20Days Shangri-la Meili Snow Mountain Pilgrimage Trekking Tour

Day 01 Arrive Lijiang
You'll begin your journey to Yunnan.

Arrive in Lijiang, visit Lijiang Ancient Town.

Day 02 Lijiang-Jade Dragon Snow Mountain-Lijiang (B)
Sightseeing: the Yulong Snow Mountain, the Yak Meadow, Baisha Village, Black Dragon Pool
Special Experience: Enjoy Naxi Orchestral and Show in Dongba Palace at night
You'll visit Ganhaizi Meadow, Baishui(White Water) River; take the chairlift to visit the Yak Meadow(3700M) in the Yulong Snow Mountain.

--Jade Dragon Snow Mountain stretches a length of 35 kilometers (22 miles) and a width of 20 kilometers (13 miles). Looking from Lijiang Old Town in the south which is 15 kilometers (nine miles) away, the snow-covered and fog-enlaced mountain resembles a jade dragon lying in the clouds, hence, the name Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The highest peak named Fan Peak (Shanzidou in Chinese) which is about 5596 meters above sea level. There are three cablecars in the mountain, the fist to the Glacier Park(4500M),the second to Spruce Meadow(3200M),the third to Yak Meadow(3700M).
 
In the afternoon, you'll stroll through Baisha Village, which is an enchanting traditional Yunnan village.  Visit the Baisha Mural about 600 years old, which is one part of the World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO 1997. Go to visit the scenic Black Dragon Pool and the Dongba Museum to explore the rich Naxi minority culture.

Day 03 Lijiang-Tiger Leaping Gorge -Shangri La  (B+L)
Sightseeing: the First Bend of the Yangtze River, Shigu Town, Tiger Leaping Gorge
From Lijiang, you'll drive about 60KM to the First Bend on the Yangtze River with imposing gorge scenery, and the Iron Chain Bridge in the Stone Drum town. The town of Stone Drum got its name from a large, cylindrical, marble tablet shaped like a drum. The scenery is magnificent as the road running through the Lijiang valley which is filled with wheat fields and drying haystacks.
 
Continue the driving 40KM more to visit the Tiger Leaping Gorge, the deepest gorge in the world. With 34 rapids of the Yangtze River, it is called the Jinsha in this area because you can find gold in the river. Afternoon, you'll head for Shangri La, the former Zhongdian. Upon arrival in Shangri La, you will have entered the Tibetan cultural area and a landscape of barley fields and yaks scattered in the valleys.

Day 04 Shangri La-Deqen (B+L+D)
In the morning, you'll visit the Ganden Sumtseling Monastery, the largest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan. Drive to Deqing 7 hrs.Today, we'll drive to the northwest, through some stunning scenery! Enjoy the Yangtze river bed, classic Tibetan villages where they make lovely beautiful wooden bowls and watch the rugged Baima snow Mt. We will stop at Dhonchuling monastery, the second biggest one in the Yunnan-Tibetan area. Then go to a cozy Tibetan nunnery. Overnight at Holy Mountain Hotel in Feilaisi.

Day 05 Deqen-Mekong River-Meili Snow Mountain
Drive 2:30 hrs towards the start point of the trek. We'll drive to the south and into Mekong River valley with a view of Kawa Karpo if the weather is fine, and a bird-eye view of winding Mekong below with tiny “castle-like" Tibetan villages nearby.

After a 2:30-hous-driving we'll arrive the trekking start point where we'll meet our horses with their cheerful owners. Trekking equipment and food will be loaded on the horses. Then we will have a short stretch over Mekong to a small temple, which is regarded by Tibetans as "the key "or "the permit" to the pilgrimage (Kora). Here we'll put up our tents in the courtyard of the cozy temple.
Alternatively, just set up our tents on the roof-top of Tibetan houses after a 2-hour walk more.

