20 days North Yunnan Trekking

- Discover Northern Yunnan, one of China's most famous travel destinations

- Trek along the famous Tibetan Pilgrim Paths around Kawakarpo (6'740m), one of the most sacred mountains in Buddhism

- Visit must-sees such as Kunming, Shangri-La and Lijiang

- Learn more about the matrilineal Naxi Society and its Dongba Shamans

- Enjoy a fauna and flora of one of the world's most diversified ecological areas, which boasts half of China's animal and plants species

- Get access to very remote areas only few Western travelers discover

Trekking Northern Yunnan

This trip is ideal for people who would like to combine a China experience focused on the Tibetan minority in Northern Yunnan with some fantastic trekking along the Tibetan pilgrim routes around Mt. Kawakarpo. Kawakarpo is at an altitude of 6'740 meters not only the highest peak in the region; it is also one of the most beautiful massifs in China. In addition it is one of the most sacred mountains for Buddhists. Yunnan is famous for being one of the richest ecological systems world-wide, it also boasts many of China's minorities, such as Tibetans, Yi, Naxi and Mosuo.

Alternative: Trip start and end also possible in Kunming (without stay in Beijing) Rate per person: 4450 Euro (single occupancy 780 Euro)

Please click here for a detailed itinerary (pdf format)

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Quick Introduction

Yunnan is probably one of the most visited destinations by Chinese travelers. Nevertheless, Chinese travelers mostly visit the obvious tourist attractions such as Lijiang and go on less adventurous journeys than most western travelers.

Yunnan boasts half of China's animal and plant species and is also China's most diversified province, offering more or less everything from rain forest to close to 7000 meter high peaks. With one third of China's ethnological minorities, it provides an insight into these cultures.

With its mild climate, Yunnan basically means "south of the clouds" and its capital Kunming is also known as "spring city". During this trip we take you from Kunming to Lijiang. The Old Town of Lijiang is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Here, you will visit Baisha Village, the former capital of the Naxi Kingdom. From Lijiang, we travel further northwards to China's self-proclaimed Shangri-La (Zhongdian) named after the famous novel "Lost Horizon" by James Hilton, and then on to Feilai via Deqin to start our trekking tour on the Inner Kora, which leads to the heart of Eastern Kham's Holy Mountain Kawakarpo. On this quite demanding tour, you will trek along the Minyong Glacier, visit different Buddhist monasteries and Catholic villages, get in touch with local people and get a unique insight into the daily life of local communities. After you have paid tribute to one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Tibet - the Holy Waterfall near Yubeng Village - you will take a bus ride through the Mekong Valley to Weixi and then back to Lijiang and Kunming to conclude this stunning trip.

Special Requirements

For this tour you have to be in good condition. You need adequate travel gear and some preparation according to the local customs and special characteristics. For this tour, there are some special requirements:

Once arrived in China we will take care of a slow and adequate acclimatization and provide you with professional advice, but there always is some risk involved that due to the high altitude of some passages, some people might suffer from discomfort like headache, sleeplessness and other symptoms of altitude sickness. Please inform yourself about possible risks and preventive measures before the start of the trip.

Furthermore, this tour requires you to be in good condition suitable for trekking. You should have a secure step and no acrophobia. For the case that an ascent is too demanding, there is the opportunity of horseback-riding with a local personal horse-guide (as horses are rather small of size, therefore the weight limit for the rider is 90 kg).

As this tour leads into regions with very restricted infrastructure, accommodation facilities and meals can be very basic! As compensation, the traveler gets a unique insight into daily life of the local communities.

For the case of health problems, please bring a personal stock of medicines for your private use, as we are not allowed by Chinese law to provide any medication. Please also be aware that personal travel insurance for the entire trip is also necessary.

Please be informed that we cannot take any responsibility for incidences occurring due to act of nature beyond control, alpine risks or high altitude as long as they are not caused grossly negligent by our staff. Furthermore we reserve the right to make changes in the itinerary without prior notice.