What to bring for hiking and climbing
Hiking shoes, torches, windbreaker and light raincoat, warm sweater, ropes and rock climbing gear, thermos or canteen, first aid supplies
What we can provide
Tents, sleeping bags, inflatable mattress, hiking snacks/meals, trail maps, hammocks, and outdoor cooking supplies
Mountain hiking tours (2Days)
People need to be fit.
1) One day (6hours hike): Leave at 9:00am, then take a jeep ride; about 1hour to 3200m of Cangshan, where we start hike. Medium steep trail will lead us to the top of Zhonghe Peak is 4090m. Then come down from the other side.
2) Two days D1--(2hours hike)???-??--After late breakfast, meet in office at 10:00, start heading to the mountain. About 2hours slow walk to Zhonghe Temple. Visit around the temple and have lunch or snack break in Higherland Inn.
After tea rest, you can choose either do more walks along the Cloud Road or stay in the inn to relax.
Have dinner in the inn, a wonderful chance to try different dishes around a Chinese round table. Everything is delicious.?
Stay here overnight; enjoy Dali in night-lights and sunrise.
D2--(8hours hike)---Get up early around 7:00pm to check out the amazing sunrise (depends on whether), have a good breakfast and take good hiking food package. 5hours hike up to the TV station (4090m), then walk back slowly about another 3 hours. Stay in the Inn one more night or take lift back to town.
Mountain camping tour (3Days)
D1--Same plan as above.
D2--After breakfast, get everything packed ready, start hiking about 6hours with backpack, will arrive the camping site --the Horse-washing pool area by a stream, a beautiful azalea valley (3700m), around 4:00am.
D3--Have breakfast at 9:00am; reach the top at 11:30, three hours heading down after a break. (Long steep down hill!) Will be back the inn around 3:00pm.
Here are some examples of trekking trips that can be organised in Yunnan...
Zhongdian---Deqin---Yubeng, Shenpu,Glacier---Yongzhi ---GONGSHAN-Liuku-Dali-Km
Duration: 14days
Day of trekking: 8days
Fitness level:
Best time: April, May, June, September, October.
This is a special trek in the area where the three rivers (Yangzi, Mekong and Salween) are running parallel down from Tibet Plateau.
Zhongdian: The center Tibetan town in Yunnan province, close to South of Sichuan Tibetan area and east of Tibet. A town has massive grassland and yak farms outside and massive wooden house inside. There are several lakes near by the hills outside the town, hop spring is also a good relax choice after all the travels, of course the Songzanli Monastery is a has to go spot for experience the Tibetan Buddhism.
Deqin, Mingyong Glacier and Yubeng: From the north of Deqin, in the clear day, can see the Meili snow Mt range, and the Kawagebo Peak (6740m). The Mingyong Glacier is the nearest one to tropical line, it's m, through the stairs on the rocks can see her gray green face and hear the cracks like dynamite. Yubeng is a village on the pilgrimage circle of Meili Mt, it's hidden in the forest, and protected by the holy iced lake and sacred water falls.
Gongshan: The mountain of Azaleas, When the trekking ends, take the bus ride along the Salween valley back to Dali via Liuku, rest in the peaceful Higherland Inn up the Cangshan Mt, enjoy the view of Erhai Lake and delicious home cooking, then go back Kunming.
Baoshan stone village-Lugu Lake
Trek from Lijiang Shibao Shan to Lugu Lake,
Duration : 7days, 5 days trek, 5-6 hours walk per day,
Fitness level: average
Baoshan stone village: 6hours ride from Lijiang, it's a village perched on a grand rock, only 100 families are living here. Walk through deep valleys, terraced fields and small villages; the people we will meet will be Yi, Lisu, Naxi, and Mosuo. The last day we finish the trek in Yongning County, we will see the Lugu Lake in the afternoon, then on the way back to Lijiang or stay at Lugu Lake.
Meili Pilgrimage
Meili Snow Mountain: Located north of Zhongdian, in Deqin Tibetan region, and extends into Tibet. It's one of the famous holy mountains in the south east of Tibet. Thirteen high peaks, the highest peak is Kawagebo-6710m above sea level. Tibetan respects it as a male and has the character of goat.
Best time of the year: Sep, Oct, May, and June.
Duration: 16 days
Fitness Level: High
Trip starts at Zhongdian, then take one day jeep ride to Deqin.
1. Leave Deqin for YaZha Bridge.
2 and half hours drive, along the Mekong River, amazing valleys, and good road. Meet horses at the bridge, and then start hike into Yongzhi Village,
3 hours leisurely walk. Home stay one night.