Day 06 the campsite (2800m) Meili Snow Mountain
Trek 7 hrs to the campsite (2800m), We’ll load our ponies and say good-bye to the Mekong, and be ready to have a long climb towards Dokla pass (a mountain ridge of Kawa Karpo between Mekong- and Salween River), walking together with dozens of ponies along a winding trail, accompanied by the great sounds of our pony's bells which gives you a feeling of being in a caravan. The trail leads us up through scattered villages on the slope, steep cliffs and old-growth forest overlooking the breathtaking Mekong river valley.

Frequently, you can encounter different species of Rhododendron, orchids and some other unknown-name wild flowers. Have Picnic lunch with hot tea and instant coffee, plus a spectacular view. We will encamp on the relatively flat slope by a running stream. The campfire will accompany us through the night.

Day 07 the camp meadow (3450m)
Trek 5 hrs to the camp meadow (3450m) Today we just follow the footprints of Tibetan pilgrims. You will frequently encounter some holy places such as "Holy Caves", where pilgrims crawl through for some certain reason and is surrounded by piled good-wish stones, old jewelry and clothing from pilgrims, prayer flags......so mysterious! At that moment, if you want to speak to someone just whisper to each other to pay your respect.

Have Picnic lunch by a running stream. Afterwards, the pilgrimage path brings you to a great meadow named Yongshiton, with a murmuring stream flowing through it and surrounded by Rocky Mountains. There are some shepherd’s sheds as shelters for pilgrims as well as for herds of yaks and horses. Here is our campsite tonight.

Day 8 the Dokila pass (4560m)
Trek 9 hrs. Today is a tough day, which is a sort of challenge with a good deal of excitement. Morning we leave our charming campsite to ascend up through the old-growth forest and then arrive at the tree-line, where we can see the Dokila pass (4560m), which we are going to climb over.

Have Picnic lunch with hot tea and instant coffee will be served. After a 6-hour-climb, we will be at the top of the pass, up there the land is covered by the piles of prayer flags, bowls, yak skulls.... and the view is great. From here we'll drop down along a zigzag "holy path" with pilgrims to another meadow (3670m) for camping just inside the TAR (Tibetan Autonomous Region).

Day 9 the campsite (2550m) Meili Snow Mountain
Trek 7 hrs. Following a crystal-clear river into a long valley covered by immense forest. If you are lucky enough, some wild animals could be encountered. After a 5-hours-trek, we come to a shrine for pilgrims, where they left offerings of clothes, bowls, tsamba, money and so on for their next lives.

They believe that they will retrace back along this path after being reborn. Picnic lunch with hot tea and instant coffee will be served. From the shrine we will descend down to the campsite (2550m), located by a tributary of Salween river on the other side of Mt Kawa Karpo.

Day 10 the pass (3820m) Meili Snow Mountain
Trek 9 hrs. The pilgrimage path zigzags up through the untouched dense forest of fir, spruce, oak and pine trees with the beautiful "hanging" moss. After a 6-hour-climbing, we reach another pass (3820m) with a shrine, where there is a mass of offering of prayer flags, clothes, jewelry and so on. This is a good viewpoint for Salween River valley, Gaoligong mountain range and a Tibetan village named Aben in a deep valley down below.

Then downhill to Aben village, where we can sleep on the roof top of Tibetan family, and first chance in the trek: beers, sprite, pepsi are available here as a big luxury. This is also a good chance for our ponymen to have a nice relaxed night with local people.

Day 11 Salween River
Trek 5 hrs. Today we descend down to meet Salween River, en route we’ll enjoy some fascinating stone carvings of Tibetan words and Buddhist images on the cliff, where is revered by Tibetan pilgrims as a shrine. But it is also a pity to see that some of the Buddhist carvings ruined during the Cultural Revolution.Afterwards, we walk along a dirt road to our campsite (1950m) by Salween amongst the woods of cactus.

Day 12 Salween River
Trek 4 hrs. We carry on by the Salween northward, so arid here but still some Tibetan hamlets scattered on the steep slopes of either side of the Salween. Eventually we come to a comparatively densely populated tiny town (Chawalong) with an old tiny temple. Camp overnight here.

