Sanyan Ethnic Tourist Area in Gonjo County, Chamdo
Chinese Name: 三岩民俗区
English Name: Sanyan Ethnic Tourist Area in Gonjo County, Chamdo
Location: Located in Gonjo County, Chamdo Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region
Admission Fee: Free
Opening Hours: All Day
About Sanyan Ethnic Tourist Area
Sanyan Ethnic Tourist Area（三岩民俗区）, the unique folk custom tourism area, is located in the west bank of Jinsha River, about 145km east of Gonjo County（贡觉县）, Chamdo Prefecture（昌都市）, Tibet Autonomous Region. “Sanyan ” means the sinister land. Here are the deep mountain valleys, cliff walls, bumpy road, and poor occlusion transportation conditions. In history, Sanyan Area still remains the original social organization of patriarchal clan—Pacuo（帕措）nowadays. There are mountains covered with snow, numerous rivers, and vast plains of pristine forests, dotted with lakes, abundant wildlife and mineral resources. There is another bat hole worth seeing in Gangtuo Village（岗托村）, Xiongsong Township（雄松乡）of Sanyan area.
Introduction of Sanyan Pacuo
Sanyan Pacuo（三岩“帕措”）is the remnant of the patriarchal clan that is not widely seen in the world, and still retains some basic characteristics of the primitive clan tribes. In Tibetan, the word “pa” refers to the father’s side, and “cuo” refers to the meaning of the settlement, which refers to “a tribe formed by the blood of the father”. It is the bone system in the traditional concept of the Tibetan people. Pacuo（帕措）has the characteristics of the clan and the function of the tribe, which is basically a patriarchal society. But it also has a more rigorous organizational structure and distinct clan democratic parliamentary characteristics. The Pacuo organization in Sanyan area is known as “the living fossil of the patriarchal primitive culture”.
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.
