Yarchen Gar (Yaqing in Mandarin) is the definition of remote. Located in the far west of Sichuan province, hours by bus through the mountains to the nearest actual town, this place has attracted more than 10,000 monks and nuns to form a monastery amid the mountains.
As a center of Tibetan Buddhism, the monastery is not officially recognized by the Chinese government, but the community continues to grow year by year as devotees pour in to practice their religion and learn together.
I had heard of Sertar (Seda in Mandarin), a day’s travel from Yarchen and home to more than 40,000 monks, but at the time I traveled it was closed to foreigners, as many parts of this region can be when there is political unrest. However, I was told that Yarchen Gar was even more beautiful and remote than Seda. Also, as the majority of Yarchen’s devotees are women, it is the largest concentration of Buddhist nuns in the world.
After catching a 6 hour ride from Litang to Ganzi, then taking another 3.5 hour bus through the mountains, I finally arrived at Yarchen. It was a different world. Thousands of tiny shacks built by the monks and nuns line the hills and plain, surrounding beautiful temples and statues. The place is a wash of red, sacred, red shacks, red robes, gold filigreed temples.
There is one hotel for visitors, old and run down with no running water, although there is now electricity 24 hours, important for the electric blankets! It gets very cold there, even in late April when I visited.
It was all worth the long travel and camp-like conditions to experience the monastery in person. In the morning, there is a vast assembly of all the monks and nuns, where they gather to pray and listen to teachings for about three hours. It was incredibly moving to see more than 10,000 people, mostly monks and nuns plus a few visiting pilgrims, gathered together to worship. There were very few tourists there, no more than perhaps 10-15 in total, and all were Chinese tourists except for my friend and me. It was amazing to have the chance to observe and appreciate the worship ritual.
Spending the day in Yarchen was like stepping away from the world as I know it for the day. Everyone was very welcoming, the monks and nuns smiling and talking to us, erasing my concerns about intruding in their sacred place. Unfortunately Yarchen Gar is in danger of being demolished. The Chinese government does not recognize it as an official monastery and hence could order it torn down (as has begun to happen at Sertar). I’d highly recommend planning a visit before this happens. It is worth the time and effort spent going so far off the beaten path to experience.
Getting to Yarchen Gar is a little tricky due to its remote location, but if you have time and patience you can make it there. The first step is to get to Ganzi City.
From Kangding:
- There is one daily bus leaving Kangding around 6:00a.m. to make the 12-14 hour drive to Ganzi. Be sure to inquire at the bus station the day before you plan to leave as time schedules change often. This option is around ¥120.
From Litang:
There are no public buses from Litang to Ganzi as the road between them is quite rough and not heavily traveled. Your options are:
- Private Mini Bus: There are plenty of private mini buses in Litang willing to take you to Ganzi…for a price. This could range from ¥100-¥200 depending on how many people are taking the mini bus and how much you can negotiate. Be fore-warned that if there is still space in the van, the driver will wait a few hours before leaving to see if he can fill all the seats.
- Hitchhiking/Asking Fellow Travelers for a Ride: Hitchhiking is fairly common in this region as public transportation options are so limited. It may be safer though to ask around at your hostel to see if anyone is heading to Ganzi. While foreign tourists are still relatively uncommon in Litang, plenty of Chinese tourists visit this region, and many of them have their own cars. I was able to catch a ride with some friends of the owner of the hostel I was staying at just by asking around. This was by far the most comfortable and quickest option (still a 6 hour drive to Ganzi), and I was able to make some new friends along the way.
From Ganzi to Yarchen Gar:
Once you arrive in Ganzi, head to the bus lot. It’s a little hard to find the right one, so you may need to ask around, but it’s basically a dirt lot with lots of mini-buses and a few large buses which will take you to various locations outside Ganzi. Ask for Yarchen Gar and you’ll be directed to whichever bus is leaving next. These don’t leave at any specific time, just when they fill up, so be prepared to wait. There are lots of monks and nuns traveling between Ganzi and Yarchen Gar though, so transport is relatively easy to find and relatively cheap (¥40). The road to Yarchen Gar is very steep and windy, so be prepared if you’re prone to motion sickness. It takes about 3.5 hours to get there. Expect to be on a pretty full bus. There is one point where foreigners will have to disembark and show passports to the police to be allowed to continue (very common in this region). Just make sure the police know you’re headed to Yarchen Gar and not Seda (which is often closed to foreign tourists).
Once you arrive, it’s easy to find a place to stay – there’s only one option! It’s the big white hotel just across from where the bus drops you off. Don’t expect running water, but the rooms are large and the restaurant downstairs serves tasty food. Happy travels!
- The major attraction of Yarchen Gar is just spending time experiencing the way of life there and the depth of devotion evident everywhere.
- Be sure to attend the morning assembly in the monastery center – it starts around 9 and goes until about noon.
- If you’re female, take a walk across the river to the nuns side of monastery to get a feel for daily life there.
- Walk up to the golden Buddha on the hillside to for a beautiful overview of the monastery.
- Be prepared that the hotel has no running water! You’ll be provided with jugs of heated water in the morning to wash with. Also, bring all necessities with you – the hotel has a small convenience stand but it only sells a few items.
- If you’re planning a trip, make sure to look into the current access situation for foreigners (Yarchen Gar is sometimes closed to foreign travel). This can change in a matter of weeks, so make sure you ask people while you’re on your trip before trying to go there. You’ll have to cross multiple police checkpoints for travel anywhere in this region and they’ll all ask where you’re going so you’ll find out pretty quickly if Yarchen Gar is closed.
