8 days, 7 nights
From 9400 cny
Min. 6 Max.20
Van, bike
Hotel & Guesthouses
Vibrant and diverse are words that perfectly describe China’s southern province of Yunnan. Graced with dramatic natural landscapes, multicultural inhabitants, and crisp mountain air, Yunnan is the perfect blend of great cycling and local flavor. Hit the heights of Yunnan for some of the most jaw dropping cycling in China, meet local Tibetan, Lisu, Pumi, Bai, and Naxi minorities in their homelands and marvel at the mighty Yangtze and Mekong rivers as they cut through the Hengduan Moutains.
Discover Shangrila and Lijiang old towns, take a chance on seeing the rare snub-nose monkey, birdwatch at Napa Lake where migratory black necked cranes and be among the first to cycle an un-touristed section of the Mekong in the Three Parallel Rivers National Park, where you will cross by boat the Mekong River.
There’s never a dull moment on this high-altitude journey through a stunning diversity of landscapes and cultures.
Most of the days are packed with cultural experiences and scenic delights. The friendly locals, stunning geography, and mouth-watering food coupled with the lack of tourists, will make it hard to say goodbye! Be sure that you bring your camera!
Last but not least, ride carefree with a support vehicle, great bikes and attentive knowledgeable guides
Travel is an emotional experience, cherishing new corners and venture into unknown landscapes. Respecting this and giving back to society has taken an important role in our endeavours in leaving only footprints and taking only memories. ATRAILS committed to improving the conditions of communities we encounter on our journeys whilst safeguarding and protecting nature and wildlife
YUNNAN, CHINA
Our meeting point is in Shangrila. You’ll be met at the airport for a short drive to our start point hotel in Shangrila old town. There will be a group meeting at 6pm where we’ll go over all the formalities of the trip and answer any questions you might have about the upcoming trip before heading out for a delicious Tibetan banquet in the old town Altitude 3280mt
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Local Guesthouse
After breakfast and a bike set up, we begin our adventure with an epic 100km ride. Although it sounds like a long day, apart from a reasonably gentle six-kilometre climb, it’s all flat and downhill! We cycle out of town and head straight for Napa Hai on the outskirts of town, a large spectacular water catchment that is visited by several species of migratory birds, including the black necked crane. It’s also a grazing area for livestock and a water source for agriculture that produces wheat, barley and vegetables and surrounded by several Tibetan villages: seen reflected on the lake surrounded by mountains makes for some fine views! We leave the lake behind and start our mornings climb; prayer flags greet us at the pass at 3560m and the highest point of the trip, and then it’s all downhill from here. Our route takes us on a massive descent, over 1000m, to the mighty Yangtze below. Viewpoints will beckon you to stop along the way to take it all in - and there’s plenty of time to do so – as this will be the easiest 100km you’re ever likely to cycle. Tiny Tibetan and Lisu villages will dot the high hillsides as we descend to the river where the ride flattens out. A few small towns are passed by until we reach Wujing, a small Tibetan town where we lodge for the night. Altitude 1950 - 100km ride After settling into the hotel, we’ll head out for dinner in town and, time permitting, visit the locally famous old 30m high Buddha tree, named Malishuwang, and check out the local ambiance. Whilst a relatively unknown place to outsiders, Wujing is close by Damofusi monastery high up in the mountains on the opposite side of the river. It’s a remote retreat where hard-core Tibetan Buddhist llamas head to delve into the deeper practices of their religion and, thus, is a pretty well-kept secret outside of in-the-know Buddhist circles.
