Discover Sertar: A Land of Faith and High-Altitude Beauty
Known in Tibetan as Sêrtar (གསེར་རྟ་རྫོང), Sertar County is a remarkable destination where spirituality and nature blend seamlessly. Located on the southern slopes of the Bayan Har Mountains, this remote region is famous for its vast grasslands, strong Buddhist traditions, and deep sense of devotion.
At an average elevation above 4,000 meters, Sertar offers a unique highland experience. The climate remains cold throughout the year, while bright sunlight creates a striking contrast across the open plateau. The name comes from a local legend that horse-shaped gold was once discovered in the area.
Traveling through Sertar, especially along the S317 highway, reveals a raw and expansive landscape. Endless grasslands, distant mountains, and quiet isolation define this part of the Tibetan Plateau.
Larung Gar Buddhist Academy: A Sea of Devotion
The most iconic landmark in Sertar is Larung Gar Buddhist Academy. Thousands of small red wooden houses spread across the hillsides, forming a breathtaking “red ocean” that stretches from the valley floor to the mountain peaks. Founded in 1980, the academy has grown into one of the largest centers of Tibetan Buddhist learning. It is home to tens of thousands of monks, nuns, and practitioners who come here to study and practice.
The layout of Larung Gar reflects its spiritual structure. A central assembly hall divides the community, with monks living on one side and nuns on the other. Scattered temples and study halls fill the valley, while a grand mandala at the top offers sweeping views of the entire area.
A Historical Timeline of Sertar County
With a history dating back over 3,000 years, Sertar has long been a land of nomadic life and deep cultural roots. In ancient times, the region was part of the Qiang pastoral lands and later associated with the Bailan tribes. During the King Songtsen Gampo, it was incorporated into the Tibetan Empire, marking the strong arrival of Tibetan culture. Through the Sakya dynasty, Sertar remained under Tibetan administrative systems, while different tribes migrated into the valleys of the Sequ and Duoke rivers.
During the Qing dynasty and the Republic of China era, Sertar remained largely under tribal control with limited centralized governance. In 1952, it was peacefully integrated, and in 1955, Sertar County was officially established under the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.
Administrative Structure and Population
As of 2025, Sertar County is divided into 5 towns and 11 townships, along with 4 communities and 129 administrative villages. The county seat is located in Seke Town. Covering an area of approximately 9,338.98 square kilometers, Sertar has a population of around 64,400 people, with Tibetans making up more than 90%
Administrative Divisions of Sertar County
Towns (5)
| Name | Simplified Chinese | Hanyu Pinyin | Tibetan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sêrkog Town (Seke) | 色柯镇 | Sèkē Zhèn | གསེར་ཁོག་གྲོང་རྡལ། |
| Bomda Town (Wengda) | 翁达镇 | Wēngdá Zhèn | སྦོ་མདའ་གྲོང་རྡལ། |
| Nubsur Town (Luoruo) | 洛若镇 | Luòruò Zhèn | གནུབས་ཟུར་གྲོང་རྡལ། |
| Nyidoi Town (Niduo) | 泥朵镇 | Níduǒ Zhèn | སྙི་སྟོད་གྲོང་རྡལ། |
| Gyaxoi Town (Jiaxue) | 甲学镇 | Jiǎxué Zhèn | རྒྱ་ཤོད་གྲོང་བརྡལ། |
Townships (11)
| Name | Simplified Chinese | Hanyu Pinyin | Tibetan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kêgor Township (Keguo) | 克果乡 | Kèguǒ Xiāng | ཁེས་སྐོར་ཡུལ་ཚོ། |
| Ragzham Township (Ranchong) | 然充乡 | Ránchōng Xiāng | རགས་བཀྲམ་ཡུལ་ཚོ། |
| Kainlêb Township (Kangle) | 康勒乡 | Kānglè Xiāng | མཁན་ལེབ་ཡུལ་ཚོ། |
| Darcang Township (Dazhang) | 大章乡 | Dàzhāng Xiāng | བརྡར་ཚང་ཡུལ་ཚོ། |
| Dagzê Township (Daze) | 大则乡 | Dàzé Xiāng | སྟག་རྩེ་ཡུལ་ཚོ། |
| Yarlung Township (Yalong) | 亚龙乡 | Yàlóng Xiāng | ཡར་ལུང་ཡུལ་ཚོ། |
| Qogcang Township (Tazi) | 塔子乡 | Tǎzǐ Xiāng | མཆོག་ཚང་ཡུལ་ཚོ། |
| Nyainlung Township (Nianlong) | 年龙乡 | Niánlóng Xiāng | སྙན་ལུང་ཡུལ་ཚོ། |
| Horxü Township (Huoxi) | 霍西乡 | Huòxī Xiāng | ཧོར་ཤུལ་ཡུལ་ཚོ། |
| Xêchub Township (Xuri) | 旭日乡 | Xùrì Xiāng | ཤེལ་གྲུབ་ཡུལ་ཚོ། |
| Yanggo Township (Yangge) | 杨各乡 | Yánggè Xiāng | ཡང་འོ་ཡུལ་ཚོ། |
Geography and Location
Sertar County is located in the northwest of Garzê Prefecture, at the border between Sichuan and Qinghai provinces. It lies between longitudes 98°21′–101°00′ east and latitudes 31°40′–33°03′ north.
