Darchen

Darchen, Tarchan, or Taqin (塔钦) is a small village in Purang County of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Darchen is situated right in front of the sacred mountain, Mount Kailash. Its altitude is 4,575 meters and is the starting point for pilgrimages in the region.

Darchen is a completely Tibetan town, though nowadays more and more Chinese are settling here, opening hotels and restaurants. The town has a few restaurants and hotels or guesthouses. Mountain Horse Kee Restaurant, located along the main road, is popular with travelers for its bright atmosphere and focus on health.

Several good accommodation options are available, such as Kailas Hotel (4-star), Himalaya Kailash Hotel (4-star), Yuntianzhouji Hotel (4-star), Gangdise Hotel, the neighboring Zhusu Guesthouse, etc. From spring to October, officers from the Public Security Bureau (PSB) are stationed at the Gandise Hotel, where pilgrims must have their travel permits stamped and purchase a “ticket” in order to circumambulate Mt. Kailash.

In addition, the town contains a few houses, the Swiss-funded Tibetan Medical and Astro Institute and dispensary where doctors are trained in Tibetan medicine, several stores and kiosks, and some camping grounds.

The Darchen town is not exactly on the main road that connects Shiquanhe and Purang but buses to/from these two places will turn into Shiquanhe to drop and pick up passengers. By the way, the main road is also part of the southern route to Lhasa. Generally, the buses run every other day but occasionally they may skip a day. There is also a bus going to Shigatse every other day. You can also hire a 4WD, which is quite easy, for there are many 4WDs that are happy to do the run to Lhasa. Moreover, there is a bus, actually only a one-day bus, running from the town of Shiquanhe (or Ali) to the northeast, where Kunsha Airport is located, offering daily flights to Lhasa.

However, if you want to visit the holy Lake Manasarovar, which is only 22 km south of the town, the only transport to the lake is to charter a 4WD; there are many 4WDs for charter, and their drivers normally hang around the town square.