Home > Tibet Festival Tour • Festival Tour in Tibetan Areas Kham and Amdo
9 Days Private Tour Xining – Tongren – Diebu - Tiebu – Langmu Si - Luqu – Zhuoni - Xiahe – Lanzhou
Monlam, also known as a prayer meeting (Smon-lam-chen-mo), is an extremely grand holyday in Tibetan area during the Spring Festival. Initially, back to 1409, Tsongkhapa – founder of Gelug Sect – organized a prayer meeting at Jokhang Temple. Thousands of monks gathered together for the praying and sutra-debate here. As the days go by, the followers from all directions are in an endless stream to join in the spectacular pageant.

"Monlam Tour 2025” will offer you a rare opportunity to participate in the splendid celebration with the numerous followers and the pilgrims, and experience the various sorts of rituals performed at different temples in East Tibetan cultural center Amdo in Tongren, Langmusi, Luqu, Zhuoni and Xiahe of Qinghai Province and Gansu Province. The highlight of the ceremony is thangka exposure. Ensuing along the hill, the marvelous jumbo thangka is 90 feet by 60 feet, showing to pray to the Buddha for blessings. All Kinds of vivid and vigorous mask dances, pray ceremonies and jewelry show will run through the whole Losar (Tibetan New Year, Monlam Festival) for two weeks.
Highlights
Monlam Festival Tour in Tongren and South Gansu 2025
DAY
1

05.02.2025 Xining - Tongren

Arrive in Tongren, the hometown of Thangka art

In the afternoon drive from Xining to Tongren, the hometown of Thangka art.

165 km
2 hours 24 minutes
Overnight at Shengyu Tianlun Hotel
Mask Dance at Gomargar Monastery
Mask Dance at Gomargar Monastery
Photo by Prof. Hans Först
DAY
2

06.02.2025 Tongren

Experience the “thanks-giving breakfast” and Thangka Buddha-Painting Exposure at Gomargar Monastery; grand Buddha circuit activity at Wutun Monastery

In the morning we set out for approx. 10km to Gomargar Monastery to see the grand assembly with Tibetan locals and monks of the monastery, experience the “thanks-giving breakfast”. The highlight of the tour today is no doubt the Thangka Buddha-Painting Exposure, which normally starts from 14:00 pm and will last for 3-4 hours. After the first hour visiting Gomargar Monastery we drive to lower Wutun Monastery to participate the grand Buddha circuit activity. Drive back hotel.

Overnight at Shengyu Tianlun Hotel
Breakfast
Thanks-giving Breakfast in Gomargar Monastery
Thanks-giving Breakfast in Gomargar Monastery
Photo by Prof. Hans Först
DAY
3

07.02.2025 Tongren

Mask dance at Wutun Monastery; grand Buddha circuit activity at Gomargar Monastery

Continue visit at Repkong (Tongren). We will spend the whole day long at Wutun monastery and Wutun village the center of Tibetan Regong-Art, which is a successful mixture of religion and folk art. Enjoy the mask dance at Wutun and take photos. In the afternoon drive to Gomargar Monastery to see the grand Buddha circuit activity.

Overnight at Shengyu Tianlun Hotel
Breakfast
Mask dance at Wutun Monastery
Mask dance at Wutun Monastery
Photo by Prof. Hans Först
DAY
4

08.02.2025 Tongren – Diebu (2396m)

Mask dance at Gomargar monastery

Half day to the Gomargar monastery to enjoy the monk mask dance. In the afternoon drive to Diebu.

358 km
6 hours 47 minutes
Overnight at Luoke Zhouji Hotel
Breakfast
Mask Dance at Gomar Monastery
Mask Dance at Gomar Monastery
DAY
5

09.02.2025 Diebu - Tiebu - Langmu Si (3600m)

Tiebu Sika Deer Nature Reserve

In the morning, drive to the Sika Deer Nature Reserve at Tiebu, we can see the wild sika deer. In the afternoon, drive to Langmu Si at the border of Sichuan and Gansu provinces.

169 km
3 hours 58 minutes
Overnight at Langmu Si Hotel
Breakfast
Sika Deer in Tiebu Reserve
Sika Deer in Tiebu Reserve
Photo by Liu Bin
DAY
6

10.02.2025 Langmu Si – Luqu (3500m)

Sunning-Buddha ceremony at Langmu Si monastery

In the morning, watch the big sunning-Buddha ceremony at the hillside by the Langmu Si monastery with crowds of Tibetan locals. A huge Thangka with Buddha will be unrolled. All participants as pilgrims, farmers, nomads and tourists at the ceremony will be blessed by gods. In the afternoon drive to Luqu.

