Langmusi

Langmusi or Taktsang Lhamo in Tibetan, is a small village located at the border of Gansu and Sichuan in the Amdo region of Tibet. You can travel to Langmusi from Lanzhou, Xining and Chengdu. The town is located in a beautiful peaceful valley surrounded by alpine forests and mountains. It became a popular tourists destination in Amdo. It offers great opportunity for horseback trekking and hiking. There are also Amdo Tibetan nomads scattering both sides of the valley where you can take the chance to see nomadic lifestyle. 

The town is relatively small but due to the recent boost of tourism, Langmusi has some nice hotels and restaurants in town. The two major tourists attractions in Langmusi are the two monasteries located both sides of the Bailong River. 

Kirti Monastery (Taktsang Lhamo)

Kirti Gompa was founded in 1472 by Rongpa Chenakpa, a disciple of Tsongkhapa. It was established near the border with Gansu Province in 1693 but has outgrown its mother monastery. The first Kirti Monastery founded by Kirti Rinpoche was in Gyelrang. These days the two main Kirti Monasteries are in Taktsang Lhamo in Gansu Province and Ngawa prefecture in Sichuan, Kirti monastery was destroyed during the Cultural revolution and has now been rebuilt. There are numerous smaller monasteries affiliated with the Kirti Monasteries spread throughout the region.

Sertri monastery

Taktsang Lhamo Sertri Monastery is located east side of the river called white dragon and also belongs to the Gansu side, is home to around 350 monks. Founded by the 53rd Gaden Setri Gyaltsen Sengge of Gaden Monastery in 1748, Over the decades, from the time the monastery was built in the 18th Century, five different colleges were established within the monastery, focusing on debate, Tantra, the specific study of Kalachakra Tantra, Tibetan medicine and Sutra woodblock printing. During the Cultural Revolution, like most monasteries, Setri Monastery too suffered major damage and most of its original structure which held great historical significance such as the prayer hall and stupas were destroyed. The monastery was later reconstructed in 1980.

There are rituals and festivals through out the year in these two monasteries, but the most important one is Monlam Festival in the first month of Lunar Calendar. 

How to get to Langmusi ? 

1. Langmusi is located 390km south of Lanzhou. So you can travel from Lanzhou directly to Langmusi which takes about 6 hours. 
2.  Travel from Xining to Langmusi, Xining has been the gateway to Amdo region of Tibet, so it’s also not far away. The distance from Xining to Langmusi is about 410km and takes about 7 hours.
3.  Travel from Chengdu to Langmusi. Langmusi is located 600km north of Chengdu.  This is quite far away compare to the two options above but this can be a nice stop if you travel from Chengdu to Xining or Lanzhou.