Itinerary

1. Day 01 (11.07.2024): Chengdu - Kangding

   • Kangding, the home town of love song
     • Arrive at Chengdu Tianfu Airport in the morning, pick up and transfer to Kangding, stroll in the urban area of Kangding, and adapt to the plateau climate. Kangding is the capital of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and an important juncture in the history of the Tibetan and Han People.

   305 km, 4 hours and 10 minutes

   Overnight at Yulingxue Hotel (2560 m)

   Breakfast

2. Day 02 (12.07.2024): Kangding - Tagong - Daofu

   • SidingTso Lake, Moshi Park
     • After breakfast, head for Tagong along the S434 Provincial Highway and stop at SidingTso Lake. When the weather is good, you can take photos of the distant view of Gongga Mountain and its reflection in the lake. 
     • On the way from Tagong to Daofu, you will visit Moshi Park, one of the few highland stone forests in China.

   199 km, 4 hours and 10 minutes

   Overnight at Tibetan Culture Theme Hotel (3245 m)

   Breakfast

3. Day03 (13.07.2024): Daofu - Luhuo - Ganzi

   • Kasa Lake, Garze Monastery, Han-Chinese Monastery
     • Drive to Ganzi (Garze) and visit the beautiful Kasa Lake. In Tibetan, "Garze" means "white and beauty", named after the famous in 1552 built temple of the yellow sect (Gelukpa) in the county. 
     • In Garze, visit the Garze Monastery of Gelukpa school. It was originally constructed by the Qosot Mongols in 1662 on a hilltop overlooking their castles of Mazur and Khangsar. The monks usually debate at around 16 p.m.; it lasts about 40 minutes. 
     • Then, visit the Han-Chinese Monastery. It is the oldest architecture in Garze built by Han-Chinese in 1274, the Han-Chinese and Tibetan buildings symbolize cultural integration and solidarity of Han-Chinese and Tibetan people.

   166 km, 3 hours

   Overnight at Makyi Ama Hotel (3390 m)

   Breakfast

4. Day04 (14.07.2024): Ganzi - Dege

   • DargyeMonastery, XinluhaiLake, Dege Printing House
     • Near Ganzi, you would meet an old, spirited Khampa Tibetan man with white hair and a beard. He has been sitting or standing for years on a hill, rolling white prayer beads and turning a colourful prayer wheel, praying for happiness for the people in this area and the tourists. 
     • On the way visit the Dargye Monastery. The Dargye represents the Gelukpa school, which was founded in 1642. Pass by Manigango and then visit Xinlu Hai Lake (Yilhun Lhatso, 4017 m), at the foot of Chola Mountain (Que’er Shan). It is 4040 meters above sea level, with an average depth of 10 meters and a maximum depth of 15 meters. There are plateau spruces, firs, Chinese weeping cypresses, azalea trees and meadows around the lake. It is also a preserve for wild animals like white-lipped deer. Short walking by the lake Yilhun Lhatso. 
     • Keep driving through the Chola (Que’er Shan) Tunnel; you will reach Dege soon. 
     • In Dege, visit the Dege Printing House, which has always been well-reputed as the cultural treasury at the foot of the Snow Mountain. It is the biggest printing house in the Tibetan area.
     • Another program is to visit the Dege Gonchen, meaning “temple,” a monastery of the Sakya sect. It was built in 1448, and today, about 300 monks live here. 
     • Enjoy yak meat hot pot for dinner.

   185 km, 3 hours and 10 minutes

   Overnight at Bota Hotel (3270 m)

   Breakfast

5. Day05 (15.07.2024): Dege - Hepo - Maisu

   • Tibetan knife workshop, experience thangka painting
     • Head for MaisuTown of Dege; on the way, visit the Tibetan knife workshop of a local Tibetan family at Hepo Townof Baiyu, which is known as the "Armory of King Gesar". Hepo's Tibetan knife production follows the manual workshop mode of family style. Each family has its own characteristics: the types of knife include waist knife, curved knife, dagger, etc. The sheath is divided into silver shells, copper shells, and iron shells, and various patterns, such as flying dragons, walking phoenixes, and precious stone silver flowers, are carved. 
     • In Maisu, visit family workshops for copper casting, wood carving, black pottery, Thangka drawing, and colour painting. First, visit the Khyenle Workshop and learn about copper casting skills. And then experience paiting a thangka! Like Hepo of Baiyu County, Maisu Town of Dege County preserves a relatively complete cultural form of inheritance of Tibetan traditional handicrafts.
     • Today's dinner will be a surprise; you will enjoy organic food prepared with authentic local mountain ingredients and drink delicious coffee.

