Deqin Blogger

2011-04-01T15:31:00.002+08:00

For the latest information about Deqin visit our new site

www.tibettrekking.org

Loneley Planet

2009-05-16T19:31:00.002+08:00

Word on the street, well, up in da mountains is that Tashi's is the next edition of the Bible.

Thought this might warrant a few words.

Without a shadow of doubt, the over-riding thought that enters my head is thanks. No, not to LP, but to all the people I met in Yunnan and told them that I have guesthouse, and would they like to come check it out and and they said, "YES." Seriously, I thank everyone one of you personally, AND more importantly thankful for your adventurous spirit. I'm thankful that you guys realize that traveling is about the people the places and having a little trust in strangers and humanity. I hope you guys go on to have heaps and heaps more adventures.

The guidebooks are there to help, but they're not prescriptive... so chances are, if some guy accosts you in a bus station and says he wants to help you out, chances are he probably does.... and doesn't want to rob you, kill you, or whatever else you can think of.

Which leads me on to all the travel-bible-bashers who were rude to me in the bus station. You'd be really surprised how many there have been over the past three years, considering travellers make themselves out to be free-thinking, tolerant kinda people ..... well .... I guess I'll be seeing ya in my guesthouse now that we're in the Bible, and you're more than welcome.... But it's kinda ironic, don't you think? That I've been trying to help you guys out for years, but you've ignored, blanked, walked away or been plain rude to me, cus you were determined to have you LP prescriptive adventure and Tashi's couldn't possibliy feature in your plans as it was outside of your known world.
Well, now Tashi's is in LP, and you'll be knocking on the door asking for your fix of prescriptive travel adventure....

So, I guess you can tell from this post... it's bitter sweet....

Can I say, just one more time, how thankful I am to the kinda people I met who just rolled with it and came up to the house to check it out and not only stayed but wrote such amazing comments in the guestbook.

Here's a typical scenario I've done dozens of times in Deqin bus station

Me: Hey man, I have a guesthouse here in Deqin, it's the only real Tibetan Guesthouse around, you wanna come check it out?
Traveler: Where is it?
Me: It's on the way to Fei lai Si, on the main road to Tibet. Why don't you come and check it out? If you don't like it, I'll pay for a cab for you to go to another guesthouse....
Traveler: Ok, let's check it out....

SWEET! That's traveling! Gut decision making at it's best...

I've hitch-hiked all over and what I love is that snap decision you need to make before you get in the car. You have less than 30seconds of face time to decide whether the person is going to be beneficial to your trip or not. It's all intuition. Sometimes you can make a bad call, but the more you do it the better you get at it..... this is travelling. Thinking on your feet, looking someone in the eyes and asking yourself, "Are my adventures going to be better for crossing this person's path?"
As oppossed to, "Don't look at me, don't talk to me, leave me alone... I"M TRAVELLING!"

Yah, met plenty of these people in Deqin....

You know, I've approached people in the bus station, who blanked me, then 40 minutes later I've seen them still walking around with their packs, looking like forlorn lost puppies, so I've gone up to them and said;
"Look, I know you don't wanna come to my guesthouse, that's cool! But I do have a house here and know the place pretty well... what do you wanna do? Where do you wanna go? I'll help ya, no charge, just help."

And......

They still blanked me and refused my help ... This has happened more than a few times.

Guys.... this is not adventure. Figuring it out on your own, isn't adventure.

Adventure is the crossing of paths.... If you wanna find adventure but refuse to cross paths with people who are mostly strangers, then you'll always be having a second rate experience....

So, here's shout out to many more people crossing paths... and you don't need a guidebook for that!

I rest my case....

