Sertri Gompa on the Gansu side of the provincial border is the site of Langmusi's sky burial platform, located on a high rock above the monastery. Sky burial still takes place here and is one of the most significant aspects of the village's religious culture. It is not a spectacle and should not be treated as one: visitors are permitted to be present but are expected to observe with silence and respect, to follow any instructions from the officiants, and to understand that they are witnessing a private family ceremony, not a public performance. Photography is inappropriate.
The monastery itself is smaller and somewhat less architecturally elaborate than its Sichuan counterpart, but the religious community is active and the setting — on a hillside above the provincial river with the gorge behind it — is dramatic. The gorge to the north of the monastery is the starting point for several hiking routes into the surrounding hills and a full-day route through Baima Tibetan villages.
The provincial river that divides Langmusi is narrow enough to step across in dry weather. The contrast between the two sides — ostensibly the same village, administratively divided between two provinces with different local authorities — is mostly invisible to the eye but creates some variation in how the two sides are managed and what is accessible.