Kangding Trek

camp site, kitchen

Tibetan horse man

camp site, kitchen

Trek in Kangding (TK01)

This is a fun hike in Kham, in the the eastern region of Tibet near the gateway town of Kangding. The trek takes about 3 days, and en route you will be able to witness the wildlife and snow-capped mountain peaks.

D1: Arrive in Chengdu: By flight to Chendu. After arrival in Chengdu, pickup and transfer to your hotel and assistance to check in. Relax for the rest of the day by having one visit to the traditional Chinese teahouse at People’s Park.

D2: Chengdu to Kangding: Drive 360km on paved road, into hill country and crossing through the Mt. Erlang tunnel, en-route we will stop by to visit Luding Iron Bridge. Then arrive at the gateway town of the Eastern Tibet of Kham – Kangding, which is cradled in a narrow gorge along the raging Dzetuo River. The river’s continual rumble can be heard in its alleyways where nomads from the west come to sell Tibetan herbal medicine, Khampa knives, traditional Tibetan garments, and the ever-popular yak butter tea. For centuries the town has held the status of “Gateway to Tibet”, after we arrive in Kangding take an easy walk in order to acclimatize to the altitude. Visit to Anjue monastery.

D3: Kangding: start trek: Departure from Kangding by vehicle to Dzonggu village, where we load any of your big baggage onto local horses, hiking about 5-6 hours we cross through the bushland and trees, the land view becomes wide, through the valley to reach the camp by the east slop of Yarla Yartso mountain, which is thought to be one of the nine holy mountains in the remote antiquity, this holy mountain is also thought to appear as a white yak.

D4: Trek: From the camp we depart for the first pass and then onto the grassland, enjoy the view of Yarla Yartso Mountain, descending to the bottom of the valley, to camp by the beautiful holy lake of Yalar Yotso.

D5: Trek & reaching Lhagang: Departure from the camp, where we take another trail onto the last pass, from which we descend all the way to Manijiaguo, a place with great mani pile in Kham, meeting with our waiting vehicle we return to Lhagang.

D6: Lhagang to Chengdu: By vehicle driving through the new road of Kangding, a place famous for its terrific nature view, if the weather would permit, the peak of the highest mountain of Kham – Mt. Minya Gangkar is visible.

D7: Chengdu: In the morning, we will drive to Chengdu Giant Panda Research Base, one of the most important centers in the world for the captive conservation of the Giant Panda. The Research Center has evolved into China Panda City. After return to downtown, we will visit to the Wenshu temple, which was built in the Southern dynasties (420-589). Covering an area of about 5.5 hectares, it has 190 buildings in their simple styles and with exquisite window carvings. In the scripture-keeping hall, rare cultural relics are preserved. They range from a kasaya embroidered with 1,000 Buddhas by imperial concubine Tian of Emperor Chongzhen (1628-1644) in the Ming dynasty, an embroidered portrait of Avalokitesvara, scriptures written on Pattra Leaves from ancient India, a 1,200-year-old gilded Buddhist wheel from Japan, to a jade Buddha from Burma. The most precious is the skull of Xuanzang, a Buddhist master of the Tang dynasty.

D8: Chengdu to the airport for departure.