Maybe have a dancing party with families and other
villagers. 2. Walk along the river, up hill, down
hill and easy slops after lunch. Pass through
a small cave, which everybody needs bend through
around for a good next life. Water is very clean
and green, forest is rich. Meet lots of pilgrims
with loads.
Camp inside woods by river in the early afternoon.
3. Easy sloppy up and down, flat along the river,
lunch in farmer's hut, then 1 and half hour walk
to the Yak farm, rest and camp. Wet grass meadow,
by river.
4. Steep climb in the morning for 2 or three hours,
over a high pass 4200m. People build tiny stony
houses for the died person before the pass. Many
designs. Then 1h go down hill by river, have lunch
in the hut. Then start go into Tibet. Camp by
river in the woods, wet.
5. Easy walk along the river, not too steep for
3hours, then 1hour steep over a small pass, half
an hour steep down to the bridge (Quna Tang),
Have lunch by river. Then keep walking in the
forest, and camp.
6. A quite climb, over a pass, then three hours
down hill, to a village, home stay or camp tonight.
7. Leave village, walk along the cobbled road
with no trees. Start seeing lots of Tibetan descriptions
carved on rock, some are very small, some are
very big, also lots of Buddha images that without
head.(Destroyed by Red Guards). Have lunch by
the temple (Lakangla), where we see Nu River (salween
river) first time. Then walk along the road about
2 hours to Quzhu, the hot spring spot. It's near
by Nu River, under the road, has few ponds, very
clean water, but not warm enough, only can feel
the temperature, but good for washing.
8. Flat walk along the road until Zhana, a small
town inside Tibet Stay in the Guesthouse, and
have lunch here.
9. Leave NuRiver in the morning, start walk up
into other villages, buy some very small but sweet
apples, then have lunch in 30 minutes. A short
morning. No water on the way after lunch. 2 or
three hours climb to a pass, then go downhill
to the bottom, after 2 hours stay in a village
before Gebu.
10. After Gebu, no water until dinner, need take
some water for lunch. Go uphill 2hours, no tree
along the pass, hot in the sun. Then a long walk
uphill all the way to camp near the pass, COLD
during night. Sleep in the mushroom hut.
11. Cross the high pass after breakfast in 30minutes,
then go downhill, have lunch before the temple
or at the temple spot. (1hour difference). If
whether is good, can see Kawagebo peak. 2hours
uphill to the village.
Stay in the village.
12. Take enough water for drink, no water until
camp. All the way up hill to campsite, have lunch
and rest. Burn tons of plastic rubbish here. Can
have a snack stop before camping. Very nice spot,
just right face to Kawakapo peak and a red stone
mountain. Very cold at night, ice outside the
tent next day morning.
13. Depend on the whether, if it's very clear
in the early morning, it's good time for picturing
the wonderful view of snow peaks. But freezing
cold. After 2 hours, cross the highest pass 5300.
Then walk downhill into a beautiful valley with
colorful trees. (Autumn red and gold). Have lunch
at 1 and half clock at yak farm land by river.
Early Camp by river, enough time for washing,
still cold during evening. It's the last night
camping.
14. Get up to finish all the food, then heading
to the end of trek. About 4 hours down hill walk
along the river, the trek finishes by the road
to Lhasa.
15. Take our private car back to Deqin.
16. Bus ride back to Zhongdian, good rest and
party during the night, Trip finishes. Fly back
to Kunming next day in the morning.
Lijiang---LuGu lake---Yading---Daocheng---Zhongdian
Best time: September, October, April, May.
Whether and temperature: Dry and sunny, no non
stop
rains, very hot during walk, 15--5
Fitness Level: High
Duration: 12 days
Day of trekking: 8days
Northeast of Lijiang, from the lake Lugu take
a bus for 1 and half hour, a village called "Hot
spring". Stay in the local family guesthouse.
The Mosuo and Pumi people are living here. The
villages are surrounded by beautiful hills. Can
have some very nice home visiting or check out
the hot springs.
This is the start of trekking into south of Sichuan-Yading,
8days. Everyday walk about 7 hours.
Yading is a national reserve with three
holy mountains, lake and rivers. It's one of the
eleven holy mountains in Tibet. The southern peak
is 5958 m, Jamleyang, presents the Boddisattva
of Wisdom, the Eastern peak is the same height
as the southern peak, Chanadorje, presents the
bodhisattva of wrath; the northern peak is 6032m,
Shenrezig, presents the bodhisttva of compassion
and patron-saint of Tibet.
Food condition: very limited by meat, potato,
egg and some other dry veggies, rice and instant
noodle.
