Tagong is a small town mid-way between Litang and Kangding on the most common overland route through western Sichuan. I had heard mixed things about Tagong – that it was a beautiful place with a real Tibetan feel, and that it was rather dusty and touristy. My impression was that the time of year you visit probably makes a difference as well as what you choose to experience.
I enjoyed Tagong a lot as I visited in low tourist season (the guesthouse my friend and I stayed at was completely empty but for us even though it was right on the main square of town). Tagong is basically one main street with a few restaurants, shops, and a couple of guesthouses. There is not a lot to explore within the town other than the temple which dominates the entrance to Tagong but there is a nice monastery across the river and the surrounding countryside is beautiful.
My friend and I took a walk outside of the town headed west towards the valley of 10,000 mani stones. We never found the mani stones (not sure how we could miss 10,000 of them but I guess that’s what we get for not following the road) but we walked to an isolated village with a lonely temple set amid high hillsides.
The temple was locked when we entered the monastery but there was a monk shoveling snow from the roof. We decided to climb the rickety ladder steps to the top to check it out. When the monk saw us, motioned for us to go back down so we assumed we were not supposed to be there. However, he followed us down and indicated for us to wait while he unlocked the temple for us to visit. It was such a welcoming gesture it surprised me.
The locals in the village were welcoming to us as well, shouting hello and tashi-delek to us from the rooftop they were repairing.
We cut upwards from the village, directly over one of the high hills (and what a climb that was!) but were rewarded with a beautiful view of the grassy hills and valley. We cut down through a pasture of grazing yaks, peaceful and content, and even made friends with a cute baby yak.
We found a small “road” to follow back to Tagong, really more of a country lane which wound along the river. A few locals on motorbikes and the occasional car passed. Twice we were asked if we needed help getting anywhere (I think they had no idea why two foreigners were wandering around the remote hillsides and thought we were lost) but they were so friendly and helpful. We assured them we were fine and walked back to Tagong.
I found Tagong to be a very peaceful place, a good resting point to absorb the Tibetan culture one last time before heading back to the big cities.
From Litang:
You can take the daily bus leaving from Litang to Kangding and get off in Xinduqiao. From Xinduqiao you can catch a shared minivan to Tagong. There is also supposed to be a direct bus from Litang to Tagong leaving daily at 9:20a.m. but you may want to double check the schedule as it often changes.
From Kangding:
There is a twice daily bus running between Kangding and Tagong. You can also take a shared minivan from Kangding, which will take about 2 hours.
From Ganzi:
If you’re coming from Ganzi (like I was), the road to Tagong is somewhat less established. The best route is to go from Ganzi to Luhuo, then down to Tagong. There is sometimes an early bus from Ganzi to Kangding which will take you past Tagong, but you’ll need to check the schedule at least the day before if this is your plan. You can always hire one of the ever-present minivans to take you, just be prepared to negotiate price and wait for other travelers before setting out.
- Definitely take a walk outside of town. There’s plenty of paths to follow, especially on the other side of the river past the monastery that will take you to the more remote villages if you don’t mind spending some time walking. Just be careful if you go off the road to climb some of the hillsides as they are taller than they look and the altitude makes the climb much more difficult.
- Try some authentic Tibetan food while you’re here. I wasn’t a fan (most of it is meat-based – not so good for vegetarians!) but it was completely unique from Sichuanese food and fun to try.
- There’s a nice mix of Tibetan and Sichuan culture here, with a variety of restaurants and little shops. It’s fun just to stop in different places and chat with the people (it helps if you know a little Chinese!)
