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Trips 
China
SW China 'Across
Shangri-La' Overland
Much of western Sichuan and north-western Yunnan were
once part of the Tibetan Empire and still remains very much culturally
Tibetan. This overland adventure will appeal to those who love all things
Tibetan as the journey brings one through the southern part of Kham
( or East Tibet ).
This is a beautiful mountainous region with numerous
snow-capped peaks, jade-green lakes, a strong Tibetan influence and
great ethnic diversity. The western Sichuan hinterland’s thundering
rapids, snowy peaks, and yaks signal the cultural as well as the geographical
border with Tibet. Yunnan’s landscapes is equally spectacular
with high mountain passes and snow-capped peaks. Indeed, this region’s
remarkable mix of culture, nature, and adventure is one of China’s
best kept secrets.
On this adventure, we'll get to see the rich cultural
diversity of southwest China as we travel through the heartands of the
Tibetans as well as that of the Qiang, Yi, Dai, Hui, Bai & Naxi
minorities on wheels, foot and horse. It's a tough journey as much of
the travel are on high altitude grounds over high mountain passes, remote
mountain areas, and rough mountain roads. It's an overland taken by
very few travellers to this part of China.
We end our adventure with some sightseeing visits in
and around the popular tourist centers of Lijiang and Dali ( or Chengdu
if we run it in reverse direction ). This is an overlander that is packed
with enough sights and adventure that you'll remember long after the
journey is over.
Highlights
- Activities: Overland drive, culture & nature sightseeing, trekking
and / or horse-trekking, visit to alpine lakes, hotspring visit.
- Wolong Panda Sanctuary
- Siguniang Shan ( Four Ladies Mountains ) - horse ride or trek
- The vast high altitude grasslands at Tagong & Litang
- Sacred kora of 'Daocheng Sacred Peaks' at Yading Nature Reserve -
horse ride or trek
- Hiking the gorgeous Tiger Leaping Gorge
- Yulong Xueshan ( Jade Dragon Snow Mountain )
- The Old Lijiang ( UNESCO World Heritage Site ) & Old Dali Towns
- Visits to many splendid & well-known Tibetan monasteries along
the journey
- click to see our last trip's
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Duration: 21 days
Group Size : minimum 6 persons
Maximum Altitude
4,600-m alpine lake ( horse-ride or trek )
4,900-m mountain pass ( drive )
Grading:
| Group Size |
Land Price
|
| 14 persons & above |
$ 2545 |
| 12 - 13 persons |
$ 2645 |
| 10 - 11 persons |
$ 2745 |
| 08 - 09 persons |
$ 2895 |
| 06 - 07 persons |
$ 2995 |
| * Price above is land cost only and does not includes international return air fares |
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Day 1
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Singapore - Chengdu |
| Day 2 - 20 |
From Chengdu, we drive to the Wolong Panda Sanctuary
to see the famed and endangered pandas. It's then a drive to the
beautiful Siguniang Shan for a walk in its valleys before continuing
to the high grasslands of Tagong and Litang where you can get a
real Tibetan feel with yaks and Tibetan tents clattering in the
wide grasslands. Some very scenic areas for photography. Great views
of high snow-capped peaks and interesting monastery visits along
the way.
The next few days spent at the stunning Yading Nature Reserve in
Daocheng ( also referred to as the "real" Shangri-La ).
The highlight is a kora ( pilgrimage circuit ) of the 3 sacred peaks
of Yading. The scenery here easily rivals that of national parks
of the west such as Yellowstone and Yosemite in terms of spectacular,
pristine mountain scenery.
After Daocheng we proceed southwards into Yunnan to Zhongdian and
if time permits, visit some of its popular sights such as Bitahai
(Lake) 'The Blue Sea' which is stunningly beautiful in autumn, the
Napahai (Lake) for its bird life and the grand Sungtseling Gompa,
the most important monastery in South-West China.
After the cultural immersion, it's again exercise time as we drive
to Lijiang county and hike the Tiger Leaping Gorge, a "must-do"
experience for northern Yunnan. Easy times follow with visits to
other well-known Lijiang sights such as Yulong (Jade Dragon) Snow
Mountain and others. It's then a drive to Kunming with a visit to
Old Dali Town along the way. |
| Day 21 |
Kunming - Singapore |
~ This program can be run in reverse
~ |
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This is a fully-guided adventure package with everything
pre-planned and organised before departure. It is NOT a "backpacking"
style adventure. All local arrangements ( meals, accommodation, transport
etc. ) are handled by an experienced local Chinese travel operator and
the group is escorted by an English- ( or Mandarin ) speaking local
guide who will see to all the trip arrangements while we just need to
do what we're supposed to do = enjoy ourselves on the trip.
Some parts of Sichuan and Yunnan we are travelling
through are very remote and road conditions in the mountains can be
bumpy which demand better quality vehicles and experienced drivers,
all of which add to the cost. Some places ( such as Yading Nature Reserve
) only see a handful of foreigners each year. In terms of pricing, this
is a much more costly travel arrangement compared to backpacking travels
that utilise local bus transport and dormitory accommodation. What it
makes up for is precious time saving convenience as well as comfort,
and safety.
Beware that this trip is tough and cannot be done by
unprepared people just looking for a comfortable holiday. The drives
will be long and over rugged mountain terrain and remote regions so
all participants must travel with an open mind and positive attitude.
For the trekking part of the trip, the Yading kora trek will be physically
taxing as the trek is done at high altitude of 4000-m and above. The
good news is that it can be done on horse-back for the "unfit".
It's certainly not a regular tourist trip and NOT for the faint-hearted
!
All participants are strongly advised to join our weekly GCS
to tune up their fitness for this trip.
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