We arrange tours in Kham, Amdo, and the Lhasa region of Tibet.
Amdo Tours
Repkong—Labrang—Taktsang Lhamo Circuit (5 days)
From Xining we will travel a circuit by car through farming villages, nomad camps, and mountain villages full of monks on pilgrimage at famous monasteries. For 5 days you will see Tibetan life as it is truly lived, and the environment in which they live. We will stop in Repkong (renowned for it’s Thanka painting schools), Labrang (the seat of the largest monastery in Amdo Tibet), and Taktsang Lhamo (Langmusi) (a beautiful mountain village straddling two mountain sides and the provincial border between Sichuan and Gansu). You will never forget this trip, as you get a glimpse of the pillars of Tibetan life, nomads, monks, and their faith.
Day 1: We will travel 180 km by car from Xining to Repkong, where you will visit Longwo Monastery (built in the 13th-14th centuries), local Tibetan homes, and the famous Thanka painting schools. Repkong is known as the ‘cradle of Tibetan arts.’ Along the way will pass by many famous sites, such as the birthplace of the current Dalai Lama in Pingan and the 10th Panchen Lama’s hometown in Xuenhua. Accommodation will be home-stay with a local Tibetan family.
Day2: From Repkong will travel 95 km by car to the northeast to Labrang Monastery, the most important of all Amdo monasteries. Depending on your choice we can stop along the way at a Nyingmapa temple in Shompne, the home of famous Buddhist master Gende Chepe, or drive straight on the Labrang. If you choose to stop, you will have a few hours to look around, and we will arrive in Labrang mid afternoon. It is also possible to eat lunch with a local nomad family, and unforgettable meal including tsampa (barley dough), Tibetan cheese and milk tea. If you decide to go straight to Labrang we will arrive around lunch time, with the rest of the day free for you to explore the nooks and crannies of the temple complex and to rub shoulders with dust covered pilgrims. Accommodation will be in a local guest house just yards away from the temple complex.
Day 3: We will meet at 10am for a guided tour of Labrang Monastery by one of the monks in residence. He will teach you all that you could want to know about life in the monastery and Tibetan Buddhism. As you walk around and hear stories of the past, you will what life was like there when more than 2000 monks were living inside the walls. Accommodation will be at the same guest house as on day 2.
Day 4: We will leave in the morning to drive 220 km south to Taktsand Lhamo, literally on the border of Sichuan and Gansu provinces. Two monasteries sit on opposite mountain sides in a continual face-off of Buddhist sects. You can chose from many activities in Taktsang Lhamo, we can arrange a tour of the two monasteries, a horseback riding tour, or you can hike in the hills that surround the town. Accommodation will be in a local guest house.
Day 5: We will drive back to Xining, arriving mid to late afternoon.
I have led this trip more than 30 times, most recently during the Losar festival in February 2008. In 5 days there is no other trip that will take you to such remarkable and breath taking places. You will see the beauty of the Tibetan people, as well and the beauty of the Tibetan plateau and the mountains scattered across it. This trip is especially fascinating if taken during Losar, as you will see 1000s of pilgrims and nomads flooding into the monastery towns for the week. It is a photographers dream.
Source of the Yellow River Tour
The Yellow river, is traditionally seen as the source of many civilizations, such as Tibetan, Chinese, and Mongolian cultures. It is sixth-longest river in the world, flowing for 5,464 winding kilometers. The source of the Yellow River consists of many tributaries flowing out of snow capped mountains, pastures, and marshes between the northern Bayan Karla Mountain and the holy snow mountain Amnye Machen in Golok Tibetan Autonomous prefecture. Life is very tough in this part of Tibet, but the Tibetan nomads who live here have adapted and live remarkable lives in the wilds of Tibet. Buddhist culture is strong in this part of Amdo, and no matter how difficult the life is, the local nomads still live happily and optimistically on the land .
This is an example of an itinerary to visit the source of the Yellow River.
Day 1: Drive 350kms from Xining to Xinghai county, via Qinghai lake, the largest salt lake in China and the largest of the thousands lakes on the Tibet plateau. We will spend the night in Xinghai to adjust to the altitude before heading higher in the coming days. Accommodations in local hotel.
Day 2: We will drive from Xinghai 200 km southwest to Modo, a sleepy nomad town. Most of the day will be spend driving, with ample opportunities to stop and take photographs or to visit with nomads on the plateau. Accommodations in local hotel.
Day 3: We will drive the final 100 km to the source of the Yellow River over unpaved tracks, taking about 5 hours to reach the Ngoring and Kyaring Lakes, the beginning of the Yellow River. Accommodations in tents as we camp out by the lakes.
Day 4: Starting out in the morning we will drive 180 km to Huashixi, a township near the source of the yellow river. The drive will take a while and once we arrive you will have the afternoon to wander around the town. Accommodations will be in a local guest house.
Day 5: Setting off in the morning we will drive north 220 km to Machen, a nomad trading town near Mt. Amnye Machen. Once arriving in Machen we will check into a guest house and the afternoon is free time to explore the town.
Day 6: We will drive out from Machen about 70 km to the northeast to Ragya Monastery. The monastery is located on the northern bank of yellow river at the bottom of a steep mountain cliff. The monastery was built in the 1769 by a famous monk, Arou Geshe Gyentsen Ozer, who was sent there by the 7th Dalai Lama Kelsang Gyatso. The day will be spent exploring the monastery and surrounding areas, including a private school educating Tibetans in traditional culture.
Day 7: We will drive from Ragya to Xining via Guide/Trika, completing out trip. Guide is the lowest altitude in Qinghai province, and the Yellow river is flow through the middle of the valley. This valley is sometimes referred to as the bread basket of Qinghai, with every possible fruit and vegetable grown there. After a brief stop here for lunch the final stretch to Xining will take us over a beautiful snow covered pass, before dropping back down to Xining.
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