Yading Caravan
The approach
IN 1999, AS I FIRST SET FOOT IN SHANGRI-LA, a living buddha friend told me about a hidden territory, high up on the way to the Yading mountains ; a lost country in the Tibetan Kham, where rivers flowed with gold and nature was wild, where men followed ancient traditions and hid away from the world.
A discovery
beyond our expectations
LIKE A HIDDEN TREASURE, I held on to this dream of exploration. For fifteen years, from summits and altitude passages, I contemplated this secret geography. In July 2015, with Guillaume and carrying light packs, we followed our compasses and set out to look for its path. What we discovered was beyond our wildest hopes !
A mythical road set ablaze by the colors of autumn in the country where golden rivers flow
An adventure on a mythic road
To honor these landscape, the caravan remains the only, obvious solution: the horses are beautiful, the service is impeccable, the encampments are transcendent. Accompanied by a solid crew and some thirty horses, together we will spend nine days celebrating forests set ablaze by the rich autumn colors. With bated breath, we will climb all the way up to rocky passages over four thousand meters above sea level, and follow these celestial crests overlooking incredibly beautiful sacred lakes. Like pilgrims, our eyes fixed on the horizon, we will be transported by these cathedrals covered in perpetual snow that will hypnotize the last steps of our adventure.
To the lost horizons
From the village of Xiang Yi to the majestic Yading Mountain Range in South Sichuan. Seven days of trekking with a caravan (including a day of transportation) of more than twenty horses and Bell tents furnished in exploration mode.
7 days programme
7 days of walking through incredible landscapes
Walk level : This route is the most difficult of all. Several days of hiking experience with significant elevations as well as excellent physical condition are required. 7-8 h of walking per day / altitude of the camps above 4,000 m / 2 passes per day on average above 4,500 m.
Day 1 : Shangri-la to Xiang Yi
Departure from Shangri-la at 10 a.m to Xiang Yi village (7 h drive). Visit of the houses diner and night in a beautiful traditional Tibetan house.
Day 2 to day 6 : Towards the peaks of Yading
A 6 days caravan – more than 70 km – towards unique landscapes, lacs, forests and a breathtaking view of Jambeyang – 5,958 m – mountain.
Day 7 : Back to Shangri-la
The trek finishes on day 7 at the end of the afternoon. A car will drive us to Shangri-la in the evening (5 h drive).