Maqu Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in Apr)

Langmusi-Maqu-Zhouqu-Zhuoni-Lintan-Luqu-Diebu-Xiahe-Hezuo trip

🚗🚗🚗Travel Itinerary: Day1: Labrang Monastery→Sangke Grassland→Ganjia Secret Land Day2: Baishiya→Red Sect Temple→Daxia River Day3: The First Bend of the Yellow River→Awan Cang Wetland→Maqu The First Bend of the Yellow River Scenic Area Day4: Niangma Temple→Ximeiduo He Tang→Maqu Grassland Day5: Langmusi→Bailong River Grand Canyon→Aba Prefecture Namo Grand Canyon Day6: Zhagana→Dari Viewing Platform→Lazikou Day7: Milarepa Buddha Pavilion→Meiren Grassland→Hezuo Monastery

Gansu Maqu, the first bend of the Yellow River in the world

🍁 The Yellow River is the mother river of the Chinese nation, known to the world for its magnificent and long history. The first bend of the Maqu Yellow River, also known as the Yellow River First Bend Nature Reserve, is located on this nearly 10,000 square kilometers of grassland with towering mountains, high snow peaks, vast pastures, and lush water grass. Here, there are famous river bend horses and many precious wild animals. 🍁 'Maqu' in Tibetan means the Yellow River, and Maqu is a city named after the Yellow River. Looking at the map, the Yellow River forms a huge U-shape in this area, and Maqu County is built on the upper right of the U. The Yellow River nourishes Maqu County, where there are high-quality natural pastures everywhere, and you can enjoy the beautiful natural scenery everywhere. 🍁 In April 1976, the construction of the Maqu Yellow River Highway Bridge began, and it was completed and opened to traffic in three years. The first bridge across the Yellow River was extraordinary. The bridge connects Maqu County in the north and Awan County in the south, not only connecting the two banks of the local Yellow River, but also opening a door to the outside world for Maqu.

Maqu County Horgeri Viewing Platform

The Horgeri Viewing Platform in Maqu County is 3550 meters above sea level, and the wetland park is at the foot of the mountain, where the wetland water system all flows into the Yellow River. Here, the legend of Gesar is passed down. The mother and son of Gesar who were exiled here, after hard and unyielding efforts, finally overcame the harsh ecological environment and established their own tribe.

Langmusi-Maqu-Zhouqu-Zhuoni-Lintan-Luqu-Diebu-Xiahe-Hezuo trip

🚗🚗🚗Travel Itinerary: Day1: Labrang Monastery→Sangke Grassland→Ganjia Secret Land Day2: Baishiya→Red Sect Temple→Daxia River Day3: The First Bend of the Yellow River→Awan Cang Wetland→Maqu The First Bend of the Yellow River Scenic Area Day4: Niangma Temple→Ximeiduo He Tang→Maqu Grassland Day5: Langmusi→Bailong River Grand Canyon→Aba Prefecture Namo Grand Canyon Day6: Zhagana→Dari Viewing Platform→Lazikou Day7: Milarepa Buddha Pavilion→Meiren Grassland→Hezuo Monastery

Awancang Wetland is the core area of the famous Zoige, Bohai and Manzatang wetlands in China. There are many fork rivers and swamps due to poor water and diarrhea, which makes this vast grassland rich in water and cattle and sheep. In 2008, in the Beauty of China event organized by China National Geographic, the Maqu Wetland Group centered on Awancang was named the China's Five Most Prairie Wetlands. Fortunately, the local Tibetans held a ritual of worshipping the mountain gods in the sang pond.

Langmu Temple | Gannan must pass the pilgrimage site Some people say "Do not come to Langmu Temple, equal to not to Gannan", which shows the importance of this Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Gannan. Langmu Temple is generally planned to travel in Gannan or North Sichuan. It is close to the Gannan Labrang Monastery to the north and the Zoige Grassland to the south. [Recommended travel itinerary] arrive at Langmu Temple at noon on the first day. In the afternoon, visit the Gedi Temple in Sichuan, then walk to the Bailongjiang Gorge and stay in the town at night. The next morning, I went to the Gandan Sai Chi Temple in Gansu. After that, you can take the Noons shuttle bus to leave Langmu Temple and go to other attractions in Gannan. [What can I experience here? 1 Langmu Temple Riding Langmu Temple There is a horse-riding tour nearby. The horse team has a consultation shop in the town. The price ranges from 150-400 yuan. The horse-riding destination includes the source of Bailongjiang and Hongshi. Cliffs, flowers and other places. 2 Langmu Temple celestial burial is biased toward Gansu in Langmu Temple. There is a celestial burial platform on the back hill of Saiji Temple. The celestial burial in this area is more open and can be viewed by tourists. If you have the consent of your family, you can take pictures. 3 Turning the mountains and turning the water to the stupa Tibetan people's devout faith is the snow lotus in the sky, full of pure to pure. They are kind and simple, and they only turn for the faith. An ancient turn of the road outside Xiahe Labrang Monastery is a lap I have to go to the Labrang Monastery every time. This is also one of my favorite temples.

