Today you’ll arrive at the Lanzhou train station (if you’re arriving by night train) or at the airport (approximately 40 minutes from the city). Lanzhou is a large, industrious and dusty city on the Yellow River. The boulevards by the waterside are nice, however the rest of the city isn’t that special.

You’ll be picked up by mini van and taken to the city of Xiahe in mid-western China (it's a hefty 5 hour drive). It will take half an hour before you’ve left the city and entered the mountain area, then you’ll drive across a new toll road and through a spectacular landscape. After some time you’ll enter the small province town of Linxia and you’ll drive over a beautiful, tree-lined two lane road over the mountaintops. Along the way you’ll pass small Muslim villages. You’ll most likely make a stop in Linxia for a meal and then you’ll drive on for another two hours along a river gorge with deep valleys.

Xiahe, in the Gansu province of China, lies at an altitude of 3000m. When you get out of the car you’re sure to feel the effects almost immediately. The village is nothing more than a 3km long street with stores and several hotels. The street ends at the famous 16th century Labrang monastery, recognizable by its golden roof. This is the second largest Tibetan monastery in China after the Potala Palace in Lhasa. The 2000 monks that live here do not live in isolation from the outside world like other monks. The monks can be seen everywhere in daily life and many of the local inhabitants come to visit the monastery on a pilgrimage.

During the afternoon you’ll have all the time you need to visit the monastery. There is a guided tour every day at 15:15. The monastery has several temples with enormous Buddha statues, entrance gates with vistas and a sea of low clay houses where the monks live. Not only men live here, there is also a nuns convent (Nigusi). There is a long covered gallery of prayer wheels surrounding the monastery complex. If you like, you can join the pilgrims in their walk around the complex while they turn the 1000 prayer wheels while walking past them in about 1.5 hours (3.5km).

At some point during the day you may also just want to sit down and take in the magic of this place. We did the same during our visit and we tried to understand what drives the pilgrims to pray for hours on end while walking around a small stupa (pagoda). Time and religion have a whole different meaning here than in the hurried western world. There’s a mysterious atmosphere in the main temple and everywhere you walk you’ll smell the penetrating smell of yak butter, quite a hypnotising experience….

You’ll spend the night in a simple 1 or 2 star hotel near the monastery, much like all of the other hotels in the area. Your room will have a shower and a toilet and there is an enthusiastic English-speaking Nepalese staff. There is warm water, however the area is known to have frequent power outages. Simple meals are available in the hotel.

Xiahe’s surroundings are surprisingly beautiful. If you only stay in Xiahe you wouldn’t expect this, because the elevated grasslands are hidden behind the mountain tops that surround the town. During peak travel season many Chinese tourists go camping at the grasslands at Sangke and Takar, 14km from Xiahe. That is why we advise going on a day trip to the Ganya grasslands which are a little further away (40km).

A mini van will take you to Ganya in the morning, the ride will take about 2 hours. The road will quickly climb into the Mountains and onto the plateau. You’ll cross a landscape full of lakes mirroring clear blue skies, soft babbling brooks, traditional villages (we fell in love with the Eight Corners Village) and large herds of (mainly) sheep and naturally the typical Tibetan yaks. In short, you’ll enter a world where only the Electricity poles will reflect modern times. You’ll stop in one of the villages for a hearty lunch. Stroll through the village and meet some of the colourful inhabitants of the village, monks and nomads from the surrounding area. In the afternoon you’ll head back to the town of Xiahe.

Monlam festival
If you don’t mind cold temperatures and snow, visit Xiahe during the Monlam Festival during the Tibetan New Year (13-16 February). This is a unique experience with thousands of monks, processions and the unfurling of an enormous Tanka (Tibetan textile painting).

Food and drinks
If you want to eat genuine Tibetan food visit Nomad, the favourite hang out on the roof of the monastery. It’s full of monks enjoying yak butter tea and momo’s, a type of Tibetan dumpling.  

Altitude
Since Xiahe is located at an altitude of 3000m, you may possibly notice the effects of altitude sickness. This is caused by the shortage of oxygen in your body, causing you to breathe more rapidly. You could also experience a headache, insomnia or reduced appetite. It’s important to take time to acclimatize slowly, drink plenty of water and eat enough. Warm clothing is a must when visiting before or after May – September. The hotels are plain and simple and even though there might be a heater in your room, it may not work.