transportation in the remote areas. |
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| Plane, Train, Vehicle all together have form the
"Three-dimensional" transportation network of Tibetan plateau." Even some sailing on the Yarlung Tsanpo River has been remained as to be supplementary. |
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| By air: |
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The first flight landed in Tibet Lhasa airport was in the middle of 20th century with departure of Chengdu. Early 50 years past, there are 2 airports in use, which are Lhasa Gangkar airport and Nyingtri airport; and there are another 2 airports are being built, which are Shigartse airport and Ali airport;
Destinations that have direct flights with Tibet are: Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Kunming, Shanghai, Xian, Xining, Zhongdian. There are more than 100 flights a week between those cities. Kathmanth is the capital of Nepal that has 2-3 flights a week to Lhasa by flying pass by Mt. Everest. 36 hours, from any city of the world, you are able to arrive in Lhasa, the Symbol of Tibet.
The central Tibet, as well as Kham and Amdo are now easily connected with the world. |
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| By land: |
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| Land transportation helps visitors to enjoy Tibet from another angle; it shows each small piece of this Tibetan society vividly. In the eastern Tibet of Kham and Amdo, the densely roads offer big chances to reach almost each corner that nomads arrive at; Though vehicle journey is long, and even strenuous sometimes, but it brings you another experience of Tibetan life, |
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| The main transportations on Tibetan plateau are generally 5 routes |
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Sichuan - Tibet southern highway |
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Sichuan - Tibet nouthern highway |
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Yunnan - Tibet highway |
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Xining - Tibet southern highway |
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Kashigar - Tibet highway |
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| By Railway: |
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2006 is the year that this railway being finally built and has begun to be used. Basically xining is thought to be the beginning of this so called Sky-Rail, and with end of Lhasa. This part of Rail was generally thought to be divided into two different parts, which are: Xining to golmud that being built in 1979 20th century; the second part is from Golmud to Lhasa that being finished in 2006, which is about 2 years earlier than planned;
This railway is about 1972 kilometers total from Xining to Lhasa, among of those, 960km is above 4,000m, and the highest point that this railway reaches at is 5,072m.
Frozen earth cause serious trouble when build anything on it, even fail the building plan, this railway has 550km built based on the frozen earth. |
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| Lanzhou to Lhasa: Train K917 |
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| Time:27hr
55m |
Distance:2188 km total |
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| Station |
Arrival |
Departure |
Traveling time(hr) |
Distance(km) |
| Lanzhou |
17:45 |
17:45 |
00:00 |
- |
| Xining |
20:08 |
20:28 |
02:23 |
216 |
| Deling-ha |
02:57 |
03:03 |
09:12 |
737 |
| Golmud |
06:32 |
06:52 |
12:47 |
1046 |
| Amduo |
15:08 |
15:10 |
21:23 |
1740 |
| Nakchu |
17:51 |
17:57 |
24:06 |
1866 |
| Damsung |
19:44 |
19:46 |
25:59 |
2024 |
| Lhasa |
21:40 |
21:40 |
27:55 |
2188 |
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| Lhasa to Lanzhou: Train: K918 |
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| Time:27h06m |
Distance:2188 km total |
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| Station |
Arrival |
Departure |
Traveling time(hr) |
Distance(km) |
| Lhasa |
12:00 |
12:00 |
00.00 |
- |
| Damsung |
13:59 |
14:10 |
01.59 |
164 |
| Nakchu |
16:19 |
16:25 |
04.19 |
322 |
| Amduo |
17:53 |
17:55 |
05.53 |
448 |
| Golmud |
02:15 |
02:35 |
14.15 |
1142 |
| Deling-ha |
