It’s an electric atmosphere that spreads across different tiny villages. You will experience the fair, the society, the religion, and the opportunity to meet other people in the scattered neighborhoods. Be ready to see people laying on beds of nails with self-inflicted wounds, and drunken performances that whip the local crowds into a frenzy!
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Destination
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Trip duration
6 days, 5 nights
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Transport
Private Van
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Accommodation
Well-selected 4 star hotels
The Dharma Shaman Festival is an annual gathering of Tibetans and the lesser-known Tu groups that inhabit the red mountains on the border of Qinghai and Gansu. It’s a stage set for authentic and spectacular rites of adulthood.
This is our ultimate highlight, however, the more remote areas of Gansu and Qinghai you are going to explore will truly satisfy your thirst for exploration. On top of that you will be lead by an exceptional chaperon, Prof. Jeremiah Jenne. Rarely you will find most informative and fun Cicero on the China roads.
Read his Bio in our Tesimonial section.
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The spiritual Dharma festival is held in the Tongren area of Qinghai, a province in north central China. This area is known for Thangkha painters whose works on cotton or silk appliqué usually depict Buddhist deity, scene, or mandala. Tibetan Buddhism is practiced here. The festival held in villages is a ritual of physical strength and pain endurance with participants inserting needles into their flesh and inflicting cuts to themselves to celebrate adulthood. This 6-day program takes guests to witness this rather unusual event, to explore ancient Amdo deep culture and spectacular sightseeing.
@Nicola Longobardi
Qinghai, China
Day 1
PICK UP AT XINING AIRPORT, TRANSFER TO HOTEL
TIn the mid-morning we will meet you in the Xining XNN airport after baggage claim and then transfer 1 hour to our hotel in Xining. Xining is located at 2,300 meters above sea level and we will be gradually acclimatizing from here as move to Rebkong. 1:00pm- Lunch in Xining and then visit the local Tibetan History Museum to see the longest Thangka painting in the world at over 600 meters in length. This thangka tells the story o the Tibetan people and was painted by 100’s of local artists. 4:00pm- Rest in hotel and relax after a long flight. 5:30pm - Go out for an authentic Tibetan dinner in Xining and talk about the schedule for the week. 8:00pm- Settle into our hotel in Xining for a nice rest.
Food
-/-/D
Accommodation
4 STAR HOTEL
Day 2
SHACHUNG MONASTERY
8:00am - Eat breakfast in hotel in Xining 9:00am - In the morning, drive 2 hours from Xining to Shachung Monastery. Shachung Monastery overlooks the Yellow River and sits on a ridge directly across from Kanbula National Park. Here we can learn about the history of the founder of the Yellow Hat Gelugpa Sect, Tsongkapa. 12:30pm - Eat lunch in a small town near the Shachung Monastery. 1:00pm - Short day hike in a village near Shachung Monastery as we walk the kora, the sacred pilgrimage, around the monastery and its dramatic holy cliffs. 4:00pm - Depart Shachung Monastery, drive to Rebkong at 2,600 meters. 6:00 pm - Authentic dinner in Rebkong 8:00pm- Sleep in a hotel in Rebkong.
Food
B/L/D
Accommodation
4 STAR HOTEL
Day 3
REBKONG LONGWU MONASTERY, SHAMAN FESTIVAL
7:30am - Eat breakfast in hotel in Rebkong 8:00am - In the morning, drive 10 minutes into Rebkong to explore the back alleys of Longwu Monastery, Qinghai’s largest monastery, to find out what life as a monk is really like. Explore the origins of Tibetan Thangka art as many of the Thangka across Tibet are produced in this monastery. 1:00pm- Lunch in Rebkong 2:30pm- In the afternoon we will visit a local village outside of Rebkong to see the Shaman Festival 6:30pm- Dinner in Rebkong 8:30pm- Sleep in hotel in Rebkong
Food
B/L/D
Accommodation
4 STAR HOTEL
Day 4
REBKONG SHAMAN FESTIVAL
7:30am - Eat breakfast in hotel in Rebkong 8:00am - Today we will spend the full day viewing and photographing the unique Shaman Festival. Each local village hosts its version of this festival and this ceremony has its origins in pre-Buddhist traditions of the animistic Bon Religion. The shaman of each village performs his own unique rituals and dances as he honors the local mountain gods and asks for the good health of the villagers and a successful harvest for his local community. At the height of the celebration, long needles are placed through the cheeks and into the backs of dancers to the beat of a goatskin drum. This releases evil spirits from within the bodies of the dancers. 1:00pm- Lunch near Rebkong town 2:30pm- In the afternoon we will continue our experience of the Shaman Festival. Across all of Tibet, this festival only happens in Rebkong. 6:30pm- Dinner in Rebkong 8:30pm- Sleep in hotel in Rebkong