Shangri-La is getting better

2009-05-08T16:32:00.005+08:00

Have never really been a fan of Shangri-la. The first time I went there it was called Zhongdian and was a grey, dreary town. I spent almost a week there desperately trying to organize the visa to Tibet and was glad to leave.
Since then, the town has come on in leaps and bounds. Although the old town is pretty much a new creation, it's a friendly, lively place to hang out and learn Tibetan dancing.
However, for me, there was always one thing missing from Shangri-la in its new guise, and that was something to buy.
I've brought trekking tours up from Hong Kong and these people were definitely in the market to buy stuff, but they never did. Why? Well, to be honest, most of the stuff around the main square is tat.
Who buys that stuff, I have no idea....?
The dead dog skins and other fury creatures made to look like leopards.... who buys that stuff?

Anyway... the good news is that now, if you know where to look there's some really cool things to buy.
The new stuff that is starting to appear reminds me of some of the things you can purchase in Kathmandu or Lhasa. Stuff with quality, handmade with care and with the ability to capture the memory of your trip and make a treasured memento.

So, where to buy nice stuff? Well, a good place to start is at the back of town, past the Arro Khampa Restaurant, which serves the best steak in Yunnan by the way, so those craving some protein take heed.... this is a real steak.... yes, I know, you thought they didn't make um in China, well they do, at Arro Khampa, so check it out!

Anyway, back to the shopping.... the best place to look for nice things are places like the Handicraft Center, run by the Yunnan Mountain Heritage Foundation. Admittedly, the stuff in here is a little expensive, but is all clearly priced and directly helps local people. Better to buy one quality present from here than a handful of tat from elsewhere.

Around the corner from the Handicraft Center is a thangkha painting school. It's so refreshing and exciting to see real thangkha being painted in Yunnan. The monk-teacher at the school is very committed to thangkha and is passing on some amazing skills to local, poor kids. If you're in the market to wax a few grand, this is where to go. As all the thangkhas are painted with traditional materials so you will be getting something that will last a life time and beyond. Well worth every penny.

There are a few other places popping up all over Shangri-la that are offering real quality stuff, and this shows that the tourism there is beginning to mature. My eyes are certainly opening again to the hidden treasures that can be found there, if you get away from the main drag.

Could Fei Lai Si get any worse?

2009-05-01T12:12:00.003+08:00

Unfortunately it seems the answer is yes…

Firstly… please, before I rant, let me make myself clear… please go to Fei Lai Si, it has one of the most beautiful views in China and the mountains, in my mind, ARE the most beautiful mountains on earth.

However, the town is another matter.

Sometimes I often think it may have been easier for Tashi’s to open up at Fei Lai Si. We would then get pretty much ALL of the foreign tourist traffic in the area, and I wouldn’t have to constantly explain to the Lonely Planet and Rough Guide zealots that there is a world outside of the guidebooks, and if you do something different from what is written down in your traveling Bibles then you’re more than likely going to have an amazing time and not have your kidney removed and sold on the black market.

So, I often think maybe Fei lai Si would have been the easier option for the Lodge, but my last visit to the place has firmly confirmed in my mind that Fei Lai Si is not for me. Maybe it’s something to do with the twelve foot wall?
Yes, a twelve foot wall now runs down the entire length of the tiny, one-street town, which hints strongly at yet another entry fee for avid tourists to pay.
Paying to take photos of mountains is not at all a good idea in my world, and not because it’s not worth it, or because I believe natural things should be free. My problem with paying to see mountains is, what happens when you don’t get to see them, do you get your money back? Kinda like when you go on a dolphin spotting trip and the guy says, “if you don’t see any dolphins, you don’t have to pay.” Sounds pretty reasonable, right?

So what about the mountains and Melixueshan? No view no pay or what? As the peak season in Yunnan is the summer, and most of this time the peaks hide away under clouds, will you be able to get a refund? Seriously, I came to Deqin twice in the summer and never saw a thing, before I saw Melixueshan clearly in the winter. (note. Don’t let this put you off coming to Deqin in the summer, I just have bad karma)
The first time I went to Fei Lai Si our driver stopped us on the car park and we looked across at the stupas thinking, “Hmmmm, maybe there’s some mountains there or something? Stupas are nice though.”
Well the stupas have gone! I’m sure they’ll build some more, but you wont be able to see them unless you pay, cus they’ll be behind a twelve foot wall.

