Tibetan Treks - Tibet - page 443

The trail is now wide and easy to follow as it traces a course down the east side of the val-
ley. Walk through the thickening scrub forest for one hour and you will come to another
stream entering from the east side of the main valley. Look for the wood-and-stone Di-
waka Zampa bridge (4335m; N 29°30.439ʹ, E 091°33.165ʹ) 50m above the confluence.
The valley now bends to the right (west) and the trail enters the thickest and tallest part of
the scrub forest. The right combination of elevation, moisture and aspect create a verdant
environment, while just a few kilometres away desert conditions prevail.
The next two-hour stretch of the trail is among the most delightful of the entire trek. Ac-
cording to local woodcutters more than 15 types of trees and shrubs are found here, some
growing to as high as 6m. Fragrant junipers grow on exposed south-facing slopes, while
rhododendrons prefer the shadier slopes. The rhododendrons start to bloom in early May
and by the end of the month the forest is ablaze with pink and white blossoms.
The trail winds through a series of meadows. After 40 minutes the stony flood plain of a
tributary joins the river from the north. In another 30 minutes look for a mass of prayer
flags and an ancient juniper tree at a place known as Gen Do. This is a shrine (4165m; N
29°29.525ʹ, E 091°31.805ʹ) to the protector of the area, the goddess Dorje Yudronma. Just
past the shrine, cross a small tributary stream. In one hour the forest rapidly thins and
Changtang , the first permanent village since Hepu, pops up. There's good camping just
before the village. From Changtang the walking trail becomes a full-fledged motorable
road.
Look south to the distant mountains; this is the range on the far side of the Yarlung
Tsangpo Valley. About 45 minutes down the valley at a prominent bend in the valley is the
turn-off for the Yamalung Hermitage , visible on the cliff-face high above the valley. A
small shop run by the nuns of Yamalung sells soft drinks, beer and instant noodles. There's
fine camping across the bridge; the path to Yamalung also leads up from here. It's a
45-minute steep climb to the hermitage. Yamalung (also called Emalung) is where the
Tibetan wonder-worker Guru Rinpoche is said to have meditated and received empower-
ment from the long-life deity Tsepame (Amitayus).
From the turn-off to Yamalung the valley is much wider. Nowadays many groups opt to
end their trek at Yamalung, but if the weather is good and you want a taste of southern
Tibetan cultural life, consider carrying on. In 15 minutes you will reach a bridge; the road
now sticks to the west side of the valley all the way to Samye, a 3½-hour walk away. Some
20 minutes from the bridge you will come to the village of Nyango , with its substantially