Exploring the Mystery of the Source of the Yellow River

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Number：Y—008

Theme： close contact with our mother river –the Yellow River

Touring Duration：11days
Main Attractions： Chengdu Jinli Ancient Town、Doujiang Weir、Taoping Qiang Minority、Mialuo、Malcolm、Rangtang County、Zengke Monastery、Bangtuo Monastery、Chalang Monastery、Maqing County、Lajia Monastery、Animaqing Snow Mountain、Madou County、Zhaling Lake、Eling Lake、Bayan-har Mountains、Yushu County、Princess Wencheng Temple、Jiegu Monastery、Shiqu County、Sexu Monastery、Zhaxika Grassland、Manigange、Ganzi County、Donggu Monastery、Wuming Buddhist Institute of Lharong Monastery、Shouling Monastery、Daofu、Longdeng Grassland、White Tower Groups in Bamei、Tagong Grassland、Yala Snow Mountain、Tagong Monastery、Kandging、Ludingqiao

Optimum Time to Travel：June——September



1. Route
D 1： reception and boarding in Jiali Hotel in Chengdu
D 2：Chengdu --（54km）--Doujiang Weir --（151km）-- Lixian County--（188km）-- Malcolm（393km in total)

 board： Malcolm Hotel（altitude:2500m)
D 3：Malcolm --（198km）--Xiangtang --（155km）--Bangma（353km in total）board：Bangma Hotel（altitude:3500m)
D 4：Bangma --（171km）--Dari --（55km）--Gande --（89km）--Maqing（315km in total). board： Maqing Hotel （altitude:3500m)
D 5：Maqing --（217km）--Huashixia --（79km）--Madou（296km in total）board： Madou Hotel（altitude:3500m)
D 6：Madou --（146km）-- Zhaling Lake--（146km）-- Madou（292km in total）board：Madou Hotel（altitude:3500m)
D 7：Madou--（333km）--Yushu（333km in total）board：Labusi Monastery Hotel（altitude:3500m)
D 8：Yushu --（49km）-- Xiewu--（91km）-- Shiqu（140km in total）board：Xiangdenima Hotel（altitude:4000m)
D 9：Shiqu --（240km）--Manigange --（93km）-- Ganzi（333km in total）board：Golden Yak Hotel（altitude:4000m)
D 10：Ganzi --（115km）--Seda --（155km）--Luhuo --（71km）--Daofu（341km in total）.board：Yala Hotel（altitude:3000m)
D 11：Daofu --（77km）-- Bamei--（29km）--Tagong --（116km）-- Kangding（222km in total）Board：Kalakaer Hotel（altitude:2600m)
D 12： Kangding--（49km）-- Luding--（291km）--Chengdu（全40km in total）board：Jiali Hotel
D 13： Seeing  you off at the airport

2. Itinerary
D 1: After picking you up from the airport or railway station, we may send you to the hotel reserved for you previously; If time permits and you are available, we can tour around the Jinli ancient town just in Chengdu ,where we can appreciate the historic atmosphere of the ancient Shu kingdom ( one of the Chinese Ancient Three Kingdoms) and have a taste of the local snacks

D 2：After breakfast, we start off from Chengdu to Taoping Qiang Minority by the way of the world culture heritage, Doujiang Weir. We will have lunch in Taoping and then travel upward along Zagunao River and pass the” home of red leaves”, Mialuo, partridge tunnel, and Zhuokeji Tibetan Ancient Bureaucratic Architecture as well as Jiarong Tibet inhabitancy, finally getting to the capital county of Aba Autonomous Prefecture, Malcolm. 
 
D 3：It won’t take us long from Malcolm before we see the Great Span River. Travelling along the upstream of Great River, we get to Rangtang Country where we can visit Zengke Monastery of Geju branch of Tibet and Bangtuo Monastery of Ningma branch. Bangtuo Monastery is particularly an old temple built in Ming Dynasty. Its Buddha tower groups and mural can rank in top group of the world wonders. After breakfast, we travel northward to Bangma County by the way of Rengyu Primitive Forests. Bangma County is known as the” duplicating mini-south china in Guoluo Prefecture in Qinghai Province” .  There is also the famous monastery, Zhalang Monastery.  

D 4：After Madou Monastery, we go to Maqing County by crossing a grassland and Yellow River. We will visit Lajia Monastery there. Here also erects the gorgeous Animaqing Snow Mountain with the altitude of 6282m and snow-capped all year round. It is a holy mountain to Tibetans and also the largest glarcier of the Yellow River Valley.                                        

D 5： After breakfast, by the winding mountain road of Animaqing Snow Mountain, we depart Maqing. Then passing Huashixia Town and traveling a distance of 214 national highway(ancient road line in China’s Tang Dynasty), we get to Madou County, on the way to where there are great sceneries with majestic mountains and rivers, profound pastoral culture as well as the primitive and simple Tibetan customs.

D 6：Setting out from Madou County, we drive for Zhaling Lake and Eling Lake, known as “sisiter Lakes”, which are the two largest highland flowing lakes at the source of the Yellow River. They are just like two radiant pearls studded in the source of the Yellow River. Sauntering along the lakes, you feel refreshed and we go back to Madou County in the evening glow.  

D 7：After breakfast, we travel along N.214 national highway, passing Bayan-har Mountains and crossing Tongtian River to get to Yushu County where there is the Kangba Tibetan inhabitancy. There is the largest Nima Stone Pile in the world and the greatest Horse-Racing meeting as well as the famous Tibetan mastiff. After lunch in the downtown, we are heading for Princess Wencheng Temple and Jiegu Monastery.

D 8：Departing from Yushu County and passing Anbana Mountain, we get to Shiqu County, known as “the Sun Tribe”, where we will visit Sexu Monastery before we return to the downtown.

D 9：After breakfast, we are heading for an important town of Dege County, Manigange by the way of the beautiful Zhaxika Grassland. Then we go forward to Ganzi

D 10：We set out in the morning from Ganzi County, passing Dongu Monastery(this route is seldom travelled by people),to get to Seda County where we will see constellations of warrior-shaped ancient Tibetan architecture erecting on the mountain slope. They are the architectures of the largest Tibetan Buddhism Institute, Wuming Buddhist Institute of Laron Monastery. Thousands of grayish red wooden dormitory for monks lining on the mountains, which poses a fantastic picture. You could be very surprised to find that there are about20,000 permanent monk residents. 10km away from this Institute is the second largest “the dead-disposed-by –heaven platform”, which is the purest place for the Tibetans. After sightseeing the platform, we depart Seda to pass Xiangbi Mountain to get to Luhuo where there are relics of the 1973 earthquake valuable for archeology and tourism and there also locates the famous Shoulin Monastery. Forward along the peaceful Xianghe River, we reach Daofu.

D 11：Departing from Daofu, we go to Bamei Town. On our way there we will pass Longdeng Grassland, so we can sightsee the grazing land scenery all the way. In Bamei, we are to visit the Tibetan white tower groups. Then we go to Tagong Grassland where there is located the majestic Yala Snow Mountain and Tagong Monastery. After lunch, we are heading for “ the home of the romantic songs” , Kangding. 

D12：Starting off from Kangding, travelling downward along the Great Span River, we reach Luding County where there is located the Luding Bridge which was the strategic spot seized by the Red Army from the hand of Kuomintang in Civil War. After sensing the danger of the natural barrier, we return to Chengdu where we can enjoy the local specialty, hotpot and watch Sichuan Opera with its tour de force, Face Changing.          

D 13：shopping around on your own and seeing you off