So, anyway, I’m glad we’re not at Fei Lai Si, it has its very own path to follow and we’ll see how the finished product looks, maybe you wont even need the view? Who knows?

Feilaisi

2009-04-06T16:21:00.000+08:00

Feilaisi (Fay lay sir)

What a shame that Feilaisi isn't one of the most stunning places on earth.

Actually, I do it a small injustice. If you're looking at the Kawa Karpo (Meilixueshan) mountain range on a clear day, then Feilaisi IS one of the most beautiful places in China.

Unfortunately, the Kawa Karpo (Meilixueshan) mountains are more often than not covered in cloud, which leaves the traveler with only Feilaisi. Note: for unlimited views of the Deqin Mountains you have to visit Deqin at wintertime... OMG!!!

I love the area around Deqin so much that I took a massive gamble and created Tashi's Mountain Lodge. However when we were planning to open a guesthouse in the area, I never once entertained getting a place in Feilaisi. Our Tibetan friends didn't really understand why.

To me the answer is pretty clear, Feilaisi is a tourist disaster, in my mind the best thing they could do, is knock it all down and start again.... I say this not out of spite but because it could be SO GOOD.

Unfortunately, they're building even more buildings that look terrible and show no signs of stopping, so the future for this one street town is, well... dull.

My advice: Go to Feilaisi, it still is one of the best places in Yunnan, if not China, and while you're there, say a little prayer for the town and hope that one day it will grow up to be the place it deserves to be.

Highlights

You can't beat sitting on the patio at the Migrating Bird Bar on a clear day. The view is so impossibly huge, your mind can't take it all in. It really is inspiring. Shame the Migrating Bird isn't very happening place. What is the deal with this place anyway? Can anyone tell me? It has got everything, a trillion dollar view, great venue, great interior, ok food and coffee but no atmosphere. It feels like the place used to be the trekking hub of the region but is now bored of it all.... What's their story? Does anyone know? Email me

Buying Om Mani Padme Hum slates from the man near the pagoda.

If you're a coffee adict, Feilaisi is probably the best place to get a good fix

And of course the view..... duh!

Lowlights

The lack of any town planning.

The view that modern is good, so let's build huge modern hotels that look rubbish and out of place

Stinky toilets

The rubbish on the floor

The way bars stack up all their beer bottles outside the doors, in a lame way to show that they were once busy

The way the restaurants have HUGE menus with loads and loads of choice in them, but don't actually serve any of it.

for more info visit www.deqinlodge.com

When is the best time to see the sunrise over Meilixueshan (Kawa Karpo)?

2009-03-08T19:51:00.002+08:00

You might be surprised to find out, that even though the guidebook says that one of the highlights of the area is watching the sunrise over MeiliXueshan (Kawa Karpo), it's not always possible.

You'd be amazed how many people I've spoken to who have been absolutely convinced that they're going to see a spectacular sunrise, despite the season, and me telling them to the contrary, because the guidebook says they will. Sometimes the best times to see the mountain isn't in the morning, even if the guidebook says it is.

As a rule of thumb and based on my experience only.... winter is the best time. If you want unlimited, anytime, picture postcard vistas of the mountains, then you need to visit in the winter. Winter is the only time you can guarantee spectacular views

In autumn or spring, you normally get windows of clarity. The longer you stay around, the more chance you'll get of it being cleared. You can have four days of no clouds, then four days of cloud, like this, or it can be clear in the morning and clouded over in the evening. It's hard to predict.

