©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Overland Routes f r o m S ì c h u ān Why Go? Kāngdìng (Dardo) . 217 Wild, mountainous and deliciously remote, the tradition- Tǎgōng (Lhagong) . 222 ally Tibetan areas of western Sìchuān are a cultural and Gānzī (Garzê) . 223 geographical extension of the Tibetan plateau in all but Manigango . 224 name. This area was once part of the eastern Tibetan re- Derge . 226 gion of Kham, and has long been the meeting point of the Lithang . .227 Chinese and Tibetan worlds. In many ways Tibetan culture is better preserved here Bathang . 229 than in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). It’s cer- tainly subject to fewer religious restrictions, and you’ll see photos of the Dalai Lama displayed freely. Unlike the TAR, western Sìchuān is also permit-free, Best Places to Eat meaning foreign travellers can explore to their heart’s con- tent. If you do manage to get those pesky permits to contin- » Tibetan Restaurant ue over the high passes and deep gorges into the even more (p 224 ) remote eastern Tibet, you’ll deserve to feel a little smug in » Khampa Café & Arts the knowledge that you have completed one of the world’s Centre (p 223 ) great road trips. » Tibetan Culture Dew (p 221 ) » Tiantian Restaurant (p 228 ) When to Go » Street barbecues in Bathang (p 229 ) May and June are the prime times for western Sìchuān. It’s generally warm and sunny with occasional afternoon rains. If you’re in the Kāngdìng area in May, it’s worth try- Best Places to ing to pay a visit to Pǎomǎ Shān for the Walking Around the Mountain Festival. Stay In July and August the grassland areas are green and full » Dala Gong (p 225 ) of fl owers, and play host to horse festivals such as the one in Lithang. It’s worth keeping an umbrella handy for this time » Jya Drolma and Gayla’s Guesthouse (p 223 ) of year, though! Rains lessen in September and October, and days are » Camping at Yilhun sunny again, but it’s starting to get pretty chilly by this Lha-tso (p 225 ) time. Sightseeing can still be on the agenda but think twice » Zhilam Hostel (p 221 ) before planning any hiking. » Potala Inn (p 228 ) Permits ing the imperious Gònggā Shān (Minyak The good news is that no permits are re- Gangkar in Tibetan; 7556m), and Kāngdìng 217 quired anywhere in western Sìchuān, al- is famed throughout China for Kāngdìng though it’s worth noting that from time to Qínggē, a popular love song inspired by the time certain areas are closed to foreigners town’s surrounding scenery. temporarily. You will, though, need permits to continue into the Tibetan Autonomous 1 Sights Region (TAR) – if the border is open (see the There are several small monasteries in SÌCHU FROM ROUTES OVERLAND SIGHTS box below). For more details, see the Tours and around Kāngdìng. The central Ānjué & Permits chapter (p 29 ). Temple (安觉寺; Ānjué Sì; Ngachu Gompa in Tibetan) dates back to 1652 and was Dangers & Annoyances built under the direction of the fi fth Dalai Western Sìchuān experiences up to 200 Lama. freezing days per year; summers are blister- Nánwú Temple (南无寺; Nánwú Sì) be- ing by day and the high altitude invites par- longs to the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) sect of ticularly bad sunburn. Lightning storms Tibetan Buddhism and is the most active are frequent from May to October, when monastery in the area. It also aff ords good cloud cover can shroud the scenic peaks. views of Kāngdìng and the valley. Walk If you’re thinking of crossing into Tibet south along the main road, cross the river from Bathang or Derge without the neces- and keep going for about 200m until you sary permits, you may want to reconsider. see a rusty old sign for the monastery (in The PSB keeps a very close eye on for- traditional Chinese characters: 南無寺) on Ā eigners straying west of these towns, and your right. Follow that track up hill, beside N drivers can be severely punished for carry- a stream, and the monastery will be on your SIGHTSK Ā ing foreigners across the border, so think right. (DARDO) NGDÌNG twice before potentially putting locals at Nearby, about 100m further along the risk. main road, is Jīngāng Temple (金刚寺; Jīngāng Sì), a 400-year-old Nyingma mon- astery set around a lawned courtyard. Turn K āngdìng (Dardo) 康定 right at the sign for Knapsack Inn. %0836 / POP 110,000 / ELEV 2616M You can head up 2900m Pǎomǎ Shān The ‘do’ of Kāngdìng’s Tibetan name, Dar- (admission Y50) for some excellent views of do, means ‘river confl uence’, and this lively Kāngdìng and the surrounding mountains town is nestled in a deep