subject: Five Ways To Hike China [print this page] With its vast western hinterland jutting into Central Asia, western China offers an incredible range of trekking options. Some of the most spectacular mountain trails in the world can be hiked in the southwestern provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan, where dense, steep ranges divide the East Asian lowlands from the Tibetan highlands. The varied terrain in this corner of the Middle Kingdom is matched by an array of distinctive ethnic groups and one of the richest repertoires of species to be found in temperate climes, making it a first-class destination for nature lovers. Closer to the Russian border in Xinjiang, intrepid hikers with a fondness for meadows and taiga forests can get a taste of Siberia in a vast, newly created nature preserve.
White Water Ramble
Chinas most famous trek passes through Tiger Leaping Gorge, where the Yangtze River has gouged a great slash through the landscape. This is one of the deepest ravines in the world; its a staggering four kilometers from the gorges bottom to the snow-dusted peaks of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. With its trailhead easily accessed from the World Heritage-listed Old Town of Lijiang, the 23-kilometer trek is now a solid fixture on the backpackers circuit in China. The trail stretches halfway up the gorge, about two kilometers above the glinting white water of the Yangtze, and along its route it passes Tibetan hamlets and a tableau of terraced fields interspersed with meadows and pine forests. The path then descends to the river at the village of Hetao Yuan (Walnut Garden), where, after an eight-hour slog, the budget guesthouses feel like the height of luxury. Visit tigerleappinggorge.com for more information.
Abode of The Gods
The trail and guesthouses along Tiger Leaping Gorge are full of camaraderie, but if you want to head somewhere less well traveled, bypass the gorge and press on toward Kawa Gebo (a.k.a. Meli Shue Shan) in Yunnans Deqin prefecture. This mountain is the provinces highest at 6,740 meters, and its massive 12-kilometer-long glacier snakes down to the low point in the valley just above Mingyong, the trailhead village. Mingyong is home to a handful of Tibetan inhabitants who live in traditional stone farmhouses, making it an attraction in its own right. In the mornings, youll wake to the chanting of mantras and the aroma of pine branches smoldering in household Buddhist shrines.
According to Tibetan legend, Kawa Gebo is the abode of the gods, and the trail upslope from the village is used by pilgrims who, in fits of exultation, leave behind offering-pieces of clothing, prayer flags, and even clumps of hair torn out in pious fervor and tucked in chinks in the natural stone wall that flanks the track. The steep, seven-kilometer trail ends at the Linhua Temple, where pilgrims pay homage to the venerated mountain that towers above, with its Mingyong Glacier stepping up in ice-blocks of brilliant white snow. In the summer, you can regularly hear the rumbles of avalanches.
