Included Services Overnights stays in 3* hotels and guest houses English speaking tour guide Accompanying vehicle with equipment Meals (Breakfast, lunch), mineral water Help with applying a Chinese visa

Yunnan – Tibet: Overland Tour

From the edges of the Himalayas in the north of Yunnan Province through one of the most impressive landscapes Tibet has to offer. Drive through deep gorges, alpine forests, vast grassland steppe, discover azure lakes and experience the highest 7000 meter high mountains of the eastern Himalayas. On the way to Lhasa, we follow the ancient Tea Road and discover numerous Buddhist monasteries. Be one of the first who rediscovered that route after 4 years of closure.

Lhasa is one …

… of my favourite destinations. Tibet and Yunnan are unique!

Karl T.

A lot sights, …

… beautiful villages and breathtaking views. Great tour!! Great Orga!

Oskar P.

On Request

9 days / 8 nights / 7 riding days

4 × 4 trip with accommodation in 3 * hotels and guesthouses; Family-friendly tour.

Yunnan – Tibet: Overland-Tour – Itinerary

Day 1: Shangri-la Arrival

Accommodation in Kersang’s relay station, a boutique guest house in the old town of Shangri-la. Visit the Tsumtseling monastery and other cultural attractions. Shangri-la can be reached by bus or by plane from many airports in China.

Day 2: Shangri-la – Benzilan – Deqin

The first day on the streets of Tibet we leave Shangri-la to get to the Mekong River near Benzilan. There, quite near the Sichuan province, is the monastery Dunzhulin. Monks will guide us through the halls and praying rooms. The monastery is one of the few in this region, where the monks make the traditional figures themselfs. The road winds up to the Bai Ma mountain pass, the first on our trip with more than 4000 meters. You have an amazing view on the Meili mountain which has a pyramid-like structure and is about 6740 meter high. In Deqin we stay with Tibetan family and have dinner together. The small village is located on the banks of the Mekong River and offers great views of the Mekong River Gorge.

Day 3: Deqin – Yanjin – Markham (Gartok)

We continue north along the Mekong river and cross the border to the Tibet Autonomous Region. After border control we take a break in a small village which is famous for its salt water terraces. The salt dries until its getting packed. In addition to the Tibetans also the mountain people of the Naxi live in this region. Soon we reach the fertile Markham Valley, after crossing the Hung La Pass (4470m). The Markham District is located in the highlands between the two rivers Yangtze and Mekong and the fertility of the land is immediately visible. This is reflected in the local architecture, such as the family courts are three floors high and surrounded by farmland. In Gartok we visit the yellow painted Ozer Gompa, a beautiful yellow cap monastery, which is located there since the 15th century.

Day 4: Markham (Gartok) – Zuogong

We follow the road towards the north-west and cross the Dungda La Pass (5008m). From here there are good views of the mountain Dungri (6090m). After the pass, we arrive at Zuogong (3780m) where we will spend the night. Zugong is surrounded by dense coniferous forest, so it is not surprising that many buildings are made of wood, which is also an important source of trade in this region.

Day 5: Zuogong – Rawok-Lake

On the way to the lake in Rawok we pass a number of monasteries, which include Uyak Jampaling, Dzogang, the ruins of a fortress and the Temptok Tibetan Monastery. This section takes us along the Salween River and its inflows. Slowly the wooded ravines clear the way for extensive grassland, where nomads have settled with their herds of cattle. Rawok Lake is azure colored and surrounded by snow-capped mountain ranges. Depending on your preference, the night can be spent in a simple guest house, or in a tent because here many places to go camping in the undisturbed nature.

spectacular views of the surrounding mountains

Day 6: Rawok-Lake – Lunang

We drive on through alpine forest landscapes until we arrive in Lunang which offers great views of the Namchak Barwa (7782m) and the Gyala Peri (7294m). Both 7000 meter high mountains are the highest in the eastern Himalayas. Lunang itself is situated in a valley on 3240 meters altitude.

Day 7: Lunang – Lamaling-Monastery – Draksum-Lake

From Lunang we continue to gold-backed Bujiu Monastery and the Lamaling Monastery on the bank of the Yarlung Zangbo River (also: Brahmaputra), the water lifeline of South and Central Tibet including Lhasa. Lamaling Monastery is the former seat of the Dudjom Rimpoche (Precious of), the head of the Nyingma School, the oldest school of Tibetan Buddshismus. The Bujiu monastery contains the oldest Shrine of the entire region, which was built in the 7th century. After visiting the monastery we drive north to Draksum Lake. The jade-colored lake is 16 km long and 2 km wide and is the largest freshwater lake in eastern Tibet. Again we stay in a guest house, or in a tent outside the village by the lake.

Day 8: Draksum-Lake – Ganden Monastery – Lhasa

On our last day on the roads of eastern Tibet we take a road to Lhasa, which is sourrounded by grasland, and follow numerous rivers on our way to Ganden Monastery. Ganden is located at an altitude of 4300 meters, overlooking the river and the Phenyul Valley. Today there are living about 300 monks in this complex and its one of the most importants in Tibet. We offer an extension of this trip: a 3 day hike to Samye monastery.