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Undoubtedly one of China's most awe-inspiring nature reserves,
the scenery at Yading Nature Reserve easily rivals that found in
North America's most famous national parks such as Yosemite and
Yellowstone. Regarded as a sacred area by Tibetans - every
stunning vista here (of which there are many) is celebrated with
a small gompa, prayer flags or Mani stones. On this adventure
trip you will take in relatively remote areas of Tibetan culture
- small towns reminiscent of the wild west, rolling landscapes
characterized by wheat and barley fields and Tibetan countryside
homes, and the spectacular natural beauty of Yading nature
reserve's snowcapped mountain peaks. We will also pay our
respects to two of the area's most renowned monasteries: Chang-Qing-Chun-Ke'er-Si
in Litang, home to 1400 Yellow Hat sect monks, and Ganden
Sumsanlin Monastery in Shangri-la, the largest one in Yunnan. |
| D1 |
Arrive in
Kunming, which is known as Spring City, meet at airport and
transfer to your hotel. If have time, you could tour Yunnan
Ethnic Village Park and Yunnan Minorities Museum. Welcoming
dinner with Crossing Bridge Rice Noodle. |
Kunming |
D |
| D2 |
Take a
morning flight to Lijiang. The old town has a history of
almost a thousand years. Visit Shuhe Ancient Town and Black
Dragon Pond Park. Then back to Lijiang, have free time in
Lijiang Ancient Town. |
Lijiang |
B+L+D |
| D3 |
Lijiang
to Zhongdian (5 hours, 200km, 2400m)
Morning drive to Shangri-la (Zhongdian). On the way, Visit Tiger-Leaping
Gorge, one of the deepest canyons of world, and First Bend
of Yangtze River, when the river reaches Shigu Township of
Lijiang County, it makes an abrupt turn and flows northward,
forming a great V-shaped bend reputed as First Great Bend of
Yangtze River. While arrive Shangri-la, We will visit Ganden
Sumsanlin monastery, the largest monastery in Yunnan, built
in the 17th century. This impressive monastery was
established under the instruction of the 5th Dalai Lama, and
is home to over 700 monks. |
Shangri-la |
B+L+D |
| D4 |
Zhongdian
- Daocheng (5 hours, 290km, 3300m).
Today we will take a long but scenic drive to Daocheng, a
small town on the Tibetan Plateau. |
Daocheng |
B+L+D |
| D5 |
Daocheng to Yading, will take 3 hours as much of the
road to the park is dirt track.
4 Hiking
or horse-riding in Yading.
From the reserve entrance we will traverse a beautiful
wooded pathway leading to a valley set at the foot of the
spectacular Mt. Chanadorje. We'll pass piles of mani stones
by the side of the pathway and at the base of the Reserve's
most stunning vistas. We'll also visit Tshonggo Gonpa (Chonggu
Si in Chinese) - a small Tibetan temple, which Joseph Rock
nicknamed 'Bandit Monastery'. (Joseph Rock, a botanist and
explorer, conducted extensive explorations of northwest
China and Tibet for Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology
and National Geographic in 1924.) We will continue our hike
to the foot of Mt Chenresig, where we'll ascend a small but
steep hill to view a beautiful mountaintop emerald green
lake. Local lore has it that this magical lake can reveal
your future if you spend a few moments in quiet
contemplation by its side. We'll return to the meadow at the
foot of Mt. Chanadorje and spend the night in a tent hotel. |
Yading |
B+L+D |
| D6 |
Yading to
Xiangcheng.
We will spend the morning doing a shorter hike or
horse-riding around the reserve. In the afternoon we'll
drive back to Xiangcheng where we'll spend the night. |
Xiangcheng |
B+L+D |
| D7 |
Drive back
to Shangri-la. |
Shangri-la |
B+L+D |
| D8 |
After
breakfast in your hotel, transfer to the airport and see you
off. |
|
B |
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