Gods & Mountains: Yading from the East Extended (005_4)
17 days*, Trek [Grade 3] & 4WD Overland

*For a 13-day version of this trail Trek only) go to Gods & Mountains I.

D1 Kunming   Hotel
D2 Lijiang or Yuhu   Flight, Hotel or GH
D3 Lugu Lake   4WD/Bus, Guesthouse
D4-10 trek to Yading Trek (3), Camp/Hotel
D11 Daocheng   4WD, Hotel
D12 Litang   4WD, Hotel
D13 Xinlong   4WD, Guesthouse
D14 Ganzi   4WD, Hotel
D15 Tagong   4WD, Guesthouse
D16 Kangding   4WD, Hotel
D17 Chengdu   4WD, 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 jet lag.
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 Lugu Lake
A newly repaired road makes this a smooth(ish) journey, passing Naxi and Yi houses on the way, as well as beautiful scenes of cascading rice terraces. Possibility of stopping at markets before reaching Lugu Lake, a high altitude lake with a serene, clear and slightly SE Asian feel to it. It’s the undisputed home of the Mosuo minority, famous for its matriarchal structure and ‘walking marriages’, but has also been the home of Naxi, Yi, Pumi and Tibetan peoples over the centuries. Leave the more touristed southern (Yunnan) side for the more tranquil northern (Sichuan) side.
4WD or bus, Guesthouse

D4-10 Lugu Lake to Yading trek
An entirely singular experience, this trek combines an awe-inspiring beauty with an ancient mystique in a wilderness experience like no other. Rising from the warm cultivated landscape around Lugu to altitudes of 4-5000m, the trails takes in views of the three sacred peaks - Chenrezi (6032), Jampayang (5958) and Chenadorje (5958), passing through virgin forests, along valley floors, and around sacred lakes. Scattered throughout the region are the rough stupas, mani stone piles and temples that give testament to the reverence Tibetans hold for this area. In Tibetan Buddhism, mountains such as these have a religious significance higher than the Dalai Lama or any monastery, and it’s not difficult to see why. 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 Daocheng
A slow morning drive up the valley that leads to Daocheng, along the way passing some of the most picturesque Tibetan villages, as well as Gonggalangjing gompa, its perimeter lined with prayer wheels. Time providing can also make a detour to Dabpa Yangtang gompa, the most important of Daocheng’s 13 monasteries. Notable in this area is the intricate stonework that’s used to build the almost castle like houses in this region, some of which can take up to 7 years to finish. Daocheng provides a few creature comforts as well as a nearby hot spring, a good place to relax and adjust your head to the upcoming change in style and pace.
4WD, Hotel

D12 Litang
After breakfast, a stop to visit the rare Bön monastery near Sangdui, before heading north up onto the barren high Tibetan plateau, the road following the Shaluli Mtn. range. At 4100m Litang is one of the highest towns in the world, set on a broad grassland with Lithang gompa dominating it from the north.

Litang itself has played a central part in the region, from its days as an independent Kingdom, allied with Kagyü rulers of the Kingdom of Dêrge, through its absorption by the great Gelukpa expansion east in the 16th, 17th & 18th centuries, to its position as a (nominal) outpost of the Qing dynasty all the way through to its role as a centre of resistance in the Khampa uprising against the incoming PLA in the 1950’s. As with Ganzi further north, it’s a market town and administrative centre, heavily coloured by its roots as a trading post for the Khampa nomads that populate the high plains.
4WD, Hotel

D13 Xinlong
Up early to catch Litang’s superb morning views and pay a visit to Lithang gompa, a huge monastery complex and one of Kham’s most prominent Gelukpa centres, founded 1580. After breakfast a day’s extreme backcountry drive, north as the trails wends its way through forested valleys and grassland to Xinlong, a small town set alongside the banks of the Yalong River, largely unvisited due to the locally famed roughness of the road. It’s the capital of Nyarong county, a relatively poor area compared to its neighbours. Set atop the hill behind town is Zera gompa, a teaching monastery with upwards of 50 monks here.
4WD, Guesthouse

D14 Ganzi
Trail heads through Nyingmapa territory through a deep forested gorge along the bank of the Yalong River, before coming up to the forests and grasslands of Ganzi. Worth a stop is Da-ge Drongtok gompa, a sub-monastery of the ancient Nyingmapa gompa of Katok further west.

