Trekking info

The stuff you'd otherwise find out on the mountain

Permits, altitude, language, food, money and entry rules — written for international travellers joining a Chinese trekking group, by people who run the trips. Anything that can change without notice is marked as such.

Practical 6 Destinations 1 Culture 1 Gear 1 Food 1

Practical

Practical 01

How to join a Chinese trekking group (and why you would want to)

Chinese domestic trekking groups are cheaper, better organised and more fun than most foreign travellers expect. The only thing standing between you and one of them is a language barrier — and a booking process nobody explains.

7 min read Read

Practical 02

The Tibet permit, explained without the runaround

Foreign travellers cannot enter Tibet independently. Here is what the permit actually is, what it costs you in time, and the three ways people get it wrong.

8 min read Read

Practical 03

Altitude in China: what actually happens, and how to avoid it

Most treks on this site start above 3,000 m and several go past 5,000 m. Altitude is the single biggest reason a trip goes wrong — and the most predictable.

9 min read Read

Practical 04

Paying for things in China with a foreign card

China is close to cashless, and foreign cards mostly do not work in shops. Alipay and WeChat Pay both accept international cards now — here is how to set them up before you fly.

6 min read Read

Practical 05

The language barrier, honestly

English is rare on Chinese trails. That is the real reason trekking in China feels closed to foreign travellers — and it is fixable, but only if someone tells you the truth about which trips it applies to.

5 min read Read

Practical 06

Getting into China: visas, visa-free entry and the 240-hour transit rule

Most travellers from our core markets can now enter China without a visa. Entry rules change often, so here is the framework and what to verify before you book flights.

6 min read Read

Destinations

Destinations 01

The best time to trek in China, region by region

China is too big for one trekking season. Sichuan peaks in autumn, Yunnan works in winter, Tibet is a summer-only proposition, and the south is best when the north is frozen.

8 min read Read

Culture

Culture 01

What a Chinese trekking group is actually like

Shared tents, a group chat, a cook who feeds you four times a day, and a leader who will tell you to hurry up. A field guide to the culture of domestic Chinese trekking.

6 min read Read

Gear

Gear 01

What to pack for a trek in China (and what to leave at home)

A practical packing list for 3,000–5,600 m group trekking in China, built around what you can rent locally, what Chinese operators provide, and the three items people always forget.

7 min read Read

Food

Food 01

Halal, vegetarian and fussy eating on a Chinese trek

Most of our travellers come from Southeast Asia, and the food question is the one that worries people most. Here is how a Chinese trail kitchen actually handles it.

6 min read Read

A note on accuracy

Visa-free entry lists, permit procedures and payment rules in China change frequently. Every page here states when it was last reviewed, and where a rule is likely to move we say so instead of pretending otherwise. If something on this site contradicts the Chinese embassy in your country, the embassy is right.