People we meet are: Mosuo, Pumi, Mogol,
Tibetan, Yi, Han,
Places we will camp: Forest, Grassland,
Farmers hut,
Places we will walk through: Grassland, Mountains,
Forest, Rivers, Wetland, and Yak fields, High
mountain Passes (5300m), Old Fortress during 17century.
Arrive the Yading national reserve in the last
day.
Dali Cangshan---Tiger Leaping Gorge ---Haba Village---Zhongdian
Duration: 11days
Fitness level: high
Best time: October, March, and April.
Dali, Cangshan: As a wind screen of Old
Dali town, the summit of Cangshan mountain is
Malong Peak which is 4122meters, of course it's
hard march along the cliffs after 3700meters,
it's hard to believe there is a TV station at
the second highest summit Zhonghe Peak which is
4090m, people still maintaining the facilities.
There are lots of Bai legend about this Cangshan
Mountain upon its miserable clouds, marble, spring
pools, waterfalls and magnificent gorges, 18 streams
and 19peaks all named beautifully by the king
of Nanzhao Kingdom. Hiking in Cangshan is a great
expedition, starts from Higherland Inn is the
nearest and most beautiful way to the summit.
Five hours up and three hours down, you will walk
through Pine tree forest, bamboo bushes, azalea
plateau, rocky marble pass, and grand pools which
locates 3700m, squirrels are jumping among the
trees, you can get great view of Whole Erhai Lake
and Dali valley, if one is lucky can also see
the summit of Jade Dragon Mountain at the far
north and Chicken Foot Mountain at far east. The
very scenic and very charming hike on Cangshan
Mt range is the Cloud Pass which winding around
six mountains (gorges) and five creeks (waterfalls),
there are three temples in-between (two already
turned up commercial, one is very quiet), the
distance is 18km. The gorge is deep and green
and water is amazingly clear and green blue. The
pass was repaved by stones in 2004, its flat and
has the open view of Erhai Lake and Old Dali town,
sometimes you can hear the wind whistling in the
gorge, sometimes you can be chilled in the shade
of pine trees, sometimes you can be excited by
pheasant passing by but all the time you will
be refreshed by the clean air and powerful sunshine.
Tiger leaping Gorge: A world known gorge,
an unforgettable trek in china. The most impressive
point is the view of the 13 snow peaks of Jade
Dragon Mountain (the highest one is 5970), it's
perching on your right side along the trail, it's
a trek washes your brain and your soul, you just
get astonished. There are plenty of little wooden
guesthouses run by local villagers along the whole
way, they all embraced by fabulous view. 2days
hike from Qiaotou to Walnut village, and then
the paved road extends to the north to Zhongdian
via Haba village and White water terraces.
Haba Mountain: Locals believe it's higher
than Jade Dragon, but literally written is lower.
Doesn't matter, one of the mountain very popular
for climbers. It does look very easy to go, but
takes most of climbers threes to go to the summit
if they meet good whether. Day hiking around all
the villages is a exciting, people are living
in different height of fields, they are Lisu,
Muslim, Naxi, and Yi. One day trekking to Black
Lake which is stunningly big and clear, locates
around 4800m.
After Haba village, takes one day walk along valleys
to Baishui Tai, lived by Naxi people. Possible
can see ancient frossecoos of Trip finishes in
Zhongdian, people can choose sightseeing around
Tibetan grassland, village, Songzanli Monastery
or relax in the cozy caf in the old town. Then
take fly to the next destination.
Jinghong
Jinghong is the first stop in china when you overland
from Lao or Thailand. It's a capital city of Xishuangbanna
where mainly habited by Dai people, but there
are more than 15 minorities are hidden in the
forests with different tradition, different clothes,
and of course different language. The forest cafe
has more than seven year experience on arranging
trekking in the jungle, local village and great
market. Check with Sarah by www.forest-cafe.org
Here are example of more "ethnic" tours...
Dali-Lijiang-Zhongdian
Duration: 20 days.
Fitness level: Pretty high
Best time to come: April, May, June, September,
and October.
Dali 3 days: Stay up the mountain in the
Higherland Inn (2600m) for two nights,
enjoy the view of whole Dali old town and the
Erhai Lake, walk on the cloud pass which is paved
by stones, winding around the mountain ranges
for 18km, it's safe and easy to walk, amazing
view of the gorge and forest. Can also do the
hike adventure up to the summit, which is 4200m.
During spring, there are all kinds of azaleas
blossom from different altitude, white, purple,
pink, red and Yellow.
Weishan 2days: The famous Taoism Mountain
in Yunnan, very peaceful place without many tourists,
has the chance to stay in the old Temple with
pools and gods.