In the summer, which is the rainy season, the peaks are often covered in cloud. My experience, and I've been in Deqin every month of the year, is that if it's going to be clear, then this usually happens in the late afternoon. Gosh, I know the guidebook says it's clear in the morning, but my experience is that in the summer it's clearer in the afternoon. Make of it as you will.

Remember, Deqin is so spectacular you don't need to see Meilixueshan (Kawa Karpo) to be blown away by the scenery, so come up regardless of the weather. In fact the first time I ever visited Deqin, it was so cloudy we had no chance of seeing the mountains. Our driver parked his car up in Felaizi and stood there pointing at a whole bunch of cloud. We kinda had the impression he was pointing at something significant but couldn't see anything. Despite not seeing Meilixueshan we still had an amazing time in Deqin.

2009-03-05T13:50:00.001+08:00

Tashi's Mountain Lodge has opened up a new website

www.deqinlodge.com

Please go check it out

New Website

2009-03-04T14:34:00.002+08:00

So, check out Tashi's Mountain Lodge's new website.

it has some great new features including a message board to help travelers coordinate their travel plans in northern Yunnan.

check it out

www.deqinlodge.com

Don't forget you can also see the original Tashi's site @ www.tashislodge.com - unfortunately, this site is difficult to see in Yunnan. hence the new site

Miancimu

2008-02-08T20:32:00.000+08:00

Here's a great picture of Miancimu, Kawa Karpo's wife-mountain.
The most beautiful mountain in the world

Deqin+Weather

2008-02-06T18:29:00.000+08:00

Here's another site showing the weather for the Deqin area

http://www.weatherforecastmap.com/china/deqin/

Winter is such a great time to be in Deqin.... don't be put-off by those low temperatures.

When the sunshines in the day-time it is glorious.... and as soon as the sun goes down, just wrap-up, curl up next to a nice warm fire, a cup of ginger-lemon tea and some good people to chat with.... can't beat it!

Deqin weather

2008-02-06T18:25:00.000+08:00

If you want to know what the weather is like in Deqin, then try this Yahoo weather link

http://uk.weather.yahoo.com/CHXX/CHXX0360/index_c.html

2008-01-29T12:08:00.001+08:00

For the latest information about Deqin visit our new site

www.tibettrekking.org

Tibet Permits - Tibet Permit
At Tashi’s Mountain Lodge we can get you permits for the stunning road trip from Yunnan to Lhasa. Here’re a few things you should know about the Tibet permit.

What you have to understand about the Tibet permit is that those involved in it have every reason to make sure you have one and no reason to let you pass if you don’t. For sure the permit restrictions are easing-off slowly as the years go by, there once was a time when every westerner in Lhasa would be checked. Now this simply is not the case, but if you’re going to do long land routes, especially from the east then you will need to “play the game” and get a permit.
I have met countless people in Deqin who have told me that they’re off to Lhasa, some even proudly showing me their bus tickets to Yanjing or Markam. With every person I’m exactly the same, I firstly tell them that the trip is fantastic, probably the best thing they will ever do, and because of this I recommend that you get a permit so you can guarantee finishing the trip. I then tell them that I can help them get a permit and tell them how much it will cost. Without question everyone has turned me down and assured me that they will be the person that can get through. On this, I always give them my email address and tell them if you get to Lhasa then drop me a mail. No one has ever emailed me. Maybe they thought I was a conceited fart or maybe, just maybe they didn’t make it. Who’s to tell?
The best way to help get rid of the permits is to behave and work within the permits. One of the principal functions of the Tibet permit is to keep backpackers out. This is not official policy, and you wont see it written anywhere, but in the Chinese government’s eyes there’s only a finite amount of tourism available in Tibet and it is happy to fill the relatively small window with internal tourism and top-end international tourism. They’re not interested in having a bunch of broke backpackers kicking around Lhasa full of impractical ideas for Tibet. Unfurling free-Tibet flags at base-camp or anywhere in Tibet, does not help the Tibetans or the backpacker’s cause and is a really dumb thing to do!
Tibet is part of China, whether you like it or not. If you have really strong opinions on this, that you would probably find hard to keep to yourself, then you’re best off staying home and petitioning your government. Trying to sneak into Tibet by not paying the permit because you think it’s politically incorrect helps no one.

