Daytrips in and around Xiahe 

 

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Our day trips around Xiahe are very unique! Our drivers/guides are all Tibetans who grew up on the grasslands and they have a wealth of knowledge about the nomad life on the grasslands.

Our day trip to the grasslands is a once in a life time experience which you will treasure for the rest of your life!

 

 

 

 

Tour 1

 

On this one-day tour, we go to the absolutely stunning Sangke grasslands. In the summer, the meadows are completely covered with colorful flowers. We will visit a nomad family in their tent (or in their winter house, depending on the season)  where we can taste tsampa and Tibetan yak milk tea. Since the nomads move around, we will visit a different family on every tour. A visit to a nomad family is essential to really understand Tibetan life. Having visited Xiahe but not having visited a nomad family is a true miss. We can see the yaks and herds of sheep and we'll go hiking in the mountains. We will also visit a very small pure nomad town where we can eat Tibetan noodle soup or fried noodles. 

Time: leave at 10.00, back at around 16.00-17.00. 

Included: transportation, entrance fee to the grasslands

Excluded: donation to the nomad family you are going to visit.
They normally give you some snacks and tea.
Expected donation 40-50 rmb per person, lunch

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tour 2  

 

On this tour, we visit the Ganjia grasslands, located outside Xiahe. On these  grasslands, there are fewer nomad families, but still lots of things to see. We will visit Bajiaocheng ancient city and a very secluded monastery with a small village. Ganjia also has stunning scenery: rugged mountains with snow at the tops and beautiful green grasslands. There is an absolutely stunning gorge where you can go hiking.

Time: leave at 10.00, back at around 16.00-17.00.   

Included: transportation. 

Excluded: entrance fees, lunch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tour 3  

  

On this tour we visit the spectacular nine floor Milarepa temple in Hezuo. Hezuo is the district capital of Gannan and located around 70 kilometers outside Xiahe. It will take 1.5  hours one way to get there. This temple is very famous because each of its nine floors displays many varieties of Buddhist statues, deities and scriptures. It is named after saint Milarepa, who attained enlightenment in one life time. He is often pictured as very thin and bony (as he was meditating and fasting in a cave for most of his latter years) and with his hand to his mouth as he would often sing his lessons and teachings to his disciples so they could better remember his ideas. 
Time: leave at 10.00, back at around 14.00.

Included:  transportation, entrance fee to Milarepa temple.                              

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tour 4  

 

This is a 3 hour tour of the Labrang monastery. The Labrang monastery is the biggest monastery outside Tibet TAR and has about 2000 monks. There are 6 Buddhist schools with their own temples. We visit the book printing temple, the Manjushri temple, the Golden Stupa and walk part of the kora (the payer wheel route) . The monastery itself also provides a guided tour for which you must buy an entry ticket of 40 Yuan. For our tour, we visit other areas of this huge monastery. Since our tour is a  private tour, it goes more in-depth than the general tour organized by the monastery. However, both tours complement each other.   

Time: up to you, 3-hour-tour.  

Included: English speaking guide.

Excluded: entrance fee tickets (around 30 rmb)