China: a feeling of Tibet in Kangding and western Sichuan

After visiting Chengdu and its surroundings, as well as Mount Emei and the Giant Buddha, we decided to head to Yunnan Province. The journey took us by bus through the entire western part of Sichuan. Formerly called Kham, this historic region encompassed the eastern part of present-day Tibet and western Sichuan Province. As a result, it’s predominantly populated by Tibetans. But when I say Tibetans, that’s just for simplicity! More than a dozen different minorities populate this region. Beyond its inhabitants, though, it’s also for the breathtaking landscapes (literally breathtaking at this altitude!) that we decided to pass through here. Ready for a magnificent trek in the Tibetan part of Sichuan? Let’s go!

Visiting Tibet

I’ll admit that before leaving, I was really eager to visit Tibet. But once we were on the road, after doing some research, I quickly became disillusioned. Right now, visiting Tibet means very limited freedom. For example, you’re forced to take a guide to babysit you, with a well-defined itinerary approved by the police. Not to mention the very high price! With the guide, transport, entry permit, and accommodation, it’s hard to do it for less than 1,500 euros per person per week. In short, Tibet and the Himalayas must be earned!

I was therefore very happy to learn that it was possible to get a taste of this mythical region without actually entering it (so to speak) and without the stupid constraints that come with it. And as you’ll see, we weren’t disappointed. You’ll find all the ingredients of Tibet there! Endless high-altitude plains (3,000-4,500 m), gigantic mountains (several peaks over 7,000 m), monks, temples, nomads, thousands of yaks… In short, welcome to Tibet!

Kangding, first stop towards Tibetan Sichuan

To reach the ancient Tibet, Kangding is a must! The capital of the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture doesn’t really have anything special to offer and is even rather ugly… However, it’s an excellent base camp for certain treks in the area and an opportunity to visit the magnificent Nanwu Si monastery! There’s notably Mount Gongga which peaks at 7,509 m nearby… I’ll let you imagine the monster!

How to get to Kangding from Chengdu

There aren’t 36 ways to get there from Chengdu: you’ll have to take the bus! No online reservations, you have to go in person. Head to Chengdu Xinnanmen Bus Station for buses that leave between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. The journey takes between 5 and 8 hours and the bus ticket costs about 140 yuan. Otherwise, other buses leave from Chengdu East Railway Station Bus Terminal, the price is roughly the same.

Oh wait, I forgot! There is indeed Kangding airport, connected daily to Chengdu… Located at 4,280 m altitude, making it the 3^rd highest airport in the world! But it’s still quite expensive. Count at least 1,500 yuan per person (about 180 euros) for a 1 hour 25-minute flight. To check rates, go to Skyscanner (type “Garze Gesar (GZG)” in the search bar).

Anyway, it’s better to get used to taking the bus right away. Indeed, the deeper you go into this region, the worse the roads become! Plus, it’s better to proceed in stages with altitude to avoid altitude sickness. To give you an idea, Kangding is already located at… 2,800 m altitude!

Accommodation in Kangding

Since this city is a must-pass, we highly recommend going to the Zhilam hostel, which is simply amazing. Its owner, Kris, speaks perfect English and knows the region like the back of his hand (he was a guide). To book a room, send them an email (info@zhilamhostel.com) or call them directly. Kris can certainly help you find your itinerary in this splendid region. In fact, after a lovely little day of hiking in the heights of the city, it’s following his wise advice that we headed a bit further north, to the small town of Tagong.

Tagong, a charming village in the middle of the Tibetan plateau

At 3,700 m altitude, Tagong is a small village of 8,000 inhabitants, located right in the middle of the Tibetan plateau and mountains of Sichuan. For us, it was the ideal starting point for a small 3-day trek in these endless prairies, meeting nomads, their culture, local Tibetan Buddhism, and yaks!

If you want to see these fantastic landscapes, eat with locals, see how nomads live and learn more about them, there aren’t 36 solutions. You need to meet Angela, an American married to a Tibetan from the region! At the time, we stayed at their guesthouse which also served as a café and collaborative art center. Since then, they’ve moved a few kilometers from Tagong to set up the Khampa Nomad Ecolodge. Angela’s idea is always the same: offer local cuisine and connect the few tourists who pass through with the nomads living in the area. On the program: cultural workshops, day hikes, treks on foot or horseback…

To book and get more information, visit their website.

An extraordinary 3-Day trek in Tibetan Sichuan

We had a unique and authentic experience with the nomads by eating with them and spending the night there! Thanks to Angela, we were easily able to organize a last-minute 3-day trek with a local guide. On the lodge’s website, you’ll find different packages with or without a guide, on foot or horseback. The guide also explained a bit about the nomads’ way of life and their customs, even though communication wasn’t always easy. Since images speak louder than words, I’ll let you watch this video of our hike around Tagong.

4 reasons to trek on the Tibetan plateau

Tibetan nomads are very welcoming and smiling

Even though communication wasn’t easy (they don’t even speak Mandarin but a Tibetan dialect), we didn’t need words to understand each other and their hospitality warmed our hearts. They don’t have much to offer but share it willingly. And that’s worth all the money in the world.

The landscapes are breathtaking

Our pictures hardly do justice to the immensity of this plateau that stretches as far as the eye can see, with these mountains rising over 7,000 m altitude in the background. Even though the altitude makes each step a bit more difficult (we’re walking at 4,000 m after all!), walking in such scenery is quite euphoric! I hope we’ve managed to give you a small impression of the beauty of the place.

Walking among free-roaming animals

On these great plains, no need for fences. Yaks, horses, pigs, and more are simply left free to graze wherever they please. And we indeed encountered thousands of yaks and hundreds of horses during these 3 days. Quite impressive!

Tibetan buddhism is very present

During this trek, we were lucky to see several Tibetan temples or monasteries. We were able to learn a bit more about their way of praying or meditating, about the different lamas. Not talking about the animal here, we’re talking about the teachers of Tibetan Buddhism! By the way, we tend to think that only the Dalai Lama exists… And despite having to somewhat hide their beliefs (they hide images of different lamas in farms, for example, so they won’t be confiscated), you can feel they’re very attached to their culture. It’s not uncommon to see half a house dedicated to Tibetan Buddhism.

Tibetan cuisine

In this rather remote region of China, yak is used in every way possible. It’s simple, they use it for all culinary preparations and for everything! For its meat, hide, milk (they make butter, cheese, yogurt from it) and even its excrement which serves as kindling as well as insulation for house walls!

As you can imagine, the food isn’t very varied, unlike the rest of the country where Chinese food is amazing! We often get a piece of flatbread with one of the many yak by-products, and sometimes a few potatoes.

And to be honest, the yak defeated me! Don’t ask me if it was the famous yak butter tea (it’s really disgusting), the yogurt, or the meat that finished me off. The fact is that the last night of our adventure, I was quite sick. You should know that nomads generally don’t kill yaks… They let them die naturally, so the meat has quite a pronounced taste. A little tip for sensitive stomachs: be a bit careful with the food and eat moderately, it might help you! Me, I ate like a glutton ;).

So there you have it, we hope we’ve made you want to visit the Tibetan part of Sichuan. As for us, it was a huge favorite and we’re almost certain to return! It must be said that this region is immense and the hiking possibilities are endless.

What are you waiting for? Get your hiking boots on ;)! For what’s next, we’re taking you to Yunnan Province, more specifically to the Tiger Leaping Gorge and the terraced rice fields of Yuanyang!

P.S.: We’ve put together a complete guide to prepare your trip to China (tips, itinerary, transport…).

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