2025 Shiqu Travel Guide: Must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transportation routes (updated in May)

The western region of Sichuan Province is a significant area for Tibetan Buddhist culture, home to numerous sacred sites that blend natural beauty with religious heritage. Below are the major Buddhist sites in Sichuan's western region and their unique features: 1. Larung Gar Buddhist Academy (Larung Five Sciences Buddhist Academy) Location: Seda County, Ganzi Prefecture. Sect: Nyingma (Red Sect). Features: One of the largest Tibetan Buddhist academies in the world, with thousands of red wooden houses built on the hillside, creating a stunning visual spectacle. Renowned for debates and religious ceremonies, it is a spiritual haven for practitioners. Note: Entry requires reservations due to recent renovations, drone photography is prohibited, and some areas are restricted. 2. Yarchen Gar Monastery Location: Baiyu County, Ganzi Prefecture. Sect: Nyingma. Features: Famous alongside Larung Gar, with "Nun Island" as its core, where female practitioners (nuns) reside. The annual "Vajra Dance Festival" attracts many devotees, and the winter retreat scene is unique. Current Status: Some areas are temporarily closed; check policies in advance. 3. Tagong Monastery Location: Tagong Town, Kangding City, Ganzi Prefecture. Sect: Sakya (Flower Sect). Features: Known as the "Little Jokhang Temple," it houses a life-sized statue of Shakyamuni. The Tagong Grassland and Yala Snow Mountain complement each other, with prayer corridors and Mani stone piles adding to its charm. 4. Dege Printing House Location: Dege County, Ganzi Prefecture. Sect: Sakya. Features: The foremost of the three major Tibetan printing houses, preserving over 300,000 printing blocks. Its manual scripture printing technique is listed as intangible cultural heritage. The ancient architecture exudes the fragrance of ink and a sense of history. 5. Baiyu Monastery Location: Baiyu County, Ganzi Prefecture. Sect: Nyingma. Features: A majestic golden-roofed temple built on a mountain, overlooking the Jinsha River Gorge. The annual "Buddha Unveiling" event during the Tibetan calendar's Miracle Day is grand. 6. Songge Mani Stone Scripture City Location: Shiqu County, Ganzi Prefecture. Features: A thousand-year-old stone scripture wonder on the grassland, composed of countless Mani stones engraved with scriptures. Legend has it that the structure resembles a maze, creating a mysterious religious atmosphere. 7. Kathok Monastery Location: Baiyu County, Ganzi Prefecture. Sect: One of the ancestral monasteries of the Nyingma Sect. Features: Situated at an altitude of 4,800 meters, with a history of over 800 years, it is known as the "Diamond Throne." The monastery's architecture is resplendent, and it has produced many eminent monks, making it a key pilgrimage site for the Nyingma Sect worldwide. 8. Litang Monastery (Changqingchunke'er Monastery) Location: Litang County, Ganzi Prefecture. Sect: Gelug (Yellow Sect). Features: The largest Gelug monastery in southern Kham, blending Han and Tibetan architectural styles. Its murals and Buddhist statues are exquisite, offering a panoramic view of Litang. 9. Langyi Monastery (Bon Monastery) Location: Aba County, Aba Prefecture. Sect: Bon (Tibetan indigenous religion). Features: The largest Bon monastery, with unique architectural styles and counterclockwise prayer rituals. Its ceremonies differ significantly from Tibetan Buddhism, showcasing cultural diversity. Travel Tips: Best Season: June to October (avoid harsh winter conditions). Transportation: Self-driving or chartered vehicles are recommended; some roads are rugged and require off-road vehicles. Altitude Sickness: Elevation ranges from 3,000 to 4,500 meters; carry altitude sickness medication and avoid strenuous activities. Etiquette: Walk clockwise around prayer wheels, avoid touching Buddha statues or prayer flags, and seek permission before photographing monks. Accommodation: Simple guesthouses are available in Seda and Dege; book in advance during peak seasons. Environmental Protection: Do not litter and protect religious relics like Mani stones. The Buddhist sites in Sichuan's western region are not only centers of faith but also windows into Tibetan culture, where nature and humanity intertwine. Before visiting, check local policies, respect customs, and immerse yourself in their sacred and tranquil atmosphere.

