Chamdo Travel Guide

Chamdo, the third largest city in Tibet, has a population of close to 90,000. While a beautiful city, its remote location in the Henduan Mountains means few visitors visit.

Worth It?: Yes, if you want to get away from the tourist crowds in Lhasa.
What to Do: visit monasteries and nature reserves.
Best Time to Go: March to October.
How Long?: A few days are enough to take in the sights.
Trivia: before 1950, Chamdo had no highway connections to other cities in Tibet.

Resting in the east of the Tibet Autonomous Region, the city mushroomed at the turn of the 20th century, having previously been home to a community of only 12,000, one quarter of whom were monks.

Chamdo's large monk population was formerly housed at Galden Jampaling Monastery, a famous monastery on a site suggested by Tsongkhapa (a renowned Buddhist teacher) in the 14th century. Sadly the monastery was destroyed in the early 20th century but the two buildings that remain still house a small population of monks.

Visitors to the city can take in the outlying monasteries of Qambaling and Zezhol, with the former sitting at the meeting point of the Ongqu and Zhaqu rivers and the latter on the upper reaches of the River Zhaqu.

There is also much nature to be discovered at Yanjing Nature Reserve in nearby Mangkang, a landscape dotted with lofty mountains and deep ravines and home to the rare snow monkey. Also accessible from Chamdo is Riwoqe Changmaolin Red Deer Nature Reserve, home to more than 1,000 red deer.

Travel to Chamdo - Getting There

Chamdo is accessible via China National Highway 214 and 317. While only about 500kms from Lhasa, the road route travels more than 1,000kms and reaches heights of 3,000-plus meters. The nearest major airport which offers connections to Beijing is 45kms outside Lhasa and flights on this route take 3 hours, 40 minutes.

Chamdo Things to Do

Chamdo Attractions

Qambaling Monastery

lies scenically at the point where the Ongqu and Zhaqu rivers join.

Zezhol Monastery

sits on the banks of the Zhaqu River.

Side trips from Chamdo

Yanjing Nature Reserve: is a must-visit if you want to see the elusive snow monkey.
Riwoqe Changmaolin Red Deer Nature Reserve: takes its name after its large population of red deer.