Experience the classic Gannan mini-tour this May Day, four days and three nights for around 1k+ per person

📣 If you don't know where to go for the May Day holiday, head to Gannan! Grasslands, lakes, 🏔️ snow-capped mountains, 💐 seas of flowers, wetlands, 🌲 forests, rivers, temples, ☁️ blue skies with white clouds, fluttering prayer flags, and Tibetan charm—all your beautiful imaginations can be found in Gannan. ❓❗ Is it worth going to Gannan for May Day? ✅ Fewer people→ Gannan has relatively fewer people during May Day, so you won't be stuck in crowds of people everywhere you go👩‍👩‍👦‍👦 ✅ Tibetan culture→ Rich in Tibetan culture, the world-renowned Tibetan academy 'Labrang Monastery' is located here. You can experience Tibetan specialty foods🍲, take Tibetan-style portraits, and more ✅ Low altitude→ The average altitude is around 3000 meters, which is considered a 'low altitude' area in Tibet, 👍🏻 and most people will not suffer from altitude sickness ✅ Low cost→ Prices increase slightly during May Day, but are much lower compared to July and August ❓❗ What can you see in Gannan during May Day? ✅ Only in May can you see the half snow-capped mountains🏔️ and half green lands! ✅ Secluded and leisurely Tibetan villages, sacred and solemn temples, fewer noisy tourists, making this land peaceful and quiet, allowing you to calm down, contemplate life, and feel the devout Tibetan faith ✅ The beauty lies in the landscape, and when you're at the scenic spot, the feeling of having the mountains and waters all to yourself is undoubtedly a pleasure 💫 First stop of the journey—Lanzhou city walk, check in with the taste of the Northwest 💫 Sangke Grassland—Endless meadows where you can ride horses🐴 💫 Zhagana—Natural stone city, God's Eden 💫 Flower Lake—Ruoergai Wetland, encounter the distant Black-necked Cranes 💫 Labrang Monastery—World-renowned Tibetan academy, appreciate the profound Tibetan culture 💫 Langmu Temple—The Eastern Switzerland, a miniature version of Shangri-La 💫 Milarepa Buddha Pavilion—A resplendent Tibetan cultural museum 💫 Select comfortable accommodations along the way, 🏨 stay comfortably, relax and rest 💫 38 degrees users are mostly young people aged 16-39, creating a relaxed and fun atmosphere 🌈 This route is suitable for friends who are visiting Gannan for the first time! 👍🏻 First encounter with Gannan >> Lanzhou distribution >> 3+1 days D1 Nationwide - Free travel to Lanzhou D2 Lanzhou - Labrang Monastery - Sangke Grassland - Diebu D3 Diebu - Zhagana - Flower Lake - Langmu Temple D4 Langmu Temple - Guomang Wetland - Milarepa Buddha Pavilion - Lanzhou 📣PS: The itinerary includes buses & cars, two different ways to play, choose your travel style freely based on your schedule Tips: 1⃣️ The grassland has a large temperature difference between day and night, ☔ the weather is changeable, bring a thick coat, the night sky is beautiful 2⃣️ Be sure to protect yourself from the sun, 🌞 the UV rays are strong in the plateau areas 3⃣️ Although the altitude is not very high, altitude sickness varies from person to person, it is recommended to bring altitude sickness medicine, as well as some chocolate🍫, glucose 4⃣️ There are many cattle and sheep on the grassland, be careful when driving

