Qamdo travel guide
昌都
Qamdo travel guide with a day by day itinerary, 10 places with tickets and opening hours, where to eat and stay, and how to get there.
10 places · In the guidebook: pages 610–620
Qamdo, Tibet Autonomous Region · AI illustration for China Trip
Things to see
Ranwu Lake Scenic Area
1–2 hours
Ranwu Lake is about 25 km long and 12 km wide. The lake forms a long, narrow valley shaped like a river gorge, made up of three interconnected lakes, with a total area of 18.4 square kilometres. The lake surface sits at an altitude of over 3,800 metres. To the north of Ranwu Lake lies the famous Laigu Glacier, which extends down to the lakeshore. When the snow and ice melt, the meltwater flows into the lake, keeping its water supply abundant. Green grassland and lush crops surround the lake. Forests cover the hillsides, with belts of rhododendron and shrubs higher up in a riot of colours, and the mountaintops hold permanent snow in layered ridges. Ranwu Lake itself is a huge ancient glacial valley, shaped by glacial action over various periods. More than 200 years ago, a massive collapse sent boulders blocking the Parlung Tsangpo River, forming today's Ranwu Lake. Huge rock masses still block the lake's outlet valley.
Yanjing
2 hours
A remarkable place that was once a key route between Tubo and Nanzhao, and is the only surviving site of traditional, hand-made sun-dried salt production along the ancient Tea Horse Road. Yanjing is also the only place in Tibet with a Catholic church and congregation. Many cultures and religions coexist harmoniously in this secluded old town.
Qamba Ling Monastery
Qamba Ling Monastery was founded in 1444 by Xirao Songbu, a disciple of Tsongkhapa, and is the largest monastery in the Kham region. The monastery still preserves a bronze seal issued by the Qing court in 1719 to the Pabala Living Buddha. Qamba Ling has five lineages of living Buddhas and 12 dratsang (colleges). At its peak it housed more than 5,000 monks and administered 70 smaller temples in the surrounding area. The main buildings are well preserved. The assembly halls contain hundreds of Buddha and eminent monk statues, thousands of square metres of murals and many thangkas. The Guqing (古庆) sacred dance of Qamba Ling is famed across the snowy plateau for its fearsome, lifelike masks, orderly and graceful movements and grand spectacle. Qamdo Tibetan opera, which takes this monastery's religious dance as its form, has developed a distinct style that sets it apart across all of Tibet.
2 hours · Free
Zizhu Temple
Zizhu Temple is one of the oldest Bon monasteries. Bon scriptures record that the Bon founder Tonpa Shenrab came to Zizhu Mountain through miraculous transformation, blessing the mountain and making a vow there. As a result of this blessing and vow, highly accomplished masters have continually appeared on the mountain. Over 3,500 years, Zizhu Mountain produced 82 Zizhu masters (living Buddhas). Every year at the end of June, Zizhu Temple holds its annual Dharma assembly and sacred masked dances.
2–3 hours · Free
Bujia Snow Mountain
This is a place of breathtaking beauty. Located at the junction of Suo, Baqing and Dingqing counties, it has what is currently the densest concentration of hanging glaciers in the world. You can drive to the foot of the glaciers, making it a place where you can get up close to them.
1–2 hours
Boluo Jirong Grand Canyon
Towering peaks flank both sides of this canyon, with cliffs rising thousands of metres, and the canyon stretches about 5 km. In the Duo River within the canyon are features said in legend to be the square boulder dice used by King Gesar for board games, Zhumu's 'Sky Bridge' and rock-carved Buddha images. Halfway up the canyon wall is a cave that is very difficult to climb to, which the local people call Gesar's Demon-Subduing Cave.
2 hours · ¥70
Chajiema Hall
Located in Leiwuqi Town, 30 km from the county seat. Chajiema Hall is the oldest and largest ancient temple in Qamdo, renowned for its majestic presence and its rich collection of Buddha statues and scriptures. It still preserves fine treasures, such as a saddle and battle sword said to have belonged to Gesar, an eight-petal lotus vajra statue, thangkas from the Ming and Qing dynasties, and metal statues from various historical periods. They are exquisitely crafted and extremely precious.
1 hour · ¥50
Mount Dola
What makes Mount Dola mysterious is that the limestone covering the mountain is carved with Buddha images and six-syllable mantras. The sacred mountain is not very large and is traditionally divided into outer, middle and inner circuits. Climbing the main peak gives a bird's-eye view of the whole of Mount Dola. Walking the inner circuit takes no more than two hours. This is the core of the mountain and its main point of interest, where along the way you can pay respects to and admire Padmasambhava-centred Buddha images, stupas, six-syllable mantras and Tibetan prayer texts.
