云南 · Northwest Yunnan
Yunnan
Three parallel rivers, and the warmest winter trekking in China
- Best season
- October–December, March–May
- Gateway
- Lijiang (LJG) / Kunming (KMG)
- Altitude range
- 1,800–6,740 m
- Join-in treks
- 3 available
Northwest Yunnan packs the Hengduan ranges into a space you can drive across in a day: the Salween, Mekong and Yangtze running side by side between glaciated peaks. It is the one part of high China you can trek in December, and the food alone justifies the trip. Trekking here is more village-to-village than expedition — guesthouse beds, hot springs, and a different language every valley.
Worth building a trip around
Three tiers, from the routes we sell most to the ones that need a bespoke arrangement.
The main objectives
- Meili Snow Mountain & Yubeng
- Haba Snow Mountain
- Ailao Shan
- Tiger Leaping Gorge
Strong, narrower window
- Gaoligong Shan
- Nanjiluo
- Kongque Shan
- Abujicuo
- Niru
- Baoshan Stone City – Yanke Trail
- Bingzhongluo – Dulongjiang
Departures
Yunnan treks open now
Yunnan Chinese group Haba Snow Mountain Summit
哈巴雪山攀登The classic first snow summit in China — 5,396 m, one glacier, and a summit ridge that has introduced a generation of Chinese climbers to altitude.
Yunnan Chinese group Ailao Shan Traverse
哀牢山徒步Subtropical cloud forest, terraced Hani villages and a ridge walk above the Red River — the warmest winter trek on this site, and the cheapest.
Yunnan Chinese group Meili North Slope
梅里雪山北坡The quiet side of Kawagebo. Where Yubeng gets the crowds, the north slope gets the mountain — a raw valley approach to the 6,740 m face with almost nobody on the trail.
Practical notes
- When to go
- October–December, March–May
- Fly into
- Lijiang (LJG) / Kunming (KMG)
- Altitude span
- 1,800–6,740 m
- Working language
- Mandarin on domestic batches; English on flagged international departures
- Permits
- None for foreign travellers beyond a standard China visa or visa-free entry