Langmu Temple | Exploring the Mysterious Tibetan Culture

| Exploring the Mysterious Tibetan Culture.🏯 Langmu Temple | Exploring the Mysterious Tibetan Culture 🏞 "Exploring the mysterious Tibetan culture, appreciating the sacred Buddhist faith, all of this can be perfectly experienced at Langmu Temple." 🌠 Langmu Temple town is situated at an altitude of 3500 meters, located between Gannan Luqu County in Gansu and Aba in Sichuan, with the Bailong River running through the town. There are two temples in Langmu Temple town, one in Gansu, called 'Dacang Langmu Saichi Temple', and one in Sichuan, called 'Gerdi Temple'; both temples belong to the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The Gansu temple is larger in scale, built against the mountain, with more magnificent architecture, resplendent in gold, especially dazzling when the sun shines, glittering with gold; the Sichuan temple mainly features the natural landscape - Namo Grand Canyon. 🎆Little Tips: Langmu Temple town really has everything, convenience stores, restaurants (barbecue, Tibetan meals, Sichuan cuisine are all available, and extremely popular, all requiring waiting, haha), and even pharmacies where you can buy oxygen bottles for backup. It's worth mentioning that the weather in Luqu is noticeably colder than in Xiahe, so cold that I immediately put on a down jacket, feeling like entering winter overnight. 💰Ticket Price: 🎫The ticket for Dacang Langmu Saichi Temple (Gansu Temple) is 30 yuan per person, parking is 5 yuan per time. Overall, Saichi Temple feels more relaxed compared to Labrang Monastery.

Recommended five-day self-driving tour from Xi'an to Gannan!

👍Most recommended: There are many travel routes from Xi'an to Gannan, and here is a popular five-day tour itinerary: 🗓Itinerary: Day 1: Xi'an—Sangke Grassland. The whole journey is about 790 kilometers. Depart from Xi'an, take the Lianhuo Expressway westward, with almost no traffic after Baoji, exit the expressway at Wushan County, and then drive for an hour and a half to reach Langdaban Grassland. Watch the sunrise here, camp and rest. Depart at noon to reach Min County for lunch, then continue west along National Highway 316, passing through the terraced fields of thousands of acres, the viewing platform of Zhuoni County, and arrive at Hezuo City. The Duohe'er Temple and Zhayou Temple along the way can be visited for free. If you don't want to camp, you can stay in the city. For camping, navigate to Zhayou Township, follow the road to the mountain pass, which is part of the Sangke Grassland, sparsely populated, and an excellent spot for camping and stargazing. Day 2: Sangke—Langmu Temple. The whole journey is about 160 kilometers. Wake up naturally in the morning on the grassland, have breakfast, and then enter the Sangke Grassland. Even on the boundless grassland road, the beauty of Guomang Wetland and the tenderness of Gahai Lake touch people's hearts. Arrive at Langmu Temple in the afternoon, the only place in the town that may get congested, where you can gather in the town or visit the temples. Langmu Temple has two temples, belonging to Ruoergai County in Sichuan and Luqu County in Gansu. If you want to see rippling blue waves, you can go to the Namo Grand Canyon in Sichuan's Langmu Temple, which is the source of the Bailong River. The clear stream flows past the caves on the cliff edge, where you can throw stones for good luck, and of course, feeding pigeons is also a good choice. Day 3: Langmu Temple—Zhagana. The whole journey is about 330 kilometers. Leave Langmu Temple and take the U13 county road into Ruoergai. This is a city of grasslands, where you will pass the winding Heihe Ranch, see cattle and sheep running freely, galloping horses, and also pass the Yellow River's Great Bend, where you can listen to the low cry of the mother river. Drive north from Tangke on National Highway 248, and you can reach Zhagana Village by evening, where you can choose to stay in the village or camp at the viewing platform. Day 4 Zhagana—Lintan County. The total length is about 140 kilometers. Catch the sunrise over Zhagana in the early morning, and start the essence of this journey, the Loke Crossing—Zhagana to Zagulu Town, 100 kilometers of unpaved road, 40 kilometers of bomb craters, which will shake you to doubt life, but it does not affect your anticipation of the beautiful scenery. In the middle of the crossing, a new hiking trail has been built, where you can walk a short distance and stand high to overlook the entire valley. If you can only go to one place in Gannan by self-driving, then the Loke Road is the best answer. When the car reaches Zagulu Town, you finally escape the bumpy road section and stay in Lintan County in the evening. Day 5 Lintan—Xi'an. Return to Xi'an via the expressway. If you have more time, you can also detour to Liuba to experience the passion of red leaves. Gannan has rich scenery and many options, you can adjust according to your time.