Litang is a small city in western Sichuan, near the Yunnan border. At over 13,000 ft elevation, it is one of the highest cities in the world. Set in a long valley and surrounded by wide grasslands and tall mountains, it is a beautiful place to visit.
Tourism is still in its infancy here, probably because it is rather remote and difficult to reach, but it is certainly worth a visit. Litang is mostly a Tibetan city. The majority of the people are ethnically Tibetan, speak both Tibetan and Sichuanese, and retain many of the traditional Tibetan customs.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Litang, but ended up loving it! After a 12.5 hour bus ride from Shangri-la to Daocheng and another 2.5 hour ride to Litang, I was ready to get off the bus and do some exploring. I had a travel buddy for this part of the trip as my friend from Yubeng was also headed to Litang. The hostel owner told us about the beautiful wetlands out on the Maoya Steppe outside of Litang. They are renowned for the wide open grasslands, gorgeous mountains, and herds of yaks and nomads. He said the best way to explore them was by motorcycle, so we decided to rent one and go see for ourselves!
It turned out to be a gorgeous drive. We stopped at several points along the way to admire the breathtaking mountains, sweeping views, and even an entirely frozen ice lake. We ended up driving over 200km just because the scenery was too beautiful to turn around.
The next day we explored the city of Litang, which is famous for the large monastery on the hill overlooking the town and for being the birthplace of the 7th Dalai Lama. The best time to visit the monastery is in the morning, when locals walk a kora, or circumnavigation of the monastery. We walked with them around the outside walls, then went in just in time to watch the end of the morning assembly of monks. It was fascinating to see.
We took a path back down through the old part of the city, visiting the birthplace of the 7th Dalai Lama along the way. We went into a couple of other houses along the way that may or may not have been tourist attractions, but were welcomed to all. In one, they insisted we visit the rooftop to see the view of the old city. There was construction work happening on the rooftop and as I have seen in much of this region of China, women were doing the majority of the heavy lifting while the men were working on running the electrical wires.
In the afternoon, we borrowed bikes from the hostel and cycled out into the plains surrounding Litang (in the opposite direction of the Maoya Steppe the day before). The trail was lined with pastures filled with yaks and horses grazing, reminding me of the American West, but with yaks instead of cows. It is also impossible to forget how high up these grasslands are, more than 4000 meters above sea level.
The locals were very welcoming in Litang, greeting us with tashi-dalek and cheerily inviting us to enjoy the city. I met several of the hostel owner’s friends who talked about the history of the town and showed us some of their Tibetan calligraphy. It was wonderful to be in a place that was so authentic and so different from any other place in China I’d experienced.
Litang is fairly remote, so getting there requires long bus rides from any direction. Luckily, there are daily scheduled buses that will get you there (no need to hire a mini bus!)
From Shangri-La:
This is the route I took and is the more harrowing journey. From the Shangri-La bus station, you’ll need to catch a bus to Dao Cheng. There is only one bus, which leaves Shangri-La around 6:00 a.m. The journey takes 12-14 hours on a very bumpy dirt road which climbs to dizzying heights over the mountains. On my trip, the bus stopped just once for a lunch break during the 13.5 hour ride, so be prepared to be sitting for a long time! It costs about ¥120 for the ticket.
You’ll have to spend the night in Dao Cheng as there are no buses to Litang until morning. There are several hostels within walking distance to choose from. In the morning (about 6:00a.m.) catch the bus to Litang. Make sure you arrive at the bus station at 5:30 when it opens as there will wuickly be a very long line for tickets! The bus ride from Dao Cheng to Litang is only about 3 hours (easy after the previous day’s journey).
From Kangding:
One bus heads to Litang from Kangding daily (leaving around 6:00 a.m.). The journey takes about 9 hours and costs around ¥87.
- Check out the Maoya Steppes area outside of Litang for some beautiful landscapes and lots of yaks! You can hire a minibus to take you there, or consider renting a motorcycle for the day – the legality of renting one as a foreigner is a little ambiguous, but there are a couple of shops in town that will rent one for the day and it’s a great way to see the surrounding areas.
- Be sure to visit the monastery first thing in the morning and join the locals in walking the korma (circumnavigation of the monastery walls).
- Try some Tibetan yak butter tea. You can get it sweet or salty (salty is traditional but sweet tends to taste better!)
- When visiting the monastery or the stupa, always circle and spin the prayer wheels clockwise. If you want to be like the devout, circle seven times.
- Tashi-dalek is the Tibetan greeting – be prepared to hear it from almost everyone you meet! You should use this as a greeting rather than the Mandarin ni hao (the locals will appreciate it).
