The Tea-Horse Road · A Corridor of Many Peoples – A 15-Day Humanities Journey from the Amdo Pastoral Area to the Gyalrong Tibetan Villages

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Duration 15 days

Journey Map

Route map: The Tea-Horse Road · A Corridor of Many Peoples – A 15-Day Humanities Journey from the Amdo Pastoral Area to the Gyalrong Tibetan Villages — View full-size map

Design Philosophy

Western Sichuan and southern Gansu lie at the meeting point of the Yangtze and Yellow River basins. Here, complex terrain and crisscrossing rivers have shaped a unique cultural landscape. Han, Tibetan, Hui, Qiang, and other peoples have lived here for generations, including the Gyalrong and Baima Tibetans.

Ya'an in Sichuan is famous for its tea. Historically, Muslim caravan drivers from Linxia in Gansu used mules and horses to carry tea, cloth, and daily goods deep into the Amdo pastoral areas and the heart of Kham. Today, this route is marked as National Highway 213. Modern Muslim merchants still speak fluent Tibetan as they travel from Lanzhou, a Silk Road hub, to Chengdu, the "Land of Abundance," trading in traditional goods across Kham and Amdo.

This is not just a scenic highway. It is a living cultural road – and that is why we have designed this journey.

Journey Highlights

At Labrang Monastery, follow a monk through the Medical College, Butter Sculpture Hall, and Sutra College, walking the spiritual territory of the "Second Tibet" beside the turning prayer wheels.

At Langmusi Town, step across the Bailong River and walk two provinces in one day – Sichuan's Kirti Monastery with its flesh relic and hidden canyon, and Gansu's Sertri Monastery famous for its golden roofs and debate tradition.

At a nomad family home on the Heihe Grassland, sit inside a tent, sip butter tea, listen to herders' songs and stories, and in the dialogue between city and steppe, search for answers about a changing world.

At Huiyuan Temple or Tagong Monastery, visit a temple commissioned by the Yongzheng Emperor or the "place the Bodhisattva loves," touching the history of the 7th Dalai Lama's residence.

In Danba, seek out each watchtower that has survived war and earthquake, witnessing a thousand-year Gyalrong legacy deep in the Hengduan Mountains. At Zheduo Mountain, cross the first pass above 4,000 meters on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway – at this dividing line between Han and Tibetan cultures, look back at where you have come and ahead to where you are going.

At the Ya'an Panda Base, visit the place where the first giant panda was discovered and come face to face with China's national treasure.

At the Sanxingdui Museum, stand before bronze sacred trees and golden masks, and try to unlock the unsolved mysteries of the ancient Shu civilization from four thousand years ago.

At Chengdu's People's Park, sit on an old bamboo chair at Heming Teahouse, order a bowl of covered tea (gaiwan), and watch locals play mahjong and chat – truly understand the life philosophy of the "City of Leisure."

Itinerary：

Fly from Beijing to Lanzhou. Free at leisure to prepare for the upcoming journey through Tibetan and Hui cultures.

Accommodation: Lanzhou Hotel

Meals: Breakfast (own expense) / Lunch (own expense) / Dinner (own expense)

Depart Lanzhou for Bingling Temple Grottoes. Take a speedboat through the Yellow River canyon to find China's earliest dated grotto inscription. Then drive to Linxia to visit Gongbei (Sufi mausoleums). Continue to Xiahe.

Accommodation: Xiahe Hotel