Latuo Wetland Nature Reserve in Gonjo County, Chamdo
Chinese Name: 拉妥湿地自然保护区
English Name: Latuo Wetland Nature Reserve in Gonjo County, Chamdo
Location: Located in Gonjo County, Chamdo Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region
Admission Fee: Free
Opening Hours: All Day
About Latuo Wetland Nature Reserve
Latuo Wetland Nature Reserve（拉妥湿地自然保护区）is located in Latuo Village（拉妥村）, Latuo Township（拉妥乡）, Gonjo County（贡觉县）, Chamdo Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, 80 kilometers away from the county seat, which has an average elevation of 4200 meters. It is one of the natural wetlands areas with the highest elevation and the largest scale in Kangqu. It is also the important living water conservation of Lancang River（澜沧江） tributaries. The wetland natural reserve is adjacent to Dharma Monastery. It was listed as a county nature reservation in 2005 by Gonjo County people’s congress because of good wetland environment, better attraction agglomeration, and in 2011 it won the award for the autonomous region AA level scenic spot.
Resources of Latuo Wetland Nature Reserve
The area is large and flat, with an area of 22,336 hectares. They are many rivers and lakes, complex and varied natural geographical conditions, good ecological environment, attracted many kinds of animals and rare birds to survival here. It forms an ecosystem of multi-function and rich biodiversity. They are many precious animals such as the black-necked crane, the black swan and red linen duck which are the firstly and secondary state protected animals of more than 4000 birds. Many other national protected animals, including sheep, white labial deer, Tibetan antelope, roe, lynx, fox, wolf, etc., and the abundant fish resources. Especially between October and December every year, the wetland is a necessary place for the protection of birds and black necked cranes at the national level, and it is a unique natural landscape in Conjo County.
The Attractions by Latuo Wetland Nature Reserve
Wetlands adjacent monastery is the Dharma Monastery, which is unique and spectacular on the prairie, with a long history. According to the folklore, Dharma Monastery was built in the 6th century, which is one of the most typical monasteries in Gonjo County. Across Dharma Monastery, visitors can appreciate the giant “six words”— Om mani padme hum（唵、嘛、呢、叭、咪、吽）on the hillside, which was said that Princess Wenchang had written them with her whip when she traveled pass this monastery. They words are very clearly written. Overlooked from a long distance, the six words are particularly spectacular, which is also a unique and miraculous landscape of this area. Plus the beautiful scenery of Latuo Wetland Nature Reserve pull this wetland at the foot of the mountain, the different kinds of birds and grassland; it forms the unique and magnificent tourism scenic spot with great potential of religion, ecology and spectacle.
Attraction Transportation
Air
Located in the Bangda Grassland, the Chamdo Bangda Airport is the world’s highest airport and has the longest runway. It is 136 kilometers (84.5 miles) from Chamdo County. As the first lateral airport in Tibet, Chamdo Bangda Airport started to be built in 1993 and finished in October, 1994. At present, it has air routes to/from domestic cities including Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Lhasa, Tianjin, Xian, and Xining; meanwhile, flights to/from Nepal are also operated at this airport.
Passengers can take airport shuttle bus to Gonjo County from the airport.
The airport inquiry number is +86 0895-4821004.
Bus
The Prefecture is over 1,200 kilometers (746 miles) from Chengdu and over 1,100 kilometers (684 miles) from Lhasa. Every week at least three buses travel between Qamdo and the two cities. Apart from regular buses, the tourist bureau sometimes sends special buses to Lhasa for visitors. They do not drive at night, so the whole journey may take five or six days. For individual tourists, hiring passing cars, mostly freight cars, is the best choice. These cars usually pick up passengers at the bus station in Gonjo County, and visitors can negotiate the details with the drivers.
Attraction Travel Tips
- Traveling Hours: one day
- Traveling Seasons: May and September.
- High Altitude Sickness Avoiding: Better take some medicines for relief and keep warm all the time.
- As there is a large temperature gap between daytime and night, it is highly recommended to take along some pieces of thermal clothing, hat, and gloves and so on.
- Please try your best to respect the religious belief and local customs.
- As well as the Tibet Entry Permit, you also need to apply for Border Permit for traveling as this destination lies near the Chinese territory boundary.
