Planning a Trip

Getting There

Compared to the trek out to Tibet's other renowned holy mountain, Kailash, getting to Amnye Machen is straightforward. The bus from Xining passes Lajia Si, a charming Geluk monastery on the upper reaches of the Yellow River, at daybreak, and arrives at Maqin midmorning. The bus station at Tuanjie Lu 137 (tel. 0975/838-2665), open from 7am to 5:30pm, has services to Xining (12 hr.; ¥105/$14/£6.85 express service, ¥79/$10/£5.15 sleeper) at 8am (seat) and 4pm (sleeper). To continue south, you will need to arrange permits in Xining. There are buses for Dari (4 hr.; ¥28/$3.65/£1.80) at 7:30am; and on odd-numbered dates for Banma (10 hr.; ¥54/$7/£3.50) and thence to Aba (1 1/2 days; ¥94/$12/£6.10) in Sichuan, departing at 8am. Hiring a Beijing jeep through CITS, you can connect directly with Maduo (¥1,000/$130/£65), Aba (¥1,500/$195/£98), and Yushu (¥2,000/$260/£130). Facing out from the bus station, you are on Tuanjie Lu. As major streets go, that's it. The direction to your left is roughly north.

Tours and Guides

CITS (tel. 0975/838-3368; fax 0975/838-3431; whitesnowlion@88yahoo.com) is in the lobby of Dawu Binguan, and goes by the name Amdo and Kham International Travel Service (open 9am-noon and 3:30-5:30pm). While they are friendly enough and can rent jeeps for ¥500 ($65/£33) per day, you're better off arranging the trip to Amnye Machen through the Qinghai Mountaineering Association or Tibetan Connections in Xining.

Fast Facts

Banks, Foreign Exchange and ATMs -- None are available.

Internet Access -- Hong Niu Wangba is across the road, just north of the bus station, on the second floor of a music shop (open 10am-10pm; ¥4/50¢/25p per hour). Dial-up is tel. 16300.

Post Office -- The main post office (Mon-Fri 9:30am-5:30pm; Sat-Sun 10:30am-4:30pm) is a 5-minute walk north of the bus station.