Amdo Tibet Tour

As an important part of vast Tibet, Amdo is located at the edge of the Tibetan area. Historically, it has been a multi-ethnic area and formed unique Amdo culture with Tibetan culture being its focus in the process of national integration. Many celebrities came forth in large numbers from here, such as Tsongkhapa, Gendun Chopel, 10th Panchen Lama, 14th Dalai Lama, etc.

The Amdo Tibet tour takes you to visit prestigious Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, such as Taer Monastery, Labrang Monastery and explore a cultural melting pot consisting of Tibetan, Han, Hui, Mongolian, Qiang and other minorities, who coexist with Amdo culture. With our tourist-friendly services, you are expected to gradually unveil the mystery of Tibetan Amdo.

Most Popular Amdo Tibet Tours

Designed by our local travel experts, the customized Amdo Tibet tour brings you ultimate freedom and flexibility to fulfill your travel inspiration. Both for solo travelers and a family visit or traveling with friends,etc, our top local leaders and attentive services like hotel booking and the transfer will have you covered. You may choose to visit the home of 14th Dalai Lama or enjoy a scenic stroll around serene Lake Qinghai or camp at Kusum, etc. The incredible Buddhist vibes and amazing landscapes will leave you spellbound. Check the following samples tours and work with our travel consultants to make yours.

4 Days Short Amdo Tibet Tour from Xining to Tongren
Xining-Xunhua-Tongren(Repkong) Longwu monastery Tour

This short Amdo Tibet tour from Xining to Tongren will take you to experience nomad’s life, explore Tibetan traditional paintings, and enjoy beautiful Tibetan plateau scenery.

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5 Days Experience Tibetan Life Tour from Xining to Tongren
Xining-Tongren(Repkong),(hometown of 14th Dalai Lama)

This short tour from Xining to Tongren is designed to experience Tibetan life roughly, witness the producing process of Tibetan traditional Thangkas.

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5 Days Amdo Tibet Nomadic Life Experience Tour
Xining - Tongren(Repkong) - Kusum - Camping at Kusum

The 5-day tour from Xining to Kusum via Tongren will take you to experience nomadic life in Amdo Tibet Area. A two-night camping at Kusum will make your tour more interesting.

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5 Days Short Xining Surrounding Tour
Xining-Qinghai Lake, Ta’er & Serdzong Monastery

The short Xining tour takes in the highlights of Xining, like Taer Monastery, Qinghai Lake and Serdzong Monastery. Choose this tour, you can enjoy both natural beauty and cultural feast of Xining.

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6 Days Amdo Tibet Exploration Tour
Xining-Qinghai Lake-Serdzong-Huashixia- Mt. Amnye Machen Tour

This Amdo Tibet tour starting at Xining will take you to visit the beautiful Qinghai Lake, ancient Serdzong Monastery, holy Mt. Amnye Machen and experience nomadic life on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

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6 Days Tibetan culture and nomadic life in Amdo Area
Xining-Tongren(Repkong)-Rongwu-Xiahe-Langmusi Tour

The tour from Xining to Tongren, Xiahe and Langmusi will take you to explore ancient monasteries in the Amdo Tibet Area and nomadic life on the Tibetan plateau.

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9 Days Amdo Area Tour, Tongren, Hometown of the 14th Dalai Lama
Xining-LijiaXia-Tongren(Repkong)-Xiahe-Lanzhou Tour

This tour from Xining to Lanzhou is designed for you to visit Amdo Tibetan area. No Tibet travel permit is required. Amdo alongside with U-Tsang and Kham make up the three traditional Tibetan areas.

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10 Days Lanzhou- Jiuzhaigou- Sichuan-Chengdu Tour
Lanzhou-Xiahe-Jiuzhaigou-Chengdu

This tour from Lanzhou to Chengdu via famous Jiuzhaigou takes in several famous tourist sites, Labrang Monastery - the largest Tibetan Monastery outside Tibet, Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou Scenic Areas. At last, you can get close to lovely Pandas in Cheng

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Amdo Tibet Photo Gallery

Most Asked Questions about Amdo Tibet Tour

Where is Amdo region?

Amdo was originally one of the three main regions of the ancient and vast Tibetan Empire, the other two being U-Tsang and Kham, and covers almost all of what is now known as Qinghai Province in northwest China, and some small parts of south-western Gansu Province and northwest Sichuan Province.

The area once covered a massive tract of lands, from the Yellow River to the Yangtze River, following the expansion of the Tibetan Empire from the 7th to 9th centuries. Ungoverned by the Dalai Lamas since the mid-eighteenth century, this huge area of ancient Tibet still has a large number of Tibetan inhabitants in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefectures of the province.

Why choose to take an Amdo Tibet tour?

There are many reasons to take a tour in Amdo Tibet, not the least of which is the ability to experience the traditional Tibetan culture with fewer restrictions than that in the Tibet Autonomous region for international travelers. With around 21 percent of the total population of the province being of Tibetan origin, and four out of six autonomous prefectures where Tibetans make up the majority of inhabitants, a trip to Amdo Tibet is the best way to see Tibetan culture without the need for additional permits.

