May 6th/Day 1: Arrive Xining [2270m]
Arrive Xining by plane or train. Xining is the capital city of Qinghai Province in western China, traditionally belongs to Amdo Tibet. Our guide and driver will pick you up and transfer to your hotel. If time allows, visit Tibetan Medicine and Cultural Museum which is located in the north skirt of the Xining city. Tibet Medicine and Cultural Museum is the most authentic and by far the largest Tibetan museum and Tibet cultural learning center in the world. There are eight major exhibition halls on the second floor, including the Art of Thangka Painting Hall, Tibetan Medicine History Hall, Tibetan Medicine Thangka Hall, External Therapy Tools Hall, Tibetan Medicine Classical Literature Hall, Tibetan Medicine Specimen Hall, Tibetan Astrology/Astronomy Hall, Tibetan Cultural Hall, and Tibetan Calligraphy Hall. Besides these halls, the other highlight is the famous Tibetan Art painting or Thangka displayed on the second floor of the museum. When you exist the museum from First floor, there are some souvenir shops where you can check out some Tibetan carpets, Thangka and other souvenirs from Qinghai Province. The whole visiting takes minimum 2 hours. Afterwards, we will drive to your hotel.
May 7th/Day 2: Xining – Kumbum Monastery Festival – Xining [2270m] 60km 2 hours
We drive early to catch the festival in Kumbum Monastery. Kumbum means The hundred Thousand Budhdha Images in Tibetan. According to the monastery history, a tree grow out of the blood of Tsongkapa’s umbilical cord and later when the tree grown up, there were images of Buddha every single leave. Then the kumbum is named after this auspicious phenomenon. Today is very important day of Tibet Buddhism, therefore Kumbum Monastery monks will perform Rituals and Cham Mask Dance in the monastery today. After visit the monastery, we will drive back to Xining. More info about Kumbum Monastery, please check out here.
May 8th/Day 3: Xining – Shachung Monastery – Lo Dorje Drak Medication Caves – Rebkong [2480m] 240km 5 hours, Tibetan Family Homestay
Drive from Xining to Shachung Monastery, which is located on a mountaintop and has a great view of Yellow River in the opening valley. This is a hidden and less touristic place where you can enjoy some quite moment in a historic monastery. Afterwards, we descend to the valley and drive along beautiful scenic view of Yellow River. These places are some of the lowest areas by elevation in Qinghai Province. You will be driving through some muslim villages before taking the highway to Repkong. Repkong is home to three large Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and is famous across Tibet for its artists and strong cultural holder in the region. We drive to a Tibetan village in Rebkong where we have Tibetan homestay experience with warm welcome. The hosts will offer Tibetan style dinner in the evening. This is the time when you can exchange some interesting stories as well as get some first hand information about Tibetan village life.
May 9th/Day 4: Rebkong – Tsekog [3700m] 180km 3 hours, Camp with nomads
In the morning, visit Rongwo Monastery which was built in 12thcentury as a Sakyapa Monastery and now it belongs to Gelukpa monastery. It has 8 branch monasteries around Rebkong. The Rongwo monastery housed 1500 monks in it’s peak and today, there are still 450 monks in the monastery. Then we drive to the famous thangka painting schools and villages. One of the important Thangka painting area is Wutunsi and there are two monasteries next to each other. Visit some Tibetan homes to see their arts and how to create Tibetan Thangkas. Afterwards, we drive to Tsekog Grassland. Experience firsthand the lifestyle of Tibetan nomads. Join nomads herding yak and sheep and making cheese, yogurt, and butter. Observing nomads daily works such as milking yaks, tie little yaks, collect yaks dung and dry them, herding yaks and sheep, cook on a typical nomads fire stove, exchange life stories with local nomads.etc. You also may have chance to ride horses or yaks, hiking up on a hill or just walking on grassland to have some quiet and beautiful times.
May 10th/Day 5 : Camp site to Trika [2100m] 200km 3 hours
In the morning visit Hor monastery and Mani Stone wall located 40km west of Tsekog town. Afterwards drive through the grassland and you will again descent to Trika town where you can visit Jokhang temple which locally believed to have an equal blessing of Jokhang temple in Lhasa. If time allows, you can also visit Minyak stupa close to the yellow river, this monastery probably one of the oldest monasteries in the region, built during the 41stKing of Tibet. Trika has been the lowest place in the region located on the bank of Yellow River. This place has unique land formation with different colors.
May 11th/Day 6: Trika – Qinghai Lake / Kokonor Lake – Xining 340km/6 hours
Drive north to Kokonor lake(Qinghai Lake or Tso Ngonpo) – The largest lake in all of China, Qinghai Lake is regarded as holy by Tibetans and Mongolians. We will reach at the south side of the lake (150km from Xining), take a boat ride on the turquoise waves of the lake or go horseback riding along the shores with Tibetan nomads, you may see some wildlife such as Black-necked cranes are resting at the shore. Then we will return back to Xining. Our group tour ends here, say goodbye to your guide and driver.
Itinerary can be changed without prior notice.
