4 Days Cultural and Natural Exploration in Kham Tibetan Area

Located within Hengduan Mountain Range, the Khampa Tibetan area involves Sichuan, Tibet AR, Qinghai, and Yunnan provinces. Kangding is located in the transitional area between West Sichuan Plateau and Chengdu Plain. The unique geological environment has nurtured spectacular natural scenery here including habitats such as alpine meadows, deserts, and numerous unique wildlife and plants living in high elevation areas. Culturally speaking, Kangding is on the eastern edge of the Khampa Tibetan area and inter-influenced area by Tibetan and Han Chinese Culture.

▲ Tibetan Family Houses

During this exploration camp, we will go via Kangding to the depth of West Sichuan Plateau, where we will search for unique alpine plants and wildlife. In Moshi Stone Forest Park, we will enjoy the magnificence and splendor of the natural wonders made of stones, and learn how the karst on the plateau was formed. Under a starry sky, we will get to know the Summer Triangle namely Altair, Vega, and Deneb, and look for Polaris. In Xingduqiao, which is known as the paradise for the photographers, we will immerse ourselves in the beautiful scenery formed by blue sky, white clouds, and alpine grasslands. On Tagong Grasslands, we will enjoy a great view of the Yala Snow-capped Mountain if the weather is good. In Bamei, we will pay a visit to the most beautiful Tibetan houses and monasteries to understand the local customs and daily lives of local Tibetans to experience different cultural environments.

▲ A Glimpse of Kangding City Proper

Trip Targets

1. Learn how to observe：Observe the high-elevation plants and wildlife and understand their surviving strategies to cultivate and practice our awareness of environmental protection;

2. Enrich cultural experience：Visit local Tibetan families and monasteries to understand Tibetan Buddhism in the Khampa Tibetan area and the impact of Chinese culture on local Tibetan architecture and traditions;

3. Apply our theories into practice：Observe the starry sky with our naked eyes and study the real local situation, and apply the astronomical and geological knowledge we have learned from books in a real situation;

4. Foster interests through games：Through various interesting natural experimental programs and games, we will cultivate and keep your curiosity and exploration power.

▲ A panorama view of Huiyuan Monastery

Trip Highlights

1. A journey for alpine plants：We will search for a 400-year-old Magnolia tree and learn about the surviving strategies of alpine flowers;

2. A journey to observe the starry sky in summer：Stargaze in Baimei, we will search for the bright stars in summer such as Polaris, and the Summer Triangle. We will also learn different names given to the same star by China and the western world, and study ancient poems that give a vivid description of the bright stars;

3. A journey to discover alpine birds：Watching plateau birds in Erdaoqiao and look for birds such as Chinese Babax and Brown-breasted Bulbul with a chance to encounter star birds like Himalayan Vulture and Lady Amherst's Pheasant;

4. A journey to experience Khampa Tibetan culture：You will experience Tibetan culture in a series of programs including enjoying the beautiful scenery of Tagong grasslands, visiting beautiful Tibetan family houses and the hometown of a living Buddha, tasting cactus fruits, and devouring the delicious mushroom hotpot.

▲ Tagong Grassland and Tagong Monastery

Logistics

Hotels：3-star hotel or nice local guesthouse(one twin-bed room for one family, for children without a parent, arrange room-sharing according to the actual situation. In principle, we do not use one room for one single child. If parent hopes to use a single room, the single supplement is 99USD/pax).

Transportation：We use a registered tour bus for the whole trip.

Food：Local popular food with a balanced selection of meat and vegetable dishes for good nutrition.

Safety Measures：

1. All around process control and safety check before the start of the trip.

2. Staff with AHA first aid certificate and first aid kit during the whole trip.

3. Detailed rules and reminders for the trip and ensure all the participating parents and children know them.

4. Measures for epidemic prevention: we will prepare epidemic prevention materials such as surgery masks, pure alcohols, hand sanitizer, and thermometer. We will have a temperature check before the start of our trip activities.

FAQs

What is the elevation range for this trip?

The trip covers Kangding city and the surrounding areas in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. The sea elevation for the places we are going to visit is above 2,000 meters, with Kangding at 2,860 meters, and Bamei at 3,450 meters. The highest place we are going to pass on this trip is Zheduoshan Pass which is 4,298 meters above sea level.

What kind of special attention do we need to pay when we participate in activities in high elevation areas?

Though most of our nature exploration activities on this trip will happen in places with an elevation range between 2,000-3,000 meters, those participants who are sensitive to high elevations still need to seek suggestions from doctors for the preparation of medicines. Also, we should try our best to avoid high-intensity physical exercises, avoiding running and jumping while hiking. In high-elevation areas, the temperature gap is pretty big, so please make sure you have warm clothes and comfortable shoes to wear. For the inner layers, it is always advisable to have some moisture-wicking fabric to stay comfortable during the trip and make some necessary preparations for travel in high-elevation areas such as suncream, skin-care, and sunglasses during snow season.

What kind of backup plans you have made for this trip?

The teachers for this trip have rich experiences of guiding in high elevation areas. He will check the physical conditions of the participants regularly during this trip. We will have a vehicle and oxygen bottles standby at the closest possible place for the whole trip. If anyone does not feel good, we can always send him or her to the nearest hospital. We have balanced choices of food to ensure everyone enjoys the food with enough energy to adapt to the elevation change. The activities being planned to allow participants to have enough rest and sleep.

Can we see the starry sky during the trip?

One of the reasons we choose Xinduqiao as a stargazing location is that it is sunny in this area for most days of the year. Our teachers will closely follow the latest weather conditions before the departure of the trip, keep our participants updated. Despite this, please be well aware of the fact the weather forecasting for a small area is still a worldwide challenge, so there does exist, though small, a possibility that we can not see a starry sky during this trip. Please set the right expectations before you sign up for the trip.