Trekking in Animaqing Snow Mountain

Number：T—001

Theme：Appreciate the Andou Prairie Culture

Touring Duration：13days

Main Attractions：Chengdu Jinli Ancient Town、Doujiang Weir、Taoping Qiang Minority Group、Mialuo、Malcolm、Xinduqiao、Zengke Monastery、Bangtuo Monastery、Aba County、Nianbao-yuze Snow Mountain Scenic Area、Lajia Monastery、Animaqing Snow Mountain、Halonggou-A peak Base Camp、Taer Monastery、Xining

Optimum Time toTravel：May——October.

1. Route

Day 1: reception, and boarding in Jiali hotel in Chengdu

D2： Chengdu--（205km）--Lixian couty --（188km）-- Malcolm（393km in total) board：Malcolm Hotel（altitude：2200m)

D3： Malcolm--（198km）--Rangtang --（167km）--Aba（365km in total)

 board：Nianbao-yuze Hotel（altitude：3500m)

D4：Aba --（75km）--Jiuzhi --（261km）-- Dari（336km in total)

 board： hotel（altitude：3500m)

D5：Dari --（144km）-- Maqing--（92km）-- Sanchakou(divergence)（236km in total),  board： camp（altitude：3900m)

D6: Sanchakou（ 3900m ） —Meiduo tang（ 4100m ） —Kumu（ 4250m ）（ 20km in total ）, board:camp。（trekking）
D7: Kumu（ 4200m ） —Damuqiao（ 4700m ） — Muwadouwa ( 4450m ) （ 22km in total）, camping（trekking徒步）

D8: Muwadouwa — Geyshcen —Deleni（ 18km ）4100m, board: camping。（trekking）

D9: Deleni — Geri Monastery — Naheqiao（ 24km ）4150m, camping（trekking）

D10: Naheqiao — Zhigaidai Mountain Pass — Mountaineering Base Camp（ 20km ）4350m, camping（trekking）

D11: Zhihejialige —Mountaineering Base Camp — White Tower (20km) 3500m, camping（trekking）

D12: White Tower — Langri —Sanchakou —Maqing，board: Snow Mountain Hotel( two stars)（ 20km ）(altitude:3900m)

D13: Maqing  — Guide,  board：Wenquan(warm fountain)Hotel( three stars)

D14: Guide —Xining, board： Xining
D15: seeing you off

2.Itinerary

Day 1:Reception：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 appreciated the historic atmosphere of the ancient Shu kingdom ( one of the Chinese Ancient Three Kingdoms) and have a taste of the local snacks

D2：After breakfast, we start out from Chengdu, by the way of the Doujiang Weir which is listed as one of the world natural heritage, and upward along Mingjiang River to Taoping Qiang minority habitancy where we will have our lunch. After sightseeing in Taoping Qiang minority region, we travel upward along Zagunao River to a world of red leaves, Mialuo. Then we will pass the Partridge Tunnel to Malcolm which is the capital of Aba autonomous prefecture. On our way there, we will visit Zhuokeji ancient Tibetan bureaucratic architecture and Tibetans of Jiarong branch.

D3: It won’t take us too long from Malcolm before we see the Great Span River. Upward along that river, we reach Rangtangxian county where we will visit the Zengke monastery of Geju branch of Tibetan Buddhism, and Bangtuo monastery of Ningma branch, of which the Bangtuo monastery was built in Ming dynasty in China and is featured with its world-level fantastic tower groups and murals.

D4：We set out in the morning from Aba to Jiuzhi County in Qinghai. On our way, we will visit Nianbao-yuze snow mountain scenic areas. We will reach Dari County in the afternoon.

D5：After breakfast, we travel along the grassland, crossing the Yellow river to Maqing County. There we will visit Lajia monastery and sightsee the Animaqing snow mountain which is 6282m above the sea level. With its towering peaks and spectacular appearance, it was regarded as a holy mountain to Andou Tibetans and also is the largest glacier located along the Yellow river valley.

