Minya Konka Circuit and the Aba Mountains

Departures

September, October
June

On a journey to uncover the secrets of the Chinese Tibetan plateau, we venture into the mountains of Sichuan Province. Starting from the skyscrapers of Chengdu, the major city of Western China, we explore the Kham and Jiarong Tibetan counties. Here, we traverse immense valleys surrounded by the snow-capped peaks of the Daxue mountain range, which soar among the clouds, reaching heights of 6000 and even 7000 meters.

Minya Konka Circuit and the Aba Mountains.
A trekking tour to discover the Tibetan Plateau.

General information

Duration:

15 days 14 nights

Participants:

maximum 12

Difficulty:

Activities:

🥾 hiking

Transports:

minivan and private cars, public transport.

Type of accommodation:

Hotels, hostels, tents.

The journey at a glance

Let’s explore the mountains of Western China, discovering the rich Chinese, Tibetan, and other ethnic minorities cultures’ of Sichuan Province. We will follow the spiritual paths of Tibetan monks, hiking the “kora” around Minya Konka, Sichuan’s highest mountain at 7556 meters. Together, we’ll traverse green valleys, rushing rivers, glaciers, and sharp peaks, climbing alpine passes up to 5000 meters and passing the traditional Tibetan sanctuaries adorned with colorful prayer flags. We’ll move then to the Aba region, where we delve into Jiarong culture by visiting villages with mysterious stone towers from ancient animist cults. Our final trek in Siguniang Shan Natural Park, the “Four Maidens Mountains,” will take us above 5000 meters. From the summit of Mount Dafeng, we’ll enjoy breathtaking views of the massif’s peaks emerging from the clouds.
We’ll then return to the plains and the bustling metropolis of Chengdu. Throughout our journey, we’ll savour traditional Tibetan specialties and Sichuanese dishes, renowned for their flavour and spiciness.

Gallery

Costs

Service cost: starting from 1800€
On-site expenses: 200€
The package is completed by the purchase of flights and travel insurance.

Day-by-Day Program

Day 1

Meeting the guide and Chengdu nightlife

Meeting with the guide at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport. We reach the city centre by high-speed train and transfer to the hotel to drop off our luggage. We're ready for an evening along the Chengdu river, among Chinese-style and Western-style venues, with live music from young Chinese rock and pop bands. We have dinner in a traditional restaurant for a first taste of the traditional dishes: gong bao chicken 宫保鸡, yuxiang eggplant 鱼香茄子, kongxin cai (hollow stem vegetable) 空心菜 with typical Sichuan spicy seasoning, and the indispensable mapo tofu 麻婆豆腐.
Night in Chengdu. Hotel with shared rooms.*

Day 2

Leshan Giant Buddha

Walking tour: about 7km 4/5 hours
Our transport takes us to the city of Leshan, once a very important commercial centre and hub, as it is located at the meeting point of the three great rivers of Sichuan, the Dadu River, the Minjiang, and the Qingyi, which mix their rushing currents to then flow into the Yangtze. Right at their meeting point, stands a famous Buddhist monument, a gigantic statue of a Maitreya Buddha, 71m high, carved in the crag facing the waters of the Minjiang. We spend the day visiting the Leshan Buddha park, rich in history and artistic manufacts belonging to the various phases of the spread of Buddhism in China. In the evening, we go to a local restaurant to taste the local specialty: the “qiaojiao niurou 跷脚牛肉” small dishes of meat and other delicacies cooked in broth and fresh cilantro.
Night in Leshan. Hotel with shared rooms.*

Day 3

In the Garze Tibetan Autonomous prefecture: Kangding

Rest day.
In the morning we head towards the mountains. Our driver takes us to Kangding, entering Garze county, an autonomous Tibetan region located right at the border with the Tibetan plateau, populated by the Kham ethnic group. We reach Dahuzi's home in the afternoon, prepare our backpacks ensuring nothing is missing for the expedition on the Minya Konka circuit. We give our porter the bags that the horses will carry, while we will only keep small backpacks with the essentials for the day, and a snack for lunch. In the evening, we enjoy the traditional Tibetan dinner of Dahuzi's wife, prepared with the meat and milk of their animals, and the vegetables from their land.
Night in Laoyulin. Hostel with shared rooms.

