See our YouTube videos of this tour here and and our Vimeo videos here...
Day 1 → Arrive in Xining airport and transfer to hotel
- Morning or early afternoon – Transfer to 4 star hotel in Xining (about a 1 hour drive from airport)
- 3:00pm – Arrive at Hotel and check in. Settle into hotel and rest
- 4:30 pm – Meet in the lobby of the hotel/guesthouse and go out for dinner
- 5:00pm – Eat dinner and introduce the schedule for the week
- 8:00pm – Return to Hotel to sleep and rest
Day 2 → Depart Xining in the morning, camp near Laji Shan
- 8:30am – Eat breakfast at our hotel.
- 9:30am – Drive 1.5 hours to LaJI Shan Mountain – a 14,000 foot (4,267 meters) craggy peak with surrounding red rock bluffs and cliffs.
- 11:30am- Hike to base camp and eat packed lunch
- 12:30pm- Picnic lunch on the mountain
- 2:00pm – From our grassland picnic base camp, day hike to tall mountain past red rock formations for a great view of the valley. We will not be summiting the mountain itself but a nearby peak.
- 4:00pm- Transfer to Guide on the the Yellow River
- 6:00pm – Check into our hotel and eat dinner in Guide
- 8:00pm – Rest in our hotel
NOTE: In the summer we can camp near the Laji Shan ridge and sleep under the stars. Please tell us if you would like to change the hotel to a night of camping on the ridge.
Day 3 → Kanbula National Park and Tibetan Homestay
- 8:00am – Start breakfast in the hotel in Guide
- 8:30am – Drive 1.5 hours to Kanbula National Park and the gorgeous red rock formations in the park (it is like a mini-Grand Canyon)
- 10:00am – Stop for a short hike overlooking the Yellow River on a high pass inside Kanbula National Park
- 1:00pm – Do short day hikes to viewpoints and pagodas and see a small Tibetan farmer village
- 3:30pm – In the afternoon, drive to our hotel in Rebkong
- 5:30pm – Arrive in hotel in Rebkong,
- 7:00pm – Debrief day and dinner together in Rebkong
- 9:00pm – Sleep in hotel in Rebkong
Day 4 → Rebkong Monastery and hike
- 8:30am – Eat breakfast in hotel in Rebkong
- 9:30am – In the morning, explore the labyrinthine alleys of the monastery to find out what life as a monk is really like. Then hike above the Rebkong Longwu Monastery for an excellent view of the town.
- 12:30pm – Eat lunch in town including some freshly made yak yoghurt
- 1:30pm – In the afternoon, we will explore Tibetan thangka art and through a local art school
- 4:30 pm -Rest in hotel or walk around and enjoy local nomad life in Rebkong.
- 6:00pm – Final closing dinner. Final debriefs
- 8:30pm- Sleep in hotel in Rebkong.
Day 5 → Fly out of XNN in the mid morning or later
- 8:30am – Eat breakfast in hotel in Rebkong
- 9:00am- Transfer 2.5 hours from Rebkong to the Xining XNN airport
- 12:00 noon- Lunch on the way to the airport
- 1:00pm- Drop off at Xining XNN airport
- 3:00pm or later- Depart Xining airport on afternoon flight
This was an amazing and wonderful trip, combining the outdoor experience of the open and magisterial Qinghai/Tibetan plateau with a first-hand look at Tibetan culture, life an religion, away from the usual crowds of tourists. Ben is a truly outstanding guide, fun, knowledgeable and caring. Ably assisted by Sanji, his Tibetan colleague. I will definitely be looking for other trips with Ben, who has provided the best experience I have had in exploring and discovering the remoter parts of China.
Ben recently guided a group of us through some lofty places around Qinghai and I can confidently say it is a trip I won’t soon forget. Everything we saw was amazing! From a campsite on Laji Shan, to a homestay in Kanbula National Park, and ending in an epic monastery–each location was scouted for its beauty, history, and cultural significance. Ben is a great guide and has an effortless way of making you feel like old friends. He’s encouraging, knowledgeable and facilitates not only a unique trip, but the growth of those who are on it.