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Major city · China

Yushu玉树

Give Yushu 2 nights if you are already in Qinghai: monasteries, the Mani stones and the July horse fair. Do not build a China trip around it.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
CNY
Best months
Jun–Sep
avoid Nov–Mar (severe cold, snow on the G214)
Airport
YUS
Nights
2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 7
  • East Asia ↗Every border in East Asia is a full international border, Hong Kong and Macau included: an entry permission for one never covers the next.
  • East Asia ↗Ferries between Korea, Japan and China cancel in rough seas and typhoons; keep a flight or a spare day behind every sea leg.
  • China ↗Most nationalities need a visa, a unilateral visa-free entry (the list and end dates change) or the transit exemption below. Confirm your route on the official sites before you buy a ticket.
  • China ↗Transit stay without a visa: up to 240 hours (10 days) for citizens of about 55 listed countries who pass through China to a third country or region, with a confirmed onward ticket and a stay inside the permitted area (Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei count as one area). It replaced the 144-hour rule in December 2024, which some older pages still quote. Use the transit lane at immigration, show the onward ticket, and check the current nationality list. Hong Kong and Macau count as separate regions; check whether your ticket qualifies.
  • China ↗Foreign visitors must register their address with the police within 24 hours; hotels do it at check-in with your passport. Carry the original passport at all times: hotels, trains, museums, Tiananmen Square and police checks ask for it.
  • China ↗Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with a foreign card before you fly. QR payment is the default in shops, taxis and many stalls, and some places refuse cash or a foreign card. Carry cash as a backup.
  • China ↗Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and many news sites are blocked. Use an eSIM with roaming (it routes through your home network) or install and test a VPN before you fly; VPN sites and app stores are hard to reach inside China, and only government-approved VPNs are officially permitted.

Yushu (Gyêgu) sits at about 3,700 m in the Kham region of southern Qinghai, on the G214 between Xining and the Tibetan borderlands. It is a Tibetan town administratively inside China, rebuilt after the 2010 earthquake, with monasteries, a huge Mani stone wall and a July horse fair. Access is a short flight or a 12–20 h bus from Xining, so it works as a 2-night stop on a Qinghai loop, not as a first-China destination.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Yushu, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Street or quick mealBowl of noodles¥15–30 (≈ US$3–5)
  • Beershop or restaurant¥8–20 (≈ US$2–3)
  • Taxi, about 5 kmTaxi across town¥10–20 (≈ US$2–3)
  • Metro or bus rideCity bus ride¥1–2 (≈ under US$1)
  • Museum or sight ticketMonastery or temple entry¥0–50 (≈ US$0–7)
  • Budget bedHostel or guesthouse bed, a night, per personCN¥60 (≈ US$9)
  • Mid-range bedMid-range double room, a night, per roomCN¥350 (≈ US$50)
  • High-end bedMid-range double room, a night, per roomCN¥600 (≈ US$85)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget CN¥200 (≈ US$30) · Mid CN¥400 (≈ US$60) · High CN¥800 (≈ US$120)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Jyekundo Dondrubling MonasteryMani stones (Manishicheng)Temple of Princess WenchengJuly horse fair
Airports
YUS Yushu Batang Airport (About 18 km south of town; a few daily flights from Xining, Chengdu and Lhasa, seasonal. A shuttle bus and taxis run into town (check times).)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Yushu: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

−3°C

−17°C

3 rd

Feb

0°C

−14°C

4 rd

Mar

6°C

−9°C

6 rd

Apr

11°C

−4°C

8 rd

May

15°C

0°C

13 rd

Jun

18°C

4°C

17 rd

Jul

20°C

6°C

18 rd

Aug

20°C

5°C

16 rd

Sep

17°C

2°C

15 rd

Oct

11°C

−4°C

8 rd

Nov

4°C

−11°C

4 rd

Dec

−2°C

−16°C

3 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The centre is walkable, including the climb to Jiegu Monastery. City buses 1 and 2 cost about ¥1–2. Taxis to the Mani stones or the Temple of Princess Wencheng run about ¥50 each way; negotiate one driver for both, since they lie in different directions outside town.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Mani stones (Manishicheng)

go

Door to door: About 1 h each way

Bus 1 or 2, or a taxi about ¥50 (≈ US$7) return

Go early; walk the full length of the wall clockwise.

