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Gongga Gompa monastery below the snow peaks of the Minya Konka range, prayer flags on the trail above

Trekking / Gongga lodge trek

Small group · fixed departures

The Gongga lodge trek.

Five days to the foot of Gongga Shan without a single night in a tent — the hidden monastery at the mountain's feet, a full base-camp day, and Langgatso, the lake that frames the whole range — walked as a join-in group and slept in beds throughout.

  • Duration5 days
  • Nights4
  • Highest pointLanggatso, 4,500 m
  • Starts & endsChengdu
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Gongga Gompa · the monastery that has base-camped every expedition

Highest point4,500 m

Langgatso, the lake under the west face of the range

Camping nightsNone

hotel, monastery bunks and a mountain lodge — no tents

Group size2–8

international trekkers only

You carryDay pack

overnight luggage is carried between the night stops

Why this route

The mountain's foot, with a bed every night.

Gongga Gompa is the hidden monastery at the foot of Minya Konka — 7,556 metres, the highest mountain east of the Himalaya. Every expedition to the mountain since the 1930s has based itself here, and the view from the temple roof is the one the mountain is famous for: the full summit pyramid directly above the prayer flags. This trek puts you there for two nights, with none of the camping.

From the monastery a full day walks up the glacier valley toward the base camp under the mountain at 4,200 metres; on the way home the route crosses to Langgatso, the holy lake at 4,500 metres that mirrors the whole west face in one frame. Two walks on the famous ground, two nights in beds, one unhurried mountain trip.

It runs as a join-in group on fixed dates from May to November, priced per person — the affordable way into the Gongga heartland without a tent, a porter team or a private-tour budget.

Route Briefing

West from Chengdu to Xinduqiao, over the Zimei pass to the monastery for two nights, then a base-camp day, the lake, and the long road home. One hotel, monastery bunks, one lodge.

  1. Days 01–02Chengdu → Gongga Gompathe Zimei pass, the rhododendron trail, bunks at the monastery
  2. Days 03–04Base camp & Langgatsothe glacier valley at 4,200 m, then the lake at 4,500 m
  3. Day 05The long road eastvillage roads to Yulongxi, nine hours back to Chengdu

Along the way

Famous ground, walked slowly.

This trek covers less ground than the camping circuits — deliberately. The days are built around the stops that made this mountain's reputation, each reached from a bed rather than a tent.

The mountain

Gongga Gompa · Nama base camp · Langgatso

Gongga Gompa
The monastery under the summit, in expedition diaries since the 1930s. Two nights here mean a sunset and a morning on the same view.
The base-camp valley
A full day up the glacier stream toward the climbing base camp at 4,200 metres — the closest the trail comes to the mountain's ice.
Langgatso
The mirror lake at 4,500 metres. On a still day the whole west face stands upside down in it; horses can carry you up.

Blue sheep are regulars on the crags above the base-camp valley; the trip's rarest sighting, a red panda in the scrub, keeps to luck.

The country

The Yala pass · Zimei · the village roads

The pass lake near Yala
Day one's acclimatisation walk spends the afternoon at 4,000 metres by the lake at the Yala road pass — views from the first day.
The Zimei pass
The viewpoint pass on the way in: the first full look at the west wall of the range.
Village roads
Tsemed and Shangmuju connect by country tracks that need chains in the ice months — the last unmotorised-feeling corner of the trip.

The acclimatisation rhythm and what to carry are covered in the day-by-day above.

Day by day

The five days.

Each day lists the distance, the altitude and the pace. No day is a hard one by trekking standards — the trip is built around views and acclimatisation, not distance.

  1. Day 01

    West, then up a pass on foot

    Chengdu → Xinduqiao

    Six to seven hours on the 2018 expressway to Xinduqiao, with the afternoon given to acclimatisation: a walk by the lake at the road pass near Mt. Yala, aiming to spend two or three hours at 4,000 metres without straining anything.

    The night is a hotel at 3,400 metres, with the town's small high street close by for supplies and a proper dinner.

    • OvernightXinduqiao hotel, 3,400 m
    • Drive6–7 hours, about 360 km
    • On footEasy acclimatisation walk
  2. Day 02

    Over the pass, up the pilgrim trail

    Xinduqiao → Tsemed village → Gongga Gompa

    Gongga Gompa monastery below the snow peaks of the Minya Konka range
    Gongga Gompa · two nights at the mountain's foot

    Four hours of driving drops over the Zimei Pass to the trail head, then a walk of about seven kilometres through rhododendron forest and prayer flags to Gongga Gompa at 3,700 metres — the Kagyupa monastery that has base-camped every expedition to the mountain since the 1930s.

    The walking day is short on purpose: the afternoon belongs to the temple and the view behind it, where sunset turns the 7,556-metre summit gold directly above the monastery roof. The night is a shared bunk at the gompa.