As an independent backpacker, your chances of getting from Yunnan to Lhasa are practically zero if you’re not prepared to pay. ( If you’re an independent cyclist with the right equipment then it is possible)
Another common situation is meeting backpackers who ask me whether I know anyone who can “sneak them in.” This I find really comical and always answer in the same way:
“So, you want to pay nothing, yet find someone who is willing to risk everything? Do you see a problem in that?”
For sure there are people who will smuggle you into Tibet, there are people all over the world who will do anything you want if you pay them. I’ve met people in Lhasa who have been smuggled in and they still had to pay. Being smuggled in is very stressful and for the small amount of money they saved I’m not entirely sure it was worth it. Plus, you always face the obstacle of getting back out, which usually involves a fine, so you didn’t save any money in the long run. It just added a heap of stress to what is an amazing trip of a lifetime. There are those puritans that will say, “well at least we didn’t pay the Chinese government for the permit!” Well you paid them for your China visa, and entry fees to every attraction you visit in China, what’s so different about a Tibet Permit? Which inevitably gets the quip back, “the Chinese government persecutes the Tibetan culture.” Well, this is a whole different rant which I’ll get onto another time.

So, back to the permits.
Tibet permits are easy and relatively inexpensive to get and well worth the money. My advice is to drop the baggage that goes along with them, swallow the pill and go and visit, legitimately, one of the most spectacular places on earth.
Let’s say for a minute that Tibet was a free country, just like Bhutan, it would need to impose a heavy levy to restrict tourist numbers. This is the function of the Tibet permit. However, people, and especially backpackers have problems in that it is imposed by the Chinese government. There are two simple replies to this view.
1) As Tibet is now part of China, the government has a legal right to impose a levy, in the same way as the Bhutanese government does over its country
2) If you don’t agree with the policies of a country, stay home.

What are the current state of permits?
It’s no secret that the permits exist in a constant state of flux and it is conceivable that one day they will disappear, but don’t hold your breath on this, as I’ve mentioned before, the permits serve many functions for Chinese government and the TAR.
After all the troubles at the Horse festival Lithang and the unfurling of the Free Tibet flag by some backpackers in 07, the Chinese government became pretty jittery and their response was to freeze permits and then bring them back at a higher price. Right now, as of 29.01.08 I’m told you can’t get a Tibet permit to take you from Yunnan to Lhasa for approx 1500RMB. The price will probably come down to 1000RMB in the spring, or maybe they wont. Added on to this is the time it takes to get a road permit. The shortest period I’ve ever known has been about 4 working days. Currently officials are quoting 10-14 days, which is a significant hurdle for most travellers, but that’s the point.

If you think back to why most of us want to go to Tibet it’s because we have that desire to go somewhere that is different and unattainable, a place that, in the past, needed a monumental effort to reach. Well, look at it like this, even though it’s now much easier to physically get to Tibet, the Chinese government are still asking a huge commitment from those who wish to travel to the Land of The Snows. Don’t think for a second that if Tibet were free the Tibetan government wouldn’t put on a “chunky” visa fee too, so…. As travellers you should just accept the permits and visit Tibet, it will be the pinnacle of your trip and in years ahead, you want think about the extra couple of grand it cost you.

Another common question is, "why do the road permits cost so much" Well basically you're getting a number of police districts to agree to let you pass. (I'm told it is four) All these areas need to be informed and paid, which increases the price. When you buy a plane ticket to Lhasa, you just get the Lhasa permit only. Therefore, it's cheaper. If you want to go to other places in Tibet once you arrive by plane in Lhasa then the travel agents will add-on other permit charges to your trip price.

