Seda (Sichuan)

Seda or Sêrtar 色达县 is a remote county of Ganzi prefecture, Sichuan Province, China. It is one of the 18 counties under the administration of the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. The county has an area of 9,340 km². It is located about 780 km from Chengdu.

Understand
Sêrtar means "golden horse" in Tibetan. It is in the southeast of the Tibetan Plateau in the historical region of Kham. It is home to the Larung Gar Buddhist Institute, the largest Tibetan Buddhist institute in the world. The institute was founded by lama Jigme Phuntsok in 1980 and started off with just a few monks. It is home to tens of thousands of monks and pilgrims from around the world.

Seda comprises 17 towns and 66 villages.

Government opposition to expansion of the institute and protests in 2012 may explain Sera's status as a "closed city".

Get in
One bus a day departs from Chengdu Chadianzi bus station around 06:00 and arrives in Seda town around 20:00; ¥208.

One bus a day departs from Ma Er Kang (马尔康; Tibertan: Barkam) at 06:00 The driving time is about 14 hours. In summer, the bus will arrive in the Seda county around 21:00, but in winter the bus will stop at Maerkang for one night and arrive in the Seda county at noon. There are also shared minivans from Ganzi, Luhuo, Kangding, Ma Er Kang.

From Chengdu, there are shared SUVs (4WD; Toyota Prado/Pajero or Landcruiser) that leave from in front of Kangding Hotel, Wu Hou Ci District (Tibetan area in Chengdu). ¥300-500 per seat, depending on seat position, next to the drivers is ¥500). They depart from Wuhouci around 04:00, and arrive in Seda town around 17:00.

It is also possible to take a 4WD from Jiuzhaigou direct to Seda for ¥1800. It takes around 14 hours.

Seda and Larung Gar sit at around 4000 metres above sea level: make sure you are acclimatized to high altitudes.

Get around

 * Shared minivan to Larung Gar. Daihatsu ¥7 each.
 * Rent a car from Third Pole Tour.
 * From Seda to Ganzi County: it is possible to reach Seda directly from Ganzi, or from Kanding via Luhuo. Ganzi/Seda minivans (via Luhuo route) are relatively frequent, especially in the early morning before 09:00, at ¥100-120 (April 2016), but be prepared to negotiate to get this price. The trip takes 5½ hr. From LuHuo, frequent minivans run for ¥40, approx 3 hr 20 min.
 * From Seda to Kangding: there are daily buses at Seda Bus Station to Kangding. The driving time is about 10 hours.

See

 * Dongga Gompa Monastery on a hill along Ganzi-Seda road. Marked by a big pagoda, 5 km before the town.
 * Dongga Gompa Monastery on a hill along Ganzi-Seda road. Marked by a big pagoda, 5 km before the town.



Do
Larong Wuming Buddhist Academy is the world's largest active Tibetan Buddhist academy. Plan to spend a half day exploring the academy, and then witness a Tianzang funeral between 13:00 and 16:00. In the evening, climb to the top flatform, near to Larong Hotel, to look down at the valley and its lights.

Sleep

 * Accommodation for foreigners: Xidu International Youth Hostel 色达西渡国际青年旅舍 No.9 Jiefang Road. Sertar town. Tel. 18030908551 (Li Xing "Zebra" the reception's no.) Male-only and female-only dorms with shared bathroom. ¥65/night. Private room ¥198.
 * Golden Horse hotel on Jin Ma avenue. ¥280 (off season ¥240).
 * Accommodation for foreigners: Xidu International Youth Hostel 色达西渡国际青年旅舍 No.9 Jiefang Road. Sertar town. Tel. 18030908551 (Li Xing "Zebra" the reception's no.) Male-only and female-only dorms with shared bathroom. ¥65/night. Private room ¥198.
 * Golden Horse hotel on Jin Ma avenue. ¥280 (off season ¥240).

From Seda to Chengdu

 * Direct regular bus departing at 06:30 from the Seda Bus Station. The station starts to sell tickets at 08:30, so buy your ticket one day in advance. The bus will arrive at Chengdu Chadianzi Bus Station at about 20:00.
 * Bus to Maerkang, and then change the next day bus back to Chengdu (6 hr). It takes two days, but there are several buses from morning to 16:00.