Temple of Princess Wencheng

go

Door to door: About 1 h each way

Taxi about ¥50 (≈ US$7), roughly 20 km

Pair it with the Mani stones in one negotiated taxi day.

Nangqen

overnight

Door to door: 3–4 h each way

Shared minivan from Shengli Rd (G214), about 170 km

Too far for a return day; sleep there.

Xining

overnight

Door to door: 12–20 h

Bus, four daily departures, seated or sleeper

The seated bus is faster; buses leaving before 15:00 reach Xining at night.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Around the central square and T-junction

Walkable core: main streets, market square, most restaurants and the mid-range hotels.

G214 east of the T-junction

Cheap beds and the bus and shared-taxi pickup points; noisy, basic, cold in winter.

Hongwei Road, town edge

Hostel-style beds; a taxi or a long walk from the centre.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
¥150–250 (≈ US$25–35) excl. bed
Mid
¥300–500 (≈ US$45–70) excl. bed
High
¥600 (≈ US$85)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Mid-range double room1 × 2 nights × CN¥350CN¥700
Food, local transport, entries2 × 2 days × CN¥400CN¥1,600
Airport shuttle or taxi, both ways2 × CN¥100CN¥200
Taxi day to the Mani stones and the temple1 × CN¥200CN¥200
eSIM, about a week of data2 × CN¥150CN¥300
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeCN¥300
Trip total≈ CN¥825 per person per day, bed includedCN¥3,300≈ US$500

2026 estimate in yuan; long-distance transport excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Bowl of noodles¥15–30 (≈ US$3–5)
Yak yoghurt from a market stall¥10–20 (≈ US$2–3)
Beer, shop or restaurant¥8–20 (≈ US$2–3)
City bus ride¥1–2 (≈ under US$1)
Taxi across town¥10–20 (≈ US$2–3)
Monastery or temple entry¥0–50 (≈ US$0–7)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Violent crime is rare. The real risks are altitude sickness, winter cold, road closures on the G214 and unregistered hotels that cannot check in foreign passports.
  • Altitude: about 3,700 (≈ US$550) m. Fly in and rest the first day; do not plan a hard hike on arrival.
  • Winter nights drop far below freezing and some cheap rooms have no heating.
  • The G214 can close after snow or small landslides; bus times to Xining and Chengdu slip by hours.
  • Long-distance buses leave before 15:00 and often arrive in Xining in the middle of the night.
  • Some hotels are not registered to take foreign guests: confirm before you pay.

Emergency numbers

Police
110
Fire
119
Ambulance
120

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Yushu玉树

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

请到这个地址To this address, please

Emergency

  • Police110
  • Fire119
  • Ambulance120

Embassy

No embassy in Yushu. Most countries keep embassies in Beijing and consulates-general in Chengdu or Shanghai; the US and UK have no office in Qinghai.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Taxi to the Mani stones: about ¥50 (≈ US$7) each way
  • Taxi to the Temple of Princess Wencheng: about ¥50 (≈ US$7) each way
  • Bus to Xining: about ¥207 (≈ US$30), 12–20 h

Say or show

  • 你好 — Hello (nǐ hǎo)
  • 谢谢 — Thank you (xièxie)
  • 多少钱？ — How much is it? (duōshao qián)
  • 厕所在哪里？ — Where is the toilet? (cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ)
  • 我不吃肉 — I don't eat meat (wǒ bù chī ròu)
  • 请慢一点 — Please go slower (qǐng màn yīdiǎn)

Altitude about 3,700 m: rest on arrival day.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Yushu. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Jun–Sep · avoid Nov–Mar (severe cold, snow on the G214) · month by month →
  2. 1 airport and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 4 day-trips, door to door
  6. 5 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. An airport-to-bed path that says whether a late landing still works
  2. Walking clusters with bag rules
  3. Day plans checked against opening hours
  4. Field-verified times and fares

Meanwhile

Back to China

Sources