Litang
When one thinks of Litang, one recalls Tsangyang Gyatso’s love poem: “O white crane, lend me your wings. I will not fly to distant lands,…
Litang, Garze Prefecture · Wang Junbo (talk · contribs) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Key facts
- Time needed
- 1–2 days
- Getting there
- From Kangding Bus Station, take a bus to Litang County. Fare: ¥90.5–99.5.
- Guidebook rating
- 4 / 5
From China Self Guided Travel 2025, page 403. Open in Google Maps
About Litang
When one thinks of Litang, one recalls Tsangyang Gyatso’s love poem: “O white crane, lend me your wings. I will not fly to distant lands, only to Litang and back.” Litang sits at 4,014 metres and is known as the “World’s Highest City”. Here you will find the vast Maya Grassland, the sacred Litang Monastery of the Yellow Sect, and the towering Genie sacred mountain.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get to Litang?
From Kangding Bus Station, take a bus to Litang County. Fare: ¥90.5–99.5.
How long should I spend at Litang?
Plan on 1–2 days for Litang.
Where is Litang?
Litang is in Garze Prefecture, Sichuan Province, in the Southwest of China.
More places in Garze Prefecture
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In 1928, American explorer Joseph Rock arrived in Daocheng and published his photographs in National Geographic, causing a sensation. From then on, Daocheng Yading, long asleep in the ice of time, revealed its most ancient and innocent face, and people were enchanted by its allure as the ‘last pure land on the blue planet’. Chonggu Temple, Luorong Pasture, Five-Colour Lake and Milk Lake all have a serene, Shangri-La-like beauty. Among them, the most mysterious are the three sacred peaks. Chenrezig, Jambeyang and Chana Dorje stand in a triangular formation, collectively known as Nianqing Gongga Risong Gongbu. In Tibetan, the name means ‘the sacred site of three guardian mountains that never lose their snow’, and in Buddhism they are called the Three Protector Snow Mountains. This is a sacred mountain in Tibetan Buddhism, and for every Tibetan, making at least one pilgrimage circuit around Nianqing Gongga Risong Gongbu in a lifetime is a cherished wish.
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Mugecuo Scenic Area
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¥105 (April–November); ¥75 (December–March) · 3–4 hours
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Hailuogou Glacier Park
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Tagong Grassland
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