Discover, Plan & Go!

DAY 1 ~ Kunming

Arrive in Kunming, capital of Yunnan province. Your guide or a representative will meet you outside the customs and immigration area at the airport. He or she will answer questions, brief you on the immediate arrangements, and escort you to your hotel. Kunming is known throughout China as the "City of Eternal Spring" because of its fine weather. After checking into your hotel, you may have a chance to stroll down narrow streets lined with half-timber houses and visit the markets of old Kunming. Charming Green Lake Park hums from dawn to dusk with tai ji quan, street theater, and young families at play. This evening you'll enjoy Kunming's famous Cross-the-Bridge noodles for dinner.

Dinner...Harbour Plaza Hotel

DAY 2 ~ Gyalthang

Early morning flight to Gyalthang ("land of limitless bounty"), the capital of the Deqin Tibetan Autonomous Perfecture. fecture. For centuries it was a major point on the trade route between Tibet, South China, Burma, and India. Upon arrival in Gyalthang, you'll take a cultural tour of Gyalthang, including Sumtsenling Monastery, founded in the 17th century by the Fifth Dalai Lama. Here you may witness a prayer at the Main Assembly Hall and get an overall picture of monastic life and culture by visiting the various chapels and monks' quarters. Overnight at the Gyalthang Hotel, a building with Dzong-style architecture.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner...Gyalthang Hotel

DAY 3 ~ Aroung Gyalthang

Today you will take a short drive (12 miles) to holy Ringa Temple, located on a small hill surrounded by pine forests and fluttering prayer flags. Ringa is one of the oldest Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Eastern Tibet, and is believed to hold the sacred key to the famous Buddhist pilgrimage around Mount Chicken Foot and Erhai Lake near Dali (Yunnan). After visiting the temple, you'll explore the villages in Ringa Valley. In the evening you'll walk through Trinyi village and visit their community center where you'll enjoy a traditional hotpot dinner, made from delicious local ingredients, followed by traditional dancing by the villagers.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner...Gyalthang Hotel

Yi, Naxi villages, Baishui Terrace

Today we take a drive to the Baishui Terrace (White Water Terrace), located at Sanba, about 60 miles south of Gyalthang. This is a spectacular karst terrain formed by sediment of calcium carbonate from the spring water. The terrace measures more than a square mile and is considered the cradle of Naxi Dongba culture, where the Tibetan Bon priest Thonpa Sherab is believed to have taken refuge and preached his animistic creed with the arrival of Buddhism from India. The drive zigzags through the mountains and descends down to the Yangtze gorge, passing through picturesque Tibetan, Yi, and Naxi villages before Mount Haba makes its appearance. After visiting the Baishui Terrace, we drive back on the same road up to Gyalthang.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner...Gyalthang Hotel

DAY 5 ~ Lhamo Thongtso

Drive 1½ hours to Gyasha and hike through traditional villages and up along a wide trail to the beautiful alpine lake of Lhamo Thongtso (Goddess of a Thousand Lakes). The lake, surrounded by dense rhododendron forests, is one of the most sacred in the valley and propitiated by local Tibetans in times of drought. The hike ascends from about 11,000' to 12,000', takes about two hours, and is moderate in difficulty. Coming down, of course, is a lot easier!

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner...Gyalthang Hotel

Northern Yunnan Explorer

DAY 6 ~ Jol (Deqin)

Drive 120 miles to Jol (Deqin) on an old caravan route to Tibet through the Yangtze Gorges, stopping at Dhondrupling Gompa en route. The drive will take us through ever-changing terrain as we dip into the Yangtze Valley and then climb over the Baima Snow Mountain passes at approximately 14,000 feet. En route, you will explore picturesque villages with strong local traditions and visit an active monastery above the Yangtze that's a stronghold of the Gelukpa sect.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner...Dasheng Hotel

DAY 7 ~ Mekong River watershed

Today you'll take a scenic side trip in the Mekong River watershed to visit Nyithong villages, have lunch at a Tibetan home, and enjoy fabulous views of sacred Mount Khawakarpo and Metsomo, the tranquil yet divine consort of Mount Khawakarpo. You'll have the option to take a short one-hour hike along one of the brooks that feed into the Mekong. If you're feeling a bit more adventurous, we can arrange a 2½-hour pony trek up to Tashi Chompheling, a very old Karma Kagyu monastery where you can meet the Venerable Tashi Nyima, who built a school beside the monastery for child monks. Return to Jol for dinner and overnight. (3-4 hours total driving.)

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner...Dasheng Hotel

DAY 8 ~ Gyalthang

Return drive to Gyalthang (6-7 hours), stopping at the pottery village of Thangtoe, where traditional household items such as teapots, hot pots, and religious objects such as alms bowls and butter lamp holders are made. Dinner and overnight at Gyalthang Hotel in Gyalthang.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner...Gyalthang Hotel

DAY 9 ~ Fly home

Morning flight to Kunming and connect with homeward-bound flight.

Breakfast...