For those people who think they can sneak their way in from Yunnan to Lhasa, then there are at least six possible places where you can be stopped and asked to produce a permit on the road. As most Tibetans agree, you can probably sneak through a couple, but all six is very difficult - YOU FEELIN LUCKY?

One last thing on permits.
A lot of people ask me if I can organize cars for them to take them to Lhasa, which I can, with just a small commitment of money and time from them. Per person a week-long trip to Lhasa will cost less than 4000RMB. Most people balk at the price, which I find amazing, and instead choose to back-track down into Yunnan, spending more time doing the same old stuff, and by the time they’ve reached a beach in Thailand they’ve spent well over 4000RMB.
You will spend almost as much backtracking as you will going forward to Lhasa, but the benefits of going forward fast outstrip anything you could do by doubling-back on yourself.
My advice is….. that once you’re in Deqin the road to Lhasa is open to everyone who wants to go, you’ve just got to want it enough, and all those who turn back, go not because of the price or the time, but because they didn’t really want it enough.

In the past, only travellers with strong determination reached Lhasa by road, and in a way it’s not changed a bit!

Where to stay around Deqin

2008-01-23T22:10:00.001+08:00

For the latest information about Deqin visit our new site

www.tibettrekking.org

When arriving in Deqin there have been three usual choices, either stay in town or in the Fei Lai Si area or go to Mingyong town?
With the opening up of Tashi's Mountain Lodge, you now have a fourth option. The Lodge is situated half way between Deqin and Fei lai Si on the main road to Tibet. The benefits of staying at the Lodge will be dealt with in another post. Here I will stick to the other options.

Mingyong Town
To get to Mingyong town, you will either need to catch a bus or get a small taxi. You can rent a taxi from 100-200RMB, depending on how hard you bargain. Either way, if there's a group of you it's a bargain as you can easily fit 4 people with big packs into one taxi comfortably. It's a long way from Deqin to Mingyong, at least one and a half hours and you will drive past Tashi's Lodge and Fei Lai Si.
When entering Mingyong, via the main road, you will also have to pay the entry fee to the area. This is about 60-70RMB each. If you arrive late at night the office maybe closed and you can slip through.
Mingyong town is certainly no "one horse town." There are more ponies than people, and they wander up and down the streets like gangs of bored youths. There's a long line of Chinese-style hotels along the only street, that have token Tibetan decoration on the outside, they're all about the same as each other, and vary according to price. You can expect to pay around 50-100RMB for a double room, with bathroom, TV and loads of other gizmos that either you don't use or don't work.

The main reason to go to Mingyong Town is to go to the Glacier, which is well worth it and I will deal with that in another post.

You can also get to Mingyong by bus. This isn't as straight-forward as you would first think, so I will explain.
The main bus station is at the bottom end of town. If you imagine that Deqin is shaped like a T, then when you get off the bus you are located at the bottom end of the T. To find the bus to Mingyong you have to walk back up the road and take a left turn at the the T-junction. Carry on along the road, past a scruffy Chinese hotel on your left and a couple of yak butchers on your right. There’s no actual bus stop, but there’s normally buses parked up in this area and you can ask which bus it is and when it is leaving. Last time I checked the bus cost 15RMB and takes a good while.

Staying in Deqin
The majority of people who stay in Deqin stay at the Deqin Hotel, mainly because it has the best write-up in the Lonely Planet. As far as Chinese style hotels go, with a lick of Tibetaness, then the place is completely ordinary and run of the mill, but if you have to stay in Deqin then stay here. To find it, take a left out of the bus station and it’s about 200metres down the road on the right.
As far as other hotels in town go, I’ve heard scary stories about most, even the so-called 3stars, but if all you care about is cheapness or convenience, then take your pick.
Apparently, there’s also a new, big, swish hotel just opened-up at the bottom of town. I haven’t been there yet but will go check it out at some stage. Apparently it’s the talk of the town and like no other hotel around. This probably signifies the coming of greater tourism to the area.

