40 Download detailed itineraries from www.himalayankingdoms.com e: info@himalayankingdoms.com Gebu village, Kawa Karpo Pilgrimage trek Photo: Chris Brightman China Yunnan The Plant Hunters, Yunnan We will travel out via Bangkok, Kunming and Lijiang and then, first driving north along the Yangtse River, we will pass onto the Tibetan tablelands of southern Kham. At Gyalthang town we will stay in a small hotel before we move on to our own plant-hunting expeditions to Shudu Lake, Napha Lake, Jyatsha valley, descend into the Yangtse river gorge and lastly visit the Baima Mountain Reserve. On most sections of the itinerary we will be based in hotels but on a couple of nights quality camping services will be provided. Yunnan is world-famous for its huge diversity of plants and flowers and our days of walking in these areas will have a strong botanical focus. We regard this tour as a very rare opportunity to travel to an almost unvisited portion of the eastern Himalaya. Grade: Gentle Day Walks: 10 days European Leader: tbc Nights’ Accommodation: Hotels: 16 Camping: 1 Guest House: 2 Optional: Single Room £250 Single Tent £25 Insurance: £149 (Insurance Plus) Days Itinerary Duration: 22 days 1–3 Fly via Bangkok and Kunming to Lijiang, sightseeing in Lijiang 4–19 Plant hunting in Yunnan 20–22 Return flight to London via Bangkok The Kawa Karpo Pilgrimage The sacred mountain, Kawa Karpo (6,740m/22,113ft) lies in an area that is part of the old Tibetan province of Kham. It lies between the Mekong and Salween rivers, close to the Burmese border, where the Tibetan plateau drains into Asia. This region is renowned for its stunning biodiversity and is associated with the great planthunters of the 20th Century such as Frank Kingdon-Ward and Joseph Rock. However, beyond being an amazing peak in an all but forgotten part of the Eastern Himalaya, Kawa Karpo has vastly more significance than just this. The most famous sacred mountain in the Tibetan world is, of course, Mt Kailash, which represents the body of the Buddha, but Mt Kawa Karpo represents the mind emanation of the Buddha. Therefore a pilgrimage or making a circuit of the mountain bestow considerable merit. We are truly privileged to be able to offer this fabulous opportunity to trek into a region that was praised for its beauty by the early Western explorers. We shall, of course, be trekking in the company of very many devout and cheerful Tibetan pilgrims. The Chinese province of Yunnan lies just to the east of the Tibetan border and also borders Burma, Laos and Vietnam. The western end of Yunnan is mountainous and is deeply dissected by mountain ranges running north to south. Much of Yunnan’s early exploration by Westerners was carried out by famous plant hunters such as Frank Kingdon-Ward, Joseph Hooker, Joseph Rock and others. Eric Shipton also explored this region and was Consul General in the capital, Kunming. £3,695 £2,860 Dates: Sat 24 May – Tue 17 Jun, Sat 20 Sep – Tue 14 Oct land only Grade: Strenuous On Trek: 15 days European Leader: tbc Nights’ Accommodation: Hotels: 8 Camping: 14 Optional: Single Room £150 Single Tent £120 Insurance: £149 (Insurance Plus) Days Itinerary Duration: 25 days 1–4 Fly to Lijiang via Bangkok and Kunming, drive to Zhongdian, visit Tiger Leaping Gorge –5 Drive to Dechen 6–20 Trek the Kawa Karpo circuit 21–22 Drive to Zhongdian, fly to Kunming 23–25 Fly to Bangkok, sightseeing, fly London Guaranteed to run for a minimum of5clients Guaranteed to run for a minimum of clients £3,650 £2,815 Dates: Sat 07 Jun – Sat 28 Jun land only 5 Flower child Photo: Tiger Li

