Litang

The "Highest City in the World," with Changqingchunke Monastery, the Thousand-Household Tibetan Village and the Maya Grassland, and the hidden Mount Genyen area to the southwest.

Litang lies in the southwest of Garzê Prefecture, Sichuan, on the southern Sichuan–Tibet route (G318). The county seat sits at about 4,014 m and is billed as the "Highest City in the World" and the "City in the Sky." It is the birthplace of the Seventh and Tenth Dalai Lamas, and is widely known thanks to the Sixth Dalai Lama Tsangyang Gyatso's poem "I don't fly to far-off places, I go only to Litang and return," and the Tibetan youth Tenzin (Ding Zhen), who became famous in 2020. Sightseeing falls into three parts: first, the county town, with Changqingchunke Monastery (a famous Gelug monastery of the Kham region), Letong Ancient Town and the Thousand-Household Tibetan Village, and the Tsangyang Gyatso Museum, good for a leisurely half day to a day; second, the surrounding grasslands and valleys, including the Maya Grassland along the G318 west of town (venue of the Litang Horse Festival in early August), the Wuliang River Valley south of town, and the Haizi Mountain–Tu'er Mountain glacial lake group above 4,500 m on the way to Daocheng; third, the Mount Genyen area about 3–4 hours' drive to the southwest (Genyen Peak is 6,204 m, with Lenggu Monastery, the Eye of Genyen and more), suited to a self-drive or chartered-car deep dive, for which you should set aside 1–2 days. Best season: Jun–Sep, when the grassland is greenest and wildflowers bloom, with a lively horse festival in early August; Sep–Oct brings golden autumn colors; winter is bitterly cold but the sky is a deep blue. Getting there: Daocheng Yading Airport is about 1.5 hours' drive from the county town, Kangding to Litang takes about 4–5 hours, and Litang to Daocheng about 2.5 hours; the town has a bus station, but nearby sights are mostly reached by chartered car. Suggested stay: 2–3 days. Notes: the town is already above 4,000 m, so newcomers should move slowly and drink plenty of water, and those sensitive to altitude sickness can stay in Daocheng instead; summer afternoons often bring thunderstorms and hail, and day-night temperature swings are large; walk clockwise around monasteries and ask permission before photographing monks and pilgrims; roads in the Genyen area are mostly gravel, so travel with companions and confirm that the scenic area is open.

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