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County in Gansu, China
Photo: cardboardbird, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
A newly built golden topped Chorten that you can climb.
Definitely the most impressive hall with several enormous, elaborately decorated, Buddha statues along the rear wall and a pair of small rooms behind. Pilgrims make a clockwise circuit, stopping to make monetary offerings to brightly coloured yak-butter sculptures and pray to silver Chortens containing living Buddhas. At times the hall may reverberate with chanting monks.
Lining about half of the minor Kora are brightly painted wooden drums, spun by an endless procession of mainly elderly pilgrims hopping their efforts will be rewarded in the next life. On each corner is a small room housing huge lumbering wheels that ring a bell with each rotation.
A flat stone slope on the hillside where a giant Thangka is rolled out during the Tibetan New year. The rest of the time it's a nice place to sit and get an overview of the Monastery.
桑科草原
wonderful grasslands with many nomad tents and herds of yaks and sheep. 12 km outside Xiahe is Sangke town, where most people who rent a bike go to. There is nothing to see in the town, you really need to go into the grasslands to enjoy the wonderful views.
Bajiao Cheng - 八角城
A walled village that was built in the Han Dynasty (around 2000 years ago). Bajiao Cheng is still inhabited.
The whole region is covered in grasslands during the summer months and makes an enjoyable place to see some wide open spaces.
Bai Shi Ya - 白石崖
As you get closer to Bajiao Cheng, you won't be able to miss the cliffs high up in front of you. A small monastery sits right at the foot of the White Rock Cliffs. There is a small village together with the monastery.
Da’erzong Hu - 达尔宗湖
A highland lake located at just above 3,000 m (10,000 ft). Forested mountains surrounding the lake on almost all sides and forests all around. A taxi round trip (2-3 hours) costs around ¥100 or take a bus going to Linxia (临夏) or Hezuo (合作) and get off 20 km (about half an hour) down the highway when you see a big sign on the right side of the road. Tell the driver that you want to go to Darzong Lake and he should let you know when you arrive at the turnoff. From there walk about an hour along the dirt road on the left. You will be charged a ¥10 entrance fee as you pass through the only Tibetan village along the road. Catch another bus from the highway back to town for ¥5-10.
Take a trek for a nice view over the town or the distant snowy peaks while enjoying the peace and tranquillity, disturbed only by occasional wayward yak. The forest behind the Thangka sunning terrace may look inviting but the amount of rubbish covering the ground detracts greatly. A better option is to follow the canal at the Monastery's entrance uphill and head along the dry floodway till you find a suitable point to ascend the hillside.
One of the original places that's barely changed in years. The extensive English menu has a mix of Chinese and Tibetan dishes, plus a few approximations of western treats. Worth trying is the Tsampa, JueMa Fan and capichino style Yak butter tea. Everything is made from scratch so wait times can be lengthy, but the Tibetan style benches around the stove make a comfortable and warm place to watch the procession of pilgrims spinning prayer wheel over the road.
Oddly named Sichuan Hotpot place with individual pots and a selection of goat and vegetables to put in the spicy broth.
The hotel's restaurant offers Tibetan, Chinese and Western food in a clean and pleasant restaurant. Good food, good drinks, good service, good music, good wifi. Highly recommended.
A typical YHA hostel with warm, chunky wooden interior. The bunk beds have a reading lamp at your head and storage locker at your other end, but you may wish there was a softer mattress under you. The bathrooms are filthy and the odour of the toilets leaves no doubt that it is shared. The solar heated showers are only hot when the sun shines. The communal area downstairs has free Wifi and a long line at the shared computer.
卓玛旅社
Three floors of Tibetan-esque double rooms that increase in freshness and price with each ascension of the stairs. All rooms regardless of price have clean shared toilets.
华侨饭店
Most travellers getting off the bus with their nose in a guidebook will head here first. Those enticed by the cheap dorms might discover that the sporadic hot water in the showers and the eternally filthy toilets detract from their frugal gains. As the hostels motto expounds, you get what you pay for. The doubles with ensuite are decidedly better but hardly a bargain.
A lovely homestay with forms and double rooms. Friendly welcoming staff, and a very pleasant communal area. Do a great breakfast and dinner for a little extra.
It has clean rooms, soft and comfortable mattresses, good English speaking service and free Wi-Fi. The on-site Nirvana restaurant provides good food and pleasant ambiance with a wide variety of good Tibetan, Western and Chinese food. The bar is stocked with many spirits not available anywhere else in Xiahe, and the coffee machine serves superb coffee.
Large, slightly smelly rooms.
夏河诺尔丹营地
Luxury high-end glamping experience supporting Tibetan nomads and employment. Offers authentic and conscious Tibetan experiences, like behind-the-scenes tours of Labrang Monastery, Lungta Nomadic Cooperative, and the social enterprise Norlha Textiles. Also offers Tibetan horseback riding, yoga, and spa experiences.
By bus
Xiahe Bus Station is about 1.5 km away from the entrance to the monastery and the main concentration of guesthouses. Turn right when you walk out bus stations front door.
By plane
By bus
There are buses running up and down the main street, the stations are marked in yellow characters on the street, ¥1 per person (pay with WeChat or Alipay). (updated May 2025)
By shared electric scooter
There are shared electric scooters at multiple stations in the town. (updated May 2025)
By taxi
A wide spectrum of wheeled vehicles purporting to be taxis run up and down the main street. The price should be ¥2–4 per person, depending on the luxuriance of your conveyance, no matter the distance.
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Gannan (Xiahe) · Regional · GXH
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