Explore the Mystery of Tibetan Culture Festival by Festival – 2025
Engage with authentic Tibetan culture and take part in dazzling traditional festivals on this once-in-a-lifetime trip.
From lively competitions to vibrant performances of folk song and dance, festivals provide a unique window into the culture and history of the local people. Taking part in a festival is like wandering through a living museum, where you get to engage directly with authentic local culture and savor moments that will stay with you for the rest of your life.
During this unforgettable tour, we’ll have the opportunity to take part in the June Festival (Shaman Festival ), and the Yushu Horse Racing Festival.
Along the way, we’ll visit historic Tibetan monasteries, wander along the banks of sacred lakes, marvel at panoramic views of holy mountains, and climb to altitudes of over 4,000 metres. We’ll even have the chance to meet China’s national animal, the giant panda, so that we end the tour on the happiest note possible!
Note: The dates of the festivals vary from year to year, so the itinerary varies from year to year.
Our epic Tibetan Festival tour will be concentrated on the ancient regions of Amdo and Kham, which were once part of the Tibetan Kingdom and are now located in the modern-day provinces of Qinghai, Gansu and Sichuan.
Traditional Tibetan culture still forms the lifeblood of villages and settlements throughout these regions, which have remained in the shadow of the Tibet Autonomous Region and are thus far less popular with tourists. For this reason, the cultural customs of Kham and Amdo have not been altered by tourist demand or preference, so you will have an unprecedented opportunity to witness the local culture at its most authentic.
Participants Max: 12
Duration: 16 days and 15 nights
Tour in 2025: 14th of Jul-29th of Jul
The June Festival in Tongren (Shaman Festival )
A mysterious local festival known for its fascinating "gruesome" customs
According to legend, the land was once plagued by venomous snakes and fearsome beasts. One day, a giant bird, known as Peng in Chinese, flew to the region and defeated all of these dangerous creatures, thus ridding the land of a terrible blight. It turns out that the winged savior was actually a god known as Xiaqiong, so every year people in this area host the June Festival in honour of this beneficent deity.
This traditional folk festival is celebrated widely among the Tibetan and Tu ethnic minority communities in Regong (Tongren) of Qinghai province. Held every year between the 17th and 25th day of the sixth lunar month according to the Chinese Lunar calendar, it has been an integral part of the festival calendar for over 1,400 years.
Only young men and unmarried young women are allowed to actively participate in the festival, but children and married women are allowed to watch and dance together during the end of the ceremony.
Throughout this magnificent festival, the local people pray for a good harvest, peace, prosperity, and a happy life. Many sacred ceremonies can be seen during the festival, such as: Shang Kou Qian, where the master of ceremonies uses two steel pins to pierce the cheeks of a volunteer; Shang Bei Qian, where the master of ceremonies uses between 10 to 20 steel pins to pierce a volunteer’s back; and Kai Shan, where the master of ceremonies makes a small mark on his own forehead using a knife and then ceremonially sprinkles a few drops of his own blood on the surrounding ground. Many people regard these ceremonies as having an air of magic about them, since the steel pins that the master of ceremonies uses never seem to draw blood and do not leave a scar on the volunteers.
Alongside these holy rituals, the entire festival is conducted by the master of ceremonies, who will either be a shaman or the head of the local religion. During the festival, women will assemble at the Mountain-Gods Hall, where they will sing and dance to appease the God of the Mountain.
The Yushu Horse Racing Festival
A Thrilling Traditional Festival in the Kham Region of Qinghai
In the province of Qinghai, the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is known by many poetic nicknames, including the “Master of Famed Mountains,” the “Source of Rivers and Lakes,” the “Land of Yaks,” and the “Home of Traditional Song and Dance.” Most of Qinghai province's Tibetan residential areas are referred to as being part of the “Amdo” region, but Yushu Prefecture is said to be part of “Kham,” because the local Tibetans are characterized by traditional Kham culture. These local Khampa Tibetans are known for their colourful costumes, alongside their talent at singing and dancing. Their music is deeply expressive, which demonstrates their artistic talent.
Located within ethereally beautiful alpine meadows, Yushu is considered to be a paradise for singing and dancing.
From July 25th until August 1st each year, the Yushu Horse Racing Festival (the Nomad Festival) is celebrated, with a focus on traditional songs and dances, horse racing, and trade. It is widely considered to be the largest Tibetan national event to take place in Qinghai province each year. During the festival, Tibetans will don their colourful traditional dress and set up their tents on the meadow. From there, they can participate in horse racing, equestrian sports, yak racing, Tibetan wrestling, archery, an exhibition of traditional Tibetan dress, performances of Tibetan folk songs and dances, and other cultural activities.
