Tagong Grassland 塔公草原Tǎgōng Cǎoyuán

Why go to Tagong Grassland

Tagong, Lhagang in Tibetan, is a small herding town on a sweeping grassland at about 3,700 metres, watched over by the 5,820-metre snow peak of Zhara Lhatse, also called Yala Snow Mountain. Visit Tagong Monastery and the golden Muya stupa, then walk out across the pastures. Many travellers pair it with Xinduqiao, about 30 km south, whose roadside villages and valleys are a favourite with Chinese photographers.

The story

Legend says that when Princess Wencheng travelled to Tibet in the 7th century, a statue of the Buddha she carried wished to stay here, so a copy was made and enshrined on the spot. The Sakya-school monastery's Jowo Shakyamuni, said to match the one in Lhasa's Jokhang Temple, has earned it the nickname 'Little Jokhang'.

What to see at Tagong Grassland

• Tagong Monastery 塔公寺: A Sakya monastery whose chief treasure is a Jowo Shakyamuni statue linked to the one in Lhasa, hence 'Little Jokhang'. Four towers painted green, red, yellow and white stand beside it, with about a hundred chortens behind.
• Muya Golden Pagoda 木雅金塔: A three-storey stupa of Tibetan mandala design rising from the grassland, ringed by smaller stupas and a prayer-wheel corridor you can walk clockwise.
• Zhara Lhatse 雅拉雪山: The snow peak of about 5,820 metres behind the pagoda, a sacred mountain in Kham and the backdrop to every photograph on the grassland.

How to visit Tagong Grassland

Start at the monastery in the village, then walk or drive out to the pagoda and onto the pastures, with the peak ahead. A half-day covers the monastery, pagoda and a ramble; staying the night gives dawn and dusk on the grassland and slow acclimatisation. There is no bus station in Tagong: minibuses back to Kangding stop on the road when they have a seat, so plan your return.

How to get to Tagong Grassland

Tagong is about 3 hours from Kangding by minibus or hired car, over the 4,298-metre Zheduo Pass and through Xinduqiao; allow 6–7 hours from Chengdu.

Where to stay

Stay in Tagong village for dawn and dusk on the grassland, in simple guesthouses. If altitude bites, Kangding is the lower base, about 115 km and 3 hours away.

What to eat

• Yak-meat hotpot 牦牛肉火锅: The usual meal in Kangding and Tagong, with slices of yak simmered at the table.
• Grilled yak skewers 烤牦牛肉: Roadside stalls by the grassland grill yak meat on skewers.
• Milk tea and tsampa 奶茶与糌粑: Kham Tibetans prefer plain or salted milk tea, drunk with tsampa, roasted barley flour mixed in.

Tips for visiting Tagong Grassland

• At about 3,700 metres, Tagong is high enough for altitude sickness: spend a night in Kangding on the way up and take it easy on arrival.
• Snow can close Zheduo Pass at short notice outside summer, and summer rains bring landslides; check road conditions and carry warm layers in any season.
• Garzê is open to foreign travellers without a special permit, but rules for some areas can change at short notice; carry your passport, which hotels and road checkpoints ask for.

Nearby

• Kangding 康定 50 km
  An old tea-trading town where Tibetan and Han cultures meet, made famous by a love song
• Jiaju Tibetan Village 甲居藏寨 80 km
  Painted Gyalrong Tibetan farmhouses on a mountainside, in a valley of ancient towers
• Hailuogou Glacier 海螺沟 100 km
  A glacier spilling down into fir forest beneath Mount Gongga, Sichuan's highest peak

Also within 30 km: Duoraogamu Cultural Park, Tagong 多饶嘎目 (10 km), Moshi Park 墨石公园 (10 km), Yala Snow Mountain, Daofu 亚拉雪山 (20 km), Huiyuan Temple (Gata) 惠远寺 (30 km).

On the map

Open Tagong Grassland on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it, what else is close, and to add it to a trip and plan the days.

Learn more

• Wikipedia: Tagong