Focus is a 12 to 15-day trek around Mt. Minyag Gangkar, a centuries-old pilgrimage site. Tibetans from the entire plateau congregate here to pray and accumulate merit by walking the Kora (holy circuit). A single night spent on the slopes of Mt. Minyag Gangkar, locals say, equals 10 years of meditation in one's home.
This trip is a remarkable physical and cultural journey deep into the heart of Kham.
 Meeting in Chengdu (Sichuan), we land cruise along the Sichuan-Tibet highway to begin our adventure at Dartsedo, the former gateway to eastern Tibet and a key loading station along the old tea caravan route. Until the mid-20th century, Dartsedo was the center of the historic Chakla kingdom governed by a hereditary monarch. The town offers numerous day hikes for acclimatisation. Sights include Dentok Riwa hill (Paomashan) and the 17th-century Ngachu Monastery, a branch of Drepung Monastery's Loseling College in Lhasa. There are also inviting hot springs at the outskirts of town.
The starting point of the Kora lies only a few kilometers outside of Dartsedo. The hike passes through untouched alpine landscapes with yaks grazing on verdant pastures, and magnificent views of the snowy peaks of the Minyag Gangkar range. One of a trinity of sacred mountain ranges in the Tibetan periphery besides Amnye Machen in Amdo and Khawakarpo in southern Kham, Minyag Gangkar juts out majestically out of lush rhododendron forests.
En route to Gangkar Monastery are slopes forested with birch, oak, bamboo, juniper, fir and rhododendron. Birdlife is abundant. The monastery of the Karma Kagyu order was founded over 500 years ago. Razed to the ground during the Cultural Revolution, it was rebuilt in the 1980s. We meet monks and may be granted an audience with the resident Lama.
Along our Kora we pass through dreamy hamlets, and chances are someone invites us for tea or fresh yoghurt. The language barrier vanishes in such circumstances. It will take 12 to 15 days of trekking to circumambulate Minyag Gangkar. The length of the Kora can be customised to suit different needs.
The amenities of our hotel in Dartsedo (and the Hot Springs!) will be a welcome change from camping outdoors before leaving Kham to head back to Chengdu. |
