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Voykit pocket guide · China
Xinlong
新龙
Go if you're crossing Ganzi and have half a day for two monasteries and watchtowers; otherwise skip — the town itself is a transit stop, not a destination.
Xinlong (Barshok in Tibetan, altitude 3,050 m) is the capital of Nyarong county in western Sichuan. It sits on the Yalong River between Litang and Ganzi. The town has a bank, a post office and two basic hotels — nothing more. The reason to stop is the pair of monasteries outside town: Zera Gompa and Kalzang Gompa, the latter on a sacred mountain with blue sheep. Most travellers pass through in a few hours or stay one night to break the road trip.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 新龙
- Best months
- May–Oct
- Avoid
- Nov–Apr (cold, some passes may close)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥80–120 excl. bed · Mid ¥120–200 excl. bed · High ¥200+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire 119 · Ambulance 120
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Noodle bowl | ¥10–15 |
| Bottled water | ¥2–3 |
| Minibus Xinlong → Ganzi | ¥30 |
| Minibus Xinlong → Litang | ¥80 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- KGT · Kangding Airport
- About 4–5 h drive; limited flights from Chengdu
- DCY · Daocheng Yading Airport
- About 5–6 h drive; also limited flights from Chengdu
Typical fares
- Minibus Xinlong → Ganzi
- about ¥30, about 3 h (check)
- Minibus Xinlong → Litang
- about ¥80, about 6 h (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Xinlong is walkable in 15 min. To reach the monasteries you need a private minibus or hitch a ride; no public transport runs to them.
See and do
Known for
- Zera Gompa Monastery
- Kalzang Gompa and sacred Mt. Drokar
- Watchtowers along the Yalong River
- Transit stop between Litang and Ganzi
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Zera Gompa Monastery | Private minibus or hitch from town, about 20 min | About 1 h round trip |
| Kalzang Gompa and Mt. Drokar | Private minibus from town, about 1.5 h drive to Shanglangshi Township | About 4 h round trip |
Sleep
- Renmin Lu / Zhong Xin Jie
- Two small hotels within a block; basic but clean, about ¥60 for a twin room.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | 谢谢xièxiè |
| How much? | 多少钱？duōshao qián? |
| Where is the toilet? | 厕所在哪里？cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
- Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
- Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
- Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
- Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
- Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
- Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
- Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4
Scams and watch-outs
- Altitude 3,050 m — take it easy on arrival, drink water.
- No ATM in town (Agricultural Bank of China has no cash machine); bring enough cash from Litang or Ganzi.
- Internet cafés exist but are slow; mobile data (China Telecom/Unicom) works patchily.
- Last minibus to Ganzi leaves mid-afternoon; confirm the time locally.
Xinlong is safe for tourists. The main risks are altitude sickness, cold nights and the lack of ATMs — carry cash. Roads to Litang and Ganzi can be rough after rain.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Xinlong yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Zera Gompa Monastery
- Kalzang Gompa and sacred Mt. Drokar
- Watchtowers along the Yalong River
- Transit stop between Litang and Ganzi
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Xinlong, revision 4916096 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4916096
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/xinlong). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.