05:49 |
05:55 |
17.49 |
1451 |
| Xining |
12:18 |
12:38 |
24.18 |
1972 |
| Lanzhou |
15:06 |
15:06 |
27.06 |
2188 |
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| Xining to Lhasa: K9801 |
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| Time:25h12m |
Distance:1972 km total |
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| Station |
Arrival |
Departure |
Traveling time(hr) |
Distance(km) |
| Xining |
20:28 |
20:28 |
00:00 |
- |
| Deling-ha |
02:57 |
03:03 |
06:29 |
521 |
| Golmud |
06:32 |
06:52 |
10:04 |
830 |
| Amduo |
15:08 |
15:10 |
18:40 |
1524 |
| Nakchu |
17:51 |
17:57 |
21:23 |
1650 |
| Damsung |
19:44 |
19:46 |
23:16 |
1808 |
| Lhasa |
21:40 |
21:40 |
25:12 |
1972 |
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| Lhasa to Xining: K9802 |
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| Time:24h18m |
Distance:1972 km total |
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| Station |
Arrival |
Departure |
Traveling time(hr) |
Distance(km) |
| Lhasa |
12:00 |
12:00 |
00:00 |
- |
| Damsung |
13:59 |
14:10 |
01:59 |
164 |
| Nakchu |
16:19 |
16:25 |
04:19 |
322 |
| Amduo |
17:53 |
17:55 |
05:53 |
448 |
| Golmud |
02:15 |
02:35 |
14:15 |
1142 |
| Deling-ha |
05:49 |
05:55 |
17:49 |
1451 |
| Xining |
12:18 |
12:18 |
24:18 |
1972 |
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| Shanghai to Lhasa: T164/T165 |
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| Time: 48h46m |
Distance: 4373 km total |
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| Station |
Arrival |
Departure |
Traveling time(hr) |
Distance(km) |
| Shanghai |
19:59 |
19:59 |
00:00 |
- |
| Wuxi |
21:00 |
21:02 |
01:01 |
126 |
| Nanjing |
22:26 |
22:35 |
02:27 |
301 |
| Bengbu |
00:03 |
00:05 |
04:04 |
485 |
| Xuzhou |
01:23 |
01:29 |
05:24 |
649 |
| Zhengzhou |
04:14 |
04:20 |
08:15 |
998 |
| Xian |
10:00 |
10:12 |
14:01 |
1509 |
| Lanzhou |
16:31 |
16:46 |
20:32 |
2185 |
| Xining |
19:15 |
19:35 |
23:16 |
2401 |
| Golmud |
05:30 |
05:50 |
33:31 |
3231 |
| Nakchu |
17:01 |
17:07 |
45:02 |
4051 |
| Lhasa |
20:45 |
20:45 |
48:46 |
4373 |
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| Lhasa to Shanghai: T166/T163 |
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| Time: 49h15m |
Distance: 4373 km total |
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| Station |
Arrival |
Departure |
Traveling time(hr) |
Distance(km) |
| Lhasa |
10:00 |
10:00 |
00:00 |
- |
| Nakchu |
13:39 |
13:45 |
03:39 |
322 |
| Golmud |
00:09 |
00:29 |
14:09 |
1142 |
| Xining |
10:20 |
10:40 |
24:20 |
1972 |
| Lanzhou |
13:01 |
13:16 |
27:01 |
2188 |
| Xian |
20:50 |
21:02 |
34:50 |
2864 |
| Zhengzhou |
02:44 |
02:50 |
40:44 |
3375 |
| Xuzhou |
05:31 |
05:37 |
43:31 |
3724 |
| Bengbu |
06:58 |
07:00 |
44:58 |
3888 |
| Nanjing |
08:30 |
08:33 |
46:30 |
4072 |
| Wuxi |
10:06 |
10:08 |
48:06 |
4247 |
| Shanghai |
11:15 |
11:15 |
49:15 |
4373 |
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| Chengdu to Lhasa: T22/T23 |
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| Time: 43h11m |
Distance: 3360 km total |
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| Station |
Arrival |
Departure |
Traveling time(hr) |
Distance(km) |
| Chengdu |
20:59 |
20:59 |
00:00 |
- |
| Guangyuan |
01:23 |
01:37 |
04:24 |
319 |
| Baoji |
08:08 |
08:22 |
11:09 |
669 |
| Lanzhou |
13:17 |
13:32 |
16:18 |
1172 |
| Xining |
16:01 |
16:21 |
19:02 |
1388 |
| Deling-ha |
22:40 |
22:42 |
25:41 |
1909 |
| Golmud |
02:11 |
02:31 |
29:12 |
2218 |
| Nakchu |
11:55 |
12:01 |
38:56 |
3038 |
| Lhasa |
16:10 |
16:10 |
43:11 |
3360 |
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| Lhasa to Chengdu: T24/T21 |
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| Time: 44h42m |
Distance: 3360 km total |
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| Station |
Arrival |
Departure |
Traveling time(hr) |
Distance(km) |
| Lhasa |
11:15 |
11:15 |
00:00 |
- |
| Nakchu |
15:48 |
15:54 |
04:33 |
322 |
| Golmud |
01:09 |
01:29 |
13:54 |
1142 |
| Deling-ha |
04:43 |
04:45 |
17:28 |
1451 |
| Xining |
11:16 |
11:36 |
24:01 |
1972 |
| Lanzhou |
14:00 |
14:15 |
26:45 |
2188 |
| Baoji |
20:39 |
20:58 |
33:24 |
2691 |
| Guangyuan |
03:24 |
03:34 |
40:09 |
3041 |
| Chengdu |
07:57 |
07:57 |
44:42 |
3360 |
