Mount Amnye Machen

Mount Amnye Machen is one of the four most powerful mountains on the Tibetan Plateau.

The Mount Amnye Machen (sometimes spell as Ani Maqing Xue Shan) is located in the west of Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province. It is not only the highest mountain in Qinghai Province, but also one of four most sacred and powerful mountains in Tibet. The other 3 sacred mountains are Mount Kailash in western Tibet Autonomous Region, Mount Minyak Gongkar in western Sichuan Province and Mount Kawa Karpo in Yunnan Province.

The power-holder of this mountain is called Protecter Machen Pomra. He is said to reside in the mountain’s highest peak which rises at an elevation of 6826m or 22395ft. He is head of the Sadaks (Lords of the Ground) of the region and many consider him the senior regional mountain god of Tibet.

The Amnye Machen range has three prominent peaks; The highest peak is Amnye Machen which is mentioned above. The northernmost peak which is the second highest peak called Dradul Lungshok which rises at an elevation of 6154m / 20190. The southern pyramid which is third highest is called Chenrezig Mountain which rises at an elevation of 6127m/20201ft, the Avalokitesvara (Compassion Buddha), of which the Dalai Lama is believed to be an incarnation.

Through the Buddhist world, pilgrimage is an important means of affirming the faith of devotees and above all of accumulating merit and virtuous actions, without which progress to enlightenment or Buddhahood would not be possible. A pilgrimage or Kora around Mount Amnye Machen believed to be one important practice of virtuous action. This kora or circumambulation takes a week on foot. There are two start points. One is from Chorten Karpo(CN: Xueshan Xiang) and the other one is from Tawu Sholma (CN: Xia Da Wu Xiang).

There are no guesthouses along the trekking or kora route, so a good quality camping and cooking gears are essential. You may find nomads family living on the river banks where you can get some hot milk tea or yogurt.

You may need to hire yaks to carry your luggage and camping gears. You can hire yaks and horses in both Chortent Karpo and Tawu Sholma. But normally you need to book in advance as the yaks and horses are in the mountains.

Is it possible to do Amnye Machen trek on your own?

Yes, it is possible. However, there are few things you need to be careful if you travel on your own without local guide.

1. Where to start and where to camp each night.
2. The rivers are rise up during the summer season, so there are some risks to cross the rivers.
3. There are also have wild animals such as wolf, bear, Tibetan mastiffs .etc.
4. Severe weather conditions.

Camping Gear Rental:

If you want to hire camping gears, please contact our Xining Office at: info@snowlandexplorer.com. We have all the camping related gears including tent, sleeping bag, mattress, cooking equipment, rain coat, tables, outdoor shower gears .etc.

How to get to Mount Amnye Machen?

First, you need to reach Xining City of Qinghai Province in China. You can hire private car to drop you off at the start point and pick you up on the last day at the ending point. You can add to visit Qinghai lake on the way back if you take this option. This would be the ideal option if you have a flexible budget. If you are traveling on low budget, you can take a bus from Xining to Machen (CN: 玛沁县). From where you need to hire a private car to the start point. Due to language barrier, this may be complicate for most international travelers.

Here are the list of tours we offer which include Mount Amnye Machen in the itinerary. 

• Trekking Tour: Mount Amnye Machen Trekking Tour
• Customize Tour: Western Qinghai Tour
• Join in a Group Tour: Amdo and Kham Group Tour
• Camping Tour: Qinghai Camping Tour
• Tailor-Made tours to Mount Amnye Machen are also can be arranged in order to accommodate your needs.

If you have any questions regarding Mount Amnye Machen Trek, please do not hesitate to send us an email at info@snowlandexplorer.com.