Venturing face-to-face with Amdo Tibetan nomads is an electrifying once in...
verkyoyy
2018-03-02 10:17:23
馬隊(duì)提供了很多路線，郎木寺這個(gè)小鎮(zhèn)上有很多家的馬幫，值得信賴的我選擇了格桑馬隊(duì)，湊夠了5個(gè)小伙伴以后，我們選擇了穿越納摩峽谷
263tiffaniep
2018-01-28 13:58:58
So, yes, we did feel a bit like we were doing exactly what every single tourist was doing in Langmusi. But that was definitely worth it. Would do it again anytime.We went for the 2-day trip, and that was just perfect. The scenery is stunning, outstanding views of the lovely valleys and mountains. Meeting the Tibetan nomads was great, too, even though you can feel they're used to having foreigners wandering around and sleeping at their house. But that's okay.It is a once in a lifetime experience. If you are going there, just do it.PS: Your bum and knees WILL hurt after riding the horses all day.
11am2201
2017-12-27 06:27:27
TL;DR: Our visit in Langmusi definitely left me a deep impression, one that I will probably not forget for the rest of my life (I am not one for exaggeration), and I would highly recommend you check it out if you can.Here are the details:In Langmusi, a small town on the border of Sichuan and Gansu, we booked a three-days horse trekking trip through the grasslands. Liyi was very helpful from start to finish, and answered all the questions that we had in a promptly manner.Our Tibetan guide took us for many hours through the mountain ranges, cutting through the grasslands to his family’s yurt. The yurt contained only living essentials, including a stove (the heart of the yurt, fueled by dried yak sheep dungs), water, cooking utensils, beddings. Because of the high altitude, Langmusi already snowed in late October. Temperature dropped as low as -10 degrees Celsius, so everyone had to become really friendly.The three-day experience was surreal. We were completely cut off from modern technologies. Cell phones and computers were no good here. Water had to be fetched from the stream nearby and boiled before drinking. The stove had to be minded from time to time to keep the fire from running out and to keep the yurt warm and humid.In these three days I also developed great admiration for Tibetan women. The guide’s wife woke up before the crack of dawn and worked continuously until bedtime, which was around 11pm, without a word of complaint. While her husband was herding the animals or drinking tea with friends, she was not cooking, she would be milking yaks, collecting and spreading yak dungs for fuel, milking yaks, making butters, or fetching water. (She stood barely as tall as my shoulder, but I could barely lift the water bucket that she piggybacked everyday!) The whole experience left me rethinking about things big and small that I have taken for granted!If I have a chance, I would definitely come back to Langmusi, especially when the all the flowers in the Flower Ocean bloom.
Ve5pa
2018-02-04 09:50:09
just awesome. The owner speaks great english. Nothin else bad to say about the trip but the guides hit the horses few times more than needed, we had to say them to stop it and they did. If you are traveling with company and its possible to go just you and your friend(s) and one guide, do it! we had own guide but sometimes we joined to this other pack full of chinese tourists, who didn't kno how to handle the horses. And cause these horses are wild tibetan horses they want to settle things in narrow paths if other horse comes close to them. And it can get dangerous if you can't handle the horse.
LizSB451
2018-02-25 15:25:00
I had a really nice tour with this company. I did the 2-day tour, a great value for the experience. It was really beautiful and well-run. The most impressive thing for me was the professionalism of both Liyi (the owner) and the guide. I was fully informed of the itinerary before we started, we got a riding lesson and some cultural pointers, and they even made sure I was insured for horseback riding before I signed up. Liyi's English is excellent, and she was also super helpful getting me and a few of the other people in our group back to town a little early to make our buses on the second day. The guide spoke no English; I was able to translate between English and Mandarin for the rest of the group, but if you don't speak any Mandarin, just be prepared to use some sign language.Because I was there in the fall (early October), there was no butter making or dung collecting going on, and it was chilly at night, though the stove in the tent made it quite warm. We all rented chubas (Tibetan coats) which was a very good idea.I highly recommend doing a trek with this company!
Marie_and_Max
2018-01-10 13:27:07
The horsetrek was amazing, we chose the 3days/2nights option which was really worth it and enabled us to get closer with the nomads (but painful for your butt..). Riding through endless grasslands with just your guide, three people, the horses and some yaks is not a common thing in crowded and noisy China, so if you like adventure, great landscapes of nature and don't mind having no bathroom facilities and sleeping on the ground, you will for sure enjoy it! Liyi has some good tips and advices about the treks, and will help you to organize your trip to langmusi, but the only thing is that we booked through her the accomodation in langmusi and payed quite a lot for what we had (300RMB for a very basic room with shared bathroom + breakfast, even the hotel owner was a bit surprised when we told how much we payed to Liyi..)