Traditionally a place of learning and scholars, Amdo contains many of the prime monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism, including the Kumbum Monastery near Xining, the Labrang Monastery near Lanzhou, and the many Kirti Monasteries of the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, not to mention the Taktsang Lhamo in Dzoge County.

Amdo is also a great place to see lower-altitude Tibetan landscapes, as it lies on the northeastern edge of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau. The plateau area starts as you leave Golmud, and rises up to the Kunlun Mountains, which stretch across the northeastern corner of the plateau. From there, the scenery gets even better, as the province also includes the Kekexili Nature Preserve, a vast area of grasslands between the Kunlun and Tanggula Mountain Ranges.

Experiencing a Tibetan nomadic life in Amdo is possible as the region is well known for having a host of Tibetan nomads, herding their yaks across the plains following the lushest grass and the changing seasons. A unique people, the Tibetan nomads live in their yurts, yak-hair tents, throughout the summer season on the grasslands, moving on when they need to find fresh grazing for their animals.

What travel documents are needed for Amdo Tibet tour?

Documents for Visiting Amdo Area Only:
If you are planning a trip to the old Amdo area of ancient Tibet, now in Qinghai Province, then the required documents are relatively simple. While it is an area where Tibetans live in the traditional manner, there is no requirement to have all the documents that are needed for the Tibet Autonomous Region. All you need in order to visit Amdo is the standard Chinese Entry Visa.

To get the visa, you need to make an application to the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in your home country. The application needs to include your passport, itinerary, two passport photos, proof of onward or return flights out of China, proof of your hotel booking in China, and the relevant fee, which can be found on the website of your local Chinese Embassy.

Documents for Visiting Amdo and Tibet:
For those traveling to the Tibet Autonomous Region, you will need additional documents, on top of the Chinese Entry Visa. Known as the Tibet Travel Permit, this document is required for all international visitors to Tibet, and can only be obtained after booking a tour to Tibet with us.

You will need to send our travel consultants scanned copies of your passport and visa, and once your tour is booked, the application will be made with the Tibet Tourism Bureau on your behalf. Processing currently takes around 8-9 days, so make sure that you book your tour with enough time to process the permit application.

When is the best time for Amdo Tibet tour?

Amdo features plateau inland climate with long and freezing winter but short summer. Overall, the highly recommended travel season is from April to November, particularly from June to September.

While the summer runs from June to September, you can actually get good weather from May to the end of October, and with temperatures reaching around 18 degrees at most, it is the perfect time to take in the stunning scenery of Qinghai’s Amdo region. Winter in this region can be quite cold, especially in the areas that are on the plateau, and can even be blocked by snow in the depths of winter.

Besides, The accessibility of Amdo region has been greatly improved in recent years. Most roads are paved roads, and only several scenic spots may still have parts of dirt roads. Overall, the road conditions are not bad.

How about the accommodation conditions in Amdo Tibet?

Tourism in Amdo Tibet is already well developed, and the hotels there are much the same as can be found everywhere else in mainland China. Hotels range from economical three-star hotels to the luxury of good five-star hotels, mostly found in Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province. In the outlying areas of Qinghai Province, in the areas around Tongren and Golmud, and further up onto the plateau, some of the accommodations can be poor to be basic, but there are plenty of places to stay in almost the entire province. You may easily use our booking service to secure your favorite hotels.

The most classic and recommended food in Amdo Tibet?

Cuisine in Amdo Tibet is exceptionally diverse, thanks to the variety of ethnic minorities that reside in this region, so you can find a wide range of cuisines in one place. Most of the great cuisines of China can be found, while the local flavors more reflect the Muslim influence from the west, and include a variety of mutton dishes, noodles, and the traditional Muslim flatbreads.

Mian Pian is a delightful noodle dish that is popular in Qinghai’s capital, Xining, and when served with beef, it is a great way to warm up on a cold day. Mutton is a popular dish on the Qinghai grasslands and is often served as “Mutton Eaten With Hands”, while in much of the province, you can find the best in fresh lamb kebabs.

What are the must-sees for Amdo Tibet?

There are a multitude of places to visit and things to see and do in Amdo region. Qinghai Lake, which lies just outside Xining, is the largest salt lake in China and is known locally as Koko Nor, an old Mongolian name. With 23 rivers and streams emptying into the lake, it is a surprise that it retains its saline waters.

Ta’er Monastery, also known as the Kumbum Monastery, is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery that was constructed more than 400 years ago and lies around 25 kilometers from Xining. A magnificent temple with halls and Lhakhang in a mix of Han and Tibetan architecture, this beautiful gompa is the pinnacle of monasteries in Qinghai Province.

Labrang Monastery, Amdo’s largest and most famous Buddhist monastery located in the small town of Xiahe. Sitting at an elevation of 2900 meters, the monastery is surrounded by high mountains and alpine forests. It is a popular pilgrimage destination for Tibetans and is home to over 1700 monks.

On the boundary of the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau and the Loess Plateau, lies the 4,000-meter Sun and Moon Mountain. Lying between the monsoon and non-monsoon areas, the eastern side is filled with farms and crops while the western side lies in the vast grasslands of the Qinghai area of the Tibetan Plateau, with its nomadic herders and the yak and sheep that graze there.

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