Ganden-Yama Do [ 5-6 hours • 17km • 450m descent • 300m ascent ]

The trek begins from the parking lot at the base of Ganden Monastery, traversing south along the ridge to reach the first village, Hepu, after about three hours. Leave the parking lot and look for the well-trodden trail heading south along the side of Angkor Ri, the highest point on the Ganden kora. The trail gradually ascends for 1 1/2 hours before reaching a saddle. Near the saddle the trail comes close to the top of the ridge marked by cairns. The saddle itself is marked by a cairn 2m tall and 3m in diameter.

From the saddle look west down the Kyichu valley to Lhasa. Traversing the west side of the ridge from the saddle, the trail reaches a spur surmounted by a cairn after 30 minutes. The trail now descends towards Hepu village. Twenty minutes from the spur is a spring. From here it is a further 30 minutes to the village.

From Hepu the trail climbs towards the Shug-la, 3 1/2 hours away. Look for a redand-yellow masonry structure and white incense hearths at the edge of the village. This is the shrine of Hepu's vul llia (local protecting deity), the Divine White Yak. Go east from here and look for the bridge crossing the Tashi-chu Mig stream, which runs below the village. Outside of the summer months you can also easily ford this stream to the west bank. Head down the valley for a few minutes to the confluence with another stream. Round the inner side of the confluence and head upstream along the east bank. You are now following the watercourse originating from the Shug-la.

One hour from Hepu you reach Ani Pagong, a narrow, craggy bottleneck in the valley. A small nunnery used to be above the trail. From Ani Pagong the trail steadily climbs for one hour through marshy meadows to Yama Do. Above Yama Do the valley's watercourse splits into three branches. Follow the central or south branch, not the south-east or south-west branches. The route leaves the flank of the valley and follows the valley bottom. Camping B,L,D