The county seat, Seke Town, sits at an altitude of over 4,100 meters. The region is surrounded by neighboring counties such as Rangtang, Banma, Darlag, Garzê, and Luhuo.
A Unique Spiritual Community
Life inside Larung Gar follows a simple and disciplined rhythm. Visitors can observe daily activities, from study sessions to quiet meditation, offering a rare insight into monastic life.
One of the most striking features is the use of natural light. The hillside setting, combined with traditional architecture, creates a peaceful and reflective atmosphere throughout the day.
Sunrise, sunset, and nighttime views are especially memorable, as the red houses glow against the changing light of the plateau.
Landscape and Climate
Sertar lies on the southern slopes of the Bayan Har Mountains. The terrain is dominated by plateau hills, which make up most of the land, with small areas of mountains and very limited flat plains.
The highest point reaches 4,961 meters, while the lowest is around 3,200 meters. Rivers such as the Sequ, Niqu, and Duoke flow across the region, shaping its natural landscape.
The climate is a continental plateau monsoon type, known for its cold temperatures. The average annual temperature is only about 0.1°C, with extreme lows reaching -36.3°C. Rainfall is concentrated between June and September, and the area has a short frost-free period, strong sunlight, and large temperature differences between day and night.
Economy and Key Industries (2024)
Sertar’s economy continues to develop steadily. In 2024, the county’s GDP reached 2.342 billion yuan, with growth of 5.2%. The economy is led mainly by the service sector.
The primary industry focuses on animal husbandry, especially yaks and Tibetan sheep. Sertar is one of Sichuan’s major pastoral counties. Barley, organic vegetables, and traditional Tibetan medicinal plants such as Qianghuo and rhubarb are also widely cultivated.
The secondary industry remains small but specialized, including yak dairy processing and traditional medicine production, along with early-stage clean energy projects.
The tertiary industry plays a leading role, driven by cultural tourism. Attractions such as Larung Gar Buddhist Academy, Jinma Grassland, and Gesar culture draw visitors interested in Tibetan traditions, photography, and self-drive travel.
Sky Burial Site: A Sacred Cultural Practice
Behind the academy lies a traditional sky burial site, where Tibetan funerary rituals are performed. These ceremonies usually take place in the early afternoon.
This site is deeply sacred. Visitors are allowed only in designated areas and must follow strict guidelines. Silence, respect, and no photography are essential when visiting this site.
Gesar Culture Museum: Preserving a Living Epic
The Gesar Culture Museum offers a deeper look into the legendary Epic of King Gesar. Exhibits include carvings, sculptures, and traditional opera costumes.
This museum highlights one of the world’s longest epic traditions, which continues to be performed and passed down through generations.
Dengden Chöten Stupa Complex: A Place of Devotion
Located on the grasslands near the county town, the Dengden Chöten is a sacred stupa complex surrounded by 155 prayer wheels.
The structure is richly decorated and is believed to house millions of written mantras and ancient scriptures. It is an important spiritual site for both locals and pilgrims.
Dongga Monastery: Hidden Beauty in the Highlands
Founded in 1686, Dongga Monastery is an important center of the Nyingma tradition. Despite its remote setting, the monastery features detailed decorations and a refined interior.
Its quiet location and grand design create a peaceful environment for visitors seeking a deeper cultural experience.
Wengda Tibetan Village: A Fortress-Style Heritage
At the eastern entrance of Sertar lies Wengda Tibetan Village, known for its unique architectural style. Homes are built like small fortresses, reflecting the legacy of ancient warriors connected to the legends of King Gesar.
Constructed from stone, wood, and earth, these houses represent both tradition and practicality in high-altitude living.
Jinma Grassland: The Land of the Golden Horse
Jinma Grassland stretches across the heart of Sertar, offering wide open views and a strong connection to local legends. The land is believed to be shaped by the mythical horse of King Gesar.
During summer, the grassland transforms into a vibrant landscape filled with green meadows and grazing herds. From late July to early August, traditional horse racing festivals take place, showcasing the energy and culture of the region.
Where to Stay in Sertar
Travelers visiting Sertar can find comfortable accommodation options:
- Caoyan Shushe Hotel – Offers spacious rooms, Tibetan-style meals, and a relaxing atmosphere.
- Kasa Hotel – Located near Larung Gar, featuring oxygen-equipped rooms and traditional décor for a comfortable stay.
Transportation and Accessibility
Road travel is the primary way to reach Sertar. Highways such as S217 and S455 connect the county to nearby regions, while the G317 route can be accessed via Luhuo or Garzê.
By the end of 2024, the total road network reached over 2,000 kilometers. The journey from Chengdu to Sertar takes more than 12 hours by car, with winter conditions sometimes affecting travel.
There is no railway or civil airport in the county. The nearest airport is Garzê Gesar Airport, about 200 kilometers away, requiring further travel by road.
