Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
recently China did not recognise India's claim to Sikkim). The other Karmapa, Tenzin
Chentse, has established his base at Kalimpong, West Bengal. The rival Karmapas have
never met, although both have indicated they are open to the idea.
For more on the starkly differing viewpoints, see the websites
www.rumtek.org
,
www.karmapa.org
and
www.karmapa-issue.org
.
Mick Brown's book The Dance of 17 Lives
is a good investigation into the controversy.
Getting There & Away
By road it's 9km from Damxung to the checkpost where you pay the entry fee, a further
16km winding uphill journey to the 5190m Largen-la, 7km to a junction and then a circuit-
ous 30km to Tashi Dor.
Around 4km before the checkpost, just past the horse-racing stadium near Najia village,
a paved road branches 3km to Kyang-rag (also spelled Jangra or Gyara) Monastery, a pos-
sible detour. Another road leads north from the ticket gate for 12km to Kangmar Monas-
tery.
Some Chinese tourists visit Nam-tso as an exhausting day trip from Lhasa. It's much
better to make this a two- or three-day trip, stopping off at Tsurphu en route, or to combine
Nam-tso with Reting and Talung monasteries. For details of the three-day trek to Nam-tso
see (
Click here
)
.
Lhundrub
0894 / Elev 3800m
Peaceful Lhundrub county, around 70km from Lhasa, is dotted with small monasteries and
temples that rarely get a foreign visitor. Most of the sites here are spread across the lush
and fertile Phenyul Valley. If you are on a 4WD tour you can easily visit Lhundrub while
travelling between Lhasa and Reting Monastery.
The main town in the valley is Lhundrub (Línzhōu), whose northwestern section has
several hotels and restaurants, as well as Ganden Chökhorling Monastery.
Sights