Shaxi 2days: One of the historical town
protected by government, one the old Tea-Horse
trail towards Tibet. The village has one old temple;
one stage, one square, and many old trading stalls
attached with houses along few streets.many
big houses of rich horse men's. The valley around
the village is beautiful, and more beautiful stages
in the nearby villages. Can take day walk to visit
all, also the Shibao Shan grotto is very famous
too where has the statue of Buddha and the Nanzhao
royal life show which is more than one thousand
years old.
Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge 5days: Lijiang
is a romantic attractive town as all the people
know, good to stay one day to enjoy, the TigerLeaping
Gorge is stunningly beautiful by the snow peaks
in front of you and the Yangzi roaring along the
whole trek, it's a place has to see and stay.
Weixi 2days: It's a town of Bai, Lisu
and Naxi, Tibetan people, on the side of Meikong
River, close to the Cizhong church, which was
built by 17 century, French missionary came try
to make wine, so there is lots of Grape farms
still working until now. On the way to Deqin is
the most amazing ride among all your travels,
Mekong is running all the way along the road,
small and big hills are red, gray or snow capped
makes the drops astonishing.
Deqin, Mingyong Glacier and Yubeng 5days: From
the north of Deqin, in the clear day, can see
the Meili snow Mt range, and the Kawagebo Peak
(6740m). The Mingyong Glacier is the monsoon marine
glacier, is the lowest altitude and latitude among
the modern glacier in the world. It's six square
meter and 12 km, from Mingyong village, walk three
hours along the stairs on the rocks can see her
gray green face and hear the cracks like dynamite.
Yubeng is a village on the pilgrimage circle of
Meili Mt, it's hidden in the forest, and protected
by the holy iced lake and sacred water falls.
Zhongdian 2 days: The center Tibetan town
in Yunnan province, close to South of Sichuan
Tibetan area and east of Tibet. A town has massive
grassland and yak farms outside and massive wooden
house inside. There are several lakes near by
the hills outside the town, hot spring is also
a good relax choice after all the travels, of
course the Songzanli Monastery is a has to go
spot for experience the Tibetan Buddhism if you
have ever seen any Tibetan temple before.
Fly back to Kunming.
Jinghong-Jianshui-Yuanyang-Kunming
Duration: 10 days.
Best time is from December to April.
Fitness level: middle.
Jinghong 3 or 4days-6 hours walk per day:
The tropical area in the south of Yunnan, share
the border with Laos, Burma and Vietnam. The gate
way to China from Southeast Asia by land. It's
covered by lash rain forests and Mekong run through.
Dai is the main nationality; there are also Miao,
Aka, Lahu, Aini, and Yao living here with their
own traditions and colorful costumes. Stay here
one day for start the trip. Then will walk through
different villages hidden inside mountains, home
stay will give you more chance to experiment local
life. The size of the tree in the jungle and hospitality
of people will cheer you up.
Yuanyang 2days--6 hours walk per day: A
wonderland of rice terraces cultivated by Hani
people for thousand and thousand years. Varies
of minorities like Yi, Yao, Miao, Hani, etc are
living here hormonally. The red river is running
through the Ailao Mountains range, makes the big
drops from 2400meters to 400meters. Walk in the
terraces from one village to the other, the astonishment
of the harmony between human power and nature
source comes one after another.
Jianshui 2days-- A town has a history of
years, the great Chaoyang gate like Tiananmen
was built in1389, the second biggest temple of
Confucius was built in 1285, very well preserved.
The courtyard of Zhu family covers 20,000 square
meter, well arranged yards with pond, stage, plants
and furnished room is large and magnificent which
is very rare to see now in china. Beautiful teahouse
with traditional folk show is open to public every
night. Very good place for visiting old buildings
and feel ancient arts of living here.
Kunming (1day): leisure sightseeing tour
around Kunming, Yuan tong temple and Flower-bird
market... Take a day off to rest before the next destination!
Fore more information, best is you to contact the professional trekking agency based in Dali Old Town: Amiwa Trek.
You can call them at 135 7788 7173 or have a look at their website www.amiwa-trek.com (English) or www.amiwa.fr (French).
They know very well the Dali region and offers a great variety of treks in whole Yunnan.
If you do not have equipment with you, no worries, they can lend or rent you trekking gears, sticks, tents, sleeping bags, etc.
You can also have a look at theit pictures galleries, it worth it!! www.amiwa.fr/photos
E-mail: higherlandali@gmail.com
Add: Cangshan Daorendong, Dali old town
Yunnan, China, 671003
the trekking agency Amiwa Trek, the culture studio Smart Fish and the Yoga studio Yoga Gaia.
