Gatar Race Ride

July 13-24, 2026, 12 days, 8.5 days riding

A varied horse ride and yak pack in mountains and grasslands, with a tradtional temple festival (and rest!) in the middle.

Day 1, July 13: Meet in Chengdu and drive to Kangding. This small mountain city is at an altitude of 2600m and is mainly ethnic Han Chinese with a notable Tibetan presence and flair, particularly in its shops, restaurants and temples. For centuries it has been the meeting place of Tibetan and Chinese culture, and has served as a tea and yak hide trading center. It serves as last outpost before the wild Tibetan mountains and passes of the Chengdu-Lhasa highway and the Tibetan region of Kham. Spend the night above the city at at hot springs. (Yala Hotsprings Guesthouse, 3100 m, 4 hour drive, depending on road conditions)

Day 2, July 14: Drive to Tagong (2 hours) and settle into the Ecolodge. Meet your horse and have a 2-3 hour ride, and prepare for the mountain trek. 3800m

Day 3, July 15: Take a 20 minute car ride to the trailhead at Gyergo Nunnery. Then ride over high Griffon Pass (4800 m) with stunning views of sacred Mt. Zhakra, 5900 m). Then walk down into the back valley to camp at the Zhakra Hotsprings. (4 hour ride, 3 hour hike, camp at 4100 m)

Day 4, July 16: Ride down into the valley and to the forest where we will camp overnight. Then, we will ride up to the turquoise sacred take Yimtso, and do a traditional circumnabulation of the lake on foot, visiting the active meditation huts and caves on the far side. (5 hour ride, 1 hour hike, camp at 3700m)

Day 5, July 17: Return to Gyergo Nunnery over a lower pass, via Empty Valley. Stay tonight in traditional homestays with the elderly around the nunnery. (6 hour ride, huts, 3900m)

Day 6, July 18: Drive to Gatar Gompa to experience the yearly lama dance there. Your guide will explain the meaning of these amazing masked dances. We will camp nearby. (1 hour drive, 3500 meters)

Day 7, July 19: Big Race Day! Enjoy the various race events: blessing the horses, the long race far across the valley, and stunt races in the afternoon. Then drive back to the Ecolodge to rest up, have shower and sauna, and prepare for the next section of the trek. (1 hour drive, 3800 meters).

Day 8, July 20: Ride up into the high nomad areas. Another lovely day on the horse to end at the home camp of our guides. We will settle in to spend the night at this camp, to be wined and dined by nomads, and experience their traditional life. Opportunity for nomad tent stay for interested guests. (7 hour ride, camp near nomads, 4200 m)

Day 7, July 21: Spend the morning at Dashika Nomad Camp, enjoying the traditional life. We can try yak milking, butter processing, yak fiber spinning for string and rope, and yak herding. Then ride to Yibei Lake, a high sinkhole (cenote) lake. This is a short 3 hour ride across the high plateau where we will see many nomad camps dotted across the area. Yibei is a Great Lake for swimming, but cold! (3 hour ride, camping, 4450 m)

Day 8, July 22: Ride to high lookout to the west, across wolf and gazelle country and the Lhagang plateau’s highest area. Lunch at the lookout, at 4600 m, with views of isolated hermitages nestled in mountains, after mountain, after mountain. Then drop down to see sacred Ragni Lake, home of lammergyer birds in cliffs and the site of many legends. Camp nearby. (5 hour ride, camping, 4200 m)

Day 9, July 23: Ride across the Lhagang Plateau’s most populated nomadic area. Some years we happen upon a religious festival in this area. Arrive after lunch to high Genup Gompa, an 300-year-old nomad temple. After visiting the temple, we’ll say goodbye to our guides and drive to Khampa Nomad Ecolodge with a quick stop for snacks in Bamei. (5 hour ride, camping, 3800 m)

Day 10, July 24: Return to Chengdu by car. (Buddhazen Hotel)