Trips China

Yunnan Hiking 'Shangri-La' - Yading & Meili Xueshan

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. Indeed, this region’s remarkable mix of culture, nature, and adventure is one of China’s best kept secrets.

On this adventure, the highlights will be the holy mountains of Meili Xueshan & Yading, amongst the most beautiful in western China, and we'll get to see the rich cultural diversity of southwest China as well as we travel through the heartands of the Tibetans on wheels, foot and horse. The journey is a tough one as much of the travel are on high altitude grounds over high mountain passes, remote mountain areas, and sometimes rough mountain roads, one that's 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 & Dali. This is a hiking cum overland trip 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 visits.
• Main highlights : Hiking or horse-trekking at Yading Nature Reserve - the "Lost Shangri-la" & Meili Xueshan
• Beautiful Daocheng county with its many photogenic stops
• Visits to Old Dali city & the Old Lijiang city ( an UNESCO World Heritage Site )
• Visits to many splendid & well-known Tibetan monasteries
• click to see our last trip's

This is a full service 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-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 & Meili Xueshan 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 "not-so-fit". The bottom line is that this is 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.