China Yunnan Odyssey by Bike

We may face more difficulties physically and spiritually than usual while cycling on high mountainous areas. To guarantee a safe return, we are supposed to make good preparations. An easy relaxing day for acclimation is suggested. Have a warming up ride in the afternoon on the famous Napahai grassland and lake, then visit Dukezhong Ancient town, which is the best place to know about Tibetan culture during the whole trip.

We will aclimatise today and have time to visit the 17th Century Sumtsenling Garden Monastery which is home to over 600 monks: a smaller but no less magnificent version of the grand Potala Palace in Lhasa.

We begin with a short transfer out of town, passing through arid plateau on towards Pudacuo National Park where the day’s point to point cycling begins. We set off on the bikes with a downhill stretch on good road and continue during the day to cycle a series of valleys and mountains through a changing rural scenery gradually descending to the village of Bai Shui Tai. Our final stretch of the route brings us through conifer forest. Located below the Haba Snow Mountain (the other side of Tiger Leaping Gorge), Bai Shui Tai is famed for its natural mineral terraced White Water Tables created by calcium carbonate deposits from the melting mountain spring water.

We set off today with a few gentle hills before challenging a more serious climb. Once we reach the top of the pass we will have views of the stunning Haba Mountain peaks (that we could skip with the help of our van). The highest point is at a dizzying 5,396m. With alpine moraine lake, endless clusters of azalea and waterfalls cascading down snow-covered cliffs, the glacier on the Haba Snow Mountain is the south most glaciers in China. We make a short descent into Haba village, whose resident minorities include Naxi, Hui (Muslim) and Yi peoples, as well as a few Tibetans. This afternoon we climb to our next pass then cycle down into the Yangtze River Valley. At the village of Yonke we turn into the legendary Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the world’s deepest ravines. Cutting its path between Haba Mountain and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain your surroundings will be as dramatic as the place names suggest. We finish our riding today anytime and then drive to the downstream part of the Tiger Leaping Gorge for a short visit (Where most Chinese tourists visiting), then drive uphill to our hike starting point tomorrow– The Qiaotou Town for rest. The riding distance today is up to you, from 40-80KMS. (On mountain areas but the challenging climbs mostly comes in the afternoon).

After early breakfast and good preparation for the hardest challenge of a long hike today, our driver will drive us to a village nearby and we will start our hike there. The hiking distance today is depend on your wishes, an 8-12 hours walking is our big mission today! If we choose the further starting point, we can finish our hike and recover our legs early at the guesthouse.

The hike yesterday needs more endurance while today we need more technique; we even need to climb vertical ladles or walking along the inclined rocks. In reward, the hike today brings us to the edge of the gorge where the masterpiece of the natural exists. Return to our hotel and rest then we will drive some same way back and across the gorgeous Yangtze River with our car and bikes and rest at Daju town - an old town full with old houses and countryside lives.

We begin the day with a 23 km climb as we cycle towards Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Snow-capped and often shrouded in mist, Dragon Snow Mountain is a sanctuary for rare animals and wild plants with unique micro climates on the different slopes. It is also known as a natural glacier museum and is now a famous scenic spot for tourists and scientific research. We ride up over the pass with a long 1475m climb up the southern slope of the Dragon Snow Mountain for 31km to the top. We then enjoy a long downhill ride through another valley. We end the day with another short climb to Da Dong. We can relax in hot springs this evening. Today is both a great challenge and tonic for tired legs.

After couple days hard cycling and scenery around the areas. It is not a bad idea using our van and driving directly to Lijiang and skip the busy main road heading to it. We will have some leisure riding today and see the surrounding small towns and villages of Lijiang, where the Jade Dragon Snow Mountains and peaceful lakes and reservoirs are, visit some museums and then back to the Lijiang Ancient Town for your own rest and walking explore the famed touring town.

A cycling from Lijiang to Shaxi costs us a whole day but with a car driving it is only 2 hours. We can decide to cycle to Shaxi or drive and only ride leisurely of the interesting places of the area and then leave more time enjoying the more peaceful town of Shaxi Old Town for an late lunch and then continue our ride to orchards and small rural towns on the way to Dali. Our driver will help us again and again loading our bikes up and down, making sure we will enjoy the best bike ride in this areas before driving us to the north lakeside of Dali.

Another day riding through the mountains and hidden villages gives us more impressions of the local life and people in the area; we will ride a cycle and back to our hotel today. Enjoy the cycling around the Erhai Lake all the way to the downtown of Dali Ancient Town, visiting local museum learning the culture of Bai people, celebrate our tour together.

Shaxi is a well preserved historic stopping point on the Tea Horse route. In the old town square, you will find a traditional wooden temple with cobblestoned quadrangle. In the past, it has been relatively inaccessible to visitors and thus has not become modernized. Efforts are now underway to preserve its historic identity. With more sunshine, annually than California the area has rich natural biodiversity. Victorian botanists and flower hunters were drawn here to collect specimens for the ornamental gardens of Europe and America including orchids, roses, rhododendrons, azaleas, and magnolias, to name but a few. There is an interesting Caravan museum in the town. On the outskirts of Shaxi you can enjoy views of the Heihui River, with rolling peaks in the background. An ancient crescent shaped stone bridge connects the town to the fields over the river. There are local options for horse riding, another way to explore your beautiful surroundings.