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| Chongqing to Lhasa: T222/T223 |
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| Time: 44h37m |
Distance: 3654 km total |
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| Station |
Arrival |
Departure |
Traveling time(hr) |
Distance(km) |
| Chongqing |
19:33 |
19:33 |
00:00 |
- |
| Guang'an |
21:15 |
21:21 |
01:42 |
144 |
| Dazhou |
22:46 |
22:53 |
03:13 |
255 |
| Xian |
06:27 |
06:51 |
10:54 |
790 |
| Baoji |
08:18 |
08:22 |
12:45 |
963 |
| Lanzhou |
13:17 |
13:32 |
17:44 |
1466 |
| Xining |
16:01 |
16:21 |
20:28 |
1682 |
| Deling-ha |
22:40 |
22:42 |
27:07 |
2203 |
| Golmud |
02:11 |
02:31 |
30:38 |
2512 |
| Nakchu |
11:55 |
12:01 |
40:22 |
3332 |
| Lhasa |
16:10 |
16:10 |
44:37 |
3654 |
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| Lhasa to Chongqing: T224/T221 |
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| Time: 46h04m |
Distance: 3654 km total |
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| Station |
Arrival |
Departure |
Traveling time(hr) |
Distance(km) |
| Lhasa |
11:15 |
11:15 |
00:00 |
- |
| Nakchu |
15:48 |
15:54 |
04:33 |
322 |
| Golmud |
01:09 |
01:29 |
13:54 |
1142 |
| Deling-ha |
04:43 |
04:45 |
17:28 |
1451 |
| Xining |
11:16 |
11:36 |
24:01 |
1972 |
| Lanzhou |
14:00 |
14:15 |
26:45 |
2188 |
| Baoji |
20:39 |
20:49 |
33:24 |
2691 |
| Xian |
22:13 |
22:33 |
34:58 |
2864 |
| Dazhou |
05:57 |
06:01 |
42:42 |
3399 |
| Guang'an |
07:20 |
07:24 |
44:05 |
3510 |
| Chongqing |
09:19 |
09:19 |
46:04 |
3654 |
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| Guangzhou to Lhasa: T264/T265 |
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| Time: 55h38m |
Distance: 4980 km total |
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| Station |
Arrival |
Departure |
Traveling time(hr) |
Distance(km) |
| Guangzhou |
13:07 |
13:07 |
00:00 |
- |
| Cahngsha |
20:02 |
20:08 |
06:55 |
707 |
| Wuchang |
23:25 |
23:40 |
10:18 |
1069 |
| Zhengzhou |
04:14 |
04:20 |
15:07 |
1605 |
| Xian |
10:00 |
10:12 |
20:53 |
2116 |
| Lanzhou |
16:31 |
16:46 |
27:24 |
2792 |
| Xining |
19:15 |
19:35 |
30:08 |
3008 |
| Golmud |
05:30 |
05:50 |
40:23 |
3838 |
| Nakchu |
17:01 |
17:07 |
51:54 |
4658 |
| Lhasa |
20:45 |
20:45 |
55:38 |
4980 |
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| Lhasa to Guangzhou: T266/T263 |
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| Time: 56h08m |
Distance: 4980 km total |
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| Station |
Arrival |
Departure |
Traveling time(hr) |
Distance(km) |
| Lhasa |
10:00 |
10:00 |
00:00 |
- |
| Nakchu |
13:39 |
13:45 |
03:39 |
322 |
| Golmud |
00:09 |
00:29 |
14:09 |
1142 |
| Xining |
10:20 |
10:40 |
24:20 |
1972 |
| Lanzhou |
13:01 |
13:16 |
27:01 |
2188 |
| Xian |
20:50 |
21:02 |
34:50 |
2864 |
| Zhengzhou |
02:44 |
02:50 |
40:44 |
3375 |
| Wuchang |
07:18 |
07:28 |
45:18 |
3911 |
| Cahngsha |
11:05 |
11:11 |
49:05 |
4273 |
| Guangzhou |
18:08 |
18:08 |
56:08 |
4980 |
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| Beijing to Lhasa: T27 |
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| Time: 45h08m |
Distance: 4064 km total |
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| Station |
Arrival |
Departure |
Traveling time(hr) |
Distance(km) |
| Beijing (west) |
21:30 |
21:30 |
00:00 |
- |
| Shijiazhuang |
23:49 |
23:51 |
02:19 |
277 |
| Xian |
08:36 |
08:42 |
11:06 |
1200 |
| Lanzhou |
15:06 |
15:21 |
17:36 |
1876 |
| Xining |
17:50 |
18:10 |
20:20 |
2092 |
| Golmud |
04:23 |
04:43 |
30:53 |
2922 |
| Nakchu |
14:38 |
14:44 |
41:08 |
3742 |
| Lhasa |
18:38 |
18:38 |
45:08 |
4064 |
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| Lhasa to Beijing: T28 |
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| Time: 47h04m |
Distance: 4064 km total |
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| Station |
Arrival |
Departure |
Traveling time(hr) |
Distance(km) |
| Lhasa |
08:30 |
08:30 |
00:00 |
- |
| Nakchu |
13:06 |
13:12 |
04:36 |
322 |
| Golmud |
23:31 |
23:51 |
15:01 |
1142 |
| Xining |
09:54 |
10:14 |
25:24 |
1972 |
| Lanzhou |
12:34 |
12:49 |
28:04 |
2188 |
| Xian |
20:22 |
20:28 |
35:52 |
2864 |
| Shijiazhuang |
05:13 |
05:15 |
44:43 |
3787 |
| Beijing (west) |
07:34 |
07:34 |
47:04 |
4064 |
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