Within a single day’s trek, you can move from subtropical river valleys to alpine meadows to glacial landscapes above 4,000m.
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“I'll say this without hesitation: Yunnan is, quite simply, the most rewarding trekking destination I have ever experienced,” says Anderson Su, founder and CEO of our partner Mystic Yunnan. They have years of walking experience all over the province, from its borders with Myanmar to Tibet, including a stint conducting a botanical survey in Yunnan’s tropical rainforests.
What do they think sets Yunnan apart? “Verticality,” says Anderson. “Within a single day’s trek, you can move from subtropical river valleys to alpine meadows to glacial landscapes above 4,000m.”
When you head to the north of the province, expect big faces: there are some seriously high mountains, and photographs don’t really give you a sense of their scale. Since your paths intersect with pilgrimage routes you’ll get used to seeing prayer flags strung from rocks, forests of red incense sticks stuck in the earth, and branches of fragrant juniper burnt to create an incense haze. Yaks graze in the alpine pastures, you might spot local people out harvesting the province’s amazingly diverse mushrooms and your guides might mix yak butter and tsampa – roasted barley flour – to make food for the trail.
Khampa horsemen & expert guides
Whilst walkers will get away from the crowds, you’ll want to keep certain people by your side. Like mountain guides who carry oxygen, know the routes, and know when trails are at their quietest. Guides aren’t just useful for showing the way, but acting as translators, souvenir authenticators, menu decoders and more.
On some routes you’ll also be accompanied by Khampa horsemen who’ll help transport hiking and camping equipment. “By employing the horsemen directly at fair wages, we ensure tourism revenue stays within the communities,” explains Anderson. It’s also fitting, given the area’s historic Tea Horse Road – trade routes that started up 2,000 years ago, through which bricks of Yunnan-grown tea and other goods were traded for the surefooted ponies of Tibetan neighbours.
Cultural climbs with diverse villages
As you head southwest in China the population thins and becomes more diverse – some 28 ethnic groups live in Yunnan, including Tibetan and Naxi, descendants of nomads, and this diversity means that culture changes from village to village – making walking between villages very rewarding. “The people you meet are so genuine, warm, kind, funny and fun,” says Maria. “Everyone would talk to us and bring us into their dance groups, kids would run to you and say hello. It didn’t feel like a spectacle. It didn’t feel like they were putting on a show for you. Our curiosity – and theirs – was genuine.”
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