Useful information about the Kawa Karpo trek

The Kora, the clockwise trek around the Kawa Karpo range is a spectacular adventure: The trail leads through different vegetation zones from blooming alpine meadows to thick and species rich forests. Plenty of breathtaking view points allow amazing sights of the snow-covered steep mountains.

Altitude profile of the Kawa Karpo Trek. Blue: settlements; Red: our camp places.

However, the trek requires good physical condition and self-confidence in walking in remote regions on lonely paths. It is a 12-stage tour across six high passes with altitudes way above 3000 m. Most of the time, over-nights are in tents, but sometimes in the settlements it is also possible to stay in private guest houses.

Basic Information:

Logisitc starting point is the town Deqen in northern Yunnan. You can reach Deqen easily by overland bus from Lijiang or from Zhongdian (Shangrila).

The trek itself starts at a suspension bridge across the Mekong in the village Yangtsa (100 km south of Deqen) and ends at the Mekong in the village Meilixi (70 km north of Deqen).

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