Day 13 The Kora path to the campsite (2840m)
Trek about 4hrs. Today, we leave the bank of the Salween, following the mysterious Kora path which leads us to climb up through some charming Tibetan villages with some interesting tiny temples. We could have a fabulous chance to visit local families with hospitable hosts. Yak butter tea is the priority drink offered to guests here.

Eventually, the Kora path takes us to the campsite (2840m near a cozy nunnery on the slope. Here you could have a nice relaxed afternoon free just saving enough energy for the next-day's long climbing.

Day 14 The Kora path to a pass (3350m)
Trek 8 hrs. The Kora path is winding its way to climb up to a pass (3350m), with mysterious prayer flags and breathtaking birds-eye views of the Salween River below. Our shepherds will offer a cup of hot tea or coffee here - you will feel that you are at the top of the world at that moment.
Afterwards, the path descends down through fir-tree forest and comes to a "holy spring" for picnic lunch.
 
From here the path have come into being a sandy winding one on the mountain sides, while below there is a snake-like tributary (Weiqu) of Salween with some fascinating Tibetan villages on the river banks. Then just cross Weiqu River by a typical Titetan-style bridge to a delightful village (2380m) dwelling on the arid mountain side. Here we set up our tents on the roof tops of the huge Tibetan houses.

Day 15 the Kora path to the pass of Gebu la (4180m)
Trek about 7hrs. Today is a big ascent of nearly 1400m, we zigzag up along the Kora path heading for the pass of Gebu la(4180m), constantly being accompanied by the great views of the arid Weiqu river vally and rocky peaks on the opposite side of Salween.

Then, enter a forest and keep walking through till the campsite (3960m), perched on the steep slope of Gebula pass dominated by some big snow-capped peaks from afar and spectacular river gorges down below. I guess it is the most difficulty day for our ponies with so much camp stuff on their backs.

Day 16 the Kora path to Gebula Pass (4180m)
Trek 7 hrs. From our campsite we have only a home-stretch distance to climb up, to Gebula pass (4180m), where there is another shrine for pilgrims. Here our pony men always hang their new prayer flags on the trees as a sort of offering for a good wish. Afterwards, we descend along a winding path through an immense forest of fir, spruce, birch, oak, pine trees mixed with bamboo and rhododendron.

Then, from time to time, the Kora path is being accompanied by the great views of the snaking Weiqu river blow, and spectacular snow peaks of Mt Kawa Karpo (in fine weather). Eventually, we cross Weiqu River again and ascend up to our campsite (3210m) by a tiny Tibetan village.

Day 17 The Kora path to the highest pass (4810m) of Shola
Trek about 9hrs. The Kora path leads up steeply through the oak woods with beautiful "hanging moss". After a 3-hour-climb, the path here is getting more gentle through the shrubs and being accompanied by the peaks of Kawa Karpo to the south.

From here the path is continuing to be heading for the highest pass(4810m) of Shola, the pass is revered by Tibetan pilgrims as a shrine, where is piled by an enormous mass of prayer flags, pilgrims walking sticks and clothes....meanwhile Shola range is the watershed between Salween and Mekong River, as well as the frontier of Yunnan and TAR (Tibetan Autonomous Region). From here we are leaving Tibetan territory and steps into The Mekong valley of Yunnan until the campsite (4130m).

Day 18 Meilishui River
Trek 5 hrs, and drive 4 hrs today it is the final stretch of a 300-KM-long path of the Kora, a long descending path along a stunning valley with a crystal-clear river of Meilishui, en route the various pilgrimage sites in the immense forest and many wild flowers.

Eventually, Meilishui River takes us to meet Mekong again, where we’ll reach the finishing point of the Kora.Tibetan pilgrims think what we have done could result in considerable merit. What do you think? A good job! From here we drive back to Deqing town for having a "great shower" which we have been missing for more than two weeks.

Day 19 Deqen-Shangri La
Drive to Shangri-la.

Day 20 Departure from Shangri-la (B)

See off.