1 hour
Kamaduo Stupa Forest
The stupa forest nestles beside mountains and water, with beautiful scenery. Among the green pines and cypresses stands a charming small shrine hall housing a statue of Padmasambhava. Legend says there used to be 108 stupas here. Several dozen have now been restored or rebuilt, including the Eight Buddha Stupas and the Square Odd Stupa, ranging from tall stupas several metres high to small ones under 3 metres. Behind the shrine hall is a huge mani stone pile, carved with six-syllable mantras and Buddha images.
1 hour
Laigu Glacier
The Laigu Glacier lies beside Ranwu Lake and consists of the Meixi, Yalong, Ruojiao, Donggang, Xiongjia and Niuma glaciers, of which the Yalong Glacier is the most spectacular. From Laigu Village you can see all six of these maritime glaciers, making it one of the best places in China to view glaciers.
1 hour · Free
Getting there & around
Qamdo is home to Bamda Airport, the civil airport with the highest elevation in the world. It currently only operates flights to Lhasa and Chengdu. The airport is 130 kilometres from Karub District and can be reached by taxi for ¥450–550. However, flying conditions are poor, and flights are often delayed or cancelled.
Road is the main way in and out of Qamdo. The counties of Qamdo are far apart, so journeys between them are long. Qamdo Bus Station operates long-distance coaches to Chengdu, Lhasa, Markam, Zayü, Nagqu, Nyingchi, Bomi and other destinations.
Qamdo → Chengdu: The full journey is over 1,200 kilometres and takes about 3 days and 2 nights. The fare is about ¥490. Buses depart from Chengdu Xinnanmen Bus Station and Chengdu Qamdo Hotel.
Qamdo → Lhasa: The full journey is 1,000 kilometres on a poor road, taking about 4 days and 3 nights. Departures are irregular, usually on Saturdays.
Where to stay
Qamdo has good hotels and standard guesthouses. Around Qamdo, you can also find local Tibetan houses offering accommodation.
Local Specialties
Qamdo's best-known local specialties include snow lotus, Cordyceps sinensis, fritillaria bulbs and Qamdo Drunken Pears. Because of Qamdo's unique geographic position, its handicrafts have been influenced by the crafts of Tibetan, Han, Mongolian, Naxi, Nepali and Indian communities, gradually forming a distinctive local ethnic style. Gama, located upstream on the Zaqu River 120 kilometres from the city centre, is especially famous across Kham for its handicrafts.
King Gesar Epic
Qamdo is the heartland of Kham culture and is renowned for its Dingqing Rewa dance, Qamdo Zhuo dance and Markam xianzi (string) art. It is also the main region where the Tibetan epic “King Gesar” was created and passed down. If you visit Qamdo, be sure to see a performance by a King Gesar storyteller.
tip: On the southern Sichuan–Tibet route, between Bamda in Qamdo and Baxoi, there is a special stretch of road known as the “72 Bends of the Nu River”. It is not a scenic spot as such, but almost everyone passing through for the first time stops briefly at the highest point of the road. Looking down, the road appears as a chain of large and small letter “Z”s joined end to end. As one of the famous perils of the Sichuan–Tibet highway, this stretch is unforgettable and nerve-wracking. Take extra care when driving here.
Sacred Cattle and Sheep
If you see cattle or sheep wearing red, yellow or green cloth tags grazing in the countryside, do not chase or harm them. They are offerings to the gods made by Tibetan residents. When passing religious sites such as monasteries, mani stone heaps or stupas, walk around them clockwise, keeping them on your right.
Festivals
Qamdo has many festivals, with something nearly every month, many of them traditional festivals with strong ethnic and religious character. The Zhongque Festival is the oldest traditional festival in the Leiwuqi area. Held on the 15th day of the 6th month of the Tibetan calendar, it is said to commemorate the construction of the main hall of Chajima, the chief monastery of the Dalong Kagyu school, under the guidance of the Kagyu master Ugyen Gyatso. The horse racing festival is held in the 5th and 6th months of the Tibetan calendar across Jomda, Riwoqê, Konjo, Zayü and Baxoi in Qamdo, with various folk horse racing events in honour of King Gesar, who won the throne by defeating rivals on a bareback horse. The Butter Lantern Festival is held from the 1st to the 15th day of the first month of the Tibetan calendar.
Tianxing Holiday Hotel
Tianxing Holiday Hotel- Address:
- Baima Lower Street, Baima Village, Baima Town
- Phone:
- 0895-4565922
Qamdo Taihong Theme Hotel
Qamdo Taihong Theme Hotel- Address:
- No. 6 Baima Upper Street, Baxoi County
- Phone:
- 18589153777
Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), pp. 610–620. Translated from the Chinese edition; names and prices follow the guidebook. · Plain text version