Turpan is the second-lowest depression in the world, making it also the hottest place in China. The town sits in northern Xinjiang at 154m below sea level, and when we arrived it was a sweltering 43°. I didn’t check the real-feel, but as we stepped off the train, a strong wind hit us, and it…
Category: China
Desert Landscapes and Silk Road Sights | Gansu, China
Slot canyons and red rocks aren’t something people picture when envisioning China, but it’s actually home to some spectacular desert scenery. While in northern Gansu we explored a couple of stunning sights which we accessed from the friendly town of Zhangye. The first park was Pingshanhu Canyon, and it sat just a stone’s throw from…
Taking The Highest Train In The World To Lhasa, Tibet
There are two main ways that tourists reach Lhasa in the Tibetan Autonomous Region; by plane – which is risky due to the high altitude, or by train which helps gradually adjust the body to the elevation change. We opted for the cheaper train, which was due to take 22 hours, travelling from Xining in…
Desert Landscapes And Thangka Art | Qinghai, China
It’s our first time in China’s Qinghai province, which is larger than any country in Europe. It occupies a large chunk of the Tibetan plateau, and to Tibetans, this land is known as Amdo, one of old Tibet’s three traditional provinces. Our first stop was the town of Tongren, or Rebkong in Tibetan. For several…
One Of The Most Important Tibetan Monasteries | Labrang
As soon as we arrived in the monastic town of Xiahe in Gansu, I just knew I’d love the place. For starters – it’s the first place we’ve come across where some of the monks wore fuchsia pink robes. Many were still wearing the classic red ones, but the occasional pops of pink thrilled the…
Witnessing Monks Debating At Milarepa Palace | China
Hezuo is a convenient transport hub in Gansu, central China, so it was inevitable that we’d end up there. But we didn’t just pass through, we stayed the night so we could visit the Milarepa Palace Buddhist Temple. It’s a huge nine-storey building where spiritual leaders from varying sects are worshipped on each floor. When…
Discovering A Truly Wild Area Of Western China
Sometimes, all it takes is one photo to persuade me to visit a certain place – and that’s exactly what happened when we were in Gansu. I discovered a little village surrounded by jagged peaks and it wasn’t too far away from us. Buses didn’t travel the final 30km, so we hopped in a taxi…
Sky Burials, Monasteries, And Beautiful Hikes | Langmusi, China
Getting to the Tibetan town of Langmusi proved to be a little more challenging than we’d expected. From Songpan, in Sichuan, we took a bus north to Zoige, where we were informed there weren’t any buses to Langmusi, instead, we’d have to take a shared taxi. We didn’t mind, but we had to wait almost…
Hiking Above Huanglong’s Terraced Pools|China
The terraced travertine pools of Huanglong are just a couple of hours away from popular Jiuzhaigou, yet it sees a fraction of the visitors. In comparison, it’s a much smaller and quicker park to explore, with most visitors opting to take the cable car to the top, where they have only a short stroll to…
The Bluest Water In China | Jiuzhaigou Valley
The natural sights in China will probably surprise many people. From red rock deserts and snow-capped mountains, to crystal clear lakes and the rocky towers that inspired the Avatar movie – China has it all, and today we’re exploring the blue lakes of Jiuzhaigou National Park. The park suffered from overtourism in previous years, with…