D6：After breakfast, we trek along Youwenqu River. Along our path, we are surrounded by the green grassland, herds of yaks and sheep as well as the Tibetan houses. In the afternoon, we get to Meiduotang, whose name means a place for the blooming flowers. Every year in July, there is a sea of wild flowers. Viewing from afar, it’s just like a golden carpet. After lunch in Meiduotang, we trek forward, only to find the further we go, the narrower the ravine becomes, and the narrow ravine will extend to the junction of two rivers: the large one is Nianmu, and the small one Kumu flowing from the south. We will camp there.

 
D7： Today’ trekking is a little tough, for we need to pass the highest spot in our plan: Daqiao and a vast marsh land. After breakfast, we trek along Nianmu River and will pass a mountain slope called Longka at noon. Then we will see the second peak of Animaqing(6268m) We go forward towards a large Tibetan Buddha streamer (whenever the faithful Tibetans come to the streamer, they would circle it thrice and kneel towards the snow mountain to express their respect for the holy spirit of the mountain.), beside which we will have lunch while enjoying the scenery of the snow mountain. After breakfast, we will pass a vast grassland where the earth is too moisty and sticky to walk on, and in afternoon we also need to wade several rivers. On our way we will sightsee the fifth (6064m), fourth (6070m), the third peak (6090m) of Animaqing Snow Mountain. At last, we will camp along a river called Qiekeshi, where if weather permits, we may get a blur view of the first peak (6282m). Besides us, there is the Muwadouwa Mountain (4560m).

D8：Today’ travel is easy, for we are downhill all the way. After passing several rivers, we will see a belt of green gravel, which is just the relic of the avalanche of Animaqiang snow mountain in 2004. At that time, there were 5m-high deposits of snow, ice and rubbles, and the valley downside formed a natural reservoir which has broken now. Those 5m-high ice and stone relics had already gone. But that remainder can still conjure up you a image of the past. Passing the belt of gravel, we find the further we go, the narrower the road become. The narrowest section is called Geishigen where there is a streamer and a mountain hole which is said to be the place where the Tibetans get the “earth with 5 colors (a kind of legendary earth with magic power)”. The mountain road becomes wide after passing Geishigen. We will find a comfortable place to have lunch. Then we will wade the Qinglong River by riding horse, passing a vast beach called Tangnahe before we settle in Deleni.

D9：After breakfast, we ride horse northwards along the mountain slope besides Qinglong(green dragon) River and will pass through a green bush before we visit Geri Monastery in the northwest. Geri Monastery is an ancient temple of the Ningma branch of Tibetan Buddhism, located in a mountain before Zhandui beach. Departure from Geri, we turn to the east to pass a mountain called Jiamuna-konka and trek forward along Zhigaidai Valley to Naheqiao where we will camp.

D10：Setting out from Naheqiao, we trek slowly upward along the mountain road. It will take us about 4 hours to the mouth of Zhigaidai Mountain, where we could pass a gravel slope to sightsee a great glacier called “thousands of tents”. Then we trek downward along the mountain road to get to Yinkao Valley. On our way to there, we can sightsee the third peak (6154m) and the first peak (6282) of Animaqing Snow Mountain. We trek forward along Yinkao River and pass the Eluozang Mountain to reach Afeng camp in Halong valley.

D11：We can take pictures of the first and second peak after sunrise in the morning. After breakfast, we trek downward along Halong Valley. We are exposed to picturesque scenery of the grassland and a beautiful world of flowers. In the afternoon, we arrive at place called White Tower in Snow mountain village country, where there is a monastery called Qihe-rina in Tibetan language. We will visit the monastery and Manidui, etc.

D12：After breakfast, we trek forward along Yangkaohe River, passing Guancun village, Wakalong, etc. Yangkaohe River is a narrow valley, flanked by steep cliffs and mountains with luxurious pines growing on them. Our bus will come to pick us up to Snow Mountain Hotel in Taiwu town.( end of our trekking).

D13：We travel from Maqing to Guide and saunter along the Yellow River or have a spa.

D14：We travel from Guide to Xining where we recharge ourselves and tour around on your own will or visit Taer Monastery.
D15： Seeing you off