8 Days Yushu Horse Racing Festival Tour

Tour Overview

Horse Racing Festival in Yushu of Qinghai province is one of the three most famous horse racing festivals in Tibetan area. It starts from 25th, July and usually lasts...

Code of Tour: YCT0000001824

Length of Travel: 8 Day

Destinations of Tour: Xining - Tongren - Madoi - Yushu - Xining

Departure City: Xining

Price of Tour: Request

Type of Tour:

Features of Tour: History Minority Landscape Festival

More Map & Picture

Horse Racing Festival in Yushu of Qinghai province is one of the three most famous horse racing festivals in Tibetan area. It starts from 25th, July and usually lasts for a week, even longer. The typical festivities involve horse races, yak races, tugs of war, the Tibetan equivalent of a weight-lifting tournament, eating and drinking as well as dancing and singing performances, display of traditional Tibetan costume, etc.  Starting from Xining, tourists will arrive in Yushu(Horse racing festival venue )via Tongren, and you can appreciate the horse racing and a variety of performances held by Tibetan nomads last for a week, and visit monasteries and vast grassland along the way. As a region inhabited by Tibetan, Qinghai was the homeland of 10th Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhism founder Padmasambhava. 

Brief Itinerary

• Day 1: Xining Arrival
• Day 2: Xining-Tongren
• Day 3: Tongren-Modoi
• Day 4: Madoi-Yushu
• Day 5: Yushu
• Day 6: Yushu
• Day 7: Yushu-Xining
• Day 8: Xining Departure

Google Map

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Xining

Sightseeing and Activities:Arrive in Xining
Accommodation:Xining
Meals:None

Upon your arrival, your local guide will meet you at the airport or railway station and then take you to the hotel. The rest time is for you to explore freely and have a good rest. Stay overnight in Xining.

Day 2 Xining – Tongren (Repkong)

Sightseeing and Activities:Longwu Monastery, Wutun Monastery
Accommodation:Tongren
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

Drive to Tongren County in the morning, and explore the Longwu monastery (Ronpo Gonchen Gompa) and Wutun Monastery in the afternoon. Founded in 1301, Longwu monastery is 186 kilometers away from Xining. Its grand hall has a number of spectacular statues of Shakyamuni and others including an 11 metre gilded statue of the founder, Tsongkapa on a stand 26 metres in circumference. The handcraft of Tongren is famous in Tibetan region. In and around the Wutun monastery, there are many Thangka- making studios where you can watch how thangkas are painted as long as you like. Stay overnight in Tongren.

Day 3 Tongren – Madoi (Mado)

Sightseeing and Activities:Tongren – Madoi (Mado)
Accommodation:Madoi
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, drive along the north of Anemaqing mountain ranges to the hot spring town. The mountain has long been known as the holy mountain in Golok Tibetans minds.On a clear day, you can view the summit of the mountain (6282m above the sea level) in the distance.

Day 4 Madoi – Yushu (Jyekundo)

Sightseeing and Activities:Madoi – Yushu (Jyekundo)
Accommodation:Yushu
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

Today, drive through Tibetan plateau, the paradise of wild animal. You may encounter a few wild donkeys in the wide grassland.

Day 5 Yushu Horse Racing Festival Experience

Sightseeing and Activities:Yushu Horse Racing Festival Experience
Accommodation:Yushu
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

We will stay at Yushu for 2 days to experience this grand ceremony of Tibetan plateau. Tourists can play and dance with Tibetans, and watch the extraordinary horsemanship in horse riding competition and archery skills, feel the power of Tibetan wrestling. Engulfed in pervasive carnival atmosphere, you will be invited in Tibetan nomads’ camps and enjoy tasty Tibetan food or explore the trade fair on the prairie. Stay overnight in Yushu.

Day 6 Yushu Horse Racing Festival Experience

Sightseeing and Activities:Yushu Horse Racing Festival Experience
Accommodation:Yushu
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

Keep stay at Yushu for the Horse Racing Festival. Tourists can play and dance with Tibetans, and watch the extraordinary horsemanship in horse riding competition and archery skills, feel the power of Tibetan wrestling. Engulfed in pervasive carnival atmosphere, you will be invited in Tibetan nomads’ camps and enjoy tasty Tibetan food or explore the trade fair on the prairie. Stay overnight in Yushu.

Day 7 Yushu to Xining by Flight

Sightseeing and Activities:Yushu to Xining by Flight
Accommodation:Xining
Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

Fly from Yushu to Xining, which is around 800km and it is too long to travel by surface. Stay overnight in Xining.