Day 4

Minya Konka circuit - To Shang Riwuqie

Hiking: 20.6km +1223m 8h or 13.9km +717m 6h
Minya Konka, here we come! We wake up early for breakfast and set off on the trail that starts right behind the house. We walk along the course of the Yulin river and, after a few hours, the valley opens up to the sight of the sea of ice descending from the smaller Minya Konka, the younger brother of the mountain around which our route passes, with its sharp peak of 6000m. We continue hiking along the Yulin river, among green meadows and rocky stretches, always in the presence of the giants of the Minya Konka massif, until we reach the yak herders' village of Lower Riwuqie. After a short break, we cross the river and climb up another hundred metres to Upper Riwuqie, a quiet meadow where we can camp. We settle into the tents and go to bed early, after consuming a meal prepared by the guide and Dahuzi.
Night in a tent. No bathrooms, running water in the river.

Day 5

Minya Konka circuit - Riwuqie Pass and Moxigou

Hiking: 13.7km +587m/-965m 6h
After breakfast with Tibetan flatbread, we gather our energies for today's elevation gain! Today we will climb to 4900m, to pass over the Chole pass and descend on the other side. The ground will probably be covered in snow, so we prepare to wear gloves, hats, and scarves, to follow the Tibetan prayer shrines that mark our way as we approach the pass. At Chole we find the prayer sanctuary: it consists of a tower of piled stones, wrapped in Tibetan scarves in warm colours, (like those of the monks' robes) to whose ends are connected cords, anchored to the ground, from which hundreds of prayers written on coloured flags flutter in the air, intended to dissolve in the wind. After a short break to admire the view of the glacier and the peak of Reddomain (6112m), we descend on the other side to reach tonight's campsite, near the source of one of the tributaries of the Moxigou river.
Night in a tent. No bathrooms, running water in the river.

Day 6

Minya Konka circuit - Along Moxigou valley

Hiking: 13.4km +70m/-462m 5h
We wake up in view of the sharp peaks of Duogelongba (5960m), Duoqulongba (5962m), and the majestic Daddodmain (6380m) covered in snow. We cross the Moxigou river and continue hiking along the valley, passing through other tributaries of the tumultuous Moxigou waters, if necessary with the help of the horses. On this day we walk in a dense forest, which becomes almost eerie when shrouded in fog, until we reach another green meadow, again on the banks of the Moxigou, to pitch the tents and have our warm tasty meal, prepared by the guides.
Night in a tent. No bathrooms, running water in the river.

Day 7

Minya Konka circuit - Zimei and the Nama base camp

Hiking: 11.6km +302m/-573m 5h
Today we continue towards the Zimei settlement, first on a poorly marked alpine path then on a wide dirt road. Before reaching the Tibetans' houses, we will pass the junction that leads to the base camp of Mount Nama, with its snow-capped peak of 5588 m elevation, in front of which stands the immense Minya Konka, looking down on us from its 7556m, with its imposing glacier tongue descending into the valley. In the presence of these sharp masses of rock and ice, we cross Upper and Intermediate Zimei to reach Lower Zimei, where we spend the night after a tasty dinner.
Night in a tent (or hostel). Available bathrooms in the village.

Day 8

Minya Konka circuit - The sea of Bawang

Hiking: 15km +197m/-527m 6h
Last day of the Kora around Minya Konka, we leave the gigantic massifs behind us to lower our altitude and walk again in a forest of conifers and Asian junipers. Today's goal is to cross the flooded valley of Bawang, with the trunks of the trees emerging from the waters of the river that overflowed several years ago, filling the entire valley. We walk on paths at the water's edge and, rolling up our pants and changing our shoes, directly in the water. Dahuzi's horses are always available to help us, in case the river is too deep or the current too strong to cross on foot. We finally arrive at Jiebeishi, where our driver is waiting for us. He takes us to the village of Caoke, where we can dine with a Sichuanese hotpot, and immerse ourselves in the hot spring pools of our accommodation for the evening. Here we say goodbye to Dahuzi, who will go back the same way we came to return to Laoyulin with his horses.
Night in Caoke. Hotel with shared rooms.*

Day 9

Danba, the county of the ritual towers

Rest day.
Our driver takes us again to the North, up to the county of Danba, another autonomous Tibetan region, this time inhabited by the Jiarong ethnicity, a group assimilated under the large Tibetan family relatively recently, whose language is very different from standard Tibetan, and whose ancient animist cult today blends with traditional Tibetan Buddhism. We reach the village of Suopo, a handful of houses and stone towers perched on the side of the mountain. We drop our luggage at our accommodation, visit the village and its ancient towers.
Night in Suopo. Hotel with shared rooms.*