    • OvernightMonastery bunk, 3,700 m
    • DriveAbout 4 hours
    • On foot7 km, between 3,300 and 3,700 m
  3. Day 03

    Up the glacier valley

    Gongga base camp

    A full day out and back behind the monastery, following the glacier stream up to the base camp used by climbers of 5,588-metre Mt. Nama at about 4,200 metres — the closest approach to Gongga Shan on this trek, with the glaciers of the range filling the head of the valley.

    Fourteen kilometres on a rocky trail, the hardest day of the trip; poles earn their keep on the descent. Blue sheep are often on the crags above the trail.

    • OvernightMonastery bunk, 3,700 m
    • On foot14 km, between 3,600 and 4,200 m
    • TerrainRocky valley trail
  4. Day 04

    The lake that frames the range

    Gongga Gompa → Shangmuju → Langgatso

    The snow pyramid of Minya Konka reflected in the calm water of Langgatso lake
    Langgatso · the whole range in one still frame

    Three hours retracing the trail to Tsemed village, then local roads to the base of the Langgatso walk. The afternoon climbs from 4,000 metres to the lake at 4,500 metres — the small holy lake that mirrors the whole west face of the range, main peak included, and the finest single view of the trip.

    There is no rush; the whole afternoon is given to the lake and the walk around it. Horses can carry you up if the legs say no. The night is a lodge in the village country at 4,000 metres.

    • OvernightMountain lodge, 4,000 m
    • On foot7 + 7 km, between 3,700 and 4,500 m
    • HighlightsLanggatso · the west-face panorama
  5. Day 05

    The long road east

    Yulongxi → Chengdu

    A full day of driving — about nine hours from the village roads back to Chengdu, arriving at your hotel in the late afternoon. The tour ends there, or connects to whatever comes next.

    • EndsChengdu, late afternoon
    • DriveAbout 9 hours

Fixed departures

Seven departures through the seasons.

The join-in group runs on set dates from May to November 2027 — chosen for the access seasons and away from the very busiest weeks. One price, an early-booking rate, and no more than eight to a group.

Five days, four nights. Prices are per person, twin or multi share in the hotel, monastery and lodge.
DepartsPer personChoose a departure
24–28 May 2027 CNY 6,0005,600 60 days ahead
22–26 Jun 2027 CNY 6,0005,600 60 days ahead
21–25 Jul 2027 CNY 6,0005,600 60 days ahead
21–25 Aug 2027 CNY 6,0005,600 60 days ahead
21–25 Sep 2027 CNY 6,0005,600 60 days ahead
21–25 Oct 2027 CNY 6,0005,600 60 days ahead
21–25 Nov 2027 CNY 6,0005,600 60 days ahead
Early booking
CNY 5,600 per person, for a seat confirmed 60 days before departure.
Peak months
The July and August departures run at CNY 6,400, with early booking at CNY 6,000.
Group size
Two to eight trekkers. A departure that falls short of two a month before is cancelled, or runs at a supplement of up to 100% of the tour cost.
Who it is for
This group takes international trekkers only. A private version runs on request — from USD 1,170 per person in a group of four.

If none of these dates fit, ask anyway — the same route runs privately on your dates. How that works

What's included

What is included, and what is not.

A lodge-based trek: guiding, permits, transfers and the night stops — beds throughout — are in the price.

Included

Arranged and paid for before you arrive.

  • An English-speaking trekking guide

    With you from Chengdu to Chengdu.

  • Tickets and permits

    Everything on the route, arranged ahead.

  • Transfers and luggage carrying

    Every drive on the route, and overnight luggage moved between night stops.

  • Meals at the night stops

    Dinners and breakfasts on the lodging nights, cooked where there is a kitchen.

  • Accommodation

    One hotel night, two monastery nights and a lodge, shared, as the plan lays out.

Not included

Yours, or yours to ask us about.

  • Lunches

    On trek there is nowhere to buy food — bring snacks from Chengdu; the departure pack list explains.

  • Chengdu hotels and meals

    The nights at either end are yours to book.

  • Personal gear

    Boots, poles and a warm layer set; sleeping bags can be rented if you want your own bedding.

  • Single room or bunk

    CNY 560 where a single is wanted or pairing is not possible.

  • Tips and personal expenses

    At your discretion.

A full packing list follows confirmation. Access flexes with the season; the core of the mountain — the gompa, the base camp valley, Langgatso — is always covered.

Enquiry

Ask us about this one.

Tell us which departure you are looking at and how many of you there are. We will come back with availability, the route notes and a written outline.

Response time
One business day
Group size
Two to eight
Private option
On request, your dates

Trip details

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Read next

The Gongga in-depth trek · The Minya Konka group trek · The Minya Konka panorama hike · Five ways to walk Minya Konka · Where you sleep, from park hotels to a monastery floor · Altitude: how to travel high in China