We think of Tibet as high, dry, and gloriously
barren, but that image is belied
by the country’s little-visited, mysterious eastern
province of Kham, home of the legendary
Khampa warriors, the Dalai Lama’s
escorts in his valiant escape to India in 1959.
In his informative In Exile from the Land of
Snows, John Avedon describes Kham’s “vast
forests of juniper, spruce, and cypress, inhabited
by bear, wolf, monkey, leopard, panda,
cuckoo, pheasant, and eagle . . . the most rugged
and inaccessible region of Tibet.”
After an overnight in Hong Kong, we fly to Lijiang for a couple of reposeful days acclimatizing to higher elevations. Then we drive on a spectacular roller-coaster road up to Kham’s alpine pasturelands, passing just west of China proper’s highest peak, 24,783-foot Minya Konka (or Gongga Shan; see our trek to the auspicious peak). We motor through and above deep gorges and over high ridges to some of the most remote valleys on earth. Along the spectacular way, we’ll visit the historic monasteries of Chamdo, on the uppermost reaches of the Mekong River, and Derge, the cultural heart of Kham and the most influential of its five old kingdoms (the most authoritative texts of the Tibetan Buddhist canon were produced on Derge’s famous printing presses). Crossing the Tro La, we reach the market town of Ganze, also famous for its thriving monastery, before heading south to Kangding and finally back to the lowlands in Chengdu.
A couple of notes: the July–August departure will coincide with the Litang Horse Festival, an old-fashioned equine extravaganza. And Michael Steigerwald would like you to know that Chengdu (Day 20) is the perfect gateway for embarking on a short excursion to Lhasa (and perhaps deeper into Tibet). Call Michael if you’re of a mind to extend your journey up to the Tibetan Plateau.
After an overnight in Hong Kong, we fly to Lijiang for a couple of reposeful days acclimatizing to higher elevations. Then we drive on a spectacular roller-coaster road up to Kham’s alpine pasturelands, passing just west of China proper’s highest peak, 24,783-foot Minya Konka (or Gongga Shan; see our trek to the auspicious peak). We motor through and above deep gorges and over high ridges to some of the most remote valleys on earth. Along the spectacular way, we’ll visit the historic monasteries of Chamdo, on the uppermost reaches of the Mekong River, and Derge, the cultural heart of Kham and the most influential of its five old kingdoms (the most authoritative texts of the Tibetan Buddhist canon were produced on Derge’s famous printing presses). Crossing the Tro La, we reach the market town of Ganze, also famous for its thriving monastery, before heading south to Kangding and finally back to the lowlands in Chengdu.
A couple of notes: the July–August departure will coincide with the Litang Horse Festival, an old-fashioned equine extravaganza. And Michael Steigerwald would like you to know that Chengdu (Day 20) is the perfect gateway for embarking on a short excursion to Lhasa (and perhaps deeper into Tibet). Call Michael if you’re of a mind to extend your journey up to the Tibetan Plateau.
Days 1 & 2: USA to Hong Kong • Day 3: fly to Lijiang via
Kunming • Day 4: exploring Lijiang • Day 5: drive to
Gyalthang (recently, sigh, renamed “Shangri-La”) • Day 6:
exploring Shangri-La • Days 7 & 8: drive to Litang • Days
9 & 10: Litang Horse Festival • Day 11: Markham • Days
12 & 13: drive to Chamdo • Day 14: drive to Derge • Day
15: exploring Derge • Day 16: to Ganze over the Tro La •
Day 17: Ganze • Days 18 & 19: to Kangding via Tagong •
Day 20: Chengdu • Day 21: fly to Hong Kong • Day 22:
return to USA.
Khampa Heartland - Exploring Tibet’s Eastern Frontier
Trip Details
2008 Departures:
22 days
Activity Type:
Touring
Trip Price:From $5495
- July 24 - August 14
- July 24 - August 14
22 daysActivity Type:
Touring
Trip Price:
From $5495
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