+86 181 0899 2271
[email protected]
Amnye Machen Trekking. Join us on a rugged and thrilling journey to the summit of Amnye Machen, Qinghai’s tallest mountain. At an elevation of 4,800 meters, you’ll stand atop a glacier and take in breathtaking views. This expedition forms a loop starting and ending in Xining, with cultural highlights and monastery visits along the way. Over four days, we’ll trek 70 km along Amnye Machen’s southern edge, completing a half-kora of the traditional holy pilgrimage.
This trip offers an immersive experience into the food, traditions, and culture of Tibet’s remote villages. Sip yak butter tea in a cozy mud hut, savor creamy yak yoghurt, learn to herd sheep with a yak hair slingshot, and marvel at Qinghai’s most magnificent monasteries. We can tailor the schedule to your group’s needs and include team-building activities.
Xining Train Station or Airport
Begun Amnye Machen Trekking with Departure from Xining at 2,500 meters above sea level, we drive through the open grasslands for 5.5 hours to reach Tongde. Our journey begins with a 9:00 am meeting at your hotel, followed by a 2.5-hour drive to Guide where we enjoy lunch and visit the banks of the Yellow River. In the afternoon, we continue our 3.5-hour drive to Tongde, a high grassland community in the heart of Amdo Tibet. Upon arrival at 5:30 pm, we check into our homestay and rest, with an option for an afternoon hike above the monastery. We have a Tibetan dinner at 7:00 pm before returning to the homestay for a night’s rest.
After breakfast in Tongde at 8:00 am, we depart at 9:00 am for a 4-hour drive to Machen town, with a stop at Rabgya Monastery. We have lunch en route and visit the monastery, situated on the banks of the Yellow River, around 1:30 pm. We then drive over a high pass to Machen town, arriving at 5:00 pm. Here, we check into our hotel in Machen, the capital of the Golog Autonomous Tibetan Prefecture, and enjoy dinner at 6:00 pm before resting for the night.
We spend this day acclimatizing in Machen town. After breakfast at 8:30 am, we visit Machen Lhagong Monastery and watch pilgrims walk around. We have an early lunch at 11:50 am and then depart for an Amnye Machen Tibetan homestay, arriving at 5:30 pm for dinner and rest.
We begin our trek at Tsanah Khado, starting with a 40-minute drive from Machen town at 8:30 am. The trek starts at 3,920 meters, and we walk 5 km over fairly easy terrain, stopping for a picnic lunch at 12:30 pm. We continue trekking in the afternoon and set up camp at 4,400 meters by 5:30 pm, camping in tents for the night.
This is the hardest day of the trek as we cross Domchok La at 4,720 meters. We wake up at 8:00 am, have breakfast, and depart at 9:00 am to hike 4 km to the highest point. We arrive at the high pass around noon, enjoy lunch, and take in the views of Amnye Machen glacier. We start our descent at 1:00 pm, arriving at our camp at Guige Thang by 5:00 pm, where we have dinner and camp at 4,200 meters.
We continue trekking, staying around 4,000 meters with a gradual uphill walk to 4,200 meters. After breakfast at 8:00 am, we depart at 9:00 am for an 18 km hike, stopping for lunch at 12:30 pm. We arrive at our camp at Getong Guo by 5:00 pm, where we have dinner and rest.
Our final descent to Xia Dawu takes us to a small Tibetan village at 3,980 meters. We start the day with breakfast at 8:00 am and depart at 9:00 am for a 15 km hike, stopping for lunch at 12:30 pm. We arrive at Xia Dawu by 4:00 pm, enjoy a home-cooked meal with a Tibetan host family, and rest in a homestay or camp.
We drive from Xia Dawu to Xinghai, starting with breakfast at 7:30 am. We depart at 8:30 am and drive 5 hours to Xinghai, arriving for a late lunch at 2:00 pm. In the afternoon, we visit Serdzong Monastery, returning to Xinghai for a celebration dinner and staying in a boutique hotel.
We drive to Qinghai Lake, starting with breakfast at 8:00 am and departing at 9:00 am. After a 3-hour drive, we relax by the lake and then head to Xining, where we check into a hotel for the night.
Today is the final day Amnye Machen Trekking. After breakfast in the hotel, we drive to Xining airport, departing around 9:00 am and arriving mid-morning for flight check-in and farewells.
