Great post, helped us a lot, Thanks.

Here is the whole post with our notes.

 

"The Road Less Travelled By" Chengdu - Yushu - Xining

... as LP calls it in its 2007 edition.

Made easier now with daily buses Kangding to Ganzi, Ganzi to Dege, and Ganzi to Yushu.

Chengdu.

Sims Cozy GH I think just has the edge on Dragon Town YH with a few backpacker friendly little touches. Worth contacting their website for airport and train station pickup. Now that it's in 2007 LP, may become more popular and crowded though. They are being forced to move location later this year so keep an eye on website.
Still at the same place, wonderful hostel.


I went Chengdu to Kangding to Tugong (plus side trip to Danba), But you can go direct Chengdu to Danba to Tugong (omitting Kangding). Scenery between Kangding and Tugong spectacular though.

Bus Chengdu to Kangding (7 hrs) 125Y

Knapsack Inn 2 kms out of town 20Y 6 bed dorm, 30Y 3 bed dorm. Clean friendly but shambollick if you want to make an early start - noone around to make breakfast or even open gates.
Kangding to Tugong shared minibus 35Y. There's an early morning cheaper bus that leaces at 6am.

Black Tent more conveniently located downtown near lots of eateries, but don't know what rooms like.
 

Chengdu Danba bus at 6AM, so we made first day to Kanding but left right next morning for Damba, Kangding can be leaved out really.

Kanding to Damba no bus these days, we got a car, 40RMB per person.

 

2 days later Damba to Tagong, minibus: 50 RMB (I really tried to make it 40, did not succeeded)


Tugong

Pictures:http://teljessegfele.hu/picasahtml/24Tagong/index.html


I can highly rec Gayla's GH in opposite corner of monastery square from Sally's restaurant. She charges a little more than Snowland, but I think it's worth it. Beautifully decorated Tibetan style rooms and very friendly and helpful. She went out of her way to sit with me for an hour to wait for the Ganzi bus. leapt out into the road to flag it down and grab the last seat for me.

Two recommended DIY walks in Tugong:
1. Head left(north) from monastery square 100m to take path on right to prayer flag. Then just keep following the ridge to the next and the next prayer flags. until the final crest when you can see Gongga Shan. All the while the magnificent snow clad peak of Yala Mt is in view. Descend via valley and powerlines or continue along forest ridge to road. While you're on the heights pick out a descent route for Walk 2 next day.

2. Head s out of town from main square. take 2nd street on right to cross river bridge.Then cross 2nd river bridge and turn left towards lamasery? In summer 2007 an extension was being built just before lamasery. take the centre stepsas far up the hill as you can get. Then scramble up to the ridge (just east of all the prayer flags wasn't too bad) then just follow the horse shoe ridge of prayer flags. half way there's an escape route following the stream valley. Or you could descend via a zig zag route (that u picked out the previous day from Walk1) on the hill almost covered in flags overlooking the town to the small lamasery. Follow the road back into town. Or extend the walk by descending along gentle slopes into the next valley northwards - pleasant valley with scattered farms and tents, and a nice village with a small temple.
3. get together with others for a taxi to take u closer to the foothills near Yala mt. I'm sure there must be some excellent walks there.

Sally's  friendly and good food, but teenage children often have TV on at full blast and both she and children smoking while serving. Give some of the other places in town a go also, such as the charity Khampa Cultural centre.
 

Here is the map from Sally's restaurant with our walking route, it took about 5 h:

http://teljessegfele.hu/picasahtml/24Tagong/target47.html

The crossing between the two road was by hill, when you up quie easy to find the other road, monastery with lot of prayer flags.


Minibus to Danba 40Y (bus 35Y), but u can sk minibus driver to stop to take photos unlike bus. Ask driver to point out huse in small village where previous Dalai Lama born.

Danba
 

Pictures:http://teljessegfele.hu/picasahtml/23Danba/index.html
Town itself grey concrete. the villages 6 kms out of town are the attraction. Golden Yak Hotel 30m east of bus station, up some steps to balcony facing confluence of 2 rivers. 50Y for excellent dbl with priv bathrm. 15Y dorm.
Followed LP's instructions re walk uphill from km 147. Pleasant walk. Other travellers mentioned a longer poss 2 trek thru some very pleasant villages.

I returned to Tugong where I'd left my luggage. Stayed another night in this pleasant spot. Horse trek poss there and visit to nomad camps.
 

One daily bus to Ganzi. 70Y
 

We went right up to Zhong Lu... village, taxi 30 RMB, possible for 20 RMB. Staying in a nice traditional house 20 RMB (common bath), tree meals 30 RMB.