The Regong Arts
Inscribed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2009, the Regong Arts is an umbrella term used to describe three distinctive art styles that originated from Tongren County, which was once known as “Regong” or “Golden Valley” in Tibetan. In fact, this type of art has become such an integral part of the local peoples’ culture that, by the 17th century, it was rumoured that nearly everyone in Tongren County could paint, and that almost every family was involved in the arts in some way.
The Regong Arts are largely the work of folk artists or monks from the Tibetan and Tu ethnic minorities. For this reason, they mainly revolve around themes related to Tibetan Buddhism. The three main types of artistic work covered under the term are: thangka paintings, patchwork barbola, and sculpture.
Thangka paintings are religious scrolls that can be used by Tibetan Buddhist monks or laymen in worship. First, a pattern is sketched onto a strip of cotton or linen cloth using charcoal and then natural dyes are applied using a special brush. These intricate paintings can take anywhere from a few months to several years to complete, and their primary function is as a tool for meditation.
Barbola, by contrast, is a special type of art that involves the cutting and piling of different materials to produce an image. Barbola artisans use silks and satins in a variety of colours, which they cut into the shapes of humans, animals, flowers, birds, or other recognizable objects. From there, they paste these pieces of cloth onto pre-cut paper models and overlay them one on top of the other, starting from the darkest colours and ending with the lightest colours. This produces a three-dimensional effect that looks as though the silk or satin has been embossed. This style of barbola is known as “jian dui” or “cutting and piling.” There is another style, called “ci xiu” or “embroidery,” where the fabric is instead embroidered to produce the three-dimensional effect.
Finally, the sculptures associated with the Regong Arts can be made from clay, wood, brick, and even yak butter, although clay sculptures tend to be the most common. They are renowned for their lifelike features and impressive attention to detail. Like the thangka paintings and patchwork barbola, the sculptures tend to focus on religious imagery and they are often included as decorations within temples.
Tibetan Monasteries
From their grand festivals to their elaborate works of art, every aspect of Tibetan culture has been saturated with their piety and spirituality. It goes without saying that, in order to understand Tibetan culture, you must develop an appreciation for their devotion to their religion.
Tibetan Buddhism is the dominant religion within the region. This unique sect of Buddhism represents a mixture of beliefs from the Mahayana and Vajrayana branches, which in turn stem from the late stages of Indian Buddhism. Alongside the practices that it inherited from Indian Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism has several unique qualities, such as certain Tantric practices and spirited scripture debates within the monasteries.
There are four major sects of Tibetan Buddhism, known as Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug. Of these, the Gelug or “Yellow Hat” sect is by far the most prevalent and is so named because the monks wear traditional yellow hats when they debate scripture. Unlike other tours, however, we will be visiting monasteries dedicated to the Sakya and Nyingma sects, as well as those belonging to the Gelug sect.
When you visit a temple or monastery in Tibet, you'll undoubtedly see countless worshipers spinning prayer wheels, circumambulating the temple grounds, or kowtowing within the temple halls. If we arrive at the right time, we may even have the opportunity to catch the monks during one of their scripture debates, which are often lively and sometimes even a bit heated! These temples and monasteries are an ideal place to get in touch with the local culture and to feel the depth of faith for which Tibetan people are so well-known.
Itinerary
Day 01 Arrive in Xining & Venture into the Tibetan Region
Meeting point: Xining Caojiapu International Airport.
Suggested flights:
There is no direct flight that leaves from London to Xining. We suggest to take the flight from London Heathrow to Beijing (CA852C 12:35pm – 5:35am), and then transfer to a domestic flight to Xi'ning (CA1203 11:25am - 2:10pm).
We will come to the airport at 2:10pm to arrange a pick-up service. Then let's go to Tongren directly.
Please Note: If you decide to take the train from another city in China to Xining, please let us know in advance and we can meet you either at the railway station or other meeting point. If you need any help making travel arrangements, please don’t hesitate to ask us!
Day 02 The “Army Dance” a June Festival Tradition
In the morning, we will go to a small village named Halabatu, where we will see the Shang Kou Qian ceremony. This is when the master of ceremonies uses two steel pins to pierce the cheeks of a volunteer.
Although this “gruesome” custom might be quite shocking, the performance of the traditional “army dance” is sure to put you at ease. It may even help to calm you down, or leave you feeling more excited because of how spectacular it is!
In the afternoon, we will go to visit the Guo Ri Ma Monastery.
The pagoda in Guo Ri Ma Monastery is the largest and tallest pagoda in the whole Amdo Tibetan area.
We will have an opportunity to enjoy more examples of the Regong Arts in the Regong Art Museum. Within the museum, there are 870 collections that span a time period from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to the present day, including a wide variety of Regong Art pieces.
Itinerary
Day 03 The “Dragon Dance” a June Festival Tradition
On this day, we will go to another village called Langjia, where we will get to see other “gruesome” customs associated with the June Festival.