687thijsb
2018-02-21 09:38:42
Although guides didn't speak any English, beforehand instructions by owner Liyi on what to expect and on how to handle the horses during our 2 day trekking were extensive and exceptionally clear. She also could provide us with poncho's and warm clothing, as the weather was not that good. We have had a warm welcome by the tibettan nomad family, and got to see many parts of their culture. And: al this is situated in one of the more dramatic landscapes we have come across. Wow!Liyi also got us on the way to Songpan afterwards, which came in very handy while outbound (bus) transport from Langmusi is scarce!
Erinlikesrice
2018-02-10 13:29:36
Going on a 2 day/1 night horse trek with Liyi's company was truly one of the best experiences we had in 9 months of travelling through Asia, and easily the best thing we did in our 30 days in China. We spent two days on horse back and a night with the Amdo Tibetan nomads in their camp in the hills surrounding Langmusi. We saw some of the most flawless scenery we have seen so far on our Asian adventure. We spent the days riding with our great Tibetan guide who showed us the ropes and the basics of horse riding, stopping at Tibetan homes along the way to share delicious meals (in our case vegetarian) and get a small insight into their daily lives. Very friendly and welcoming, the only thing that was a little bit awkward was the language barrier and the fact that sometimes we were left by ourselves in the peoples houses, so felt like we were intruding a little. This was only ever for a short time, and we were often able to just point to things to trying and spark a little bit of a sign language conversation.Everything was handled very professionally, safety forms and insurance papers were signed and we were given a couple of pages of information about the culture of the nomads and the activities we could join in with to read over on the night before we left. The horses were obviously well looked after, and we never felt in any danger with our very experienced guide leading us.Tip: The white horse is very naughty, so unless you are a very experienced rider that can show a lot of control, don't ride him as it made the trip just a little less than perfect having to worry about him running off all the time. However, this may have been sorted since then, just make sure you ask about your horses temperament before heading off.The accommodation (i.e. a Tibetan yak hair tent owned by a nomadic family) was surprisingly warm, considering it had been snowing the day before, and was very cosy and quite comfortable. We were given plenty of blankets, tea refills, and the food we were served was delicious and filling.My partner joined in the yak-herding with the young Tibetan guys at the end of the day, and judging by the pictures he took and his excitement when he returned, this was an amazing experience and one he won't soon forget.Overall we can not rate this highly enough, and would recommend going out of your way if you're in China but not planning on heading in Langmusi's direction. It is an unforgettable adventure of a lifetime, you surely won't regret it.We took over a thousand photos and many of them are at:
henryb440
2017-12-20 13:57:45
One of the best places I have visited in China. We went as a group of 14. Liyi, the organizer of the treks, was very good at communicating with me. Thr drive from Lanzhou to Langmusi was really long, took us 10 hours on the road with 2 extra hours for meals. Once we arrived, much of the town was under construction, likely to prepare for eventual massive migration of Chinese tourists. The hotel, while nothing amazing by general standards, served its purpose. Be warned, to use hot water, you need to turn the cold water valve off completely and turn loose the hot water valve. You may be wondering whats so good about this experience. Our group of 14 did both the horse trek and the biking tour. Both experiences were nothing short of amazing and unique in all of China. The views, the adventure, the hospitality, were all great. Most of us had never ridden a horse before and everyone said it was the best experience they have ever had in China. The trip to get to Langmusi is arduous, but the experience is amazing and well worth the trek. As another reviewer said, go expereince this treasure before they finish the express-way and tourists flood the area, much like jiuzhaigou.
604tomw
2018-01-18 18:28:31
If you're in to trekking then make your way over to Langmusi. It's definitely not the easiest place to get to (flight to Lanzhou, airport bus into town, public bus to the West Bus Terminal, then long distance bus to Langmusi cross roads, then taxi or walk 3km into town) but well worth the effort. The Horse Trekking 3 day trip was amazing. We decided to go on food rather than by horse but we still followed the same route. Langmusi region used to be part of Tibet when it was a separate state so there's loads of Tibetan culture to take in. We spent each night living with the local nomads in their yurts. These guys don't just dress up for the tourists, they are the real deal. A very simple, harsh lifestyle but one which they seem to treasure. We helped them herd the yaks, make butter and cheese with the yaks milk, cook the meals and the slept wrapped in tibetan rugs during the cold nights.The trekking was fairly tough and made harder due to the altitude but the views and whole experience was something I will never forget.One last tip: try and go sooner rather than later. We could already see the foundations being laid for massive property developments. As with places like Yangshuo in Guanxi province, it's not going to be long before this hidden treasure turns into a mass tourist destination.
