Tagong, called Lhagang ལྷ་སྒང་ in Tibetan, is a small town in western Kangding county དར་མདོ་རྫོང་ in the Kham region found in western Sichuan. Tagong lies at 3700m and is roughly 110kms from the city of Kangding (Dartsendo). This high altitude grassland area is home to many Tibetan nomads who spend their days herding yaks. From late spring until fall, the nomads live in traditional style black yak wool tents. Tagong is a great place to experience authentic Kham Tibetan culture. There are a few places in town that can arrange horse treks and culture tours of the area.
The town itself is quite pleasant and is built in traditional Tibetan style. The large style houses are beautifully built of stones. On the far end of town, there is the Lhagang Monastery, which is home to several hundred monks. The grassy mountains above the monastery offer great views over the entire town. There are several good guesthouses in town such as Jya Drolma and Gayla's and a few good places to eat such as the Khampa Cafe. The owners of the Khampa Cafe also arrange excellent hiking, trekking and cultural tours of the area. Follow this link for more information: Chyoger Treks.
Within a 2 hour drive of Tagong is Mt. Yala, which rises to 5820m. This amazing snow-capped mountain offers great hiking and fantastic views. If you are going to be in the Tagong region, it should not be missed. Contact Chyoger Treks for more information about tours to Mt. Yala.
Tagong can be easily reached from both Kangding and Danba. For more information about Tagong or other regions of the Tibetan Plateau, please send an email to [email protected]
Amazing photos Tagong. The country looks magical.
Posted by: Inspirational Sayings | June 14, 2011 at 09:56 AM
Tagong is a place I'd really like to go back to, I spent a couple of days there just when the monks were rehearsing dances for a festival. Does that Australian girl still live there? her and her Tibetan boyfriend had started up a small museum and restaurant, they made some very good momos and peu tcha!!
Nickie
Posted by: Nickie | July 29, 2010 at 08:22 PM
Thanks. Enjoy reading your notes and seeing your images. I was at Tagong a few years ago... good memories. Do you carry a GPS with you? I wanted to post some of my photos on Google Earth and wanted more specific locations for places like Katok Monastery and Yachen Gar. Some of my photos at: odsel.smugmug.com
Posted by: Joseph Bailey | July 27, 2010 at 09:52 AM