What’s more, we will also have the opportunity to watch the traditional Shaman dancing and the ending ceremony of the June Festival. During the finale of the festival, the master of ceremonies will take part in a custom known as Kai Shan, where he will offer a small amount of his own blood as a sacrifice.
In the afternoon, we will go to visit the Wu Tun Monastery. The Wu Tun Monastery is one of the best and most representative places to admire the Regong Arts.
Day 04 The End of the June Festival
In the morning, we will go to the third village to continue our exploration of the June Festival.
On this day, the master of ceremonies will not only pierce the cheeks, but will also pierce some men’s backs with 10 or 12 pins, which is known as Shang Bei Qian. Once this is done, all of these brave men will band together and perform the Dragon Dance!
After lunch, we will head back to Tongren in order to visit the most important Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. It is also the third largest monastery in the Amdo area. Rongwo Monastery was built in 1301 and was originally dedicated to the Sakya sect of Tibetan Buddhism, but it was converted to the Gelug sect during the Wanli Regime (1578-1620) of the Ming Dynasty, when the entire area switched to the Gelug sect.
Itinerary
Day 05 The most important monasteries in Southern Gansu
On this day, we will drive to the Labrang Monastery, which is the largest monastery in the Amdo area and one of six great monasteries dedicated to the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism.
In the afternoon, we will visit another important Gelu monastery in the Amdo area. The Taktsang Lhamo Monastery is in a green valley. We will stay there overnight to enjoy the very fresh air.
Day 06 The Beginnings of the Yellow River
On this day, we will drive across the grassland and the mountains to Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. Qiang is another ethnic minority in China, but they are one of the oldest ethnic group in China.
We will have the chance to meet 'The First turning' of the Yellow River on the way.
The second stop is the Nangzhik Gompa. It is a monastery of the Bon religion in Amdo. Bon is an old religion in Tibet area but it is much less popular than Tibetan Buddhism now.
Itinerary
Day 07 A Tranquil and Beautiful Paradise
On this day, we will continue to drive across the mountains and grassland with the altitude more than 3000 meters. The rewards for us are the splendid view.
There are two special monasteries waiting for us, which are seldom visited by tourists. The Bangtuo Temple belongs to Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism and was built during Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368AD). The Cangwa Temple is actually composed of three temples, surrounded by many small wooden houses where monks live.
Day 08 The Art of Faith
On this day, we will follow the Douke River down to the south. We will visit a Tibetan village that is built on the cliff. It is perhaps one of the most dangerous villages in the world. Let's find out why they choose the life like this.
After paying our visit to Ngawa area, we will come into Garzê County. Embraced on all sides by towering mountains, Kasha Lake is considered to be a sacred lake by the local people, and also serves as the home for a large population of water birds.
Then let's try to catch the traditional exercise of debating sutras in Garzê Monastery at 4:00pm.
The second monastery we will visit is the Degongbo Monastery, which has been nicknamed the “Han Monastery.” This is because, according to legend, the third Rinpoche who oversaw this monastery was from the Han ethnic group. The Han Monastery is the oldest building in Garzê County, with a history that stretches back over 700 years ago. The architecture is a breathtaking intermingling of traditional Han and Tibetan features.
Itinerary
DAY 9 The Mysterious Nunnery
We will have a day-long journey driving along a small country road through the mountians. After all, the most mysterious and fascinating places are always the most remote, like the Yarchen Temple, which is the largest nunnery for female Buddhist nuns (Jue Mu) in the world.
We will climb up a nearby hill, where we will enjoy a breathtaking view of the Yarchen Temple and the Jue Mu Island. You may notice that the island is dotted with lots of small wooden houses, which is where the nuns live.
There is another magnificent monastery waiting for us in the afternoon, known as the Palyul Monastery, which is one of the 'Six Mother Monasteries' of the Nyingma school.
After visiting the Palyul Monastery, we will (again) climb up the hill opposite to enjoy a panoramic view of the area.
Itinerary
DAY 10 Explore a Buddhist Printing House
In the morning, we will go to visit the Derge Parkhang.
Derge Parkhang is an active printing house for publishing Tibetan Buddhist sutras and thangka paintings, as well as works of history, technology, biography, medicine, and literature. Derge Parkhang belongs to the Gonchen Monastery, which is a Sakya Tibetan Buddhist monastery.
Our next big stop will be the Yihun Lhatso Lake. It is the most beautiful natural attractions in Western Sichuan. This glacial lake is famed for its emerald waters, which reflect the surrounding snow-capped mountains.
Itinerary
DAY 11 Wander Through Ancient Towns
We will pay a visit to Dzogchen Monastery in the morning. It is one of the 'Six Mother Monasteries' of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism.
Then we will head deeper into the prairie, where we’ll find the hidden “sutra city.” Locals believe that the Songge Mani Sutra City was first built during the reign of King Gesar and has a history of nearly 1,000 years.
