Overview

Chimpu Meditation Centers/青浦修行地

Located on the north bank of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, about 8km northeast of the Samye monastery with an elevation of 4300m.

Chimpu shares the same great reputation as the Samye Monastery that Tibetans believe that you don't really visit Samye Monastery without going to Chimpu.

Chimpu is not only a sacred site for pilgrims, the tourists may enjoy much more fun there. The ravine where Chimpu lies is a basin surrounded by mountains to three sides, another side is open to a vast valley of the Yarlung Tsangpo River in the south, which makes it an ideal place to avoiding sun strikes and keeping off the cold, suitable for trekking.

Jihu, Padmasambhava and many eminent monks practiced Buddhism there and left many sacred remains. Before the ending of the former flourishing period of Tibetan Buddhism, many Buddhist scriptures were buried there and during the early later flourishing period of Tibetan Buddhism, a lot of scripture diggers came to dig scriptures.

Chimpu is a wonderland full of wonders, imagination and fantasy.

Getting there & away

In holidays, there are trucks taking villagers to make a pilgrimage to

Chimpu at 5 or 6 o'clock every morning. Y10 for round trip.

Charter a minibus from Samye Monastery to Chimpu is around Y120 for a round trip.

If you are confident about your physical strength, you can go there on foot for about 5~8hrs from the Samye Monastery. Or, riding up and walking down. On the way back, you may feel it relaxed and much more comfortable than to take the crowded and bumping trucks.

Accommodation
A small hotel on the half way to the mountain near the Buddhist hall. Y15/bed. Or you may camp on the top of the mountain.

There's a snack bar beside the hotel and you can buy some tins, biscuits and instant noodles as there is no restaurants or canteens there.

Tips
Don't eat too much in the morning if you take a truck to Chimpu or you may throw up when arriving there.