DISEMBARKING from the plane in Yushu Prefecture in northwest China’s Qinghai Province was like stepping into a magical world that crowded urban dwellers in East China like me can only dream about — puffy white clouds, crystal blue skies, high mountains and prairie stretching as far as the eye can see.

The Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The average altitude is 4,200 meters. It’s a vast area of utter solitude, with little pollution and a small population of mostly Kangba Tibetans. They live along what is known as the ancient “Tea and Horse Trade Route.”

Yushu was a little-known place until a major earthquake in 2010 brought the area to world attention. The 7.1-magnitude quake killed 2,698 people, injured 12,135 and left 100,000 homeless, according to Xinhua news agency.

The thousands of people from across China who rushed to the remote area to assist in recovery and relief efforts were stunned by the beauty they encountered. When local officials later devised a strategy for reviving an economy destroyed by disaster, they unsurprisingly turned to tourism.

“Yushu is not for leisure tourism,” says Axia Yonghong, director of the Yushu Prefecture Tourism Bureau. “It is for adventurers who want to explore wild, remote beauty.”

Remote it is. Venturing outside of the town, travelers will find no hotels or restaurants. The only “roads” are SUV tracks. Sleeping is in camps, food is rudimentary and there are no mastheads transmitting mobile phone signals.

With the trapping of modern life stripped away, what’s left is a breathtaking landscape of endless prairie, rolling hills, grand glaciers, waterfalls and mirror-like lakes. Eagles soar overhead, and Tibetan antelope roam amid the Danxia landscape of red sandstone and steep cliffs.

Yushu is home to the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow and Mekong rivers.

Scenery aside, travelers are immersed in Tibetan culture, which features a nomadic, simple lifestyle and warm local hospitality.

Yushu Prefecture covers an area twice the combined size of Shanghai and Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. Yet its population is only about 280,000.

To truly explore all the attractions of Yushu would take a month. I spent a week there, but it was a week of truly exciting experiences.

City of Yushu

The city on the eastern border of Yushu Prefecture is the first stop for arriving tourists. It sits about 3,700 meters above sea level, so it takes most visitors a day or two to adapt to the high altitude.

For that reason, it’s good to start a tour with the city itself, which does have hotels, restaurants, markets and even gas stations.

King Gesar Square in the city center features a huge bronze statue of King Gesar, the fearless lord of the legendary Kingdom of Ling. The epic saga of King Gesar, recorded in literature and sung in songs across Central Asia, is believed to have originated in the 12th century AD.

Restaurants around the square offer typical Tibetan or spicy Sichuan meals. A nearby market sells Tibetan clothing and jewelry.

All the buildings in Yushu City were built after the earthquake, with central government funding. The Tibetan style of architecture has been retained, with decorated window frames and colorful brims on rooftops.

One of the pre-quake buildings still stands in front of the Yushu Earthquake Memorial Museum. The jagged cracks and deformed structure of the abandoned former two-story house have been left intact as a reminder of the force of the catastrophe.

The museum features photos of the earthquake aftermath and relics such as a clock stopped at 7:49am, the hour when the quake occurred. There are also exhibits of tools used in the rescue effort and even a Buddha figure rescued by a monk from his temple during the quake.

In one hall there are piles of hundreds of Mani stones, which are inscribed with the six-syllable mantra of “Om Mani Padme Hum,” a prayer in Tibetan Buddhism.

The world’s largest Mani stone is the Xinzhai Jiana Mani Stone Pile, located in Xinzhai Village, less than 10 kilometers from the city center. It’s actually a pile of stones said to contain 2.5 billion pieces. You can get there by taxi.

There is also a Buddhist Hall for family worship, a pagoda, stupas and 10 giant prayer wheels. The wheels are metal and have the “Om Mani” mantra inscribed in Sanskrit on the outside. Join the locals in spinning a wheel to send prayers to the heavens.

Since China has only one time zone, at 8pm here, it is barely dusk. Time for dinner! You can try typical local food, like boiled yak meat, yak buttered tea and yak yogurt.

Yak milk has a strong odor, but mixed with tea and water, it can be quite a tasty drink. Remember to tell the restaurant to make it light. The yogurt is rather thick and sour, but with added sugar, it turns into a tasty dessert.

The staple food of the Tibetan people is tsampa, a mixture of highland barley flour, yak butter and sugar. The locals stir the three ingredients together with their fingers. With some warm water added, it becomes semi-solid and is pinched into small balls. Some restaurants shape tsampa into small cakes.

Yak meat is very nutritious and said to help the body adjust to high altitudes. It is commonly boiled in salt water and served in large chunks that need a sharp knife to cut into bite-size pieces. All Kangba people carry a small knife for that reason.

