Taktsang Lhamo — known to Han Chinese visitors as Langmusi — sits at the border between Sichuan and Gansu provinces, a beautiful monastery town set in a narrow valley between sandstone canyon walls and fir-covered hills. Two major monasteries — Sertri Gompa (Gansu side) and Kirti Gompa (Sichuan side) — face each other across the small town, and the sound of monks chanting can be heard from the guesthouses in the early mornings.
The surrounding area offers good trekking into the grasslands above the canyon. The canyon walls behind the Gansu monastery are dramatic and easy to walk. The town has evolved for tourism — numerous small guesthouses and Tibetan restaurants line the main street — but it retains a genuine monastic atmosphere, especially outside peak summer season.