Amdo Tibetan Monlam Festival Tour (2027)

Welcome to Xining, the gateway to the traditional Tibetan region of Amdo. Upon arrival, your guide will meet you at the airport or railway station and transfer you to your hotel.

The rest of the day is free to relax after your journey or explore the city at your own pace. Your guide will brief you on the upcoming Monlam Festival and the unique celebrations you’ll experience over the next ten days.

Overnight in Xining.

Begin your journey with a visit to Kumbum Monastery (Ta’er Monastery), one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug school and the birthplace of Je Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Explore its magnificent assembly halls, intricate butter sculptures, and richly decorated chapels before continuing south into the Tibetan region of Amdo.

Arrive in Tongren (Repkong), renowned as the home of Regong Tibetan Art, a UNESCO-recognized cultural heritage famous for its exquisite Thangka paintings and Buddhist sculptures. Before checking into your hotel, visit Rongwo Monastery, the region’s most influential monastery and the spiritual center of the upcoming Monlam Festival.

Overnight in Tongren.

Rise early and drive to Gomar Monastery, where one of the most anticipated events of the Amdo Monlam Festival takes place.

Before the ceremonies begin, local Tibetan families gather inside the monastery with homemade butter tea, milk tea, tsampa, and festive breakfasts, sharing food with relatives and friends while exchanging blessings for the new year. This unique gathering offers a rare opportunity to experience local community traditions rarely seen by visitors.

In the afternoon, witness the spectacular Giant Buddha Thangka Unveiling. Monks carefully carry and unfold an enormous embroidered Buddha image across the hillside while thousands of pilgrims offer prayers, burn incense, and receive blessings. The sound of long Tibetan horns, chanting monks, and colorful prayer flags creates one of the most unforgettable scenes of the entire festival.

Return to Tongren.

Spend another full day immersed in the Amdo Monlam Festival. This morning, visit Lower Wutun Monastery to witness the spectacular Cham Dance, a sacred masked ritual performed by monks dressed as Buddhist deities and Dharma protectors. Accompanied by traditional horns, drums, and cymbals, the dances symbolize the triumph of wisdom over ignorance and the purification of negative forces for the coming year.

In the afternoon, return to Gomar Monastery to experience another important festival tradition. Join local pilgrims as monks carry a sacred statue of Maitreya (the Future Buddha) in a ceremonial procession around the monastery. Surrounded by chanting, prayer flags, and devoted pilgrims, this ritual offers a wonderful opportunity to witness the spiritual atmosphere of the Monlam Festival beyond its grand public ceremonies.

Overnight in Tongren.

Return to Gomar Monastery this morning to experience another day of the Amdo Monlam Festival. Watch the monastery’s Cham Dance, where monks perform sacred masked rituals accompanied by traditional Tibetan music, chanting, and ceremonial instruments. Each monastery preserves its own unique choreography and traditions, making every Cham Dance performance a distinctive cultural experience.

In the afternoon, visit Wutun Village, the heart of Regong Tibetan Art, a UNESCO-recognized Intangible Cultural Heritage. Explore a local Thangka artist’s workshop to learn how these sacred paintings are created using traditional techniques passed down through generations. Besides Thangka painting, Regong Art also includes Buddhist sculptures, murals, embroidery, and wood carving, preserving one of the richest artistic traditions in Tibetan Buddhism.

Overnight in Tongren.

Spend the morning enjoying the final Monlam ceremonies at Gomar Monastery, where pilgrims continue gathering for prayers and Cham Dance performances.

In the afternoon, drive to Langmusi (Taktsang Lhamo), a small Tibetan town straddling the border of Gansu and Sichuan. Home to two important Tibetan monasteries, Langmusi becomes one of the major centers of the Amdo Monlam Festival, welcoming pilgrims from across the Tibetan Plateau.

Overnight in Langmusi.

Rise before dawn for one of the most anticipated events of the Langmusi Monlam Festival. Every year, thousands of monks, pilgrims, and local Tibetans gather outside Kirti Monastery to witness the Giant Buddha Thangka Unveiling, one of the festival’s defining ceremonies.

As the ceremony begins, monks carry the enormous Buddha Thangka from the monastery and carefully unfold it across the mountainside. The valley comes alive with the sound of long Tibetan horns, chanting, and prayers as pilgrims gather around the sacred image to offer khatas, touch the Thangka, and receive blessings for the year ahead. The combination of deep religious devotion and vibrant festival atmosphere makes this one of the most memorable experiences of the entire journey.

After the ceremony, drive about 2 hours to Luqu, where you’ll continue following the Monlam Festival over the coming days.

Overnight in Luqu.

Today head to Xicang Monastery in Luqu to experience the colorful Jewelry Parade, one of the most distinctive traditions of the Amdo Monlam Festival. Tibetan nomadic communities from the surrounding grasslands gather in their finest traditional attire, displaying generations-old heirloom jewelry of turquoise, coral, silver, and amber. The procession circles the monastery as local families come together to celebrate, pray for good fortune, and preserve their cultural traditions. Afterwards, enjoy the lively Cham Dance, another highlight of today’s festival celebrations.

Overnight in Luqu.

Drive to Labrang Monastery, one of the largest and most influential Gelug monasteries outside the Tibet Autonomous Region. En route, visit the impressive Milarepa Nine-Story Tower in Hezuo.

As night falls, witness one of the highlights of the entire Monlam Festival—the spectacular Butter Sculpture Festival. Monks spend weeks creating elaborate sculptures from colored yak butter, depicting Buddhas, bodhisattvas, animals, flowers, and scenes from Buddhist scriptures. Illuminated by hundreds of butter lamps, these intricate artworks transform the monastery into one of Tibet’s most breathtaking nighttime festival scenes.

Overnight in Xiahe.

Join local pilgrims for the final major celebration of the Amdo Monlam Festival—the Maitreya Procession. A magnificent silk image of Maitreya Buddha, the Future Buddha, is carried in procession around Labrang Monastery by monks while thousands of devotees follow in prayer, believing participation brings blessings, peace, and good fortune for the year ahead.

After the ceremony, drive to Lanzhou, where your unforgettable journey through the festivals and living traditions of Amdo comes to an end.