July 10, 2007

Asia, Himalayas | China | Tibet, Beijing

Miracle Train of Tibet

By Nicole Cotroneo

Hang on to your oxygen mask aboard the world's highest train.

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The door closes. The cabin pressurizes. An attendant tells you when you’ll be using your oxygen mask. Relax. It’s not the flight from hell — you’re speeding through Tibet on the Shangri-La Express, the highest railway in the world. On July 12, the first private train traverses 1,200 miles from Beijing to Lhasa, the traditional seat of the Dalai Lama. Crossing some of the planet’s harshest terrain — including the treacherous permafrost covering the frigid Tibetan plateau — you’ll reach 16,640 feet (that’s over half the height of Mt. Everest). Single berths cost $16,995, though that includes 18 days of the luxuries GW Travel’s “hotels-on-wheels” are known for (gourmet dining, on-board concerts, en-route cultural tours). Building a $4.2 billion railway over “the roof of the world” has sparked considerable controversy. Some fear the railway will tighten China’s lasso on Tibet; others worry the route will overheat the region’s current tourist boom. Already, four five-star hotels are slated to open in the next two years. Starwood plans to opens a St. Regis near the Potola Palace in 2010. And high-end walking specialists Butterfield & Robinson will begin shepherding tourists into Tibet with the debut of a new excursion, September 1.