   113 km, 2 hours 49 minutes

   Overnight at Khyenle Guesthouse (3600 m)

   Breakfast

6. Day06 (16.07.2024): Maisu - Katok Monastery - Baiyu

   • Mask Dance Festival at Katok
     • Continue to the Katok Monastery (4200 m) of the Nyingma Sect to enjoy the Mask Dance Festival (Cham Festival). The Katok Festival is in memory of Padmasambhava. The monks dance with Buddhist masks to expel evil, chant, and unfold the Thangka at noon when sunlight is at its strongest. 
     • Then, visit Baiyu Monastery and enjoy the panoramic view of Baiyu Monastery from the slope opposite it.

   103 km, 3 hours

   Overnight at Dibazha Guesthouse (3006 m)

   Breakfast

7. Day07 (17.07.2024): Baiyu - Ganzi - Luhuo

   • Yarchen Gar, a big nuns’ world
     • Today, drive to Luhuo via Garze (Ganzi). On the way, visit the Yarchen Gar (Yaqing Si) of the Nyingma sect, a big nun’s world! About 20,000 nuns live, learn and meditate here. At 4000 meters above sea level, Yarchen Gar is the largest meditation place for women in the world. 
     • After reaching the parking lot at Yarchen Gar, walk about 10 minutes to the hillside north of Juemu (a title for a nun in Tibetan) Island. There is a vast Padmasambhava statue, and in the southwest orientation, you can overlook the grand panorama of Yarchen Gar and even Juemu Island. 
     • Then, go downhill to the riverside along small wooden houses where nuns practice meditation. On the way, everywhere, you can see these nuns sitting in meditation, or scripture debating, reading quietly, or chatting and relaxing. Yarchen Gar is divided by river into areas for Zhaba (monk) and Juemu (nun). The River bank area is for Zhaba, and the island is for Juemu. Cross the bridge on the river and get into Juemu Island, the core zone of Yarchen Gar. Here, the nun’s low and small meditation houses are intensive and cover the whole peninsula. You can walk here and immerse yourself in the pure religious atmosphere of the nuns' meditation place.

   332 km, 7 hours

   Overnight at Langkajie Art Hotel (3250 m)

   Breakfast

8. Day08 18.07.2024 Luhuo - Tagong

   • Tagong Monastery
     • In the morning, drive to Tagong. 
     • Watch the mask dance (Cham) in Lhagang Monastery (Tagong Si) of Sayka Sect in the afternoon. Today, the monks perform the Vajra Dance without masks. Three hills, symbolizing three Bodhisattvas, surround the Tagong Monastery. It is said that the blessing of a reserved Jowo Shakyamuni image left by the Wencheng Princess in this monastery to the pilgrims resembles the Lhasa Jowo Shakyamuni image in Lhasa. 
     • From the hillside next to the Muya Golden Pagoda, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Zhara Lhatse (5.820 m, also Jara or Yala). When the weather is good, the scenery at sunset is especially spectacular.

   176 km, 3 hours

   Overnight at Mandala Hotel (3730 m)

   Breakfast

9. Day09 (19.07.2024): Tagong

   • Mask Dance Festival at Tagong Monastery
     • If you are interested, it is recommended that you walk up the small mountain slope in the early morning to enjoy the beautiful sunrise of Mount Yala. 
     • Participate in the Mask Dance Festival at Lhagang Monastery and enjoy the masked Vajra dance and religious praying activities. 
     • In the afternoon, visit Muya Monastery, Jiagu Nun’s Temple and the Great Stone Scripture Wall.

   Overnight at Mandala Hotel

   Breakfast

10. Day10 (20.07.2024): Tagong - Kangding - Chengdu

    • Horse racing
      • Participate in horse racing activities in the morning. The monks of Tagong Temple recited scriptures and prayed for the horses, and then the horses flew away from the Muya Golden Pagoda towards the direction of Mount Yala. 
      • Take pictures of the grand sunning Buddha’s portrait (Thangka exhibition) event. 
      • Then drive back to Chengdu in the afternoon.

    360 km, 5 hours and 45 minutes

    Breakfast