Photos & Text © 2003-2008 Haiwei Trails

Gods & Mountains: Yading from the South (006)
13 days*, Trek [Grade 3]

*For a 4-day 4WD overland extension, go to Gods & Mountains II Extended.

D1 Kunming   Hotel
D2 Lijiang or Yuhu   Flight, Hotel or GH
D3 Geza village   4WD, Homestay
D4-10 trek to Yading Trek (3), Camp/Hotel
D11 Langdu   4WD, Guesthouse
D12 Zhongdian   4WD, Hotel
D13 Kunming   Flight, Hotel

D1 Kunming
Arguably the most open and relaxed of China's provincial capitals, befitting to a province that straddles so many cultures and civilisations. Dubbed the 'City of Spring' due to its yearlong great climate, it's long been a summer getaway destination for the savvier of China's political and economic elite. Nowadays, it only has traces of the old city and its semi-colonial French influences, but the reconstruction has gone well and it retains much of the atmosphere (if not the actual buildings!) of earlier times.

Pick-up from the airport followed by an initial orientation. For those arriving early, whereby Kunming isn’t chock-a-block with traditional ‘sights’, it’s a relaxed and pleasant city to wander around, visit the Bird & Flower market, sip tea by the lake, imbibe coffee at the pre-revolution era coffee house, etc. Accommodation is by Green Lake in the northwest of the city, a good place to use as a base for a rewarding stroll or two and a chance to kick the jetlag.
Hotel

D2 Lijiang or Yuhu
An early flight to Lijiang which at 2400 m provides an initial chance for altitude acclimatization. Lijiang is in many ways the capital of the Naxi minority, and despite being afflicted by the somewhat crass “authenticity” drive so popular amongst Yunnan local governments, remains an interesting place. A beautiful old town - ancient canal system, traditional architecture, with abundant cafes in the centre. Tonight the option of staying in either Lijiang or Yuhu, small village located a short drive north of Lijiang. Nestled on the lower slopes of Jade Dragon Mountain, amongst other things this was the home of Joseph Rock - who was in parts an explorer, a plant collector, and a scholar of Naxi language, who roamed SW China in the 20s, 30s and 40s. At Yuhu there is a family-run guesthouse with clean cosy rooms and superb home-cooked meals.
Flight, Hotel or Guesthouse

D3 Geza village
Meeting the 4WDs in the morning, the trip really kicks off, with an early start and a full day’s drive that climbs 1000 metres via Tiger Leaping Gorge, Haba Mountain (Yunnan’s 3rd highest at 5396m) and skirting Zhongdian (now optimistically renamed Shangri-La) on the way to a small Tibetan hamlet, on the border of Yunnan and Sichuan provinces. By now the trail is already in deep country, after heading up almost 1500m from Kunming.
4WD, Homestay

D4-10 Geza to Yading trek
An 8-day trek north through the eastern Himalayas, culminating at the apex of the three sacred peaks. The trekking is hard, and depending somewhat on the route (which can vary slightly), fairly fast paced, in terms of the distances that need to be covered. The scenery is spectacular, as is what might be termed the ‘religious’ or ‘cultural’ geography. Pack horses will lighten the load, the food (as always) is good and gear (equipment) superb. The trekking ends at Chonggu Temple; from here it's a 1500m descent by jeep along a very high and exhilarating road to Riwa, a bustling town which even has wireless these days.
Trek (3)/4WD, Camp & Hotel

D11 Langdu
From Riwa take a newly built road heading south following the Dong-chu river, crossing a 4000m+ pass and the wee town of Kasi before crossing a bridge over to reach Langdu, in Yunnan. Either stay at a guesthouse in the village itself, or head through pretty untouched country to a guesthouse attached to the local cheese factory, an NGO-sponsored affair churning out artisan cheeses.
4WD, Guesthouse

D12 Zhongdian
From Langdu the road wends its way down heavily forested Hongdang Mountain to meet up with the main Sichuan-Yunnan road. Arrive late afternoon to Zhongdian, (recently, and rather optimistically, renamed Shangri-La). With a little luck (depending on state of the roads) there’ll be time to wander around. The huge, and in historical terms, very key, Songzanlin monastery, commissioned in the 17c by the DL5, and was the central monastery in the Gelukpa order’s south-eastern expansion. In the evening eat dinner at a neighbourhood DIY grill house, then for those who want off to the Natural Bridge hot springs for a soak under the stars.

Since the retreat of the Tibetans from the Lijiang area in the 19c, Zhongdian (Tib. Gyalthang) has pretty much marked the south-eastern border of Kham Tibet in Yunnan. Up until a few yeas ago, it had the rough reputation of a classic frontier town - but now things have calmed down, and its markets and the old town make for a fruitful afternoon stroll.
4WD, Hotel

D13 Kunming
Extremely early birds can browse the morning market. Then it’s a morning flight to Kunming, and a final meal together, which may just hold its own surprise!
Flight, Hotel

With its three 6000m peaks sanctified by the DL5 as manifestations of the bodhisattvas Chenrezi, Chenadorje and Jampayang, Yading combines high altitude and remote natural beauty with a profound religiosity. Unfortunately though, once the Shangri-La tourism board happened upon this, they poured money into the northern gateway to the area creating the normal tourist infrastructure and detracting from the natural surroundings. All is not lost however – with the development restricted to a very small corner of the area, the excesses of mass tourism are thus constrained to that corner. While our other route into Yading, Gods & Mountains: Yading from the East (005), is really just a reversal of an earlier route, this one takes the trek to another level, going deeper into the wilderness and climbing higher altitudes. The trek actually starts from a village north of Zhongdian, and climbs fast for the 9-day trek north, crossing some 4500m+ passes into the 3-peak sanctuary of Yading. Certainly a trek for experienced altitude trekkers only, this is one of the more dramatic and beautiful treks we've got.