Day 10

Danba and the secret pass to Tronang

Hiking: 5 km +1000m -600m 7h
We prepare our daypacks and hand over the luggage to the driver, who will transport it to the hotel for us. After a Sino-Tibetan style breakfast, we take the steamed buns from Zhuoma's grandmother as a packed lunch, and we’re ready to set off for another beautiful hike. This time we walk at significantly lower altitudes, as the highest point we reach is only 3060 m. We reach the pass that separates Suopo from Zhonglu, we descend on this other Jiarong village and enjoy the view of its towers, which cover the side of the mountain, surrounded by four suggestive peaks: their sacred mountains. Once we reach our accommodation for the night, we can have an aperitif watching the sun set behind the mountains, from the terrace of our hotel. Here we can enjoy a traditional Tibetan meal and visit the small family museum.
Night in Zhonglu. Hotel with shared rooms.*

Day 11

To the “Four Maidens Mountains”

Rest day.
The driver picks us up at the Zhonglu hotel and we head towards the Siguniang Shan natural park, the Four Maidens Mountains. We reach the village at the bottom of the valley and we settle down at Chuan Chuan's house. Here we can take some rest for our probably tired legs from the previous day's elevation gain, and enjoy an excellent dinner, cooked using the vegetables from the garden surrounding the house. Depending on our energy levels and motivation, we can decide whether in the next two days we will make a loop towards Bajiaopeng lake and back, or opt for the summit of the Great Peak, at 5023m. We fill out the entry permits for the Natural Park, and prepare our backpacks for the expedition under Chuan Chuan's instructions.
Night in Siguniang tian. Hostel with shared rooms.

Day 12

The Four Maidens Mountains trek - Haizigou valley and Dafeng Base Camp

Hiking: 9.6km +1175m/-59m 7h
Today we leave for our last hike. After our entry permits have been examined by the staff, we head towards the Haizigou valley. Again, we walk with our daypacks, while the bulk of the luggage stays on the horses' backs. As we climb the slope towards Haizigou, nature becomes wilder, the landscape harsher, and the environment silent. Only the bubbling of the river, the wind among the leaves of the trees, and the screech of some lone eagle can be heard. We climb the western side of the valley, up to reach the base camp of the Great Peak of the Four Maidens, at 4300 m altitude. Our guides help us set up camp and prepare for us a mixed Chinese-Tibetan dinner.
Night in a semi-equipped camp. Bathroom without running water. Running water in the river.

Day 13

The Four Maidens Mountains trek - Da Feng peak 5023m

Hiking, closing of the loop: 8.2km -994m 5h
With the ascent to the Great Peak: 12.4km +700/-1600 8h
Wake up at 3am, departure at 3:30, we walk in the darkness along the side of the mountain with our headlamps, to reach the summit of the Great Peak with the sunrise, and admire the colours and the surreal atmosphere of these giants of rock wrapped in ice, peeking out from the clouds like satellites, in the weak pink-orange light of the sun. We return to the base camp, where we can rest a couple of hours before resuming our path and closing the loop exiting the Natural Park. Then we return to Chuan Chuan's house for a well-deserved hot shower and a traditional meal.
Night in Siguniang tian. Hostel with shared rooms.

Day 14

Back to Chengdu with the Giant Pandas

Our driver picks us up at Chuan Chuan's house, we say goodbye to his family and start the descent towards Chengdu, climbing up to the Balang pass, at 4800m, where we get off the car to stretch our legs and take a couple of souvenir photos. We pass the village of Wulong, then reach the plain. Here we have the options of visiting the ancient irrigation system of the first empire at Dujiangyan, or going to the Giant Panda Research and Protection Center and seeing these large yet so fragile creatures up close, along with the cute red pandas, free to roam all over the reserve, even among the legs of tourists! Return to Chengdu in the evening, where we can choose whether to dine among the night market stalls, or in a typical restaurant, and then attend a Sichuan Opera show, also optional.
Night in Chengdu. Hotel with shared rooms.

Day 15

Farewell to Chengdu

We spend our last morning in Chengdu. After packing our luggage, we can wander around the centre of the city one last time, visit the Wenshu temple or go for a walk along the river, letting the image of the willow trees bent over the water, framed by skyscrapers in the distance, be our last memory of this immense city. We go to the airport by high-speed train and board the return flight.
Night on the plane.

The walking hours per day during the hike refer to the time needed to move from one bivouac to another, including stops for eating, resting, or taking photos.

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