Fei Lai Si
What can I say about Fei Lai Si?
I’ll be completely honest and fess-up that I think it’s a complete waste. When the views are clear, there’s no place like it on earth, it’s just so spectacular that it spins you out, that is if you are facing the mountains. However, if you swing round 180’ you can then soak up the pathetic excuse for a street that is Fei Lai Si. There’s neither a restaurant or hotel/guesthouse that is really worth mentioning. Yeah, some are ok, but I guess they’re relying on their spectacular views. The problem is, is that 7 times outta 10, Fei lai Si, doesn’t have the breathtaking views! Even the Migratory Bird (MB), which is about the most decent place there, leaves you wanting. To me the MB is a bit of a conundrum. It is so well done, has such a great spot and the interior resonates like it should be a hotbed of trekking and mountaineering news, but the thing is it’s not! The MB has everything but soul and that’s what makes it such an enigma.
Most people stay in Fei Lai Si to see the sun rise over on Meili, which is very spectacular, but is rare to see in some months. If you really want to get a guaranteed, picture postcard view of Meili, then you have to go in winter. I’ve had numerous conversations with people who were adamant that they were going to see the sunrise, despite me telling them about the daily weather patterns and conditions not being favourable. Unfortunately, simple staying in Fei lai Si and getting up early isn’t enough karma to witness a spectacular sunrise, you also need timing.
Saying this, making the effort to travel up to Deqin in the hope of seeing Meili is well worth it and one of the best things you can do in Yunnan, so don’t be put off, by the chance of not seeing it.

BTW, the sunrises, in front of the mountains and casts its rays over the faces in the early morning, and then the sunsets behind the the mountains, creating some stunning shadows .

If you want a spectacular rare, treat, then try viewing the mountains on a clear night with a full moon, that really is something to behold, with all the peaks and glaciers illuminated by the milky, crisp light.

Fei Lai Si is also a good place to start a few treks in the area. If you want to trek, you should stay at Tashi’s Lodge, I will write about The Lodge in another post.

Why come to Deqin?

2008-01-18T15:17:00.000+08:00

The biggest mistake people make when visiting Yunnan is not visiting Deqin.
The second biggest mistake people make when coming up to Deqin is not allowing themselves enough time to explore…all too often I hear people remarking that they wished they hadn’t spent so long in other towns like Shangri-la, Lijiang or Dali and come straight up to Deqin.
Unlike other places in the area, you don’t have to look too hard to find the real “Shangri-la.”
Deqin prefecture is where the big mountains are to be found with impossibly steep valleys, mind-blowing vistas, remote monasteries and class A trekking, for all levels, available all year round. Yes, all year round! In fact the best time to trek is during the winter months.

So, if Deqin is so great, why don’t people know about it?

The main reason for this is that there isn’t a lot of information available on the area, so the average traveler is left guessing whether it’s worth visiting or not. The fact that most travelers will have to return the way they came also puts them off visiting. (Deqin is the last town before Tibet proper, so it’s difficult to get any further without a permit)

It’s apparent remoteness and obscurity shouldn’t deter you and the area is “must do” place. Here are ten good reasons to visit Deqin.

1. Meili Snow Mountain & Mt. Miancimu
2. Trek up to the Mingyong Glacier
3. Trekking to Yubeng
4. Trekking along the Mekong River
5. Tashi’s Mountain Lodge, Reringkha village
6. To organize a road trip to Lhasa
7. The spectacular drive up from Shangri-la
8. Deqin’s Tibetan Disco
9. Sleeping in remote Tibetan villages
10. Special ginger, lemon tea

I will write about each one of these in depth in this blog in the future and will endeavor to share all the information I have about the area and visiting Tibet.

Please feel free to add you comments or questions and I’ll respond/answer as best I can.

DB