#chinatravelitinerary 🏔️ – China’s Remote Tibetan Highland (A wild, untouched Tibetan plateau with snow-capped peaks, yaks, and ancient monasteries! 🏔️✨ Perfect for adventurers & culture lovers. 🌿) 🗓️ Day 1: Arrival & Exploring Tibetan Culture ✈️ Flight: Bangkok (BKK) → Chengdu (CTU) (~4 hrs) 🚗 Drive to Shiqu (~8 hrs) through spectacular highland scenery 🏡 Stay in a Traditional Tibetan Homestay 🏯 Afternoon: Visit a 400-Year-Old Hidden Monastery 🛕 Join a Tibetan Prayer Ceremony & Learn About Local Traditions 🍽️ Dinner: Butter Tea & Yak Stew 🌙 Evening: Watch the Sunset Over the Endless Grasslands ✨ 🗓️ Day 2: Highland Adventures 🐂 Morning: Walk Through the Vast Grasslands & See Nomadic Yak Herds 📸 Afternoon: Visit a Sacred Mountain Viewpoint for Stunning Photos 🚗 Drive Back to Chengdu & Fly Home ✈️

👉 In the scorching summer, the highest temperature here is only around 10 degrees Celsius. This is a place far from the hustle and bustle, where you can return to nature and experience faith. 👉 The Bage Mani Wall in Shiqu is entirely made of mani stones engraved with scriptures. It is currently the longest mani wall in the world and has been recorded in the Guinness World Records. 👉 From a distance, the 108 white stupas and the mani wall are lined up in a spectacular view. It resembles a Great Wall on the grassland, grand and solemn. 📍 Address: Changsha Gongma Township, Shiqu County, Sichuan 🚘 Transportation: Self-drive or chartered car It is about 60KM from Shiqu County to Bage Mani Wall. Long-distance buses can only reach Shiqu County, and you need to transfer to a local minibus to get to Bage Mani Wall. The one-way fare is generally between 50-100 yuan per person. 👉 Features: Mysterious highland sanctuary, pristine snow-capped grasslands, magnificent mountains and rivers, unique cultural customs. ❤️ Activities: 1. The Bage Mani Wall is 1.9 kilometers long, 2-3 meters thick, and about 3 meters high at its highest point. It has been built over 300 years and is still growing. 2. Walking around the wall takes about an hour, covering more than 3 kilometers. It is said that walking around the Bage Mani Wall three times can eliminate worries. 3. From a distance, the 108 white stupas and the mani wall are lined up in a spectacular view. As you get closer, you will see the densely engraved scriptures on the stone slabs, and the wall is embedded with window-like niches for Buddha statues. Along the wall are long prayer wheels, with devout worshippers passing through. Bage Mani

Western Sichuan is quite suitable for a summer trip, it's a vast area, so it probably won't be too crowded haha, I recommend a lesser-known summer travel destination ➡️ Shiqu County in Western Sichuan, where you can find Shijingcheng/Wall (the oldest, longest, and hardest to find); and Seda Monastery (the largest temple complex in Ganzi Prefecture, and the only Buddhist college in the Kham area qualified to award Geshe degrees). I visited three Shijingcheng/Walls last time, namely Songgemanicheng, Bagamani Shijing Wall, and Murimanicheng, which are known as the oldest, longest, and hardest to find. Among them, Murimanicheng Shijing Wall is indeed the hardest to find, as there is no location for it on the map, and there is not much information about it online, with no exact location. We found it by driving and asking locals along the way~ 🌟 The Shijing Wall is made up of stone blocks engraved with scriptures, piled up one by one. Every so often, there are several stupas connected, and on both sides of the wall, there are many large and small 'windows', inside which are placed one or several stone Buddha statues, some of which are even painted. 🌟 Shijingcheng is a square stone city built with stone blocks printed with scriptures, without any frame support or any adhesive. It is completely a 'city tower' piled up randomly by people, and the sight is very impressive!

The entire city is about 10 meters high, more than 60 meters long and more than 30 meters wide. It is a rectangular stone city. It is understood that the entire stone city is built with layers of Mani stones stacked up one after another. Inside the city are layers of Mani walls, which are intricate and crisscrossed like a maze. Because the stones were stacked too high, the ground could not bear the weight and sank. It is said that the higher the part of the city wall above the ground, the deeper it sank into the ground. Therefore, although people were still constantly placing stones upwards, the city wall did not show any obvious increase in height. The most incredible thing is that this "city tower" is built without any frame support and without any adhesive. It is completely built piece by piece by piece by people. Yet it has remained standing for thousands of years. This is truly a miracle. Nowadays, there are still many pilgrims who come every day to kowtow as they walk around the city wall, expressing their longing and hope for tomorrow.

Destination for the fourth day: Shiqu. From Dege to Shiqu, driving on National Highway 317, 456, 345, passing through Queer Mountain Tunnel, Yulong La Wetland Park, Xiazha Temple, Sun Lake (Yalong River). The Queer Mountain Tunnel was opened to traffic in September 2017, and there is no need to cross the Queer Mountain Pass (this is the highest point on the northern line of Sichuan-Tibet, known as the "first danger of Sichuan-Tibet"), the tunnel entrance is 4300 meters above sea level, it is the highest altitude highway tunnel in the world, the tunnel is 7km long, and it takes 20 minutes to pass. The Queer Mountain Glacier Viewing Platform is next to National Highway 317, where you can see the main peak of Queer Mountain, which is covered with snow all year round, with grassland in front, glaciers in the distance, and a magnificent view from afar, shining brightly.