Something of a cowboy town (like so many are in this region), Ganzi is THE market town in NE Kham, having gained wealth and influence as a meeting place serving the needs of the Khampa nomads to the west and north and the farmers on the plains surrounding it. Up to a couple of years back, yaks roamed the streets, electricity was a rarity and the main form of entertainment for the nomads was drinking and playing pool on the outdoor tables that lined the streets. Now the shops and stalls selling all manner of Tibetan ware remain, but neon & KTV have arrived, if anything only increasing its wild west-like atmosphere. A dazzling site after several days on the road! Ganzi is quite simply very enjoyable. Surrounded by the old Tibetan quarter, and with an eagle-eye view of town, is Kandzê gompa, a large, very active, though very monastic/orthodox Gelukpa monastery that has seen its fortunes grow impressively in the last few years. Compared to many monasteries in the area, it has an almost austere atmosphere, but given time is worth the walk up.
4WD, Hotel

D15 Tagong
An early morning start to foray north to have a look at Dargye monastery, the oldest and still most important of the 13 Horpa monasteries in the region built by the Mongols in the 17c in their support of the Gelukpa school. This gompa is a great example of the large amount of renovation and reconstruction going on in gompas throughout northern Kham, the paintwork and murals alone being worth the diversion. After heading back through Ganzi, continue down the Shiqu valley into the richest cultivated area in all of Kham. From here until the turn-off to Kangding you’ll see what is arguably some of the prettiest village architecture in greater Tibet. After a full day’s drive, arrive Tagong, site of the large Lhagang gompa, located within view of Mt. Yalha (3809m) and Paojiashan (5400m), fronted by a bevy of stalls selling all manner of Tibetan items. Within the complex itself are a number of impressive relics, and a stupa field to the rear of the complex. Time providing, a visit to Shedra college (Nyingma), set a bit outside of town.
4WD, Guesthouse

D16 Kangding
Heading south then due east the road crosses two 4000m+ passes, and into the mountains and steep valleys of Kangding. Kangding is the traditional trading and meeting point between the Tibetan plateau to the west and the Han river plains in the east, and the buildings, wares and mix of people reflect this. Say goodbye to the highlands…
4WD, Hotel

D17 Chengdu
Hit the road for an early start to the last day's drive, which follows what was the old tea route between China and Tibet and is now the main military road into the TAR. Stop for lunch at Luding, site of one of the more heroic episodes of the Long March, then proceed to cross the 3000m Erlang pass and the 10-km Erlang tunnel, skirting north of the 7756m Minyak Gangkar (Gonggashan) to the south, before hitting fertile plains (the breadbasket of China) and major highways and so into the fires of Chengdu…

A huge intense city, with a history dating back to pre-Han dynasty… It has variously acted as a dynastic capital and centre of southern radicalism, before reaching its status today as provincial capital of Sichuan and home to some 6 million people. Today it carries all its history with it in the sheer complexity of its layout and culture - modern boulevards, intersected by mazes of narrow crooked side streets, traditional neighbourhoods next to high end department stores, Sichuan opera houses, the Mao statue in the main square, the street-side restaurants serving arguably some of the best food in China, the parks, Zen monastery, and neighbourhood tea houses - where for centuries rebellion has been plotted. Chengdu rarely leaves people neutral - depending on one's point of view, it ends the trip with a bang, or with a sting in its tail…!
4WD, Hotel

 

A 4-day extension to Gods & Mountains: Yading from the South, that replaces the straight shot return to Kunming with a 7-day overland trail which heads north onto the Tibetan plateau and then west to Chengdu in central Sichuan. In many ways, after a week or two of deep wilderness Kham Tibet, this extension, though still through remote areas, provides both a nice geographical and cultural context into which to place the main body of the trip. If you’ve got the extra time, a great little route!

Photos & Text © 2003-2008 Haiwei Trails