Price: upon inquiry
Destinations Visited: Minya Konka, Kangding
Departure: Private Tour / Flexible Date
This is a Kangding-based tour: starting and ending in Kangding. Total 4 days hiking from start to finish, into the heartland of Minya Konka by walking up Riwuqi Pasture. Great views of mountains, glaciers, lake and wild life. This tour will involve 3 nights' camping.
Book NowHiking starts after a short ride of around 40 minutes from your hotel in town of Kangding by road head at around 3600 meters above the village of Laoyulin. This is where we meet our porter team and give them packs we need to put on the horse. The packs are sorted the former night. You only need to carry your own day pack. Remember in the day pack we only take with us necessary items for the hiking during day time, including packed lunch or snakcks, drinking water recommended 1L minimum, sunglasses, rainproof, warm-keeping clothes and hat, sun block and lip oil, important personal possessions etc. Note the warm-clothing and rainproof (for both yourself and your pack) may not be used while hiking but since weather changes quickly and hard to predict in the mountains, it's wise to bring these items with you all the time each day. The walking starts by gradual ascent by the riverside with pine forest and mountains around you. You'll pass by a red rock slide where you'll experience a small section of steep part before you get more open views of the valley and mountains around you. Today's walking is rather medium. Arrive at camp site by Liangcha at 3850 meters in the afternoon. Total walk around 10km.
Total Walking 10km between 3600m and 3850m. Medium Pace.
Overnight camping by 3850m.
Minya Konka Hiking
Beautiful Riuqi Valley
Mt. Lamoshe
Grazela Camp
As altitutde gains the walking gets more challenging. Today we start easy with more gradual terrain by the riverside and followed by a section of going up after crossing the river bridge. Views get better as we walk higher. We'll see snow mountain include Little Konka, Jiazi Feng, Mt .Reddomain and Mt. Grosvenor if the day is clear. Today we are walking by the north part of Minya Konka Range where can only be accessed by foot. Views of the Riuqi Valley are amazing with the less-known big mountains visible from the hiking trail. Before arrive campsite, there is also a small section of going up. Please take your time and walk slow since today's walking is relatively easy with shorter distance. Campsite is Riuqi at 4250 meters, a flat pasture by end of valley. This is a windy campsite and the highest of all. There are no trees around but rather flat steppe with big mountains above. Feel free to walk around the camp if arrived early. Today is one of the most beautiful days on the trek, do not miss it!
Total Walking 7km between 3850m and 4250m. Easy Pace.
Overnight camping by 4250m.
Mt. Tshiburongi
Riuqi Valley
Mt. Jiazi and Mt. Grosvenor
Riwuqi Camp
After breakfast we go up to explore the Reddomain Mountain glacier lake. Follow the stream and walk to the lake of Reddomain. The lake is a glacier lake by the foot of the 6112-m Mt. Reddomain (or Mt. Roddmain). It is surounded by mountains and at an elevation of 4400m. We can see the end of the glacier is not far away on top of the lake. Side of the lake is used as base camp by climbers to Mt. Reddomain. We will have a short break by the lake to have some snacks, drink water and take photos. Afterwards we can choose to go beyond the lake to the glacier. It takes another 1 hour to get to the glacier. Note the walking after the lake is on rocky terrain before the glacier for around 2km. When we approach the glacier it has an absolute alpine feeling of the environment: no trees nor grass but just rocks, lake and mountains and glaciers. Once we get to the glacier we will have a short break before we started to go back. Normally we don't go up the glacier but if you have prepared ice-crampons you can try go up the glacier a bit. We will use the same trail back to our camp. If time allows we will also go up towards Riuqi Pass a bit to the flat part where we can gain views of all the big mountains in this area if it is clear. Arrive back to camp and drink hot water and wait for dinner. Chance to see milky way if the sky is clear by night!
Upper Riuqi Hiking
Glacier and Lake
Reddomain Glacier
Mt. Reddomain
Today is a full day walking back to where we started the hiking for around 17km. We have another chance to see the views along the way if weather was not good enough. Walking back should take less time although you are recommended to slow down to appreciate the views. After arrive the road end, be picked up and send to your hotel in Kangding. Tour Ends.
Minya Konka Trek
Kangding Trekking
This tour is available from July to October.
This tour starts in Kangding. You can also start this tour in Chengdu. We strongly recommend you to have sufficient acclimating before doing this trek. You will have the night camping by around 4000m. If you go straight to do this tour then the risk of getting AMS is high.
Strong walking boots are necessary to do this trek. In this hiking, some sections of the walking trail are rocky and muddy.
Rain proof and Sun block are also necessary when you come to hike at Kangding. The average elevation of this hiking is over 3500 meters. Weather changes quickly.
Traveling to the listed places will expect lower standard services at hotels and restaurants even if they maybe the best choices. The service level is not as up to what you have in places like Chengdu. The hotel people don't speak English nor do the people from restaurants. These places are quite far, wild but beautiful. As authenticity comes often with less comfortability. Public Toilet can be really bad. You are always recommended to use your toilet in your hotel while you don't want to use the public toilet or do it in the open wild. You are recommended to have toilet paper with you. Food are with limited options at most of the places. Basically you can find Chinese Food with Sichuan style. On a guided trip you can have them customized into vegetarian or non/less spicy.
This tour involves walking at high altitude at over 3000m, people with cardiac-related conditions, cerebrovascular disease, hypertension, arrhythmia, respiratory diseases, obstructive pulmonary diseases (bronchial asthma, bronchiectasis, emphysema, active tuberculosis, pneumoconiosis), pregnant women and people who have been diagnosed with high altitude pulmonary edema, high altitude cerebral edema, high altitude hypertension, high altitude heart disease, and high altitude polycythemia are not recommended to do this trip.
Any booking within short notice we may not be able to make arrangement for you because some of our guides may not be quickly available at any time. Please do contact and confirm with us at least 2-4 weeks prior to your arrival.
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