Sangke Grasslands

The Sangke grasslands open out twelve kilometres west of Xiahe, a broad high-altitude pasture at around 3,000 metres where nomadic Tibetan families graze yaks and sheep through the summer months. The landscape is simple and immense — green hills rolling to the horizon, the Daxia River glinting below, the air thin enough that the colours look slightly oversaturated. Horses are available for hire, and a ride into the hills away from the road and the tourist cluster near the entrance gives you access to a much quieter version of the place.

The grasslands are most interesting between May and September when the nomads are present with their herds and black tents. Outside this period the meadows are still beautiful but largely empty. Minibuses run from Xiahe town; the ride takes about twenty minutes. The site has become somewhat commercialised at the entrance — persist past the stalls and the souvenir yak-selfie zone and the landscape opens up.

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A story
The grasslands around Xiahe sit at around 3,000 metres and support a nomadic lifestyle that has continued with relatively little disruption for centuries. In summer, Tibetan families move their herds of yaks and sheep up to the high pastures and live in black yak-wool tents, the same form of shelter their ancestors used. The yak-butter tea they offer to visitors is an acquired taste — salty, fatty, and more nourishing than refreshing — but refusing it is considered impolite.