Monks on the Grassy Plains
Bite-sized trip
- Itinerary:Lanzhou - Xiahe & the Ganjia Grasslands - Lanzhou
- Duration:3 days / 2 nights (flexible)
- Price:from £ 425.- per person
Day 1 – Lanzhou – Xiahe
When you arrive in Lanzhou, you’ll be transferred by minibus to Xiahe, taking roughly 5 hours. On the way, you’ll grab some lunch in Linxia, a town tucked between the mountaintops. Reaching Xiahe, you’ll settle into your simple hotel near the golden-roofed Labrang Monastery. At an altitude of 3,000 metres, it’s a remote mountain settlement with a mystical atmosphere and the drifting scent of yak butter.
Days 2-3 – Ganjia grasslands excursion & departure
Today, you’ll take the minibus to the elevated grasslands of Ganjia, climbing into the mountains and onto the plateau. You’ll cross a landscape packed with mirrored lakes, clear blue skies, babbling brooks, traditional villages and grazing yaks. Given the altitude, it’s quite literally breathtaking scenery. You’ll stop for lunch in a remote village, and then head back to Xiahe.
Spend the evening listening to chants drift from the monastery, relaxing with a cup of green tea and getting a first-hand glimpse of mountain hospitality. After two nights in your humble but friendly hotel, you’ll get your things together and a transfer will take you back to Lanzhou where you’ll continue on to your next destination.
This bite-sized trip can be combined well with
Yak Herders and Nomadic Villages
- 4 days / 3 nights
- from £ 650.- per person
Terracotta Army and Drum Towers
- 3 days / 2 nights (flexible)
- from £ 235.- per person