Once we’ve explored the ‘city', we will journey through the mountains, where the altitude is above 4,000 metres. On either side of us, sunlight will glint off the snow-white peaks of the mountains.
Our final destination on this day is a small town called Sêrxü, where we will find the huge Bage Mani Sutra Wall, which is 1.9km (1.1 mi), has formed a major part of the landscape for over 300 years.
Itinerary
DAY 12 A Land Among the Clouds
On this day, we will say goodbye to Sichuan province, head back into the Qinghai province. We will continue our journey passing snowy mountains as we venture into the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. We will head down from our altitude of 4,200 metres, but we will still be traveling at an altitude above 3,500 metres.
We will arrive at Yushu around the noon, then let's jump into the festival!
DAY 13 A Live Show Encapsulating Tibetan Culture
Horse racing isn’t the only cultural offering on display at the Yushu Horse Racing Festival.
There will also be other shows involving yak racing, Tibetan wrestling, archery, folk singing and dancing performances. In short, you could say that traditional Tibetan culture and customs have been encapsulated into this one lively event!
In the afternoon, we will go to visit the Gana Mani Sutra City.
Itinerary
DAY 14 Cheer On Your Favourite Horse!
Let’s enjoy another day watching the beauty and majesty of horses, as they fiercely compete for first place and we cheer our favourites on! And also, enjoy dancing and singing with the locals.
We will go to visit the Gyegu Monastère in the afternoon.
DAY 15 Enjoy the relaxing time in Chengdu
We will take the flight in the morning to Chengdu, which has garnered the reputation of being the most relaxing city in China.
A trip to the park near the river will show us how beautiful this city is and another trip to lanes will show us how traditional Chinese culture mingles with the modernity of the city.
Itinerary
DAY 16 Say Hello to Giant Pandas!
Once you come to a city in China that is so close to the home of the giant panda, it is too difficult not to pay them a visit.
Before saying goodbye to China this time around, let’s meet a few of the country’s most lovable residents.
Note:
There is a direct flight from Chengdu to London (CA423 3:55pm - 7:40pm).
If you have booked a different flight and need to go to the airport earlier, please let us know in advance and we will arrange a taxi for you.
Prices and What’s Included
Unlike other tours in China, we do not ask you to tip your tour guides and drivers each day. Instead, we pay our tour guides and drivers a fair wage, so they do not need to ask for tips.
Cost pp: £2,450/9-12 people in one group; £2,850/7-9 people in one group; £3,250/5-6 people in one group; £3,850/3-4 people in one group
Single supp: £380 (Please be advised that, if you are the last person joining the tour or if there is no one in the group who you can share with, you may need to pay for the single supplement. We will advise you if this is the case when you enquire about the tour).
Including: 15 nights of accommodation; all entrance fees to the attractions mentioned in the itinerary; meals; private mini coach; the services of an English speaking guide; a pdf file with useful information about the Tibetan culture; and any further help or information we can provide if you decide to continue traveling in China after the tour.
All three meals included: We’ll enjoy 3 meals together made up of dishes from traditional Chinese cuisine, with the exception of Day 1 and Day 16. On Day 1, we will enjoy a welcome dinner in the evening. On Day 16, only breakfast will be provided.
Accommodation: 5-star hotel in Chengdu; 3 or 4-star, boutique, or Tibetan-style hotels in all other places.
Transportation: private mini coach
If you like the look of this tour but would prefer to take it privately, we can tailor it to your specifications and design a bespoke tour for you or your group. Simply contact us on info@asiaculturaltravel.co.uk for a free email consultation with one of our travel experts.
How can I sign up to this tour?
Step 1 ⇒ Contact us directly to talk about the tour in more detail.
Step 2 ⇒ Book online and pay the £100 deposit. If you have an exclusive discount code, please enter it into the Enquiry box.
Step 3 ⇒ We will send you the invoice confirming you have been booked on the tour. Once you receive the invoice, you have 30 days to pay an additional £500, which will secure your place on the tour.
Step 4 ⇒ Please note that the final cost of the tour will be based on the number of participants and will be split into two payments. The first payment must be made within 3 months of the tour’s start date and is based on the minimum price of the tour minus your £600 deposit. After that, you will need to pay the remaining balance one month before the tour is due to leave based on the tour subscription. In the meantime, we will advise you on how to apply for your visa and keep you updated on the subscription of the tour.
Step 5 ⇒ Once you have made the final payment, we will send you our exclusive tour e-book, which contains a detailed itinerary of the tour and in-depth information on the areas we’ll be visiting.
Step 6 ⇒ Prepare yourself for an unforgettable adventure!
We are happy to answer any questions you may have and we will always keep you up to date on the progress of the tour subscription.