Second day want down to Damba, nice view on the way 1,5h, take a taxi to Jiaju village, 50 RMB return, driver waited 3 hours and managed to pay one ticket for two person.


Ganzi

Pictures: http://teljessegfele.hu/picasahtml/25Ganzi/index.html
engxin Binguan opp bus station. 50Y sgl priv bath. Another traveller rec Golden Yak Hotel right inside teh bus station. Ask for dorm room. He said it was excellent 40Y.
Golden Yak: 60 for a double


Bus or minibus to Dege leaves anything from 6am to 7:30am 70Y (bus 50Y) (2 hrs to Manigango, then further 3.5 hrs over pass to Dege). magnificent scenery.

 

We got heavy snow, and 1-2 hours waiting on the pass. 


Dege

http://teljessegfele.hu/picasahtml/26Dege/index.html
stayed at Rong Zhai e Mai Binguan next to bus stn. 100Y for nice dbl ensuite bthrm.. but no hot water till 10pm. Too lazy to investigate other options in town. Monastery further up from printing press well worth visiting.

Dege to Maningango big bus 7:30am 38Y (book asap) otherwise minibus. Stayed at hotel where bus stops. 50Y sgl water probs, but gd restaurant. friendly.
Got of the bus at the lake, left laguages at "ticket office", front of the first glaceir we visites a nomad family, were offered tea.

Pictures:http://teljessegfele.hu/picasahtml/27Manigango/index.html


Lake Yihun Lhatso a must do if weather fine. reminded me of Lake Louise in Canada. You can walk along eastern shore (2hrs rtn). Taxi 70Y will wait 2-3 hrs for you.
Possibilty of other walks in rolling hills surrounding town.

Wait at crossroads in Manigango to flag down bus coming from Ganzi to Yushu at approx 8:30am. Leaves ganzi 6:30 am , arr Sershu 2:45 pm, then the very Tibetan Sershu Dzong 3:45pm,and finally Yushu at 6:30pm. Once over the pass into Qinghai, road is very well paved.
 

Again snow, hard way to the pass, bus to Shersu Zong (or called by locals Shersu Gompa) 120Y

 

Shersu Zong

pictures:http://teljessegfele.hu/picasahtml/28Sershu/index.html

really worst the stop over, we visited some monnk leaving cell. Many dogs. "Tibetian westend"

 

Yushu
Pictures: http://teljessegfele.hu/picasahtml/29Yushu/index.html

Waimao Binguan 100Y dbl priv bathrm clean friendly but hot water 9pm onwards

minibus to princess Wenchang temple didn't arrive at #17 loc on LP map. Locals said it now departs from main bus stn?? Took minibus 50Y rtn.

We found the bus as it mentioned in LP. Shared minibus on the way back 5Y

Sleeper bus 147Y to Xining dep 1pm. very scenic run, and comfortable until we passed a broken down bus. Couldn't let passengers freeze to death, so we took them on board too. thereafter the journey was hell. You'll be asphyxiated with the smoke and smelly feet, long before altitude sickness at the 4824m pass gets you! 19 hrs in the end... normally? 14 hrs.

may be worthwhile investigating day bus leaves at 8:30am. You might catch more of the mountain scenery before nightfall.

We took the 8:30 bus, the view was great for all day, Pictures later. Arrives at 9:45 PM (13h)

 

We really loved the lakes around Madou, this is the place also to lunch break. I would recommend to get of here and wonder around for a day or two, hire a car for visit the source of Yellow river.


Xining
Post Hotel highly rec 80Y dbl clean, helpful. 200m left outside train stn.

YES

Try noodles in between entrance to bus stn and river 2.5Y v filling.

Xining friendly city, unlike Pingan town 30kms away.

I tried to get to see Dalai Lama's birthplace. Local bus 6Y to Pingan - no problem, but then the taxi mafia wanted a massive 150Y for a further 20km? to village. Serves me right. My language/negotiating skills weren't up to the task, so after an hour of trying I gave up and returned to Xining.
Just to restore my faith in human nature the bus conductor and his girlfriend joked with me all the way back to Xining and pointed out a very convenient netcafe closer than on LP map. 2 blocks S of bus stn on opposite side of Jianguo Lu at corner of Weimin Xiang?

Took me 12 days with side trips. A highly recomended "long cut" through a region that is very Tibetan.

 

14 days for us with Xining, where we bought quite easily train ticket to Lhasa, which was quite easy, although we have to show a copy of some else's permit.