Heihe - Langmu Monastery - Xiahe

After breakfast, we leave Heihe and drive to Xiahe via the Langmu Monastery. The small town of Langmu basically comprises a group of Tibetan monasteries around a valley, which are collectively known as the Langmu Monastery. Langmu means fairy in Tibetan. The monastery was so named because inside the cave is a rock bearing the resemblance of a beautiful young lady, believed to be the transformation of a fairy. The Grand Hall, the murals, the painted red columns and the tranquil surrounding are all awe-inspiring.

After arrival in Xiahe, which is found in the southern portion of Gansu province, along the border with Qinghai province and lies along the Daxia and Zhao Rivers - we will also visit the Labrang Monastery. It was first built in 1710 during the Qing emperor Kangxi's reign (1662-1722), and is one of the six patriarchal lamaseries of the Gelugpa Sect of Lamaism in China. Also the top college of Tibetan Buddhism in Northwest China, the monastery holds seven large-scale summons ceremonies a year, of which the summons ceremony in the first lunar month is the largest. Apart from a spectacular collection of monastic buildings, the Labrang Monastery is also a treasure house. The monastery is built in an attractive setting, with the Daxia River winding by to the south and rolling mountains to the south and north. About 14 kilometers up the valley from the monastery, the Sangke Grasslands is an ideal place for hiking or horse-riding, with a limpid lake and snow-capped mountains on all sides. The town is populated largely by ethnic Tibetans, as well as some Hui and Han Chinese. The area is highly rural, pastoral and mountainous. You will stay overnight at the "Xiahe Hotel" (3*).