Food
B/L/D
Accommodation
4 STAR HOTEL
Day 5
GANJIA GRASSLANDS DAY HIKE
8:30am- Depart Rebkong, drive through high Tibetan grasslands for a short hike near the Ganjia Gorge at 3,200 meters. 12:30pm- Lunch near Ganjia Grasslands 1:30pm- Transfer to Grasslands for an afternoon hike starting at 3,200 meters and moving up through rocky gorges and past a Buddhist meditation cave. 4:30pm- Depart the Ganjia area to return to Rebkong 6:30pm - Check into hotel and rest (or if you are feeling energetic take an afternoon hike above the monastery). 7:30pm - Tibetan dinner in Rebkong at 2,600 meters 8:00pm - Return to cozy boutique hotel in Rebkong
Food
B/L/D
Accommodation
4 STAR HOTEL
Day 6
DEPART XINING
8:30am - Eat breakfast in hotel in Rebkong. Spend the morning in Rebkong, viewing Tibetan thangka art. 11:00am - In the morning, drive 2.5 hours back to the Xining airport 12:30pm - Eat lunch along the road 3:00pm - Drop off at Xining airport for your evening flight out of Xining XNN airport
Food
B/L/-
Accommodation
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Travel is an emotional experience, cherishing new corners and venture into unknown landscapes.
Respecting this and giving back to society has taken an important role in our endeavours in leaving only footprints and taking only memories.
To Know More
Well-selected 4 star hotels
Across the region, we selected lodging solutions in 4* Hotels.
Travel is an emotional experience, cherishing new corners and venture into unknown landscapes.
Respecting this and giving back to society has taken an important role in our endeavours in leaving only footprints and taking only memories.
To Know More
Create the experience of your dream with our travel experts
Make your own trailIncluded
- PhD Jeremiah Jenne as chaperon for this incredible trip
- Mr. Ben Cubbage as Local Lore and Excursion Expert
- Local English speaking Tibetan Guide
- 5 nights’ accommodation in sharing twin rooms with breakfast as indicated in the program
- Lunch and dinners as described in program, (Meal Symbols: B=Breakfast; L=Lunch; D=Dinner)
- Transfers, tours by A/C vehicle and entrance fees as indicated
Not Included
- Ticket(s) for international and domestic flights
- Meals as not indicated in program
- Single supplement
- Tips for services of local guides and drivers
- Expenditures of a personal nature, such as drinks, souvenirs and laundry etc.
- Travel Insurance. we require all travelers to provided their own travel insurance for the duration of the journey. We recommend www.worldnomads.com
- Any required Covid Test (based on the current requirements)
Payment and Cancellations
- Deposit: 25% of total package to confirm the booking.
- Full payment is due 4 weeks before departure. We reserve the right to release all services in case of payment overdue
- Cancellation policy:
Between 30 and 20 days prior to arrival : 25% of total amount
• Between 20 and 10 days prior to arrival : 50% of total amount
• Less than 10 days : 100% of total amount
Is this trip guaranteed to run?
- This special departure needs a minimum of 10 travelers to be confirmed
Important notes
Few important details to frame the experience:
- Please note that the itinerary and the order of the visits as described above is subject to change depending on local conditions
- Itinerary is subject to change depending on the confirmed flights, road conditions, and rooms availability. We reserve the right to replace above hotels by other hotels of similar or superior category
- Prices are subject to change in case of VAT or other tax increases
- As of 2020 Asian Trails has introduced a voluntary carbon offsetting initiative for our travellers to compensate for unavoidable emissions during their tours with us. Emissions during multi-day package tours (not including international flights to our destinations) are pegged at a cost of $1.50 per traveller per day. This amount is based on average daily emissions of travellers across our eight destinations. Contributions from clients to our carbon offsetting initiative will go into a destination-specific fund to support climate protection projects certified to Gold Standard in that country. Certification to Gold Standard assures that the projects supported through our carbon offsetting initiative not only reduce harmful emissions but also positively contribute to sustainable development. Our contributions to projects in a country will be relative to the CO2 emitted by our travelers in that destination. To know more about this project: https://marketplace.goldstandard.org/collections/projects/products/more-efficient-cooking-and-heating-china