Day 1: Kunming
We will arrive in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province.
Day 2：Kunming to Lijiang
Arrive in the morning and explore Lijiang in the afternoon. Lijiang is an old town populated by the Naxi minority, an ancient tribe that practices both Tibetan Buddhism and the native Bon religion of Tibet.
Day 3: Lijiang
Explore the beautiful town of Lijiang. For those who interested in hiking, there will be an opportunity to take a short day trip to the meadows below Kawa Karpo.
Day 4: Drive to Dechen
After staying in Lijiang, we will depart for Dechen in far northwest of Yunnan province, on the border of the Tibet Autonomous Region. The drive to Dechen will take us through the deep gorges and valleys of the “Three Rivers Area,” where several of the world’s greatest rivers arise.
Days 5-6: Explore Dechen
Dechen has a long and interesting history. The town is predominately populated by Tibetans. Dechen is situated at the head of a valley, at an elevation of 11,500 feet. Similar to other Tibetan areas, Dechen has many beautiful monasteries and landscapes. While you are in Dechen, you can either explore the monasteries and streets of Dechen or hike up to the Drong gori where you will have the best spot of viewing Mt. Kawa Karpo.
Day 7: Mount Kawa Karpo Trek
From Dechen, we will begin our circumambulation of Kawa Karpo. We will spend the next twelve days covering the 186-mile course of our trek around the mountain.
When spread out over a 12-day period, this initially off-putting figure becomes manageable and attainable even for the casual walker. The foot path that we will follow is a remnant of the old tea caravan route that originally connected the tea plantations of central Yunnan with Lhasa.
We will begin our trek by driving out of Dechen as far as the town of Yangtsa on the Mekong River. Soon after setting out on our journey, we will cross a suspension bridge over the raging Mekong. We will then immediately begin the uphill climb to the Dokar La Pass. We will camp that evening in the small village of Yongju.
Day 8: Mount Kawa Karpo Trek
We will continue our climb towards the Dokar La, or “White Stone Pass” (14,384 feet). As we draw nearer to our destination, we will ascend the south side of a ridge. We will see Pema Ri (Lotus Mountain, which next to Kawa karpo) and green forests.
Day 9: Mount Kawa Karpo Trek
We will follow a series of switchbacks as we approach the pass. Our efforts of the previous three days will culminate in stunning views from the top of Dokar La (14,384 feet). Kawa Karpo will be north of us at this point, but, surprisingly, there are no great views of the mountain from the pass. As we begin our descent from the pass, we will enter the Tsawarong district of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Several beautiful peaks come into view as we descend. Once again, we will camp for the night in an alpine meadow.
Days 10-11: Mount Kawa Karpo Trek
The next two day’s trekking will provide fabulous views of one of Mount Kawa Karpo’s steep ridges, as well as views of a series of impressive peaks, all over 19,200 feet (6,000m) in elevation. The Salween River will keep us company, flowing below us to the west. During the course of our trekking, we will cross the Lointong pass.
Day 12: Mount Kawa Karpo Trek
By this point of the trek, we will have come down substantially in altitude. We will walk above the Salween River, eventually descending to the point of its confluence with the Lhakang River. At this point, we will be heading in a northerly direction alongside the Salween. In the evening, we will make our camp near a hot spring. Depending on the interests of the group, we may be able to provide the option of a rest day.
Days 13: Mount Kawa Karpo Trek
We will reenter civilization briefly near the town of Zhanang. This small town is the administrative headquarters of the Tsawarong district. Our campsite that night will be in full view of several of the summits of the Kawa Karpo group.
Days 14-15: Mount Kawa Karpo Trek
We will depart Zhanang, heading north towards the Tondu-La pass (10,688 feet). Over these two days of our journey, many beautiful summits of the range will be visible. By the end of the second day, we will have entered the heart of the gorge country. On the evening of Day 14, we will camp in a courtyard of the Gebu monastery.
Days 16-17: Mount Kawa Karpo Trek
We will get an early-morning start on our climb to the summit of the Gebu (13,120 feet), before beginning our descent to a tributary of the Salween known as the Wei chu. In the northern distance, countless peaks of the Hengduan mountains can be seen, many in the 19,200 foot (6,000m) range, and almost all of them unexplored. We may choose to fit a rest day into our schedule at this point.
Day 18: Mount Kawa Karpo Trek
We will summit the Shu-La pass (15,424 feet), from where we’ll begin our descent to the Mekong River. We will enjoy incredible views of Kawa Karpo (as well as other neighboring peaks, ranging up to 20,800 feet, or 6,500 meters) throughout the day. Our destination will be the town of Meili, where our 4WD vehicles will be waiting for us to take us back to Dechen.
Day 19: Drive back to Dechen
Head back to Dechen and spend the night at Shangri-la.
Day 21: Lijiang
Visit some local arts’ centers and houses located in alleys of the old town.
Day 22: Lijiang to Kunming
Fly out of Kunming.
Itineraries are subject to change without prior notice.