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Local Guesthouse
Today’s ride is the most challenging of the tour. With a steady climb for 46km we make our way up the valley, passing by several Lisu minority villages and their farmlands. The higher we go, the fewer villages we see, as the valley narrows and the forest becomes denser. Finally, we find ourselves on a plateau of undulating highland with lush grassland. After stopping for lunch, we have a 20km descent ahead of us before a shorter climb into Weixi town and our hotel for the night. Weixi Lisu Autonomous county is the main centre for the Lisu ethnic group, and we’ll head into town to try out some of the local food and experience the relative bustle of this rural centre. Altitude 2070 mt. - 35 km ride
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Local Guesthouse
Today’s ride is the most challenging of the tour. With a steady climb for 46km we make our way up the valley, passing by several Lisu minority villages and their farmlands. The higher we go, the fewer villages we see, as the valley narrows and the forest becomes denser. Finally, we find ourselves on a plateau of undulating highland with lush grassland. After stopping for lunch, we have a 20km descent ahead of us before a shorter climb into Weixi town and our hotel for the night. Weixi Lisu Autonomous county is the main centre for the Lisu ethnic group, and we’ll head into town to try out some of the local food and experience the relative bustle of this rural centre. Weixi Altitude: 2250m - 75 km ride
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Local Guesthouse
We continue our journey with a quick transfer, bypassing a busy section of road. Back on the bikes, we greet the Mekong River at a point where three of Asia’s largest rivers - the Yangtze, Mekong and Salween - are less than 150km from each other. Between them are immensely steep, snow-capped mountains; barriers that cause them to diverge to different parts of Asia, sustaining huge modern-day populations along the way, once having given rise to the ancient empires and cultures that came before them, and eventually terminating in completely separate oceans, thousands of kilometres apart. We’ll spend the next two days cycling along the path that the Mekong etches through the mountains on its journey southward. There’s a section of tunnels that we’ll possibly skip before jumping back on the bikes and making our way to Zhongpai, a Lisu village, and our hotel with views over the Mekong River and Biluo Snow Mountain’s snowy summit that separates the Lancang and Nujiang Rivers. We are in Nu minority area now which means the food has changed, influenced more by South East Asian flavours, and the eating style is more tactile with people using their hands to eat. We’ll enjoy a banquet of this unique cuisine in the evening. Zhongpai Altitude: 1770m - 50 km ride
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Local Guesthouse
Back on the bikes and we ride on undulating roads above the Mekong…the views are simply astounding as we make our way to lunch after 36km of biking. We’ll transfer the next section of tunnels and dusty roads and make our way to the top of today’s pass (don’t let the altitude profile scare you…we won’t be cycling up the big hill!!!). A beautiful forested twisting downhill ride will bring us to the outskirts of Lanping where we pack up the bikes for a ride into town. Lanping is the only autonomous county for both the Bai and Pumi people. It has been fairly recently recognised as one of China’s poorest areas and, as such, much development has gone into the place. The Bai people are originally from around the shores of Lake Erhai and Dali and moved into this area in the past along the old tea horse route. The Pumi are a Tibetan related people that were originally nomadic peoples, related to the Qiang, who occupied the highlands of the Tibet-Qinghai plateau. They were eventually forced into Sichuan and the Hengduan Mountains in Yunnan from the 13th century with the expansion of the Mongol empire. They became agriculturalists and maintained livestock in the highlands where they remain today. We’ll check out the local scene for our evening meal in this rarely visited town. Lanping Altitude: 2420m - 56 km ride
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Local Guesthouse
Today is our last day on the bikes. We transfer (2 hours) beyond a busy trafficked section of road to begin our ride at near Baihanchan Reservoir with an optional climb of 16km climb out of the Jianchuan valley (you can start riding at the top of this hill if preferred). At the top, it’s downhill to Lashi Lake with incredible views of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Haba Snow Mountain as the backdrop. From Lashi Lake, depending on time, we’ take a circuitous route of the plateau Lijiang sits on, with possible visits to Shuhe and Baisha Old Towns. Our destination hotel is on the edge of Lijiang Old Town. We’ll visit the old town tonight for a farewell feast and celebration of the end of our journey! Altitude 2420mt - 65 km ride and 2h van transfer
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Local Guesthouse
Today is departure day and you are free to leave at anytime. We’ll organise a transfer to Lijiang airport for your departing flights.
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We selected proper and functional accommodation in the different stops defined in the itinerary.
Few important details to frame the experience:
