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Global Adrenaline offers a trekking expedition
into eastern Tibet's Da Xue ('Big Snow') mountains,
which are dominated by the 24,179-foot Minya Konka.
This region of eastern Tibet, now a part of Sichuan province, is known to
Tibetans as Kham. The accessibility of these mountains, coupled with their
location deep in the heart of Tibet, makes this expedition a unique opportunity
for trekking in a pristine area that is rich in Tibetan culture.
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As in any physical endeavor, fitness is the most
essential ingredient for success. That said, no previous Himalayan trekking
experience is needed to take part in our Tibetan trips. In general, a
love of mountains and hiking is all that is required. One should be physically
fit, meaning that one should be capable of walking a full day with a day
pack. If you have any questions about your qualifications or abilities,
those questions can be readily answered through a phone conversation with
one of our guides.
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Our trekking expeditions in the Minya Konka region
can be customized to fit a particular group's
.JPG) |
| Eastern Tibet's highest peak, 7,556 meter
Mt. Minya Konka-first climbed in 1932. (Mount Minya Konka, Tibet) |
interests, budgets and schedules. We can emphasize
trekking activities if the group has a great interest in trekking, or
we can emphasize the region's cultural riches if that's where our interests
lie. Or we can design an itinerary that neatly balances the adventure
and cultural aspects of travel in the Minya Konka region.
We will arrive in Chengdu, the capital city of
China's Sichuan Province. Chengdu is located near sea
level, so we will face no acclimatization problems here. We will be met
at the airport by our local staff, who have arranged our transfer by bus
to the Jiao Tong Hotel. The afternoon will be free for you to explore
downtown Chengdu at your leisure. In the evening, we will meet for a group
dinner, where we will sample the local Sichuan cuisine.
.jpg) |
| Our horsemen (Minya Konka Range, Eastern Tibet). |
In the morning, we will depart Chengdu for Kangding,
the former capital of east Tibet. Our drive will take most of the day.
Early in the morning, we will depart Kangding
for the town of Laoyulin (10,200 feet), which lies at the head of the
Moxi Valley. After assembling and preparing our pack animals, we will
begin our trek into the Moxi Valley, making approximately 5 hours' progress
before reaching our camp site for the day. The Moxi Valley landscape is
characterized by pine forests framed against a background of high 20,000-foot
peaks. These peaks mark the beginning of the Da Xue range. We will camp
for
.jpg) |
| Potala Palace. (Lhasa, Tibet) |
the evening in a meadow (11,840 feet) near the
Gyazi River.
We will continue our southward journey through
the Moxi Valley. As we walk, our horses will follow, bearing our supplies.
To the east as we journey will be a 20,000-foot high wall, formed by the
peaks of the central Da Xue range. To the west will be a dense fir forest.
We will walk for roughly five hours through an increasingly impressive
landscape of mountains, rivers and meadows. We will stop for the evening
at a camp near Tibetan yak herder's tents, at an elevation of 12,160 feet.
For those interested in trying one of Tibet's staples, 'pur-cha' (or butter
tea), the opportunity will surely present itself here.
After finishing breakfast, we will begin an uphill
ascent, eventually reaching a plateau at 13,760 feet. We will cross the
terminal moraine of Gyazi Kankar, which towers 20,000 feet above us.Relatively
early in the day, we will reach our campsite, which is situated in a meadow
(13,120 feet) beneath a glacier. We will spend an additional day at this
campsite - surely one of the most
%20-%20B.jpg) |
| Tibetan children. (Lungjung, Tibet) |
spectacular camps of the trip. We will spend
the extra day enjoying the splendor of our surroundings as we become acclimatized
for the upcoming crossing of the highest pass that we will face on this
trek.
We will be free during the day to explore some
of the surrounding side valleys, taking in the wildlife and wildflowers
of our high alpine setting. The photographers among us will enjoy the
spectacular scenery, while the sun seekers among us will enjoy the opportunity
(weather permitting, of course!) to lounge in the sun. And, best of all,
without a lot of effort on our part, we will be accomplishing something
very important: acclimatizing ourselves for the following day's crossing
of the Bu-Chu La pass.
We will get an early start on the day's trek in
order to assure ourselves of reaching camp at a
.jpg) |
| Mount Minya Konka (Eastern Tibet). |
relatively early hour. The ascent to Bu-Chu La
requires effort, but it pays off in spades. The summit of the pass, at
15,808 feet, offers some of the finest views in all of eastern Tibet.
On both sides, to the south and to the north, are the huge walls formed
by the glaciated peaks of the central Da Xue range. Lording over them
all is the massive summit of Minya Konka (24,179 feet). To the west are
the seemingly endless expanses of the eastern Tibetan plateau. After enjoying
our time at the summit, we will descend into one of the most beautiful
sections of the trek. In the spring, the valley we traverse will be dotted
with blooming alpine wildflowers, including the blue poppy, the clematis,
the white rose and the jack-in-the-pulpit. Our camp for the evening will
be alongside the Bu-Chu stream (13,440 feet).
In the morning, we will set out on the last southbound
segment of our trek, passing through deeply wooded valleys interspersed
with meadows on the way. We will camp for the night at a yak herder's
clearing, at an elevation of 12,100 feet.
We will reach the fork in the Bu-Chu River, at
the point where it pours out from the glaciers of Minya Konka. From that
point, we will turn east, passing through stunning rhododendron forests.
Those joining us for our springtime treks will experience the riotous
color of 22 rhododendron species simultaneously in bloom. We will camp
in a meadow (10,880 feet) for the night.
We will continue through the rhododendron forests
before suddenly coming upon the courtyard of the ancient Minya Konka monastery
(12,750 feet). Looming above the monastery is the truncated summit of
Minya Konka (24,179 feet). We will spend a memorable night here in our
camp beside the monastery.
After marveling at the morning alpenglow on the
stupendous west face of Minya Konka, we will
.jpg) |
| Group with Tibetan school children. (Lungjung,
Tibet) |
depart our camp and begin retracing our steps
for part of the day, until we reach our next camp, which is located near
Zemi village (12,000 feet). No one will object to having a second opportunity
to traverse this stunning terrain. For the night, we will camp near one
of eastern Tibet's most picturesque villages, Zemi. A handful of Tibetan
families live here in huge stone houses.
A largely uphill walk from the village of Zemi
to the Zemi Pass (15,300 feet) will be our main focus of the day. The
top of Zemi Pass is, like the Bu-Chu La, a fine vantage point from which
all the mountains of eastern Tibet can be viewed. After crossing the pass,
we will begin our descent into the Yulongshi Valley, where we will camp
for the evening (13,600 feet).
The Yulongshi Valley is relatively well-populated.
We will pass through a typical Tibetan village
.%20-%20A.jpg) |
| Trekking (Minya Konka Range, Eastern Tibet). |
every couple of miles. Our destination for the
day will be the town of Liu Ba (11,950 feet). Today's trek will be fairly
ambitious and will involve a relatively long day of walking. Depending
on our progress, we will either stay in a small guest house near Liu Ba
or in Kangding.
We will ride back to Chengdu for an overnight
stay in the Lhasa Hotel. After we enjoy a group dinner in the evening,
there will be time to sample some of Chengdu's lively night life.
After breakfast, we will transfer to the Chengdu
Airport, where we will connect to our various international flights.
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