From the edge of Riwoqe Town, a road branches northwest off the main highway, crosses the river, and follows a newly paved section of the road north to Yushu in Qinghai Province. A couple of km before Riwoqe Village, the road crests a ridge and you get the 1st view of the amazing golden-roofed Riwoqe Monastery.

Founded in 1276 by Sangye On, who relocated to Kham after the death of his master Sangye Yarjon, the 3rd leader of the Talung order, Riwoqe started as an offshoot of Talung Monastery. Eventually, it grew to eclipse its parent monastery and it now ranks as one of Tibet’s most impressive monasteries. It is still the more vibrant of the 2, retains the characteristic red, white, and black vertical stripes of the Talung school, and is home to more than 500 monks.

The huge monastery towers over Riwoqe Village, dwarfing the pilgrims who circumambulate the massive structure. You enter through 20 m doors into a breathtaking open inner courtyard covered with a plastic-glass roof.

The eyes are immediately drawn to the huge statues that loom out of the half-light. The entry is flanked on the left by Jampa and 8 chortens, and on the right by 2 dramatic protector masks that peer down at you from a high pillar. The left wall has statues of Tsepame, Guru Rinpoche and Sakyamuni. The west wall has the funerary chorten of a local rinpoche, 3 Sakyamuni, 2 abbots, and the 2 early Talung Lamas-- Sangye Yarjon on the right and Sangye on the left.

The middle floor is relatively bare but has some fine murals and statues of Guru Rinpoche a 1000-armed Chenresig and Sakyamuni. A small hut on the roof is where the real gems are kept though. Again you need to have the door here unlocked for you and photography is strictly prohibited inside the hut.

Monks’ quarters lie to the north, and it’s worth walking up the hillside a little to get an overview of the site.

Tips of Kangri Glacier

1. Photos are not allowed in chapels.

2. You can take a flashlight with you when observing the murals on the wall.