Day 8 Departure from Xining

Sightseeing and Activities:Departure from Xining
Accommodation:None
Meals:Breakfast

You will be driven to the Xining airport for your flight to next destination. If you are interested in extending trip to Tibet, you may take a train from Xining to experience the Qinghai Tibet Railway travel.

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Service Included:

• Tibet travel permit and all other necessary permits to Tibet;
• All entrance ticket fees for all tourist sites listed in the itinerary;
• Personal knowledgeable English-speaking Tibetan local tour guide;
• Personal comfortable, clean and safe vehicle with reliable Tibetan local driver; vehicle ranging from 4WD land cruiser to minibus depending on your group size;
• All lodging listed in the itinerary; it’s your decision about the accommodation class: luxury 5-star international hotel, comfortable 4-star hotel, economic 3-star hotel or budget hostel, guesthouse or tent. Please tell us your accommodation preference when submitting the enquiry; we will arrange the best-value hotels for you.
• Domestic flight/train tickets listed in the itinerary;
• All meals listed in the above itinerary.

Service Excluded:

• International flight to and out of China;
• Chinese visa (Note: we could help you with the Chinese visa application, like providing the invitation letter, presenting the hotel or domestic flight reservation copies, etc that you may need. )
• Domestic flight/train not listed in the itinerary. (We can provide you the domestic flight/train ticket booking service at the BEST discount price; please contact us our travel experts for the details.)
• Meals not specified in the itinerary; usually it costs about USD3-15 per person for one meal in TAR (Tibet Autonomous Region).
• Tips and gratitude to tour guide and driver;
• Personal expenses, like laundry, phone call, snacks, soft drinks (please do the best to avoid the alcoholic beverages during your Tibet trip), optional tour activities, etc.

Travel Tips:

1. Tibet Permits

There are several permits required to visit Tibet. Tibet Entry Permit, issued by Tibet Tourism Bureau, is the most important one which has to be obtained before your trip because you must have it to take your flight/train to Tibet. To get the permit, you have to book a Tibet tour with us, and send us your passport and Chinese visa about 20 days in advance, and then let us apply for the permit (all Tibet permits can only be applied by travel agency). If you travel to other prefectures like Shigatse, Nyingchi, Shannan, etc, you also have to obtain an Alien Travel Permit. If you travel to Mount Everest, you have to obtain a Border Permit. (Tibet Discovery, with office in Lhasa, has always kept up with the latest news on Tibet Permits. Traveling with us, all your permits are guaranteed as long as you are qualified to the requirements.)

2. Available Months to Visit Tibet

Generally speaking, May to early October is the best time to for a Mount Kailash trip. July and August are the peak season and rainy season. It may be too cold to travel in Kailash area from November to March. There is usually heavy snow. The conditions in Namtso Lake and Mount Everest area are quite similar with Kailash. While other places like Lhasa, Gyantse and Shigatse are suitable for travel all year around.

3. High Altitude Sickness

The average altitude of Tibet is about 4000 meters above the sea level (Lhasa: 3700m; EBC: 5200m; Namtso: 4718m). You may suffer a bit from High Altitude Sickness in the beginning days of your Tibet trip if you haven’t had rich high plateau travel experience. But don’t worry too much, the high altitude can be acclimatized usually in 2~3 days. Our suggestion is to take a physical examination and get suggestions from your doctor, and also bring some medicines to prevent from High Altitude Sickness before your trip. While in Tibet, you should keep warm all the time, avoid strenuous activities, drink more water and eat more vegetables and carbohydrates. You’d better not take showers during the first two days after your arrival at Tibet. If you don’t feel well, get help from your tour guide or go to the hospital without any delay.

4. How to Go to Tibet

Basically you have two options – flight and train. Currently, you can take a flight to Lhasa from Beijing(4.5hrs), Xian(3.7hrs), Chengdu(2.5hrs), Chongqing(3hrs), Kuming(3hrs), etc. Among all these cities, Chengdu and Xian have more frequent flights to Lhasa. Kathmandu also has several flights to Lhasa each week.

If you a train travel, you can take a train to from Beijing(40.5hrs), Xian(32hrs), Chengdu(43hrs), Shanghai(47hrs), Chongqing(42hrs), Lanzhou(25hrs), Xining(22hrs), Guangzhou(54hrs).

5. Packing and Wearing Ideas

Firstly you can’t forget your passport and Chinese Visa. A large backpack and a smaller one are recommended (the smaller one can be used for daily activities). Also bring the necessary medicine you need. Other stuffs like sunglasses, snow glasses, hats, lip balm, sun block are recommended. As for wearing, you are suggested to dress in layers (both thin and thick jackets). Down jacket is necessary in Spring and Autumn. A pair of durable and comfortable shoes is necessary.