Darchen, a lonely village at the foot of Kailash

July,28 2016 BY Master Catherine Jigme 0 COMMENTS

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At the foot of Mt. Kailash, there is a lonely village, Darchen which is just situated right in front of the Sacred Mount Kailash and 330km to the southeast of Shiquanhe. Its altitude is 4,575 metres (15,010 ft). Every year, thousands of travelers, pilgrims and photographers come from all over the world to visit the holiest mountain in Tibet and stay at this small village, making the village an international town.

The busiest time for the local Tibetans at Darchen is during the Saga Dawa Festival when thousands of pilgrims would make a pilgrimage tour to the Mt. Kailash. The people at this village offer food and accommodation to these visitors. There many hostels and family guesthouses on the two sides of the street. Tibetan Buddhists from Nepal and India and other places of Tibet usually stay overnight at the guesthouses there. The guesthouses are very simple and also cheap and thus popular among the pilgrims.

It is said that Darchen witnesses over 100,000 visitors each year. With more and more travelers and pilgrims to Mt. Kailash, more and more hostels are built at this small town.

There are also many sweet tea houses in Darchen. Butter tea is an indispensable drink for Tibetan people. It can make them warm. The tea houses are open very early in the morning and closed very late at night. Though the tea houses at Darchen are very simple, you will feel very comfortable and peaceful when enjoying a cut of hot sweet tea there.

The Saga Dawa Festival 2013 will fall on May 25. Until then, the small village will be boiled up and the people there will be happy at visitors’ arrival.

About the Author - Master Catherine Jigme

With exceptional passion and outstanding leadership, Mrs. Catherine has dedicated herself to Tibet inbound tourism and China tour for 15 years. As one of the handful females who see great potential of Chinese inbound tourism, Catherine has made great contribution to promoting Tibet tourism and enhancing the employment of Tibetans and prosperity of local Tibetan community.

Over the years, she travelled overseas with Tibet Tourism Bureau many times to promote Tibet tourism. Currently, Catherine works as the marketing director of Tibet Vista, an opinion leader behind the whole team of Tibet Vista.

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