86 km
1 hour 18 minutes
Overnight at Tong Wa Geng Mu Hotel
Breakfast
Huge Thangka in Langmu Si Monastery
Huge Thangka in Langmu Si Monastery
DAY
7

11.02.2025 Luqu – Zhuoni (2541m)

Jewelry show and mask dance (Cham) in Xicang Monastery

Drive to Xicang Monastery to take part in the jewelry show, which is celebrated on the eighth day of the second month in Tibetan calendar to admire nature and pray for good luck for the new year. The followers will put on their finest traditional clothes. You’ll also enjoy mask dance (Cham). Then drive to Zhuoni.

196 km
3 hours 35 minutes
Overnight at Taohe Hotel
Breakfast
Jewelry Show in Xicang Monastery
Jewelry Show in Xicang Monastery
Photo by Prof. Hans Först
DAY
8

12.02.2025 Zhuoni – Xiahe (2800m)

Thangka unroll at Zhuoni Si Monastery; amazing show of Butter Sculpture Arts at Labrang Monastery

Take pictures of the Thangka unroll in the Zhuoni Si (Cho-ne Gonchen, Gandan Shedrubling Monastery). Ensuing along the hill, the marvelous thangka unrolled on the hill ridge, showing to pray to the Buddha for blessings. All the monks and believers gathering together, pray for peace and happiness. The portrait at the ceremony is to be changed every year among these three holy figures: Maitreya, Amithaba and Tsongkapa. Drive back to Xiahe. At about 16:00 go to the monastery Labrang, and at 18:00 enjoy the amazing show of Butter Sculpture Arts, a vivid hand art created by the Buddhist monks inspired by the Buddha teachings.

166 km
3 hours 3 minutes
Overnight at Labrang Civil Aviation Hotel
Breakfast
Show of Butter Sculpture Arts at Labrang Monastery
Show of Butter Sculpture Arts at Labrang Monastery
Photo by Prof. Hans Först
DAY
9

13.02.2025 Xiahe – Lanzhou

Grand Buddha circuit activity at Labrang Monastery

In the morning visit the big Labrang monastery, the most important religious centre on the northeast border of the Tibet region. The monastery created in 1710, as one of the six grand monasteries in Tibet area, has served for centuries there to connect the Tibetan and Mongolian. Another highlight of our tour to Xiahe in the morning: visit the grand circuit together with thousands of pilgrims and monks at Labrang to make a round walk of the monastery with the huge statue of Maitreya, Buddha of the Future. After that we drive to Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province. Service ends.

232 km
3 hours 17 minutes
Breakfast
Labrang Monastery
Labrang Monastery
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This trip can also be tailor-made, please let us know your travel idea: travel date, duration, number of travelers, child (2 - 12 years old), baby (0 - 2 years old), other travel destinations, meals, accommodation category, boutique hotel, special interest ...

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Private travel, great experiences! Please contact us for your tailor-made travel offer.

With individual China Tibet travel, you can decide when, where and how you go on tour by yourself. What's more, you can choose the length of travel and whom you go with.

Information
Hotel, program and itinerary are subjected to change with prior notice.
We must point out that you counter a basic tourism infrastructure in this region. You stay overnight mostly at simple hotel/guesthouse. Long journeys on bad roads and on high altitude and delays require good physical fitness, resilience and flexibility of the participants. Program and route changes due to unforeseen events are expressly reserved. If you desire the unknown and have an understanding of contingency, this is the right trip for you.
More Impressions
Monlam Festvial (Losar) in Labrang Monastery | Photo by Prof. Hans Först
Monlam Festvial (Losar) in Langmusi Monastery
Monlam Festvial (Losar) in Tongren
Monlam Festvial (Losar) in Tongren
Monlam Festvial (Losar) in Tongren
Monlam Festvial (Losar) in Tongren
Monlam Festvial (Losar) in Tongren
Monlam Festvial (Losar) in Tongren
Monlam Festvial (Losar) in Tongren
Monlam Festvial (Losar) in Tongren
Monlam Festvial (Losar) in Tongren
Jewelry show in Xicang Monastery | Photo by Prof. Hans Först
Jewelry show in Xicang Monastery | Photo by Prof. Hans Först
Sika Deer in Tiebu Reserve | Photo by Liu Bin
Sika Deer in Tiebu Reserve | Photo by Liu Bin
Monlam Festvial (Losar) in Tongren
Monlam Festvial (Losar) in Tongren | Photo by Prof. Hans Först
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