Monks who are vegetarians stick to a diet of milk tea, yogurt and butter. If you don’t eat meat, it’s a good idea to stock up on carbohydrates by eating noodles and local pancakes.

A local and salty version of Pu’er tea is also popular here. It is said to ease high-altitude sickness. It’s available at most restaurants.

In local markets, you will find a canned drink called Yuangen, which is specially good in treating altitude sickness. It is made from a plant that grows only on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

The source of the Mekong

The best way to tour around Yushu Prefecture is to hire a local driver. The locals know the terrain in an area where GPS doesn’t work.

A two-day trip outside of Yushu city takes you to the source of the Mekong River, the seventh-longest river in Asia. In this region, it is called Lancang River.

Break the trip in Zaduo County, where there is some accommodation. The road from Zaduo to the river’s headwaters runs along a dusty track, and travel is slow and tiring.

However, once we arrived at the 4,700-meter-high river source, we discovered a crystal-clear lake that mirrored the bright blue sky and clouds. The fatigue of the trip quickly vanished. We were dumbstruck with the natural beauty, daring not even to speak at first lest our voices disrupt the utter tranquility.

A campsite was set up before we lost the sun in a purple sunset. After a dinner of yak meat, pancakes and instant noodles, we sat under the stars. The Milky Way seemed close enough to touch, and the setting was complemented by a full moon. The temperature fell to below 10 degrees Celsius at night. We were awakened by a gorgeous sunrise.

There is a stone stele marking the source of the Mekong. The feeder lake is among the highest in the region and is considered holy by locals. If you are not suffering high sickness, walk around the lake clockwise, three times. That’s how locals pay respect to it.

On our way back to Zaduo, we stopped in the town of Angsai, famous for its Danxia landforms. Here, local people retain their nomadic lifestyle, wear traditional Tibetan clothing and, of course, speak Tibetan. By day, they tend flocks of yak on the vast plains. By night, they gather for buttered tea and tsampa.

According to local traditions, a man can marry several sisters and a woman can marry several brothers.

“If they all are willing to enter such a marriage, then it can take place,” a man named Cairen told me. “If any one of them objects, then it’s no go. Money and family authority don’t enter into it.”

Life is hard but simple. When I asked locals if they ever felt stress, they all emphatically said no.

“I only have 20 yuan (US$3) to my name,” said one boy named Zhaxi. “But that’s okay. We don’t worry about money. We just live to enjoy every moment.”

Major attractions in Yushu Prefecture

• In Zaduo County — The source of the Mekong River and the town of Angsai, known for its Danxia land formations.

• In Qumalai County — The source of the Yellow River, and on the western part, a Tibetan antelope observation area.

• In Chengduo County — Several large temples, a large habitation of nomadic people and an ancient Tibetan-style village.

• In Zhiduo County — The Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve, known for its antelopes and wild yak. It’s also home to the source of the Yangtze River, hidden amid snowy peaks and glaciers.

• In Nangqian County — A Buddhist temple that commemorates Ashoka (304-232 BC), the Maurya emperor of India, who embraced non-violence and advocated atonement. Locals believe it is one of the 80,000 pagodas founded by Ashoka to spread Buddhism.

How to get there

• Only three cities in China have flights to Yushu — Xining in Qinghai Province, Xi’an in Shaanxi Province and Chengdu in Sichuan province.

• Before you go, charter a car and find a driver. Information is available on the Yushu tourism hotline 400-6579-758, but it’s only in Chinese. The price to charter an off-road vehicle is around 800 yuan, gas included. English-speaking tour guides are available. For group travel, it’s advisable to take at least two vehicles in case one breaks down.

Tips on coping with altitude sickness

• Visit high plateau areas in July, August and September, when plant growth is most abundant and more oxygen is produced.

• Try deep breaths from the abdomen to maximize the intake of oxygen to the bloodstream.

• When walking in high altitudes, place the palms of your hands on your back waist, walking like most pregnant women do. It helps support the pelvis and straighten the spine, allowing the lungs to function more efficiently.

• Walk slowly, especially when ascending above 4,000 meters.

• Take sugary drinks for an energy boost.

• Eat yak meat, which is available at most restaurants on the Tibetan Plateau.

• If you really feel ill, seek medical help.

Do’s and don’ts

• Don’t litter the environment or introduce any foreign substances into the natural waters. Do pick up any rubbish you find and discard it in proper receptacles.

• Don’t carry off any yak horns found on the ground or pick up Mani stones.

• If you see locals throwing small pieces of papers into air, don’t interfere or try to pick up the papers. It’s part of the traditional prayer ritual.

• If a local presents you a hada, or long piece of white silk, take it graciously and say “tashi delek,” a greeting wishing good luck.

• If locals welcome you with singing and cups of highland barley liquor, drink it out of respect for the host.