6 days Qinghai Camping Tour

Day 1: Xining - Kumbum Monastery - Qinghai Lake - Gonghe (Chabcha )

We droie from Xining to Kumbum Monastery. Kumbum Monastery is located in 25 km south of Xining which takes about 40 minutes to get to there. Kumbum is the largest and the most important monastery in Qinghai province. We spent around 3 hours to visit all the temples inside.

After having lunch in a local Tibetan restaurant, we head towards Qinghai Lake. Qinghai Lake, also known by its Mongolian name as Kokonor lake, is the largest salt lake in China. It is located 150 km west of Xining city.

When you travel there in July and August, the whole south shore of the blanked by the yellow rape seeds flowers. The view is just mesmerizing for its contrast of the yellow meadows and the blue waters of the lake. Seagulls and black-necked cranes are flying by the shores, locals grazing their sheep – Kokonor shore views are stunning. Afterwards, we drive up to the top of Serchen mountain, from where we can see the overview of the lake. Then we continued driving to Chabcha to spend the night at a local hotel there. Many nomads set their camps there, too.

Day 2: Chabcha / Gonghe - Mount Amnye Machen Camping site

Our morning begin by driving from Gonghe county to the sacred Mount Amnye Machen. This 320 km road takes around 6 driving hours. We also had several stops on the way to enjoy the view. Mount Amnye Machen is the highest mountain in Qinghai Province.

This majestic mountain which is covered by snow year-round is also one of the four holiest mountains of the Tibetan Plateau. The other three are Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, Mount Kawa Karpo in Yunnan province and Mount Minyak Gongkar (Mount Gongga) in Sichuan Province. We get off the main road to find a trail which led us to the very bottom of the snow mountain. There we will find a beautiful site next to the river and set our camp up there. From the camp site, you can witness glorious sunset blazing with fabulous colors reflecting on the top of the glacier’s peak.

After the sun goes down, starts and milky way are gradually appear to your eyes. The stunning view of the clear night sky inspirits us beyond the words by its veil of shining stars.

Option: If you are not interested in camping, you can drive all the way to Machen town of Golog Tibetan Prefecture.

Day 3: Mount Amnye Machen Hiking and Explorer day

We will have a relax breakfasts while view of Mount Amnye Machen in front of you. The explore the area of the Mount Amnye Machen. Here one can either go hiking to the glaciers or drive behind the mountain to enjoy a different view of it. We chose to stay at the camp site and enjoyed several short hikes around. Second night Camping.

Day 4: Mount Amnye Machen - Ragya Monastery - Canyons - Gui’de / Trika

After seeing beautiful sunrise at the Mount Amnye Machen, we drive to Machen county of Golog Tibetan Prefecture. From there we continued to Gui’de county which is located at the bank of Yellow River. On the way, we visited Ragya Monastery and the scenic red clay mountains. Gui’de or Trika in Tibetan is one of the lowest town in Qinghai Province with altitude of 1800m above sea level. So you will have a comfortable rest today.

Day 5: Gui’de / Trika - Kanbula National Park - Achung Namdzong Nunnery and Meditation Caves - Shachung Monastery - Xining

In the morning we drive to the Kanbula National Park, which is also known by its Tibetan name as Kamra park. This national park offers one of the most beautiful sceneries around Xining. We spent few hours by hiking between the towering red clay mountains, and also visited Achung Nandzong Nunnery.

Originally, Achung Namdzong Nunnery was a small hermitage that consisted of a few meditation caves, which later expanded to the nunnery. Those who are ready for a hike in the steep rocky trail will be rewarded by reaching the temple of the Buddha of Compassion which is located in the top of the red clay mountain.

Afterwards, we drive up to the Tibetan villages, from where we could see another highlight of the Kanbula national park – a huge turquoise lake deeply nested in this vast valley. There are several places to stop while descending from the villages back to the town.

After we cross Yellow River Bridge, we continue driving in the narrowing road up to the mountain where Shachung (Jakhyung , Xiaqiong Si) Monastery is located. Sachung is one of the oldest monasteries in Qinghai province. It is very famous for that it raised one of the most important divs of Vajrayana – Je Tsongkhapa, who was the founder of the Gelug school of the Tibetan Buddhism. Besides that, due to it is located on the very top of the mountain, Shachung monastery offers one of the best views of the Yellow river like a dragon lying in the vast valley.

Day 6: Explore Xining and Tibetan Medical and Cultural Museum

On the last day of this tour we visit Tibetan Medical and Cultural Museum, which is the most authentic and largest Tibetan museum in the whole world. It is located at the outskirt of the Xining city. There are two main exhibitions. One part of the museum is dedicated to the ancient Tibetan medical heritage, astronomy, astrology, and science. The other part focuses on Tibetan religion and culture. Many visitors come here to see the 618m-long thangka scroll which is the longest in the world. It depicts the whole history of Tibet. The whole visit to this museum takes about 3 or 4 hours.

Our tour ended by driving to the airport as our clients had a flight to catch. Otherwise journey can be concluded by dining in a local restaurant or watching Tibetan musical performance in one of the local “nangma” bars.

If you have a earlier departure from Xining, you can skip the last day, we will pick you up from hotel and drop off at the airport.