Beyond Darjay Gompa (大金寺), one of the area’s largest and most revered monasteries, is this fascinating temple and basic, but wildly atmospheric guesthouse in a former hermitage and printing house. Three friendly resident nuns welcome guests to share their mud-brick and wood-framed living quarters in dorm beds, or in simple private rooms in a separate building.
This is the type of place where travellers come for a night and stay for longer. In every direction are possible half- and full-day hikes, while five minutes down the hill is a natural hot spring that serves as a sort of community gathering point for the small grassland villages all around. At the far end of day-trip range is the imposing hilltop temple in the village of Xuebadi (学巴低村), about 15km away back in the direction of Ganzi.
Don't expect anyone to speak much English, but the nuns can prepare meals (¥50 for three meals), with proceeds going to support the upkeep of the temple, or there's a small restaurant on the main highway beside the parking lot for Darjay Gompa.
To get to the temple from Darjay Gompa, walk about 15 minutes along an obvious dirt track from the monastery's back entrance. You'll see the white walls of the temple as you come over a small hill.
