Walking Through Amdo

 

 

Day 1: Xining - Yardzi (2900m)

Distance: 230 km.

Time: 5hours.

Overnight: at the monastery.

Early departure for the region Yardzi (Xunhua in Chinese). After 5 hours drive, you arrive in a small monastery lost in nature. After visiting this site, you can walk around and chat with the monks to discover their daily or ask them questions about Buddhist philosophy.

 

Day 2: Yardzi - Sacred Lake Dungri - Yardzi

Distance: 80 km.

Time: 2hours.

Overnight: homestay.

In the morning, leave the monastery for a 3hours hike in a beautiful landscape. Your vehicle will come at the road and drove a little further to the sacred lake Dungri. This is the opportunity of a new walk 2 to 3hours then around the alpine lake (3350 m). Then go into one of the many villages Yardzi where you spend the night in a family of farmers.

 

Day 3: Yardzi - Repkong (2900m)

Distance: 180 km.

Time: 3 hours.

Overnight: Hotel

After passing through picturesque villages surrounded by their fields, you pick up your vehicle for a few miles, and then you continue walking gradually rising to the top of a mountain where the panoramic view is beautiful (3 to 4 hours walk). Then you go to the city of Repkong (Tongren in Chinese). Regarded in many respects as the heart of Amdo, Repkong is particularly renowned for its schools of painting thangkhas (religious paintings) that adorn most of the monasteries in the region.

 

Day 4: Repkong

Overnight: Hotel

You go first to the two villages Sengeshong (upper and lower), famous for their monasteries and workshops where you become familiar with the art of painting thangkhas. You will then find a small temple lost in a charming green valleys of the region. You enjoy a walk 1 to 2 hours in the quiet before returning to town.

 

Day 5: Repkong

Overnight: Hotel

Day meeting and sharing the small village of Gyalwogang. You meet Sonam Dorje (or its employees) that tells you about his social project. This former teacher opened a kindergarten for the children of his village in order to prepare them for entry into primary school. It has been found that children who start school without having passed through the mother more difficult to adapt to primary school and many of them drop out of school too early. You meet teachers and discuss with them, if you want to attend or participate in classes and activities for children. Enjoy lunch at the parents and of course you walk in the village and in the surrounding countryside (1 to 2 hours of walking).

 

Day 6: Repkong - Achung Namdzong - Trika (2280 m)

Distance: 270 km.

Time: 4hours.

Overnight: Hotel

Road to national park Khamra, a national forest protected area that stretches over 152 km2. 80% of the park is made up of virgin forest. More than 276 species of plants and trees have been identified, but the park is primarily characterized by its 18 peaks forms and surprising colors. Then you atteingnez the site Achung Namdzong (3 000m), one of the three most sacred of Amdo sites. It is in the hermitages of this site that fled the three monks from Central Tibet that led to the preservation of the Buddhist monastic tradition, during the first persecution of Buddhism in Tibet in the 9th century by the king Langdarma. Lhalung Pelgyi Dorje, the assassin of King Langdarma was also a refugee on this site. Visit Chopeling Samten, the largest nunnery of Nyingma tradition of Amdo. You discover a little further, a small temple ngakpas (secular order of Buddhist practitioners). Then you climb a mountain (with steps) to a hermitage where the view of the natural park of Khamra is beautiful (1 to 2 hours of walking). Road to Trika in the afternoon.

 

Day 7: Trika - Kumbum Monastery - Xining

Distance: 130 km.

Time: 3hours.

In the morning, you go to Jampaling Kumbum Monastery, one of the six major monasteries of the Gelugpa school. Founded in 1560, it was built to commemorate the birthplace of Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gelugpa school. A one-hour walk is possible in the hills around the monastery. You then return to Xining where you visit the museum of culture and Tibetan medicine. This great museum presents an exhibition of thangkhas and materials on traditional Tibetan medicine. On the upper floor you can admire a remarkable thangkha 618 m long, showing systematic, detailed and most artistic components of Tibetan culture way. End of trip.

 

Price include for more than 2 people (6684RMB per person):

• Transfers and tours mentioned in the program by private vehicle with driver

• Accommodation for 6nights.

• breakfast, Lunch and dinner (drinks not included)

• Tickets for the sites mentioned in the program

• The provision of a Tibetan speaking guide

 

This price does not include:

• The cost of obtaining a visa for China

• The accident and health insurance

• Medical expenses and repatriation

• Airline tickets domestic and international flights and / or train tickets

• Additional costs due to circumstances beyond our control

• Drinks and personal expenses

• Tips of the guide and driver

 

Inscriptions

Contact us no later than 6 weeks before start of the trip at: tibetraveline@gmail.com