Six Famous Tibetan Prairies to Visit


Tibet is replete with prairies, and there are around six popular Tibetan prairies that are worth visiting by a tourist. These six prairies to visit are the following:


No.1: Gannan Prairie

Situated in the northeastern part of the Tibetan Plateau, this prairie covers four prefectures, namely: Hesuo, Xiahe, Luqu, and Maqu. This prairie has extremely cold and humid weather with an average altitude of 3,500m. Gannan prairie is mysterious and a bit backward and is considered to be a virgin land. Its great alpine wetland sceneries, monasteries, and unique Gannan customs make this prairie a great place to visit. Moreover, the Luqu, Xiahe, and Maqu pastures are open for tourist exploration. Tourists likewise can visit the monasteries that dot this awesome place.



Ruoergai 2.jpgNo.2: Zoige Prairie

This prairie land is located along with the areas of Sichuan, Ganshu, and Qinghai provinces. It covers an area of around 35,600 square kilometers. It is characterized by meadow steppe and swamps. Pastoral nomads occupy parts of this prairie landscape. The Yellow River also slithers along this prairie, carving its path along the way. The Zoige Prairie is also characterized by hot springs, primeval forests, ancient Panzhou Ruins, and the Namo Grand Canyon. This charming grassland is endowed with a unique peace and harmony. Even the Yellow River turns its first bend here to glance at its beauty. Countless small lakes are scattered all over like stars. Galloping a horse across the vast land, you will feel that you are the master of this amazing land. The wind brings you a good smell of grass. At sunset, the shepherds call back their sheep and cows. The poetic idyll resounds everywhere creating the most wonderful melody in the grassland.


No.3: Qiangtang Prairie

The Qiangtang Prairie holds some of the best pastures in the northern Tibetan Plateau. It lies at the Nagchu Prefecture with an average altitude of around 5,000m. The landscape of Qiangtang prairie is characterized by highland lakes and exquisite grazing pastures. It also nurtures myriads of wildlife like the Tibetan antelopes, wild yaks, wild donkeys, black-necked cranes, alpine rabbits, and many more. For many generations, Tibetan nomads rely heavily on this prairie land for their livelihood. You'll also see the ruins of the ancient Zhang Zhung Kingdom and other impressive ancient rock paintings. It is best to visit Qiangtang prairie during August so that you can witness some of the grand festivals of the land like the Nagqu Horse Racing Festival.



No.4: Jinyintan Prairie

The Jinyintan Prairie is considered a 4A-level tourist attraction, 5A being the highest level. It is located in Haiyan County in Qinghai Province. The beauty of Jinying Prairie has inspired artists like Wang Luobin—a respected Chinese songwriter and researcher on ethnic music. There is around 300,000 livestock grazing in this rich prairie. The best time to visit Jinying prairie is from July to September. Jinyintan Grassland , also known as Jinintan Prairie, s located in Haiyan County, Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province,. Here, National Highway 315 passes through the prairie. It borders Qinghai Lake in the west, and is surrounded by Qilian Mountains in the northeast.


Sangke Grassland

No.5: Sankoh Prairie

The Sankoh prairie is located in the Xiahe region of Gansu province. Sankoh prairie is a meadow grassland with an average elevation of over 3000 meters and spans an area of 70 square kilometers. The Sankoh prairie functions as a major livestock products supplier in the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Only around 4,000 herders inhabit the area. Once you visit the place, you can't miss Labrang Monastery, which is one of the six monasteries of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism (Yellow Sect). It's used to be the political, religious and cultural center of Tibetans in the adjacent areas of Gansu, Qinghai and Sichuan.  The popular festival here is the Xianglang Festival celebrated around Lunar June 15th. You can also enjoy various recreational activities like horse riding and racing, camping, shooting competitions, and other outdoor activities.


No.6: Ngari (Ali) Prairie

Ngari prairie is situated in the northeast part of the Ngari Prefecture. This prairie appears to be a boundless tract of grassland and wilderness that exists side by side with glaciers, mountain ranges, and alpine lakes. The view of this prairie is spectacular, and you may be able to see an amazing mirage during noontime when hot air emerges on the horizon.

This prairie serves as a sanctuary for various wild animals, and you can expect to see rare species of birds and mammals such as wild bears, Himalayan blue sheep, wild donkeys, wild yak, lynx, black-necked crane, and many more. You can visit Ngari prairie in November and December if you want to see the amazing migration of the Tibetan antelopes.

 

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