The landscape is 'like the moon' and oxygen is pumped into carriages to prevent altitude sickness: Fascinating footage from a trip on the world's highest railway – 16,000ft up in Tibet



Slide 1 of 19: 'The landscape looked like the moon.' That's how traveller Joe Russo described the breathtaking scenery he saw from the train he rode with his wife, Kait, along the world's highest railway from Xining in China to Lhasa in Tibet, which has a peak elevation of 16,627ft (5,067 metres). Scroll through to see the couple's fascinating journey...
Slide 2 of 19: Joe and Kait Russo filmed a trip along the highest railway in the world in Tibet - but the first railway leg was a bullet train from Beijing. This still from their video shows Kait looking for their seats.
Slide 3 of 19: Kait Russo, pictured, describes the bullet train business class section as 'so fancy'.
Slide 4 of 19: Joe, pictured, was extremely impressed with the Beijing bullet train. 'The train was extremely smooth and we had a very comfortable trip during this leg,' he told MailOnline Travel.

Slide 5 of 19: This still from the Russos' YouTube video shows the meal served on the bullet train, which was included in the price of the ticket.
Slide 6 of 19: The Russos' railway adventure covered a distance of around 2,250 miles, from the Chinese capital to lofty Lhasa.
Slide 7 of 19: Xining station, where Joe and Kait boarded a train to Lhasa, around 1,200 miles away.
Slide 8 of 19: Joe in his four-bed soft sleeper compartment during the 20-hour journey from Xining to Lhasa.
Slide 9 of 19: Joe said that he suffered from altitude sickness on the train to Lhasa, which trundles over a vast plateau that has, on average, an elevation of 13,123ft (4,000m).

Slide 10 of 19: Out of this world: The scenery on the journey to Tibet was like a moonscape, Joe said.
Slide 11 of 19: Joe said: 'During the night, we could begin to feel the effects of the elevation as the train climbed over various passes. You could also hear the oxygen being pumped into the train cars'.
Slide 12 of 19: The train to Lhasa passes through Tanggula Railway Station – which at an elevation of 16,640ft is the highest station in the world – and the Fenghuoshan Tunnel, which at 16,093ft above sea level is the highest railway tunnel in the world.
Slide 13 of 19: The rail trip was part of an eight-day tour of Tibet in 2018, which also included a visit to the Everest tourist base camp, on the Chinese side.
Slide 14 of 19: Joe said: 'The snow gave way to grassy plains where we saw yaks being herded by the nomadic people'.

Slide 15 of 19: The bathroom facilities on the train were a mixture of Chinese (pictured) and Western styles.
Slide 16 of 19: Lhasa station (altitude 3,656m, 11,994ft), the final stop for digital nomads Joe and Kait Russo.
Slide 17 of 19: The train made brief stops at various stations, but the doors were never opened to allow passengers off for a stretch of the legs, which Joe said was a bit of a surprise.
Slide 18 of 19: The world's highest railway station, Tanggula.
Slide 19 of 19: Tanggula - a breathtaking station in more ways than one. This picture was taken by Bharat Vohra and posted to Flickr.
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