Minya Konka, Old Eastern Tibet Minya Konka stands proud and alone at 7,556m/ 24,790ft high, cast almost a thousand miles adrift from her Himalayan neighbours. Climbed successfully for the first time in 1932 by a small American team, their heroic story was captured evocatively in the book Men Against the Clouds, the stuff that alpine legends are made of. Minya Konka is sacred to the local Minyak Tibetan people, and is guarded by her beautiful sister peak, Namtusi, a Buddhist ‘treasure-keeper’ found depicted in monastery murals across Tibet. We stay two nights in the ancient monastery founded at the foot of the mountain. After several acclimatisation nights in Kangding, former capital of East Tibet, we set out following the Shuangcha River through rolling green valleys, camping in idyllic riverside meadows, carpeted with wild-flowers. The trek crosses two high passes where we are rewarded with dramatic views of snow-capped peaks, glaciers and icy alpine lakes stretching into the distance. 41 tel: 0845 330 8579 (local call rate, UK only) international tel: +44 1453 844 400 www.himalayankingdoms.com Left: White Miao lady Photo: Wild China Right: Kawa Karpo in the distance Photo: Steve Berry South West China £2,845 £2,295 Sun 18 May – Tue 03 Jun £2,945 £2,295 Sun 13 Jul – Tue 29 Jul land only land only Grade: Vigorous On Trek: 10 days European Leader: tbc Nights’ Accommodation: Hotels: 5 Camping: 7 Gompa: 2 Optional: Single Room £125 Single Tent £105 Insurance: £145 (Insurance Plus) Days Itinerary Duration: 17 days 1–2 Fly to Singapore, connecting flight to Chengdu 3–4 Drive to Kangding, acclimatisation trek 5–14 Trek around Minya Konka and Konka Gompa to Kangding –15 Return to Chengdu 16–17 Fly to London Guaranteed to run for a minimum of clients Himalayan Kingdoms is the only UK operator to offer this spectacular trek 5 Guilin and the Tribes of South West China This trek combines the colours of some of China’s most unspoilt and beautiful countryside, the spectacular karst scenery for which Guilin is world-famous and the sights and sounds of bustling Beijing. The trip starts with sightseeing in Beijing and a visit to the Great Wall, built over 2000 years ago to protect China’s northern frontier from raiding Mongol horsemen. We then fly down to Guizhou province, a land of jagged mountain peaks and terraced emerald rice-fields, home to many colourful ethnic minority cultures and largely untouched by the tourism and development of its neighbouring provinces. We drive and trek between remote minority villages through dramatic limestone karst hills and ‘stairs’ of paddy fields. For two nights on trek we stay in the villages, one is a genuine home-stay, the other in a village guesthouse. Both have simple but clean facilities and we provide the bed-linen and crockery. This is a unique experience and offers the chance to get to know the Shining Cloth, Miao and Dong families we stay with. The October departure takes in the Lusheng Festival celebrations in Chong’an. The Lusheng is the traditional reedpipe, played by the Miao and some other ethnic groups south China, and in addition to Lusheng performances there is much singing and dancing, with villagers dressed in exotic festival costumes with delicate silver head-dresses. The trek finishes in Guilin, long famed for its scenery culture, a land of lush green mountains, and bizarre karst rock formations. It feels as though we are stepping into an ancient Chinese scroll painting as we explore the ethereal beauty this area by boat, bicycle and on foot. £2,895 £2,495 Dates: Tue 01 Apr – Thu 17 Apr*, Sat 18 Oct – Mon 03 Nov† land only Grade: Gentle Day Walks: 4 days European Leader: M A Harper*, David Bathgate† Nights’ Accommodation: Hotels: 11 Village/Guest House: 4 Optional: Single Room £295 Insurance: £145 (Insurance Plus) Days Itinerary Duration: 17 days 1–4 Fly to Beijing, sightseeing and at leisure –5 Fly to Guiyang, drive to Kaili (Spring departure only) 6–12 Trekking between minority villages around Kaili 13–15 Drive to Guilin, sightseeing and exploration 16–17 Fly to Beijing, overnight and on to London Guaranteed to run for a minimum of clients Improved itinerary • October: Lusheng Festival 5 Guardian deity Photo: Steve Berry