river valley at the and valleys. The ascent takes you past oo- point where the fast-fl owing Yǎlā (Tse in dles of prayer fl ags and several Buddhist Tibetan) meets the raging Zhéduō (Dar) temples up to a white chörten. Avoid hik- which roars its way right through the town ing alone, as a British tourist was murdered centre. More poignantly, Kāngdìng has for here in 2000 and one or two muggings have centuries also been the point at which two been reported. very diff erent cultures converge. To reach the hill, bear left at the fork in This is the gateway into Sìchuān’s Tibet- the road south of the bus station and walk an world, and it’s long been a trade centre about 10 minutes until you reach a mon- between Tibetans and Han Chinese, with astery on the left; a stairway leads up the wool and yak hides travelling in one direc- tion, and bricks of tea in the other. It also served as an important staging post on the road to Lhasa, as indeed it still does today. TIBET BORDER Historically, Kāngdìng was the capital CLOSED of the local Tibetan kingdom of Chakla At the time of research foreigners (or Chala) before, briefl y, being the capital were forbidden from travelling over- of the now defunct Chinese province of land from Sìchuān into Tibet proper Xīkāng. Today, although there is a large because Tibet’s far eastern prefecture Tibetan population, the city feels more Chi- of Chamdo, which borders Sìchuān, nese, but you can still fi nd elements of Ti- was completely off limits. Check the betan culture in the food, the dress and, to Tibet branch of Lonely Planet’s online a lesser extent, in the architecture. forum, Thorn Tree (lonelyplanet.com/ The steep river valley here is set amidst thorntree), for the latest information. distant snowcapped mountains, includ- To Sêrshu Overland (49km) 218 Routes from Sêrxu Sìchuān Highlights 1 Stay with Tibetan nomads on the beautiful OVERLAND ROUTES FROM SÌCHU FROM ROUTES OVERLAND grasslands of Tǎgōng (p 222 ) 2 Watch traditional Tibetan block printing Dzogchen done by hand at Derge’s Gompa fabulous printing Dzongsar Gompa monastery (p 226 ) Tro-la (5050m) Darjay 3 Hang with the Manigango Gompa butter-tea-sipping locals Derge Yilhun Dala in any one of western Lha-tso Gong Sìchuān’s fabulously Pelpung Trola Peak down-to-earth Tibetan Jomda Gompa (6018m) teahouses Pewar Topa 317 Gompa Beri Gompa 4 Bunk with the Ā monks in the dorms at Kathok N Chamdo Pelyul Gompa Dala Gong (p 225 ), a monastery guesthouse (Baiyu) set among some of the most spectacular scenery imaginable 5 Dri-chu Hike around the Dza-chu (Mekong TIBET turquoise-blue waters of Ya Tsopu Sangtou-la the stunning holy Yilhun n Gompa (Haizi Shan) g (J (4675m) Lha-tso (p 225 ) R R zi in River) iver sh Tso 6 Get swept up by iv Nyiba a e J Cuola religious fervour as you Pomda r) Sichuan ia –Tibe join pilgrims on a kora ng Haizi t circuit of one of western ; Shan Sìchuān’s numerous Bathang Dongdo-la Buddhist monasteries 318 Lenggu (5008m) 4380m Monastery 7 Hike, horse ride or Markham Dzogang Zhubalong ride motorbikes over the mountain grasslands Druka around popular Lithang (p 227 ) 214 H e n g d u Yanjing a n R a n g e Jinsh a Xiangcheng Jian g (4327m) Deqin MYANMAR (BURMA) YUNNAN Q¹NGH‡I 219 0 100 km 0 60 miles OVERLAND ROUTES FROM SÌCHU FROM ROUTES OVERLAND SIGHTS Songpan Sertar Xuebao Mountain (5588m) SÌCHU„N Ganzi 317 Luhuo Ā Sichuan–Tibet N SIGHTSK Xinlong Ā NGDÌNG (DARDO) (DARDO) NGDÌNG Dujiangyan Daofu Hwy Danba (North) CHÉNGD§ Emei Bamei Shan Mt Zhare Lhatse Tagong (5820m) (So Yajiang Hwy ut h) Lithang Xinduqiao Kangding Ya'an Zhargye Nyenri Luding Gompa 4679m Leshan Minya Konka 4602m (Gongga Shan) (7556m) Nya-chu Daocheng Riwa (Yalong Jiulong Yading River) Nature Reserve Muli e# 0400m 220 Kāngdìng 00.2miles A B C D Y 7 #ý e R a To Èrdào Bridge ‚ ji i l a Xidakai Lu v a Flight e Hot Springs D r # i Ticket ‚ X e (5km) Ji Centre 㸫 lu an ໻ Ji 1 Xi To Bus 1 5 lu ns #ú 㽓 i h #ð X i Q Station e ia h ver nji (800m) OVERLAND ROUTES FROM SÌCHU e n Ri e ji a ᮄ a #ú Y o ˜# Ꮦࠡ㸫 D 4 #ú i edu Minibuses 3 X to Tǎgōng 0000 䏃 Zh 0000 㽓 People's Sq0000 ⊇ #ì #þ Market ⊓ lu 0000 g 0000 n 0000 o 0000 D e u #ò h L n #Ú 6 a Monastery 2 g Y 2 #ú y Mosque w #ß H gmin #Ü To Zhilam n t Catholic e Hostel ua b Church e i (1km) G ji Păomă Shān ‚ da Xiao T R ong – (2900m) D n 1 #ÿ #Ú ā ϰ u h #¤ Cable Car #ÿ ໻ c 2 Ānjué ì Station ᇣ S Temple 㸫 䏃 ϰ Ā 3 ⊇ 3 ᯢ䏃 #ñ N ⊓ ܝ To Cable Car & Tibetan Museum (400m); Nánwú Temple (2km); Jīngāng Temple (2.1km); ‚ Knapsack Inn (2.5km) A B C D Y20 you get your own private room with Kāngdìng jacuzzi-sized sunken pool.