If you visit China and get to Beijing, you should definitely consider visiting Tibet. Rather than fly, take the China-Tibet Train and you'll see a part of the world that is talked about but often not seen by the average tourist.

The China-Tibet Train is also called Qinghai-Tibet Train and the Lhasa Express. The train's website provides quite a bit of information. The first thing we noticed was the statement "All trains are air conditioned and pressurized and include oxygen." It reminded me of what airline attendants usually say at the beginning of a flight. The website really emphasized the availability of oxygen to prevent altitude sickness. That certainly caught my attention!

To go to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, you have to take the train from Beijing, China. The trip covers 4,064 km or 2,525 miles, of which 1,110 km or 690 miles are over the newly-built Qinghai-Tibet railway. The entire trip takes about 47.5 hours.

The train leaves Beijing at 9:30 pm and arrives in Lhasa on the third day at 9:00 pm. Fares are based on the kind of seat you get. We strongly suggest that you get a soft sleeper since you will be on the train two nights. At the time we wrote this article, it cost $158 person You can get a hard sleeper for $102 or a hard seat for $49. The photos of the China-Tibet train look like it is in reasonable condition.

You'll also need to obtain a Tibet Travel Permit which are usually available from any travel agency in China. Lhasa, the capital, has an interesting history and several movies have been made about it.

Much of the travel involves crossing a massive plateau nicknamed "The Rooftop of the World." Special diesel engines capable of operating efficiently at 3-mile-high altitudes were designed; an internal garbage disposal system was employed to reduce pollution along the route.

Over 80% of the journey is at altitudes above 13,000 feet; fully half the track on this sector was laid atop permafrost. The train is equipped with two oxygen sources:

• Rreleased throughout the cabins when reaching Golmund and heading into Tibet, and
• Personal oxygen canisters in case you feel light headed and only available from Tibet to Golmund or from Golmund to Tibet.

Obviously this is not a trip for those who have respiratory health conditions. If you are thinking about doing this, please see your physician and get his or her OK before doing so.

What you will see between Xining and Golmud the tracks pass by Qinghai Lake - China's largest. But it's the Golmud-to-Lhasa section that offers the most breath-taking scenery. That segment also offers the record-breakers:

• The world's highest passenger railroad (at Tanggula Pass - elevation: 16,640 ft.; 5072m) and
• The world's highest railroad tunnel (Fenghuoshan - elevation: 16,093 ft.; 4905m).

See our article on How to get foreign visas.