Walk up winding stairs into a hidden monastery perched high on a cliff face to encounter a small but beautiful temple built right into the rock. All this is only about 1.5 hours drive from Xining.
Sharzong Ritod is one of the coolest monasteries we have ever been to. It is not a big monastery. In fact, there are probably only 10-15 monks in the whole monastery. So, unlike other larger, more influential monasteries like Rebkong Longwu Monastery or Labrang Monastery, this is a quaint, countryside monastery that is virtually undiscovered.
What we love about this monastery is it’s location. It is located right in a very dramatic cliff face that hides the monastery away from the rest of the world. And because virtually no tourists make it to this monastery, it has a very special sense of peace and quiet. This is where you want to go if you have one day to get out of the city and you want to hear birds sing amidst the light and airy twinkling of soft monastery bells and chimes. This is a place to gather your thoughts and see what Tibetan culture was like 200 years ago.
